A look at Lake Atitlan
<p>Natives ride to and through town in collectivos for about a dime.</p>
<p>Fishermen in Lake Atitlan have hand-made boats.</p>
<p>Butterflies come in a variety of colors.</p>
<p>Butterflies come in a variety of colors.</p>
<p>Butterflies come in a variety of colors.</p>
<p>Markets are often outside such as this one near a church entry.</p>
Lake Atitlan, the most popular tourist attraction in Guatemala, is about double the size of Lake Coeur d'Alene, and is surrounded by seven volcanoes, fascinating wildlife, intriguing domestic crops, fruits and native villages.
The lake is located in the southwest quarter of the country south of Mexico. The mountains around the lake are so steep and the country's road funding so meager that the few roads connecting the villages are narrow, curvy and crowded with speedy vehicles. Public transportation is primarily on "chicken buses," brightly painted old school buses imported from the United States. They're called "chicken buses" because the natives are allowed to bring their small livestock home or to market in them.
Most of the lakeside villages, primarily about the size of Post Falls, are linked by transport boats. These hold about 20 passengers, cost about $2 per person, and leave about every half hour in the daytime.
People needing "to get to or across town" often take tuk-tuks, colorful triangular vehicles about the size of golf carts. The cost is about 65 cents. Three thin people can fit behind the driver in the passenger seat. The tuk-tuk drivers go like crazy, honking continuously as pedestrians, playing kids and dogs crowd the narrow streets. Fortunately the speed bumps about every two blocks are so high that the tuk-tuks have to practically stop to cross them.
The most popular transportation for the natives are collectivos, old pickups with side rails. As many as 20 passengers pay about 10 cents, crowd into the back and hang onto each other until they jump out at their destination.
The towns have few grocery stores. Primarily selling brilliant, colorful handmade cloth products (clothes, bags and blankets) and home-grown fruits and vegetables, the sellers either have tiny shops or spaces at the road's edge or sell in a town-square market.
Dogs and chickens run everywhere. Nearly every block has a tiny convenience store. The few banks have armed guards. ATMs are in tiny closets.
Artsy things such as carvings, paintings and musical items usually are in shops together on major streets. Some villages are renowned for their hundreds of colorful vendors.
Most eateries are small and specialize in certain products. Restaurants have very friendly, helpful employees, many speaking some English. Most restaurants have dogs; some have cats that jump on your lap.
Bathroom plumbing is delicate. Most residences have little electricity or running water, therefore no appliances. They cook over wood fires and wash their clothes in the lake.
Much social life centers around church and school activities. Many people gather to watch boys and girls basketball and soccer (on dirt fields). Public information sources such as periodicals, movies, radio and TV are very few.
The natives primarily speak Mayan dialects and/or Spanish. They wear colorful clothes, often sewn with images of birds or flowers characteristic of their location. Women often have cloth wraps on their heads on which they balance bundles of products. Very few men are 6-foot. Few senior citizens have gray hair; few men are bald. They all have "tan" skin and black hair.
Most natives work in agriculture (coffee, veggies and fruit). Fishermen have handmade wooden boats and hold a line near shore rather than have poles.
Except for the capital of Guatemala City, the country is very Third-World. The Lake Atitlan area is stunning and fascinating, definitely worth the experience. Most hotels have information on finding guides for mountain hikes, horse riding, bird watching and even zip-lining.