The Place Where the Rainbow Gets its Color

"If the days are going to be like this for the next month, I am going to be as happy as a clam at high tide" - Brady 

11 January. 

This AM started out with a dip in the lake. I was at first afraid of how cold it would be, but it was very warm compared to the frigid Washington lakes I'm used to. (Fun fact: Lake Atitlan is an alpine lake, 5000 ft. above sea level and 10 miles wide. Atitlan, in the Mayan language, means: the place where the rainbow gets its color)

Yesterday, Brady and I were up early, excited to find a market. There is no good stores in Santa Cruz, so we caught a boat across the lake, to Panajachel, to retrieve our food. As we walked through the streets of Pana, we met some nice Australian tourists and I bought some traditional long, colorful, "rojo" pants. We were able to bargain down the price on my pants! After shopping for fresh eggs and fruit, and rice we boat taxied home. This PM Brady and I pushed the kayak out into the water. We soon discover that the wind makes the waves too choppy to enjoy a pleasant glide through the turquoise blue. We'll try kayaking in the morning, from now on.

12 January. 

We went for a nice long walk all the way past Santa Cruz and on to Jaibalito, wanting to check out a lake view restaurant. A favorite of backpackers, so we had heard. I loved the hike, up through the jungle we went, until we came out of the trees and were standing on the side of the mountain overlooking the lake, from an impressive height. The boats beneath us looked like little fish, weaving through the sparkling blue. The restaurant was buzzing with activity, and the pool was full of young people. I ordered a salad, which reminded me of the way Kelsie (my lovely sister) makes a salad, so full of flavor with too many ingredients to count. Delicious.

After lunch, we took a walk up the streets of Jaibalito, and saw where the locals live. Laundry hung out on fences, small children were playing in the walkways, and women sat in the fruit/veggie stands, selling produce from their gardens.

14 January.  

I hand washed our laundry! We don't have a machine that does it for us. For a clothesline, I improvised, by hanging our clothes all over the front porch and out the bay window. The sun was drying them in no time.

We hung out at Casa Del Mundo (a Cafe and hotel), all day. How could you not, the place is the coolest! It is a hotel on the side of a mountain. All the way down to the lake's edge, there are stone-built balconies containing the comfiest hammocks. One can waste away a day there, sipping on fruit smoothies, or reading a book, with the soundtrack of waves beating against the mossy stone walls.

 

Tonight we were minding our own business, when suddenly out of nowhere, it seemed, Brady yelled "Scorpion!" In a second we were both hopping around on the bed screaming for our lives. This huge thing was crawling towards us at a rapid speed! After gaining our composure, of course, I made Brady swat it with a shoe. Brady, the hero of the story, with a flip flop in his hand, and scorpion guts splattered on the floorboards :) But now, every night, before we can venture out onto the floor, we must scan it thoroughly, just in case!

Not my photo, but the scorpion looked identical to this! 

15 January. 

San Marcos. Today we went to this town. We didn't know it, but we were in for quite a treat. It is a 30 minute boat ride from our home to San Marcos, and we met a Kiwi, who got on to our boat at Santa Cruz. This guy was excited that we were from Seattle area and we chatted with him until we arrived at our stop. San Marcos is structured different than any of the other towns we've been to yet. There are pathways going in and out between buildings, with lots of people lining the skinny streets, selling their jewelry and fresh produce. There were so many long-haired men, and women in flowy pants with nose rings. Brady and I looked somewhat out of place in this hippy saturated town.

As we walked further into the heart of the town, we heard a loud voice talking over a loudspeaker. We came out into the town square, where a huge tree took its place to the right of the markets. There was a big covered area, where crowds of Guatemalans stood. We figured it was a political meeting taking place. Every 15 minutes or so, a huge mortar was set off! Gun powder shot up, high into the air, with an ear piercing "bang". These are fireworks to the Guatemalans, I guess.

Brady and I wandered around the town for a few hours, exploring all the nooks and crannies of this town. A little girl stopped us and asked us if we wanted to buy a puppy :) We declined politely. We had lunch in a Vegetarian restaurant, called La Paz. Here we sat in a loft, high up in the jungle trees and sipped our coffee on comfy couches.



17 January. 

"La Iguana Perdida": the most hip "hostel" for traveling backpackers, in this area. For only $6 you can spend the night there. Brady and I love to hang out there, because it is only a 15 minute walk from where we live.

Inside La Iguana Perdida

The view from La Iguana Perdida

Today the Seahawks game was going on, so we went over there to watch it on their cable TV. It was quite a fun time, with an Australian, Kiwi, Austrian, and a Canadian watching with us, on the screen, which had to be wacked every few minutes or half of it would go fuzzy.

19 January. 

Last night gave us the most beautiful lightening show. There was a storm brewing over top the volcano and it was magnificent to watch! For a brief second all the lights, in the town opposite us, flickered off. Wow! I awoke early this morning and read Psalm 96 and Psalm 97, as the dawn broke. How appropriate it was!

Psalm 97:4-6: "His lightenings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim His righteousness, and all the peoples see His glory."