Gorgeous Guatemala - Lake Atitlan

And so the first chapter of my Latin American adventure begins. I'm taking this trip with my dear friend Lucy - a soul mate for sure - and her heavenly baby daughter Isis. I was of course fully aware of how travelling with a toddler would add a new & different dimension to my travel experience this time round, plus, Lucy's partner & the father of Isis, Rick, decided to travel from Australia to join us & make things work with his family. This, not only being the first time I have met Rick, but also the first time that he, Lucy & Isis have been together after a few months of living in opposite parts of the world, has meant that the group dynamic has needed a little time to settle. I won't lie...there has been a spot of trouble in paradise & I have found myself caught in the middle of some difficult situations, but what has been happening has been making Lucy & I closer & our friendship has truly blossomed in the face of adversity. As for Lucy & Rick, it's long & complicated - but I think after trying time & again to make things work, they have now reached a place where they are recognizing they need to let each other go. It's sad to see as on many levels Rick does want to be a father to Isis, but right now it seems he just can't make it happen. 

I could write an entire entry on the ups & downs of the group dynamic over the past 10 days, but I'm not going to...instead I'm going to deliver to you the juicy details of the first leg of my South American adventure. This time, my journey has taken us to Guatemala, first stop - Guatemala City. Despite the extremely friendly demeanour of the people we encountered on our way to the hotel, I can't deny that we didn't exactly feel terribly safe in a city whose shops sit behind metal bars, and within the shops stood armed guards. The largest city in Central America, it's extremely busy & polluted city - & we knew our stay there would literally just be a pit-stop to rest & get us to where we wanted to be...Lake Atitlan.

To save time & effort, Rick treated us all to a taxi ride to the lake - so I'm yet to experience my first Guatemalan bus ride. Don't worry - they'll happen soon enough! The driver, a lovely guy called Melis, loved the fact that I was desperate to learn Spanish (literally as soon as I stepped out of the airport I turned to Lucy & said "I have to learn Spanish while we're out here!") and took it upon himself to tutor me for the entire duration of our four hour ride, ensuring that I knew how to say all of the essential things. By the end of the journey I had 2 pages of notes and knew how to tell someone I needed to make a call (something Melis deemed extremely important). 

It felt good to leave the busy smoggy city behind us and we began climbing up into the highlands of Guatemala.  Lush, green mountains rose up ahead of us & the air became fresh. It was 7th December and in Guatemala this is the day of La Quema del Diablo...or The Burning of The Devil. On the side of the road people were selling little paper mache devils - and in the mountain towns there was much excitement & festivities. People were dancing in the streets & stages were set-up, upon which bands were playing. It reminded me of the feasts that take place in the little village my parents are from back in Italy.

We arrived at Lake Atitlan just as the sun was setting. The air was fresh & smelled of warm summer evenings & the lake looked utterly beautiful. We had chosen to stay in the little spiritual village of San Marcos which was a boat ride away, across the lake. We bid farewell to lovely Melis & boarded the wobbly little boat that very soon filled up with locals. I smiled. I always consider it a good sign when locals out-number the tourists. After about an hour we arrived at San Marcos. It was now dark & we had absolutely no idea where we were heading, but that didn't matter as wait...here on the lake shores of San Marcos there are no roads...instead little cobbled pathways gently guide you around the very small village, unobtrusively leading you to the little collection of guest houses, healing centres & restaurants. We began meandering our way around & encountered a lovely lady from Vermont, Carol, and her beautiful daughter, Zoe - who took it upon themselves to usher us around San Marcos until we had found an adequate place to stay, which, funnily enough,  ended up being the very same guest house they were staying at.

The next day I began to absorb where I was. The lake really is utterly breathtaking. Surrounded by three dormant volcanoes, the crater that forms the basin of the lake was created during an enormous eruption 84,000 years ago. It is renowned as one of the most beautiful lakes in the world - Aldous Huxley wrote of it: "Lake Como, it seems to me, touches on the limit of permissibly picturesque, but Atitlán is Como with additional embellishments of several immense volcanoes. It really is too much of a good thing." Steeped in Myan history, there certainly seems to be something magical about this place - it is one of the most beautiful lakes I've been to, and San Marcos itself has become renowned for its spiritual energy. 

At first impression I thought I could live here. The people here are super lovely and there's certainly no shortage of holistic courses to keep me occupied...but...after spending a week here...I must admit I am beginning to feel a bit stifled. For sure, I'm all about spirituality & progression, but to me, the delivery is as important as the content - and I think that's the trouble with some of the spiritual souls of San Marcos...they take it a little bit too seriously. I draw the line when I'm not allowed to take a bottle of water into a yoga class because "no clutter is allowed into the sacred space". The maverick in me instantly reacts and the allure of the seemingly perfect spiritual sanctuary has all of a sudden become less attractive. Being here does sometimes feel like I'm in an episode of Lost. If you've never watched Lost, think Twilight Zone and you're close enough. 

Of course, I am being harsh - it is heavenly being here, and I have met some amazingly inspiring people. I've had some of the best healing sessions I've ever received in my life & I've decided to throw my head into a week's intensive Spanish course. My teacher, Myra, is of Mayan descent & talking to her about the legends surrounding the lake & it's towns has been fascinating. Almost every afternoon the wind picks up & starts whisking around the sleepy little towns & villages. Mayan legend tells that the wind comes to take away the sins of the people, purifying the area every night, ready for the dawn of a new day. Myra actually told me this story in Spanish...so it's good to see that after 5 days of classes at 4 hours each day, I've learned enough to understand a Mayan legend or two! I'm sure that if I stayed long enough I'd soon immerse myself in all manner of spiritual courses. But...my itchy traveller's feet are eager to move on & experience more of this fascinating land. I may return to this beguiling place & embrace my inner solemn spiritual practitioner after all...we'll see what the rest of my journey holds. On Sunday we begin a week-long shamanic pilgrimage through the sacred sites of Guatemala...I'm sure there will be some epic stories arising from that!

Lucy & Isis, my fellow travelling godesses - and lovely Zoe

The captivating volcanoes of Lake Atitlan shrouded in the morning mist