Happy as a clam!!

Yes, I am - happy as a clam.  I LOVE San Pedro La Laguna.  I am sitting in a little internet cafe that is actually a cafe, that is, they sell coffee (I was very disappointed to find that this is not the case in most internet "cafes").  So, I am drinking an iced latte with ice made from agua purificada (I verified that this is the case).  I just ate a lunch of chips and guacamole and a beer for about $3 and I am preparing to explore around San Pedro some more!!!

I left Xela this morning at 8am on a Shuttle Bus, which IS THE WAY TO GO.  I wll plan to save the chicken bus experiences for the shorter journies, the ones where I am not carting my backpack.  The shuttle cost about $12 for the 2 and a half hour trip, which is a complete SPLURGE here, but was completely worth it.  A safe driver, a comfortable minibus, etc.  Mainly it was the safe driver, the windows I could see out of, AND open for some "fresh" air - that did it for me.

I think the most important lesson I learned today was - do not sit in the front seat of la lancha!

Arrived in Panajachel, which is on the other side of the lake and left my backpack in the travel office for a while and looked around Pana.  It´s quite touristy, but the clothes and other Guatemalan goods there were gorgeous.  I only bought a beautifully weaved cover for my journal, but definitely plan to go back.  My plan NOT to purchase anything from this point forward was quickly deemed unrealistic (lucky for those of you for whom I may be purchasing gifts) and now I am trying to figure out what to do about the amount of stuff I am carrying.  I may have to suck it up and spend the $100 to mail it or else find a hotel in Guatemala City to leave it at when I am passing through there.  We shall see.

Then set out to find the dock and the lancha to San Pedro La Laguna.  When I asked everyone told me I would have to wait and so I did - over an hour I think, but I wasn´t in a hurry, so it was fine.  Most of the time was spent IN the boat, after I fell into it (really) - waiting for more folks to arrive as the boat doesn´t leave until it has enough people.  Very glad that I have never experienced anything like sea-sickness.  An Australian woman in her fifties arrived and we swapped experiences for a while.  As a result thinking about changing my itinerary a bit, but will let you know how that works out.  Then about 12 locals came all at once and we were off!  I think the most important lesson I learned today was - do not sit in the front seat of la lancha!  I really should have remembered this from my experiences of the Pirates of the Caribbean and various other log ride adventures I had as a child, but, unfortunately, I did not.  It was afternoon and that´s when the lake is quite choppy, so for about 20 minutes we raced across the lake and flew off the seat and back onto the seat as the front of the boat pounded down on the waves.  I was laughing so hard I almost peed (how do you spell that word??) my pants.  And of course, the Disneyland-like effect was that the people in the front row get very WET!  At last the boat arrived in San Pedro, and then I needed to find my school.

The Australian woman and I shared a taxi, which was really a tuk tuk, which is something like a glorified golf cart.  As we were both just arriving we both had our huge packs and it was a bit of a tight fit, but do-able.  My school is beautiful - it´s called Corazon Maya.  Very different from the school in Xela.  I have a little bungalow with wooden windows that I tie open with a rope, a very comfortable bed (which is much more than I can say for the 2 beds I have slept in so far), a little table, my own little patio, little wooden shelves for my things. The director of the school said I can move to a nicer bungalow on Tuesday if I want, but I quite like the one I am in. There´s an outdoor kitchen around the corner, and a bathroom close by, where, I think, there is a shower with hot water (although this will have to be verified later tonight or in the morning).  The school is really a huge garden and there are the sounds of birds everywhere.  All of this, for about $15 a week.  (and about $50 for the 20 hours of Spanish instruction).  The school just got a puppy yesterday that they have not named yet, but I haven´t gotten a chance to nab her to cuddle yet as the little girl of the family has her in her arms all of the time.  The way she carries her is quite precarious, as the lower half of the puppy´s body just dangles, much the way Becca Knowlton, my little 11-year old friend, used to carry Rowan when she was a puppy.  It just made me laugh.  Tomorrow I will start classes and I think I will do a couple of days in the morning and then a couple in the afternoon.  As the morning is the time when the lake is still, I plan to do some kayaking or canoeing at some point this week.

San Pedro is an interesting place - most of the locals have been convereted to evangelical Christianity while all of the tourists are quite bohemian / hippy-ish.  I don´t fit at all in either camp, but it is just a fun place to be.  The women here ride on the back of motorcycles side-saddle in their mayan skirts, very interesting.  And the men here are the ones who wear the really traditional dress, with these fabuously multi-colored patchwork like pants!  The lake is absolutely gorgeous, I can´t wait to see it in the morning before the clouds set in, which they seem to do in Guatemala every afternoon.

There are some Americans that live here, who I am interested in talking to - how does one up and move to San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala.  I have fantasized about doing so, but just a fantasy I am sure.  However, the shop that makes all kinds of different chocolates (almond, hazelnut, etc) just down the street has a pretty strong pull on me.

Have not taken any photos yet as my camera batteries needed recharged.  Will post some when I do so you can enjoy the beautiful views as well.  Very much looking forward to some solo time as much of my time in Xela was spent with the other students there.  Hoping to get back to my regular yoga practice, journaling, and just wandering around.  Also looking forward to the week.  There are many many little towns around the lake that are accessible only by lancha, so I look forward to exploring (from the back seat of the boat).