Guatemala City to Panajachel

I am here in Panajachel. The trip from from Guatemala City to here was on the interamerican highway (1). It is a paved two lane road most of the way up and down the hills and through the country side. We did not see any stoplights even in Guatemala City. What was noteable in Guatemala City were the Chicken Buses. A chicken bus is a school bus which is brightly painted with a theme. All of them have a name painted on the back. On top of the bus there is a metal frame where any and all lugage is stored for the journey. The chicken buses are packed full with people. If you are on the street and want to get on, it appears one simply waves your hand and it will stop. I am not sure if there is a schedule of any type that they run on or how you know that particular bus is going where you want to go.

As we made our way to the highlands, we drove through hillside full of brown maize and other plants that looked like lettuce or kale. The maize was still standing even though it had been harvested long ago. Scatterted throughout the hills were clumps of sterotypical housing made of metal and plaster. Occassionally we would drive through a down town which was lined with small colorfully painted shops. 90 percent were related to cars or motorcycles. There were mufflers, exhaust pipes, tires, and other assorted parts hanging on stands and one or two cars at each shop. The other 10 percent were small snack shops filled with brightly colored wrappers.

The interesting thing in the towns was how you got across the intersection. One in particular is memorable. A Chicken bus wanted to cross the main thoroughfare. They simply stuck the front of the bus in the intersection in front of the on coming traffic. They traffic in our lane was not moving due to construction up the way. Some people behind us became impatient and drove on the side of the road with the oncoming traffic. Another car on the same street as the bus made its way into the middle of the intersection so they could turn left and be in our lane. A traffic jam in the making with no stoplight. I am still not exactly sure how it was worked out but after about 10 minutes we were on our way again. Thankfully on the highway there were not many intersections.

As we neared Lake Atilan and Panajachel, we got off the highway on to very narrow cobblestone like streets. We were at a higher elevation and were descending on the lake. It was beautiful. The lake was calm with various shades of blue surrounded by tall dormant volcanoes covered in green jutting out of the water. As we entered the town of Panajachel, there hustle and bustle increased as the roads narrowed even more. There are colors everywhere: the store fronts, the clothes, the small vehicles and motorcycles.

Well, I will have my first lesson this afternoon.