Guatemala...Day 3

After a quick breakfast of fruit, toast and unbelievably good coffee, we loaded our luggage back onto the bus and headed for Panajachel, Guatemala. On the way, we were scheduled to stop in the town of Tecpan to explore the Mayan ruins of Ixiche.

The drive was beautiful, and I was fascinated by the fields that the people farm. They plow any land available...most of it being on steep inclines.

The "highway", and I use that term very loosely, was narrow, and wrapped around a mountain. There were no dividing lines and no guardrails, and there was major construction going on. Guatemalan construction is a bit different than ours. First of all, it is a VERY long process...years and years and years. Their equipment is limited and dated. The workers shut down one lane for HOURS while letting the other lane continue to move. It isn't uncommon to be stuck for three hours or more.

Luckily, we were not in the lane that got stopped and were able to travel through easily and quickly...easily if you count clinging to the side of the mountain in a top heavy tour bus with cars zipping around you, while you try not to look down the side of the cliff to the rock bottomed creek below.

We reached the ruins right on schedule. I have to admit, I was very excited about this excursion. Ancient history has always interested me, and to be able to explore Mayan ruins was a dream come true.

After Sister Lynne negotiated our entrance fee, we were free to explore the small museum and then the grounds. This picture is of a diorama that was set up in the museum. This is what the ruins looked like when complete.

Looks like blunt force trauma to the head... What do you think?

This was our first glimpse of the ruins themselves...

Here we have a closer shot of one of the ruins...

Let me put that last picture in perspective so that you can get a true grasp of the size. This is the same ruin with two of our friends standing atop.

As I mentioned in my photo blog, one of the rituals that the ancient Mayans performed was rather grotesque. A female virgin would be placed on one of the smaller altars at ground level. In order to complete a rite of passage into manhood, a guy would kill her, rip her heart out, race up the steep narrow steps and present it to the king while it was still beating.

I wonder two things...(1) What happened if it stopped beating before he got to the top...did he get a "do over"? (2) What did the girls get to do in their rite of passage? Hmm...think on that....

There was one altar still in operation. In fact, a family was in the process of making offerings to the "gods" with the help of their "witch doctor" while we were there. Photography was prohibited...but, thanks to a zoom lens and a few friends to block for me, I was able to get a few images...

In the first shot, you can see the "witch doctor" (in the green sweatshirt), the dad and two small children. Evidently, this particular god likes Big K...they offered him/her two 3 liters. I'm not sure what they were burning.

The god also likes papayas.

The offerings are placed at different stations around the altar. Candles of different colors are also lit depending on what you are seeking from the god.

After watching for a few minutes, I decided to explore further. I don't know about you, but I would have to question the validity of a "god" whose temple had a potty like this one...

Here are a few more ruin shots...

After the ruins, it was time for lunch and our second Guatemalan meal. We ate at Katuk...a restaurant that specialized in kabobs. They were tasty...but the pineapple was the best...divine.

This also happened to mark the beginning of my love affair with Naranja de Soda (rough pronunciation: Na-ha-ron-ja duh Sord-ah). No, that isn't the name of a hot Guatemalan man...it's the name of a cool and delicious fruity drink.

Basically, it's like lemon-aid, but instead of lemons, you use oranges and instead of regular water, you use soda water. Oh so refreshing...Then, we were back on the bus and heading for Panajachel.

In order to reach Panajachel, one must travel through the city of Solola. Which, isn't a big deal...unless one happens to be riding on a ginormous tour bus. Then, Solola becomes a bit tricky. Why? Well, the streets are a on the narrow side.

This is where the problems started...

Now, see the two buildings on the right? We needed to turn between the red brick building and the yellow w/orange stripe building.

Oscar, our bus driver's assistant had to get off the bus to help with the navigation. Notice the little boy watching the spectacle.

Speaking of people watching the spectacle...here are some people in their cab watching us...

Everyone in the cab was smiling, and didn't seem bothered at all when they had to get out of their cab and walk the rest of the way to their destination due to our impromptu road block.

This guy however, got tired of watching, and needed a restroom break...since you have to pay to use restrooms, this electrical pole looked like a good alternative.

Obviously, the bus would not make the turn. Fortunately, there were some friendly law enforcement employees willing to help in exchange for a"tip" (a more accurate term would be: bribe) . We backed down a one way street. Then, our escort RAN ahead of us down another one way street for about a mile, stopping traffic so that we could get through.

Before long, we were over the mountain, and catching our first glimpse of the lake...

the streets of Panajachel...

and our hotel...