“Some places remake you over and over and over again.” – Old Sean
Months at Lake Atitlán
For the past few months, I’ve been spending my time on the shores of Lake Atitlán in Guatemala. I’ve been feverishly working from a swinging hammock to finish my books, a pair of novels containing short stories about Irish mythology and culture.
In the coming months, I’ll be taking my brother and sister to Ireland as their graduation gift. We’ll be exploring the land, largely on foot, while reading about the ancient stories spawned on green and stone.
In the meantime, however, I’m still in Guatemala. I spent my remaining month wandering around Lake Atitlán before taking a brief trip to Antigua. Afterwards, I returned to enjoy a night or two in Guatemala City, where I write this now.
Last days in Lake Atitlán
After a month or three, I was well-acquainted with the areas around Lake Atitlán. I’d lived in Santa Cruz Laguna, spending hours seated at the glorious restaurant Cafe Sabor Cruceño, which boasts unmatched balcony views of the lake and distant, dormant volcanos.
On off evenings, I made frequent trips to San Marcos with several local friends. Here, we played music, drank beer, tried local pastries and talked to the dogs and cats of town. Often, I was given an audience to read my stories out loud. The experience was invaluable. The stories I’m currently writing are designed to be spoken to an audience (namely my brother and sister) as we explore Ireland. While reading to a small group who kept their rapt attentions on my words, I was able to further smooth-down the tales I told.
Santiago Atitlán
During one of my more quiet hiking days, I traveled to Santiago Atitlán, a town tucked into an offshoot bay at the foot of an imposing mountain range.
The town isn’t popular with tourists, largely due to it’s out-of-the-way direction. But it’s a lovely little area, full of wildly turning roads, narrow alleys and strangely placed churches
While there isn’t a wealth to do in this area, the marketplace is nice enough. The Saint James the Apostle Church is unique for it’s life-sized figures depicting different saints, popes, religions leaders and biblical characters from the Christian faith. For those willing to walk far, places like Parque de la Paz and the lower beaches near the mountains are quiet, serene and lovely.
Shaken Awake
While snoozing one night back in my rented room, a vast shaking woke me up. I jerked upright, thrust out of the throes of a nightmare where something blurred and ferocious had opened a door and cunningly drew claws across my eyes.
I spent a moment blinking from my nightmare, thinking that alone was what had woken me. But no, there was a deep, bone-deep tremor shaking my bed, sending small trinkets rattling about on my upper shelf.
One of the first things I learned when traveling was to always put all goods on shelves or upon desks. Pipes burst, hurricanes roll in or river dams breach. In all those scenarios, keeping valuable a few inches off the ground can save them.
The second thing I learned was to pad the area around goods so they cant fall off the sides or roll way. More practically, this is to avoid gusts of wind from an open window or a slanted foundation. but that evening, I learned that it was a handy technique to avoid getting things smashed during an earthquake.
Almost as quickly as it’d begun, the earthquake subsided. I stood up and got dressed, poking around the still-dark garden property to look for damage.
I searched for an hour, but there wasn’t any visable damage. But the light of day told a different story.
When I went down to the lake, I’d planned on boarding a boat to take me to a nearby town. But boarding the water-taxi proved almost impossible, as the water level had dropped nearly four feet. I had to make an awkward swinging motion to clamber aboard, landing heavily.
The earthquake had apparently thrashed Atitlán’s water level far lower.
Float Like a Butterfly
Despite the spikes of adrenaline caused by the earthquake, life around Lake Atitlán kept an even, peaceful pace. I continued going to San Marcos, enjoying cookies at shops, taking care of my neighbor’s dogs, chatting with other travelers and speaking with the occasional witch.
During off days, I would also take long hikes, following the rambling dirt roads into the middle of nowhere. During these hikes, I would sometimes stumble across unnamed Maya villages, propped up with rough concrete and immersed in dried jungle foliage.
During one hike, I took a water-taxi to Pana (Panajachel) where I picked up my groceries for the week. On a whim, I took a slow hike around town, stopping to see small dinosaur skeleton artworks and haggling at the local market. I also found a new favorite coffee shop, Café Loco, especially nice for it’s stellar service and traditional wood-carved books for decoration.
Later on, I wandered along roads until eventually reaching a small protected biosphere called Mariposario Reserva de Atitlán. This beautiful area is filled with bridges, walking trails, cliffside retreats, unique architecture and bounding coati. My favorite aspect, however, is the large butterfly pavilion within.
Monarchs, zebra butterflies and dozens of others I could scarcely name fluttered about in dizzying spirals. I watched them fondly, enjoying their endless, sugar-rush spirals.
Beyond Atitlán
Sadly, my time around Lake Atitlán was never forever. I finished my books and recognized that I’d be required to head back to the United States to get the next portion of my life together.
I packed up my gear, passed out what I couldn’t bring, said goodbye to local friends and started making my way back to Guatemala City.
However, I wasn’t in a tremendous rush. I first wandered to Antigua, where I would spend the day with several friends exploring town.
A Day in Antigua
Antigua serves as the de facto adventure launching point for many of Guatemala’s activities. The town is filled with gorgeous Spanish colonial architecture, many of them painstakingly restored. An earthquake in 1773 devastated the town, but in modern times, the entire area is reborn.
Antigua proved to be an enormously enjoyable visit. I wandered through town squares, browsed local shops, saw a live string performance, took my photos at the Santa Catalina Arch, stopped by strange art shops and generally relaxed.
Active Burning Light
Afterwards, I booked brief camping tour to visit Volcán de Fuego, one of the most notoriously active volcanos in the region.
Volcán de Fuego is famed for constantly spewing and occasionally spurting lava. Visitors don’t actually walk up the active volcano. Instead, they climb an adjacent mountain and gaze across the distance.
Volcán de Fuego earns its reputation as wildly interesting and compelling. However, visitors should be aware of a few hinderances upon attempting the hike.
Firstly, the ground on the mills is rather soft and shifting, with loose sand covering large portions. As a result, climbing uses an unsual set of muscles. Secondly, the upper altitudes, especially in the evening, are freezing. Extra layers are absolutely needed. And finally, the area is known for high winds and lots of airborne particles. This last can be a huge problem for people with cameras that haven’t been weatherproofed.
Regardless, I enjoyed the hike. I returned back to the city, slept and caught a shuttle the next day going onwards to Guatemala City.
Last Moments in Guatemala
My time in Guatemala City was relaxing enough, though it wasn’t terribly interesting. I met some locals through travel apps and they showed me a few decent restaurants. But by-and-large, I simply waited for my flight back to the United States.
Soon, I’ll be returning to Texas, bringing a close to a massive southern journey. Though I’ll initially be flying into Austin for a festival, I’ll scoot my way up to Dallas within a few days.
Over nine months ago, I flung myself into Central and South America on a Spanish-speaking and exploration tour. That journey brought me through Costa Rica, Belize, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil and Guatemala.
It’s been a worthy year.
Best regards and excellent trails,
Old Sean
Written March 24th 2022
Read more about visiting Antigua and seeing the world by visiting Leftfade Trails Destination Info.
Affiliate Disclosure: Leftfade Trails contains affiliate links, so using services or products through these links supports the website, at no extra cost to the user. All links are to tested services and products designed to aid travelers on their journeys. Some links specifically connect to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate this website earns from qualifying purchases.
Sometimes, when traveling, I don’t have a dedicated workspace. But the iClever Remote Keyboard solved this for me. The remote, folding keyboard is light and compact, allowing me to type on any surface to any device. It’s instrumental in operating this site.
