Gill wimped out of this one, despite being seen earlier on a boat speeding across a lake with a backpack on her back – not an image many of you will have anticipated seeing.
The Santiago boat dock differs from the dock that we had been using, and this is where I first got into trouble. Helpfully explaining this fact to some newbie backpackers got me into hot water with a boat driver who was trying to fleece them – he came after me and gave me a verbal lashing which included accusations of excessive weed smoking and threatened to take my money. Bastardo….
Took the local boat across the lake – 25 mins – 25 Quetzals, and Santiago came into view, nestled on the shore between San Pedro and Atitlan volcanoes. ‘tis a real quiet season, me and two other gringos were all I saw apart from locals. The locals here are really dressed up in traditional dress, including the men in stripy embroidered knee length trousers, cumberbands, formal shirts and cowboy hats. I walked around the streets, being ignored except for young kids and tuk tuk drivers trying to take me to see Maximon. More of him later.
First of all I visited the market square and the large catholic church, the scene of a major massacre in 1990 during the civil war. The church held a huge number of life sized saint statues, all gaudily dressed by the locals and they get to change clothes once a year, much like Gill and I at the moment!
Santiago is the home of Maximon – a much venerated local saint. He is said to be a mix of Christian, Maya and a Spanish conquistador. He appears to be a bit spiv like and takes offerings of tobacco and rum. He is looked after by a different family every year, and parades at Easter with equal status to Mary but turns his back on her.
I had no idea how to find him, but eventually relented and allowed a tuk tuk driver to take me as he didn’t look like a mugger – but as we bounced out of town into the countryside I thought that maybe I’d broken another rule and was this my second mistake of the day? It was at this point that there had been a major lapse of security – I had wallet stuffed with cash, watch phone, 3 credit cards, hotel room key and camera with me!!!! Doh!
The views of the lake were great as we sped past women doing their washing and finally arrived at a bunch of shacks. I was taken up a path and there is a brick built, heavily decorated garage was Maximon in all his glory!! With a real life Shaman kneeling in front of him – talking and pointing aggressively at him. Maximon was complete with two trilby’s, scarves, multiple ties, a cigar and bottle of rum. Very few people manage to get to see him, so ‘Maximon be merry’ will be added to our mantra. I had a cigarette to give him as an offering – but he wasn’t getting any rum from us! (see photo). There was a lot of incense, smoke and he was surrounded by life sized colourfully dressed saints and in a glass coffin in the corner of the garage lay a life sized christ who is also paraded around the town at Easter! Bizarre, but lucky to meet him – estoy encantado. Maybe the aggressive boat guy was right and perhaps I have been smoking weed!!!
Kindly driver also took me to see where an entire village had been wiped out by a landslide in 2005, killing 1000 people, quite gruesome, especially when orphaned kids emerged from the ruins, and showed me their scars! Not pleasant but worth a 20 quetzal photo – see picture.
I wasn’t mugged or violated in any way, and my faith in human kindness was restored when I was dropped off at the beach to take the boat back across the lake. However, adventures were not over, mid lake the engine broke down and we drifted gently for 10 mins or so, whilst the guys struggled to get the engine started again !! Gil would really have hated this.
I’d only been away for four hours or so, but what an adventure. Gill has promised not to let me go out alone again. But you know what – I am back safe and sound so maybe Maximon is already working his magic ……………..
The Santiago boat dock differs from the dock that we had been using, and this is where I first got into trouble. Helpfully explaining this fact to some newbie backpackers got me into hot water with a boat driver who was trying to fleece them – he came after me and gave me a verbal lashing which included accusations of excessive weed smoking and threatened to take my money. Bastardo….
Took the local boat across the lake – 25 mins – 25 Quetzals, and Santiago came into view, nestled on the shore between San Pedro and Atitlan volcanoes. ‘tis a real quiet season, me and two other gringos were all I saw apart from locals. The locals here are really dressed up in traditional dress, including the men in stripy embroidered knee length trousers, cumberbands, formal shirts and cowboy hats. I walked around the streets, being ignored except for young kids and tuk tuk drivers trying to take me to see Maximon. More of him later.
First of all I visited the market square and the large catholic church, the scene of a major massacre in 1990 during the civil war. The church held a huge number of life sized saint statues, all gaudily dressed by the locals and they get to change clothes once a year, much like Gill and I at the moment!
Santiago is the home of Maximon – a much venerated local saint. He is said to be a mix of Christian, Maya and a Spanish conquistador. He appears to be a bit spiv like and takes offerings of tobacco and rum. He is looked after by a different family every year, and parades at Easter with equal status to Mary but turns his back on her.
I had no idea how to find him, but eventually relented and allowed a tuk tuk driver to take me as he didn’t look like a mugger – but as we bounced out of town into the countryside I thought that maybe I’d broken another rule and was this my second mistake of the day? It was at this point that there had been a major lapse of security – I had wallet stuffed with cash, watch phone, 3 credit cards, hotel room key and camera with me!!!! Doh!
The views of the lake were great as we sped past women doing their washing and finally arrived at a bunch of shacks. I was taken up a path and there is a brick built, heavily decorated garage was Maximon in all his glory!! With a real life Shaman kneeling in front of him – talking and pointing aggressively at him. Maximon was complete with two trilby’s, scarves, multiple ties, a cigar and bottle of rum. Very few people manage to get to see him, so ‘Maximon be merry’ will be added to our mantra. I had a cigarette to give him as an offering – but he wasn’t getting any rum from us! (see photo). There was a lot of incense, smoke and he was surrounded by life sized colourfully dressed saints and in a glass coffin in the corner of the garage lay a life sized christ who is also paraded around the town at Easter! Bizarre, but lucky to meet him – estoy encantado. Maybe the aggressive boat guy was right and perhaps I have been smoking weed!!!
Kindly driver also took me to see where an entire village had been wiped out by a landslide in 2005, killing 1000 people, quite gruesome, especially when orphaned kids emerged from the ruins, and showed me their scars! Not pleasant but worth a 20 quetzal photo – see picture.
I wasn’t mugged or violated in any way, and my faith in human kindness was restored when I was dropped off at the beach to take the boat back across the lake. However, adventures were not over, mid lake the engine broke down and we drifted gently for 10 mins or so, whilst the guys struggled to get the engine started again !! Gil would really have hated this.
I’d only been away for four hours or so, but what an adventure. Gill has promised not to let me go out alone again. But you know what – I am back safe and sound so maybe Maximon is already working his magic ……………..
