Awake now

In reviewing my post from yesterday, I realized I omitted not only my initial impressions of Guatemala, but also some of the visceral reactions I have experienced since stepping off the plane. Ideally I would outline and detail each interaction, each experience, each smell, sight and sound. But alas, I am here to feel and do, and that means that many of the things I see or do must be integrated on a different level, other than the written word.

That being said (or not said for that matter) I am fully committed to doing my best to translate some of these things I am experiencing, as it makes me feel not only more in touch with you, but also myself.

So, I´m about 36 hours in, and yet feel as though I´ve spent months here already. Yes, I know what you are thinking "Oh, that´s soooo Jamie to have fully immersed herself already". Well, yes, true, but the thing of it is that being here in Panajechel is such an fuckpile pleasureboat of color, sounds, flavors, sky, mountains, clouds, people, dogs, textures, conversations, languages, music and nature. Admittedly, I had absolutely NO idea what I was getting myself in to.


Yesterday is a blur. By the time I got to Hotel Atitan I was literally awake for 29 hours. My fine motor skills were no longer accessible. My stomach ached and my head burned from the ride from Guat City to Atitlan. It was by far, the most treacherous ride up and down through mountains. We went up to 7000 feet in the clouds where it was freezing, but for some unknown reason the taxi driver felt okay keeping the goddammed windows open. Mary and I were hugging - literally hugging - to keep or body temperatures from plummeting any lower than they already were. Add that to no sleep and gut wrenching turns and hills, well, you get it, I´m sure. Finally we began some kind of decent, where the sky opened up to the most amazing blue I´d ever seen, juxtaposed next to green and lush mountainside. It was soon thereafter that Mary insisted to our driver that we pull to the side so I could get my first view of the famed and fabled, Lake Atitlan. It was at that moment of first view that I understood the hype. I cried. I´ve never seen anything so pure. So perfect. The lake is just here, waiting for people to soak in its beauty and surrealism. And I plan to do just that -- and already can´t imagine not being here right now. I need this Lake. And I feel like it needs me too.


After spending the morning wandering the streets of Panajachel, the most "cosmopolitan" village on Lake Atitlan, I met up with some folks and just spent the better part of the afternoon sitting here at this cafe drinking coffee, eating fresh papaya and discussing everything from the negative ions that the volcanoes here put off (oh yeah, seriously a conversation I was having today) to world politics to where the best place to get kind bud in Atitlan. The players vary in age, heritage and political slant. But they all have one thing in common, they´re seekers. I think most foreigners who end up living in Panajenchel are seeking. Some find, others keep hoping. The tourists here either fall into that group or live vicariously though the seekers. I could have it all wrong, but there´s something very unique about interactions here. Everyone seems to be connected, in the most bizarre of ways.