"Beyond Guatemalan Chicken Buses"

Since this was our first time at Atitlan, we stayed in Panajachel or "Gringotenango." Pana is a touristy Mayan village and is jam-packed with North Americans and Europeans. We quickly learned we weren’t so original for traveling to a faraway lake with three volcanoes in the Guatemalan Highlands. Nevertheless, it’s easy to be dazzled by this laid-back microcosm. The sunlight dancing across the lake and the ethereal space lingering between the cloud-tipped volcanoes and the clouds in the sky is out of this world.

The Mayans are friendly and business savvy. 95 years or five years old, they small talk in six languages, sell amber, jade, hammocks, the shirt off their back, and will trade anything for your waterproof watch.

The beach is ok and there are pools for swimming, but really, Atitlan is about absorbing the isolation and picturesque beauty right in front of you. We took a boat to on of the nearby villages called San Pedro and met Maria, who took us on a quintessential journey, giving us an in-the-life-of-the-Mayans, rather than just reefer-haze and relaxation. There are other villages to explore, tons of fascinating people, various excursions, or just simply stopping where you are to soak up paradise.

Quick Tips:

Hold onto your money. The Mayans are great entrepreneurs and have experienced tourists who buy at first offer. It takes a few extra moments and some playful conversation to get the over-inflated prices down. The hardest thing to negotiate was the boat rides to other villages. They don’t run often and if there aren’t many people around, you have to charter them at around each way rather than less than a dollar with a group. It’s always best to use the

quetzal

(the Guatemalan currency) because it’s easy to lose on people’s personal exchange rates and lack of proper change.

Don’t spend all of your time in Panajachel; definitely explore other villages. We made the mistake of only sleeping there while in Atitlan. The nightlife is decent in Pana. The Circus Bar is fun with live music, good food, and really quirky random people.

It seemed like you didn’t have to worry about what you ate in restaurants i.e. chicken, beef, and lettuce. I would still recommend only bottled water -- even for brushing your teeth. I was wary with chicken and beef because I had gotten salmonella poisoning in Mexico two weeks earlier, but my friend ate everything.

Best Way To Get Around:

Traveling to and from Atitlan is hilarious, but makes a weary traveler after the first chicken bus or two. We took them getting to Atitlan from Chiapas, Mexico, and again on a day trip to the legendary market, Chichicastenango. We had decided we wanted go the Mayan way instead of the tourist way (vans). From the border it took four sweaty, sardine-packed yellow school bus rides to get there. Each time I was told the bus was "directo" to Panajachel and each time we were suddenly tapped on the arm to get off to catch another bus. Sometimes we had to jump out the back and more often we would have to run and jump onto the already moving bus. The ride is under a dollar and the roads are exceptionally winding, but in decent condition for Central American roads. We more or less experienced the same type of drama on the way to Chichi. Crowded, broken seats, wild driving, chaos, and suddenly having to leap off to catch yet another experience. Our return from Chichi, after intense shopping and bargaining, we took a cab for and then a tour bus from Atitlan to Antigua for .

We loved the Circus Bar so much that we went twice. Our second time there, we were treated like regulars with free shots and marriage proposals from the bartender. We were recognized by a few local and tourist regulars as well, who then joined us at the bar.

The place is decorated with old circus posters and memorabilia from all over the world and with marionette clowns. Even if you think clowns are scary, the décor is so consistent, warm, and laidback, that it’s cool.

Circus Bar was perfect for us to unwind. Overall, locals and tourists are there to get down and kick back. It seems like it is THE place to be since it was crowded and going strong pretty late on both a Monday and a Tuesday during low season. We sat at the bar and were entertained by these two dramatic, drunk, Guatemalan girls. One, we called the Mata Hari and was in full seduction mode, and the other was all Shakira moves and loved screaming, "American girls! Dis is how Latin girls dooo eeet!" Outside of friendly travelers and patrons buying rounds, the bartender occasionally sets a pair of dice in front of the customer and if doubles are rolled, drinks are on the house.

There was live bluegrass and folk, which are always great to hear abroad. Regardless of how patriotic or unpatriotic you are feeling on your particular adventure, there is nothing like hearing Don McLean’s American Pie after a long day, a big meal, and a few drinks when away in a faraway land.

We had the pizza and it was very delicious and the portions were huge. There is pasta and other yummy things to eat as well. The prices were decent for Panajachel, but expensive for Guatemala in general. There was definitely something in the wine that knocked us out cold, because that night was one of our best nights sleep to date.