Chichi or Bust

We finally made it to the infamous market in Chichicastenango on Sunday on our way home to Xela from Pana.  It's everything they say it is....and more.  Our fearless guia (guide) Miguel "El Perro" made sure we saw the 2 other attractions Chichi has to offer before letting us loose in the market.  

There's an expensive hotel ($110 USD) directly across the street from the outskirts of the market. It was nice but, the most interesting part was the man who was playing a marimba made out of gourds in the courtyard.  We stood and watched him for a while among all the other tourists with cameras permanently attached to their eyes.  For a funny photo of all the tourists check out our amigo Mike's Flickr page.

After we had soaked up enough of the music, we headed into the heart of it, first stopping by the main church that the market is centered around.  Another good meeting place for a group of gringos!

We spent an hour of so browsing the mercado, stopping to talk with any of the vendors who weren't shouting out "good price for you!" at us.  A hand sewn Mayan calendar caught my eye and I started in on the bartering game.  You know how they say if you walk away, you'll get the price you want?  Well it's true.  We had this poor lady following us halfway through the market and we continued to play hardball, walking away once again.  After looking all over and not seeing another just like it, I hung my head in shame and went back for more.  In the end we both walked away happy,  me with my calendar and her with Q210.  Maybe I could have gotten a lower price with better Spanish skills, but knowing that it took her 1 month to complete, I didn't really have the heart to go lower!  Actually, speaking with her was probably the best part of the day.

At Long Last - SUN!

Once again this weekend we fled the rainy streets of Xela in search of some sun....and we found it a Lago Atitlan! Hemmed in on all sides by volcanoes and steep hills, the lake is at least 320 meters deep and has no visible outlet. The lake was created from a volcanic crater and has a few spots of tepid water, slightly heated from the volcanic activity. We spent the day visiting a few of the towns that surround the lake via lancha (a small boat).





First stop - a dip in the lake! This was a little tricky as no one was wearing their bathing suits and we had to change on the lancha. All the guys didn't hesitate to dive in, but the girls didn't feel like getting wet (except for Megan) - afterall the water wasn't even completely warm, so what's the point??




Next stop - San Antonio, a tradional village steeped in Mayan culture. Many people in San Antonio speak a Mayan language as well as Spanish. We visted a the white-washed central church as well as a women's co-operative, where I got adorned in tradional Mayan dress.



3rd stop - Santiago, the largest and most important of the lakeside villages. In Santiago we paid homage to San Simon, the evil saint, once ex-communicated from the Catholic church for his beliefs in partaking in all things indulgent (drinking, smoking, dancing, etc.). A wooden statue, adorned in scarves, San Simon is moved from house to house, and frequented by devout believers and tourists charged 2Q per person (not to mention 10Q if you want a photo - hence no photos of this specitcal). As explained by my teacher at ICA, it is a "witchcraft-like" religion. We also visted the original catholic church at Lago Atitlan. Afterwards we stopped here to have a delicious lunch at a rooftop restaurant!



Final destination - Panajachel, where we spent the night. This larger lakeside town is comprised of tourists, American & European hippies, hotels, restuarants, bars, shopping, tuk-tuks, and a few language schools (for those looking for a partial-immersion experience). This weekend the town also had a fair, with 2 ferris wheels that moved about 3 times as fast as normal and a greased pole for entertainment. It was quite an experience!