A Sunday Cruise To Santiago

Sounds romantic doesn't it? What we really mean by "cruise" is the water taxi (launch) from San Marcos to San Pedro to Santiago. Dispelling the cruise myth a bit more is the fact that one boat capsized a few days ago in high winds and waves. Six passengers lost their lives. However, we reasoned, such an accident is rare, the guilty skipper was actually running a private boat, and perhaps the captain was less trained than the public captains. Even so, we made sure that the lake was calm before boarding on a lovely, warm Lord's Day. Upon reaching San Pedro, we were impressed with the progress being made on the steep new street running from the dock to the main part of town. The street is actually made of hand-chiseled rocks held together by mortar. Everything is done by hand in Guatemala, and the young men carry the heavy rocks on their backs. Girls are often employed to carry the mortar in buckets.

Gaspar, a nice young man who works at Carlos' San Marcos internet center, was on the boat with us. He kindly accompanied us through the construction area to a street where we could catch a tuk tuk (taxi) that would take us to another dock where boats depart for Santiago. We got there just in time to board a craft going to our next destination. The sky was clear and sunny, and the ride could not have been smoother. Arriving at Santiago, we caught a tuk tuk to one of the best hotels in Santiago for breakfast. By coincidence, we met Jennie, Courtney's midwife. She joined us for a sumptuous breakfast. We reminisced about Mirabai's unusual birth (see earlier Blog post.) We are so glad Jennie was there for Courtney and the baby.

At noon, our tuk tuk driver picked us up and took us to one of the highest points in the city. There, we could look down to the shores of Lake Atitlan and observe dozens of women washing their laundry in the lake. Also in view were scores of little fishing boats, which are actually canoes hewn from giant logs. We drove around the city and then stopped for awhile at the ancient Roman Catholic Cathedral initially built in the 16th Century. Services were over, but many residents and tourists were milling around, and photos were permitted. Our driver then took us to the market place, where hundreds of vendors were hawking their produce, crafts and essential products. Santiago is the largest and most upscale city on the lake, so if one is looking for quality merchandise, this is the place to roam. Still, despite the modern aspects of the city, most of the people still dress in traditional garb. Before shopping the markets, it is good to be adept at negotiating. Prices may begin at a few hundred quetzales for a piece of art, but by employing the "walk-away" tactic, they drop dramatically. One often hears, "OK, I make you a special price." Or, "OK, how much you pay?" Despite the steep discount, Jerry did not purchase the traditional Guatemalan pants. They looked too much like a New York Yankee uniform.

After walking the full length of the market area, we boarded the launch to San Pedro. Once again, a tuk tuk took us to a our friend Lia's galleria. She accompanied us to our favorite cafe on the lake, Nick's Place, for coffee. Soon we were on our final launch of the day heading back to San Marcos. We carried our shopping bags from the dock to the back gate of our picturesque cottage on the lake. It was good to be back home in our quiet, serene surroundings after a busy, rather tiring day. There was just enough time to take a long nap before the evening church service at Iglesia Esmirna.