Viajar el mundo: La vida en San Pedro

El Lago de Atitlan

03 de Junio

Every thing is laid back here, the people, the atmosphere, the teaching methods. Mind you that’s very easy in an environment such as this stunning lake and the surrounding mountains. It’s a great way to start the day, peering out onto the glassy waters. Even the dogs that roam the streets are pretty cruisy. They never seem to be in any hurry to chase cars or dig for bones. We have some resident perros and cachorros (dogs and puppies) that seem to greet us each morning as we leave home. They are very cute indeed. Who thought anything with rabies could be so attractive. We have named the mother Clifford. For stray dogs they are very well fed and look very healthy, we even saw a dalmation the other day, and a husky!

Clifford

The population is about 15000 around the lake, and not all of them are dogs. Traditional Mayan language is still spoken as well as Spanish. The women still wear traditional dress. Many own shops, or tiendas, or tuk tuk taxis to drive madly through the narrow streets. There is a central market where all business can be done, and close by the lake exists all the schools, bars, cafes and tourist places.

There is quite an ongoing and thriving tourist trade here, mainly due to those seeking out Spanish lessons as we are. Few arrive for a day or two to look around, they are usually here for a few weeks to a few months to brush up on or learn new skills. Its quite common to see the same faces on a daily basis around the place. San Pedro also has a small expat community, some of whom are obvious by the way they dress and smell.

It’s a pet hate to see the way expats transform when they leave their country in search of an alternative life elsewhere. I’m sure they didn’t go barefoot, wear flour bags for pants, dread their hair with reeds from the lake, or invest in hygienic practices more suited to a public toilet at a Brisbane train station, in their own country, so I’m not sure why they deem it so suitable here. Its an embarrassment and a source of scorn amongst Guatemalans that see they way they assume that their dirty hippie soap dodging lifestyle is the way things are here. It would be nice if they showed some respect for the country they are in and the people that live there. Especially the gringo who at 8 o clock this morning was stumbling barefoot up the main road swigging from a Jaegermeister bottle. All class. The locals now know who you are.

But its not all bad. Gringos and expats alike have made fantastic progress in the community by operating some awesome cafes and bars , bringing in and sharing culinary ideas and traditions and employing many locals at the same time.

The afternoons are very very lazy here. Most businesses siesta from 1pm til 2pm, and even after that things aren’t really happening, so it’s great to hit a quiet café and catch up on homework or news from home or practice Spanish with some locals. Or write ranting blogs.

Most pubs and restaurants will open up from about 6pm and will usually have a happy hour where ridiculously priced drinks and food will be even more stupid. But still they are never packed. It’s a good wind down after a tough day of trying to learn preterit and present progressive verbs, uses of ser and estar , demonstratives, pronouns blah blah blah blah, to have a quick beer, and you might even let out an English word or two.

The bars are usually small shacks with a couple of tables and a few different types of beer and a few bottles of spirits. They usually show downloaded movies at night to keep punters amused.

Typical prices are as follows:

Steak (premium with all the trimmings $11

Desserts $2

Litre of beer $3

Coffee $2

Smoothie $2

Freshly squeezed juice $1

Ice cream (helados ) from a little man in a push along freezer .20cents

Food poisoning from uncooked chicken from street vendor $Gratis.

Its wet season at the moment, so some pretty serious rain and cranky storms in the afternoons. In fact the one happening as I am writing this is a cracker. The thunder continues into the night when the local kids and destructive adults decide the set off their bombas, or extremely loud fireworks, without the firework. Just a massive bang really. Its not uncommon the be woken at 4am by a few that have been set off. We are used to them now, but knowing the history of Guatemala and the still simmering tensions, it was easy to initially feel a little at nerve.

Sunday is very Sunday here in the way most Sundays can possibly be. Families getting together and hittin up the old church. We have some good religious stories in a future blog. Stay tuned. (No we haven’t converted)

Sunday is market day around town, and we have visited a few , Chichicastenango and Panajachel, who both sell a massive selection of hand made blankets, handbags , handmade blankets, handbags, and handmade blankets and handbags. It’s a bit like a UB40 album, everything is the same. But the odd stall does sell baby turkeys, and there was a stunning hotel with loads of birds in the garden foyer, so there can be some excitement.