*cue Imagine Dragons song* The following describes one of my favorite experiences so far in Guatemala:
So on Sunday evening, I took a boat across Lake Atitlan from Panajachel (where I've been living) to another town, San Pedro. Then the next morning at 3:30 AM, I was awake to take a Chicken Bus (literally a converted American school bus used for public transportation) up out of San Pedro. It was a holiday so fireworks were already going off by 4! That coupled with the very rocky, twisting road and chilly morning air made it impossible to get any sleep on the ride out of the city. Once we arrived, we used flashlights to begin our hike up Indian's Nose, the mountain. Gradually it became lighter and the flashlights were no longer needed and after about 45 minutes of very steep climbing, we reached the top. Despite my sweat and exhaustion (I'd never actually hiked before), I was still in awe of the view. It was absolutely breathtaking. We could see for miles as the sun rose above the mountains, shining onto the beautiful Lake Atitlan and the line of 8 volcanoes stretching in a row. Our British guide, Matt, talked about plate tectonics and how the lake and volcanoes were formed. It really showed the sheer strength of nature and to me, how it will always win out over man. That we can do our best to control nature, but it is better to just adapt it try to work with it rather than against it. I felt like I was on top of the world. I felt oddly huge and insignificantly small at the same time. But after an hour, I reluctantly had to follow the group as we began our hike back down. It was now very hot but thankfully the downhill trek was not as physically painful as the way up. It was, however, very rocky and somewhat treacherous so we had to be mindful of our footing. We took several breaks to learn about (and eat) random fruits and herbs we found on the way. We even saw a neat plant that has petals that curl in on itself when touched. It was almost as if it was crying sadly at the aggression. We saw a tree appropriately called the "Tourists' Tree" for its red bark that peels off like sunburn. Our Guatemalan guide told us traditional Mayan stories as well. After about 2 hours, we arrived at the bottom, at San Juan (the lit city visible in the photos). We took a pickup truck (another common form of public transportation) back to San Pedro. I limped back to a cafe to rest a bit until returning to Pana. It was an incredible experience all around- one I am definitely grateful to have had before leaving Guatemala. While my legs will eventually stop being sore (at least I hope so) I will always have my memories and the photos to remind me of this journey. It is quite symbolic of my time here. Very much a challenge, but one I can look back on with pride, knowing that I can overcome even the tallest of seemingly unconquerable mountains.
So on Sunday evening, I took a boat across Lake Atitlan from Panajachel (where I've been living) to another town, San Pedro. Then the next morning at 3:30 AM, I was awake to take a Chicken Bus (literally a converted American school bus used for public transportation) up out of San Pedro. It was a holiday so fireworks were already going off by 4! That coupled with the very rocky, twisting road and chilly morning air made it impossible to get any sleep on the ride out of the city. Once we arrived, we used flashlights to begin our hike up Indian's Nose, the mountain. Gradually it became lighter and the flashlights were no longer needed and after about 45 minutes of very steep climbing, we reached the top. Despite my sweat and exhaustion (I'd never actually hiked before), I was still in awe of the view. It was absolutely breathtaking. We could see for miles as the sun rose above the mountains, shining onto the beautiful Lake Atitlan and the line of 8 volcanoes stretching in a row. Our British guide, Matt, talked about plate tectonics and how the lake and volcanoes were formed. It really showed the sheer strength of nature and to me, how it will always win out over man. That we can do our best to control nature, but it is better to just adapt it try to work with it rather than against it. I felt like I was on top of the world. I felt oddly huge and insignificantly small at the same time. But after an hour, I reluctantly had to follow the group as we began our hike back down. It was now very hot but thankfully the downhill trek was not as physically painful as the way up. It was, however, very rocky and somewhat treacherous so we had to be mindful of our footing. We took several breaks to learn about (and eat) random fruits and herbs we found on the way. We even saw a neat plant that has petals that curl in on itself when touched. It was almost as if it was crying sadly at the aggression. We saw a tree appropriately called the "Tourists' Tree" for its red bark that peels off like sunburn. Our Guatemalan guide told us traditional Mayan stories as well. After about 2 hours, we arrived at the bottom, at San Juan (the lit city visible in the photos). We took a pickup truck (another common form of public transportation) back to San Pedro. I limped back to a cafe to rest a bit until returning to Pana. It was an incredible experience all around- one I am definitely grateful to have had before leaving Guatemala. While my legs will eventually stop being sore (at least I hope so) I will always have my memories and the photos to remind me of this journey. It is quite symbolic of my time here. Very much a challenge, but one I can look back on with pride, knowing that I can overcome even the tallest of seemingly unconquerable mountains.