Guatemala: Day 9 - Panajachel Part 1

January 17

I left the house shortly after 9:00 am on Sunday. I had a bit of a walk to get to the bus station that would take me to Panajachel, Lake Atitlan, based on the conversation I had with one of the employees of the school. Of course, that means I had this conversation in Spanish, so all I knew for sure was that if I got to a specific spot on the map I had, there would be buses that could get me to Panajachel.

My family was surprised that I would be walking all the way there and offered to take me there on their moto. Riding on a motorcycle of any sort is not on my list of things to do, so I answered with a no gracias. I added, "Me gusta caminar" (I like to walk). I would be eating those words by the end of the day.

After making a couple of wrong turns, I was on the correct route to the bus station. I arrived at a main road and the first thing I noticed was lots of dogs everywhere along with their owners. Is this road a dog park? I asked and learned that this road was closed every Sunday until early afternoon. So people would take their dogs and go for runs and walks around the area. There was also a park where people were playing AMERICAN football.

Soon I arrived at the market that I knew was close to the bus station. This area was stuffed with people and fresh fruits and vegetables. I wasn't sure what street I was on and just pushed my way through. People were advertising their goods left and right. At one point I even passed a man leading his 3 goats down the road, weaving in and out of the crowds. When I made it through the market, I hit the end of the road and realized I would have to circle around to get to the buses. So close, yet so far, I thought. Finally I arrived at the road and saw nothing but Chicken Buses. Ugh! I thought I would be getting on one of the nice buses! I circled around once more just to make sure that I was in fact destined to take a Chicken Bus for my long trip to Panajachel.

Photo of chicken buses, courtesy of Chrissypants

Luckily, I took a couple of Chicken Bus trips during the week for our short trips with the school. Chicken Buses are refurbished repainted school buses from the United States. They are infamous for being a little crazy, a little unsafe, and quite the experience.

I walked through this street filled with dozens of Chicken Buses, people, and trash. As I strolled along the side of the street, I wondered why there was so much trash in this area. My thoughts were interrupted, and answered, when a Gatorade bottle came flying out of a bus window and almost hit me in the head.

I got on a bus that would supposedly take me to Panajachel and squeezed in with a lady. People walked through the aisles selling snacks and drinks, frequently entering through the front door and jumping out the emergency exit in the back. A woman carried her son, who had obvious disabilities, asking for money for a surgery her son needed (personally, I'm pretty sure there was no such surgery). I asked the lady next to me if this bus was going to Panajachel, just to get some reassurance, but she said this bus was only going to some city I didn't know.  I talked with the driver, but didn't understand much of the exchange and got off the bus. After a couple more failed interactions, I realized that there weren't any buses going directly to Panajachel on Sunday and I would have to change somewhere. So I settled into the very back of a 2nd bus with a man, where more salespeople came walking through, including the woman with her son.

A curvy woman with twice my hips and thrice my bosom came down the aisle. Where does she think she's going? I was sharing my seat with a man and the seat next to me contained a woman and her 3 children. I realized with slight horror that she was heading towards my seat. She asked if we could slide over, so we spared her a few inches. She wedged herself somewhat between my seat and the seat with the family of 4. She even managed to nap during the trip, which I found quite impressive. If I had attempted such a feat, I surely would have gone flying down the aisle. I talked with her for a little bit and learned that she was going to Panajachel because her father was ill and it looked bad for him. I frowned and said "lo siento", but inside I was giving myself a little pat on the back for understanding her.

Meanwhile, throughout the trip, a man walked up and down the bus to collect fares from everyone as they settled in. He jumped on and off the bus, even when it was moving. Within seconds of people boarding the bus, the driver ramped back up to full speed while the other man climbed through the emergency exit door and up to the roof to stow luggage. You know all those movies where people are climbing on moving trains and buses and cars and you think, "This is not at all realistic." Well, I now find these actions much more believable, because I saw it with my own eyes. This, by the way, is why I opted to keep my things crammed at my feet.

After a couple hours, I knew we should be close to my destination, so I asked the man how much farther to my change for Panajachel. He said, "Ahora! Aqui!" and ushered me quickly off the bus as it arrived at the stop. After I stepped off the bus the man quickly helped new people get on and stow luggage. As he was mid-transaction with a potential rider, the bus started to pull away. He gasped, ran, and jumped on the back of the bus as money flew out of his hand.

I got on my second bus, which was much more relaxing in comparison. I talked with a young woman next to me and learned she was a teacher. When she learned I was from Arizona, I caught the change in her facial expression, obviously aware of some of Arizona's lovely laws. Luckily she didn't judge me based on the opinions of my entire state, and we continued to converse. She also pointed out when I was supposed to get off the bus.

Around 1:30, I left the bus and I was in Panajachel. My adventures were over. Or so I thought. I was wrong.