Trip To Paradise

I took a much needed mini-vacation last week to San Marcos La Laguna. San Marcos is a small community on Lake Attitlan and because of work responsibilities I could not venture very far. So this 4 day trip was perfect since it was only a 2.5 hour chickenbus ride. I have traveled to Lake Attitlan before and visited many of the surrounding towns including Panajachel, Solala, and San Pedro. Yet San Marcos La Laguna was like no place I have ever seen.

To get there I went to the bus terminal here in Xela called Minerva and asked one of the men calling at me which bus was for San Marcos LA LAGUNA. I should explain a few things to set the stage: the bus terminal is like no place any Western ever pictures when they think of bus terminals. Take that image of a Greyhound bus depot and throw it away. To get to the Minerva bus terminal you have to walk through the Minerva market – the largest outdoor market in Xela. So the bus terminal is a branch off from this and a number of vendors spill into the chickenbus section. Now imagine at least 50 yellow school buses, graphitti style painted and you’ll have a better idea of a chickenbus. So there are no information desks, ticket booths, or restrooms. You just walk in the direction of the buses and a number of “assistance” will help you find your bus.

I emphasized the ‘La Laguna’ part of the town’s name because there is another San Marcos that is a small town located near the Mexican border. So to make sure you get on the right bus you have to emphasize that you want the one near the lake which is what La Laguna means. Since I knew there are no direct buses to San Marcos La Laguna I would have to take a bus to San Pedro, get off in San Juan and then take a tuktuk to San Marcos. The ride was nice and the bus was not too overcrowded at any point. That means it never got overwhelmingly stuffed full of people since here in Guatemala it is fine to seat 3 or 4 adults on a bus seat.

Back to explaining San Marcos La Laguna. The community is a completely different world from anything I have ever experienced. It is really a haven for hippies and gringos (white people) since the local Guatemalans live further up the mountain. The entire place is two dirt paths that go up from the dock to the main (and only) road. There you can find a few restaurants, a number of hotels and a lot of yoga and meditation schools. It is a place to get away from city life and relax surrounded by like-minded folks.

I took a yoga and metaphysics class and hiked to a different surrounding village each day. I even was able to visit San Juan La Laguna where one of the cooperative groups is located in the association I work at. Each night I was in bed by 20:30 (8:30pm) and waking up to birds instead of honking cars was quite a change. Unfortunately, like a good dream, this mini-vacay ended way to soon. Before I was prepared to face reality I was taking a launcha (boat) to San Pedro and catching a bus back to Xela. While returning to reality, work and city pollution has not been fun I know that another adventure is a quick chickenbus away and I will not wait another 4 months to get on one.