Farm trail to Santa Maria volcano, Xela, Guatemala

For some now unknowable reason I had decided to climb the still-burbling 3,772 metres (12,372 ft) Santa María volcano yesterday.  This sounds impressive but the climb is only from the valley floor which means a climb of 1,400 metres (4,600 ft).   I groggily got out of bed at 5:30am and caught a converted school bus to near the trail-head.  I was told leaving any later would likely mean all views would be obscured by cloud.

After climbing the gentle slopes leading to the big cone I had had about enough.  It continued from there at a steep incline while jogging teenagers hopped past me grinning. After more climbing and developing a pounding headache a family then passed me.  Encouragingly, a fellow coming down told me, ‘oh it’s just another 1.5 or 2 hours’.   Eventually I rounded the top to hear moaning and wailing, curiously this wasn’t the wind but rather lumps of brightly dressed Christians lying prostrate in the dusty earth – somewhat resembling sea lions.  The family I passed also turned out to be of this same dark persuasion and started their own out-of-tune renditions of such favourites as ‘God, your name is all powerful’, and ‘Jesus, you will return’.   The active volcano spoke during one of their blessed silences and just when I was about to hear it properly they started up again.

Lago Atitlan, undrinkable and untouchable

I’ve arrived this morning in San Pedro (De La Laguna), Lago Atitlan.   This deepest of lakes in Central America is beautiful surrounded by three volcanoes and mountains on all sides.   Clouds roll over the rim of the mountains and the climate is warm without being humid.  Mayan villages dot the shores of the lake and while passing through them I attracted unfriendly stares as well as smiling waves from villagers walking the road that rings the lake.  It is ridiculously inexpensive (50 Quetzals/$6 per night) for pleasant lakeside hotel rooms.  Perhaps this has something to do with the stinking toxic bacteria that has pervaded the lake forming 1 meter thick sludge sediment in places.  With the introduction of black bass in the 1950′s by the government as well as phosphate fertilizer subsidies the ecosystem was disrupted and the cyanobacteria (Lyngbya Hironymusii) flourished.

My lazy thoughts of an afternoon swim have been rudely curtailed by http://www.lakeatitlanhealth.com/ :

• Kayaking on parts of the lake where no Blue Green algae can be seen should be relatively safe.
• DO NOT ENTER THE LAKE in areas where the cyanobacteria is visable.
• DO NOT BOIL Lake Water with cyanobacteria, it only releases more toxins from the cells of the Cyanotoxins.
• AVOID AREAS where cyanobacteria has been collected around the lake, even after it has been removed as the toxins can be transferred to the soil.

At least the evening should be eventful: a hotel owner recalled last night’s main event where some local drug-runners blocked the drug-addled hippy tourists from returning from town to their hotels (where I am) lake-side…

Farms leading to trail, Xela, Guatemala	Santa Maria Volcano, Xela, Guatemala	Farm trail to Santa Maria, Xela, Guatemala	Farmer, Santa Maria, Xela, Guatemala
Farmer,Santa Maria, Xela, Guatemala	Mountain near Santa Maria, Xela, Guatemala	Mountain morning near Santa Maria, Xela, Guatemala	Starting climb Santa Maria, Xela, Guatemala
Climbing Santa Maria, Xela, Guatemala	Climbing Santa Maria, Xela, Guatemala	Climbing Santa Maria, Xela, Guatemala	Valley view 1/2 way Santa Maria, Xela, Guatemala
Near top of Santa Maria, Xela, Guatemala	Wailing Christians on Santa Maria, Xela, Guatemala	Other mountains from top Santa Maria, Xela, Guatemala	Vapor from Santa Maria Volcano, Xela, Guatemala
View from top of Santa Maria, Xela, Guatemala	Xela Valley from top of Santa Maria, Xela, Guatemala	Quezaltenango Plaza Morning, Xela, Guatemala	Lago Atitlan, Guatemala
San Pedro, Lago Atitlan, Guatemala

Quetzaltenango, to San Pedro De La Laguna, Guatemala

Rest stop, MX

I woke at dawn in Tapachula, Chiapas, MX after sleeping somewhat fitfully worried about crossing the border into Guatemala.  Got the bike out of the hotel and drove to the secondary (but closer) crossing of Talisman all the while pondering how different it might be in Guatemala.  When I arrived near the  border bridge a swarm of semi-official plaque holding young men started yelling and directing me down a road that went into the settlement next to the border. I stupidly listened to them and was accosted then by a horde of money changers, one of whom I almost knocked over with my side cases because he was so annoyingly persistent and wouldn’t get out of my way.

2nd Breakdown Today, Fusebox Replaced, Tonala, MX

At the actual Mexican exit/entry point another horde was trying to tell me where to park, I ignored them and parked in the middle of the bridge and went and got my Mexican import vehicle permit canceled and went across the bridge to be swarmed by Guatemalan ‘park-here’, ‘stop-here’, ‘change-money’ boys.  Tired of this I ignored them or made somewhat rude comments in Spanish and got my immigration entry.   Next stop was fumigation of my vehicle (which involved spraying it with some chemicals), a sarcastic thanks was offered – which was taken in good humour.  Then to the customs for an import permit for Guatemala, (with trips to the copy shop at each stage), then to the bank to pay and back to the customs with receipt.  Then finally inspection of everything and allowed through.  Recommendations to anyone doing this, cross at Talisman and ignore everyone except the money changers as you’ll need Quetzals – it took about 1 hour in total at 8am.

En Route San Marcos, Guatemala

I decided to take the mountainous route to my destination Quetzaltenango (Xela) so headed up through the lush volcanic mountains towards the first town San Marcos. I was happily on my way when the traffic stopped and was backed up.  I drove up the wrong lane to see if I could get through and came upon a crowd on either end of a bridge.  By one side of the bridge was a dead man still half straddling his motorcycle with police dropping numbered cones all over the place. Then the mother and sister/wife appeared through the crowd at the other end of the bridge and started wailing and yelling out. They pushing past the police who were trying to stop them and when they caught sight of the body the mother cried  out ‘mi hijo’ (‘my son’), distraught they walked in circles crying and yelling.  The sister/wife jumped on the body and was pulled off by the police.

A grinning man in a red Toyota van then told me to follow him to get to San Marcos. I could barely keep up speeding through little towns and  blind mountain corners.  I was sobered by the sight of the dead man five minutes before and felt like I was in a death race following this van, so I was a little relieved when it stopped and he hopped out with some directions for me to continue on my own.

Indigenous Women, Salina Cruz, Mexico	Salina Cruz Morning, MX	Windy Ventosa, MX	Bike Windmills, Ventosa, MX
Rest stop, MX	Towards the Sierras, MX	2nd Breakdown Fusebox Replaced, Tonala, MX	Tapachula Sunrise, Chiapas, MX
En Route San Marcos, Guatemala	En Route San Marcos, Guatemala