A Boatload of Teachers

Teacher boat with Ian, Liz, and Monica.

When I traveled with my sister after she graduated from business school we repeatedly encountered the company of other newly minted MBAs having one last hurrah around the world before commencing new careers. This weekend I learned that this was apparently not a coincidence; like-minded travels seem to find each other as they trek across the globe or dive into the particular wonders of a fascinating local. This is my first summer traveling as a teacher on holiday, and so it is my first chance to happen upon the company of other adventurous educators expanding their horizons as global citizens. In this case, Monica and I found ourselves on a boat full of teachers and their traveling companions as we toured the small villages tucked into the mountainous folds that surround beautiful Lago de Atitlan.

Each village we visited sported its own unique character. Between each village we chatted with a different teacher riding the same boat as us. We started in San Juan, one of the least commercial of the villages. Here we watched a local craftswoman spin natural cotton into yarn from which she wove beautiful scarves and the like and enjoyed the beautiful views.

Left: A weaver who is part of a local women's crafts collective spins a yarn (literally) from natural cotton.
Right: The Church in San Juan with the mountains in the background. The peak is known as Indian Nose because the shape resembles the nose shape of the people indigenous to the area.

Our second stop was the hippy village of San Pedro featuring colorful art whether it be spiritual or political.

Left: Statue in the square in front of the San Pedro Church.
Right: Anti-GMO art on the wall of a small clothing shop.

 The third stop took us to Santiago, where we took in the colorful vestments of the saints in the main church and in a small Mayan shrine.

Clockwise from top left: The view of Santiago from the lake. A mayan shrine where the Grandfather can cure your ailments. Inside the Santiago Church where the colors of this vibrant town are reflected in the garb of the statues.

Our homebase for the weekend was the town of Panajachel, a lakeside municipality about 2 hours from Xela. In contrast to Xela, Pana cultivates an international resort vibe reminiscent of Phuket and Sharm el Sheikh. We sampled a variety of international cuisines including Mexican, Malaysian, Japanese food, and sipped local coffee in an SF style that was roasted and brewed in an establishment operated by a couple of expat hippies from Korea. We haggled in the street for cheap jewelry local textiles. And of course there was plenty of rest and relaxation whether it be lakeside or reclined in the hammock hung across the balcony of our hotel room shaded by a veritable jungle of hanging plans.

From my lakeside lounging (left) it is clear that I need a dose of the fantastic local coffee (right).

On Sunday Monica and I ventured to the town of Chichicastenango, famous for its biweekly market. As we settled in to the shuttle to Chichi we joked that at least one of the teachers we met on Saturday would surely appear. As if on cue, Ian, an English teacher from Hong Kong, climbed onto the shuttle and took the vacant seat next to me. We spent the morning wandering the Chichi market, enjoying the local art (ancient pieces at the jade museum and modern murals on municipal building), and visiting the local Church (I wish I could post pictures, as it was my favorite church so far on this trip, but they did not permit photography in the sanctuary). At one point we wandered around a corner and discovered a great view of the most colorful cemetery I have ever seen.

Clockwise from top left: Panel from a mural on the main square in Chichicastenango. The front of the church on the main square in Chichicastenango (market below). View of the cemetery just on the edge of town.