Vacations 2

Hard to write about vacations after real life has insidiously slipped in. I think the part I like best about vacations is the feeling that the rest of my life doesn’t even exist. I am totally in another place, another moment. Lago Attitlan, in Guatemala, has that feeling of other worldness, and the town in which we stayed, San Pedro La Laguna, has a particular ex-hippie escapist feeling. We actually liked this area least of the three places we visited, despite the lake’s exquisite beauty, perhaps because it felt more like a tourist resort area rather than a place to experience real people and real culture. Nevertheless, there were some gems here: the indigenous village of Santiago Attitlan, where our eyes feasted on the luscious textiles in the marketplace,

and a small Mayan museum in San Pedro where we learned more about the costumes, religion and culture. And the vistas of the lake are not to be missed.

After Lago Attitlan we traveled to Quetzaltenango (usually called by its Mayan name of Xela), which was our favorite place in Guatemala. We loved the laid back feel (no one tried to sell us things on the street) of a real Guatemalan city, and the stunning architecture in the town square. We also appreciated the town’s progressive bent, especially a little cafe called La Fonda de Che (aka Guevara), which featured trova music (Latin American songs of protest). And outside the town, the Fuentes Georginas hot springs on the top of a mountain offered exquisite views and great bathing.

I could have stayed there longer, but the trip to an indigenous weaving cooperative of 600 women in a nearby small town was also a trip worth taking.

Next post: The surprise event of our final stop.