worldoftravelling

Underneath that seething mass of plastic bottles runs a small stream.

The sign in the background reads:

“Recycling is not an obligation it is a responsibility for me, for you and for the future.”

Edited with BlogPad Pro

My time in Panajachel [pana hachel] and more notably my time with Magda, and her delightful family, has sadly come to an end. The last two weeks have certainly gone quicker than I would have liked, but it has been a rare and enjoyable treat to stay in one place for more than just a few days. Travelling is a transient ‘occupation’ and I rarely get the opportunity to peal back more than a few layers of the proverbial onion when I normally visit a place. It was also very special to be with a family over Christmas, it’s never my most favourite time of the year. With a heavy heart I made my farewells. I shall miss the closeness of this incredibly warm and welcoming family immensely. However, the time has now come to branch out and see a little more of Guatemala.

Santiago Atitlán:

South across the lake from Panajachel (Pana) on the shore of a lagoon, squeezed between the volcanoes of Tolimán and San Pedro, lies Santiago Atitlán, known to everybody as Santiago. A 20-minute boat ride from Pana, it’s the most workaday lake villages of them all. Whilst it might well be the most visited village outside Pana, Santiago manages to cling to the traditional lifestyle and clothing of its indigenous people.

Having stayed in a small simple room for the past two weeks it was time to splash out and stay somewhere with a few luxuries. My room was huge, with a comfy king size bed and crisp white sheets. And for the first time in weeks I had my own bathroom. Hotel Tiosh Abaj is set in spectacular grounds complete with manicured gardens, right on the edge of Lake Atitlán. I spent my time (equally) between relaxing on a sun bed, in the hotel grounds, and exploring the delightful little town, which is easily accessible on foot. Just my kind of town.

The hotel served excellent food, excellent coffee and red wine by the glass! Heaven! I loved Santiago.

San Pedro La Laguna:

Price wars between competing businesses appear to keep San Pedro among the cheapest of the lakeside villages. The beautiful setting seems to attract visitors en mass whose varied interests include: drinking, fire twirling, African drumming, Spanish classes, volcano hiking, wearing as little as possible and hammock swinging.

In hindsight:

To truly appreciate Panajachel you unfortunately have to gloss over the hoards of people, the traffic, the rubbish strewn everywhere, and the constant barrage from street vendors. The other villages somehow manage to maintain a quieter air, whilst still offering a reasonable degree of comfort. That said, Panajachel was a great stepping stone from my western lifestyle to the very different lifestyle of the western highlands of Guatemala. Without it, the resultant culture shock would have been far more acute. In addition, Jabel Tinamit was a great school in which to learn how to speak Spanish correctly!

Next stage: New Year in the beautiful former capital of Guatemala – Antigua.

Capital: Guatemala City.

Area: 42.042 sq mi. Great Britain 80.823 sq mi.

Population: 15.8 million. Great Britain: 61.0 million.

Guatemala is proving to be a magical place. If you’re into indigenous cultures, the mountains, the markets, kicking back lakeside or exploring atmospheric pre-Columbian ruins and gorgeous colonial villagers, you’re going to be captivated. Travel here – once fraught with danger and discomfort – now appears to be characterised by ease; you can do pretty much whatever you want, and your experience will only be limited by your imagination and time – so it would seem.

Civil War During the 1960s and ‘70s, economic inequality and the developing union movement, forced previous oppression to new heights. Amnesty International estimates that 50,000 to 60,000 Guatemalans were killed during the political violence of the 1970s. In 1976 an earthquake killed about 22,000 people and left about a million homeless.

In 1982 General José Efraín Ríos Montt initiated a ‘scorched earth’ policy in Guatemala . Huge numbers of people – mainly indigenous men – from more than 400 villages were murdered in the name of anti-insurgency, stabilization and anti communism. An estimated 15,000 civilians were tortured and massacred; 100,000 refugees fled across the border to Mexico. In response, four guerrilla organizations united to form the URNG (Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity).

The Signing of Peace Accords In 1996 Álvaro Enrique Arzú Irigoyen of the middle-right party was elected. In December he and the URNG signed peace accords ending the 36-year civil war, a war in which an estimated 200,000 Guatemalans were killed, a million were left homeless and untold thousands ‘disappeared’.

The greatest challenge to peace stems from inequities in the power structure. It’s estimated that 70% of the country’s arable land is owned by less than 3% of the population. According to a UN report, the top 20% of the population has an income 30 times greater than the bottom 20%. Or, as many Guatemalans will tell you, there are seven families who ‘own’ Guatemala.

Guatemala is now on a slow road to recovery from its civil war wounds. While this is in part due to the passing of generations who lived through the war, official recognition of some atrocities has been an important step in the recovery process. A campaign is underway to exhume clandestine cemeteries used by the military to bury ‘disappeared’ dissidents and the legal processes have at last begun, with some war criminals being brought to justice. So far the heftiest penalty to be handed down was to ex-Military Commissioner Lucas Tecún, who was sentenced to 7710 years in prison!

Facts and figures courtesy of Lonely Planet guide to Central America.