7.15.2008
I slept deeply last night. It gently rained all through the early morning and the air was cool, clear, and refreshing, wafting from the lake through my open window. The night was peaceful and soothing. The temperature has not risen above the 70s here in the highlands which is a welcome relief form the humidity of Belize. Last night I could have been sleeping in a cabin in the Smokies or in a tent in Oregon.
At 5:30am I was packed and walked to the third story terrace to watch the sunrise over Lago de Atitlan. The sun never made it over the ridge, of course, but the sun cast an amazing pink glow on the underside of the thick clouds.
At 6:05am the tourist shuttle had not arrived so I jumped on a ¨chicken bus¨headed to Quetzaltenango, or Xela. Yes, the doorman did throw my backpack on the roof. I am so glad that I took this bus instead. It only cost $3.50 for a three hour ride through the highlands. That crazy Spanish pop music was loudly thumping for the entire trip but it made the atmosphere really festive. 60 people at a time would squeeze on to this lively, converted school bus, complete with outrageous and colorful decals. I found the market photo below on the internet, but this is exactly what I see everywhere.
One gringa was on the bus for about an hour, otherwise, I was the only foreigner. It was obviously the morning commute, everyone knew eachother, and were laughing and talking. The views out the windows were spectacular. (I found this photo on the internet, too.)
At 9am we pulled into the bus terminal/outdoor market/forum/taxi station/soccer field . . . everything was happening. It was a human carnival. A taxi driver called Quetzaltrekkers for me but they did not pick up. My Lonely Planet guide recommended Kaqchikel Tours so I went there. (Definitely go here when you come to climb volcanoes in Guatemala. Check out his website in the links to the right and take a look at the tours.) My taxi driver was friendly and had a great smile. In fact, my experience of Guatemalans is that they are some of the nicest people I´ve met travelling. Eduardo Patzan is the owner of Kaqchikel Tours and was there to greet me. His daughter showed me a video that one of his clients had taken on a hike to the crater of Santiaguito, the most active volcano in Guatemala. This Dutch guy was filming himself when suddenly, a hundred yards behind him, the volcano blew up ash and lava hundreds of feet into the air. The Dutch guy was yelling ¨holy shit¨ and pulled people into frame for a group hug with this mountaneous cloud of ash and fire billowing up behind him! (WATCH THE ERUPTION video in the links to the right. I hope this happens to me on Saturday.) Eduardo was really helpful and even showed me his home which is also a hostel. So by 10am everything had unfolded before my eyes even though I had arrived without reservations or any nailed down plans. I am going to stay at his house in a gigantic room with high ceilings, a private bathroom, and a hot shower for 6 nights at $7 per night.
I also signed up for two tours with him. The first tour departs at 1am Thursday morning to the top of Santa Maria Volcano by the light of the full moon. It overlooks the hourly eruptions from Santiaguito, the most active volcano in Guatemala. The second tour depends on how many people sign up. Hopefully the extreme tour into Santiaguito´s crater will make. (That´s where the dutch guy filmed the movie I told you about.) The alternate hike is to the top of dormant Tajulmulco, the highest peak in Central America.
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