Verde. That is the
best way to describe the scene on the way to, and at Lago de Atitlan in
Guatemala. Everything is green-hills stretch for miles into the distant expanse
of the volcanoes rising above the smooth lake water. Trees of all shapes and
sizes dot the fields filled with crops, and the green is only interrupted by
the brilliant specks of blues, yellows, and reds that paint the buildings and
homes in the towns.
The towns around Lago de Atitlan are very different from
Antigua. There are less specialty shops, and more makeshift homes.Less
tourists, and more kids running around in the traditional clothing. And
everywhere we go, people are asking us to buy their goods because we stick out
like sore thumbs. But, the view is beautiful.
Our main mode of transportation
for the weekend was by boat. We traveled from town to town and got to walk
around and see a little piece of each.
The scenes that I can’t get out of my
head are the little six year old boy walking around in the rain with no shoes
selling bracelets to anyone who would stop to listen to him, or Andrea and
Anna, eight and ten, following Colleen around and responding to our “no
gracious” with a “si, gracious” as quickly as they can.
Or the two little siblings
hanging out in the doorway of their home watching us come down the pathway,
giggling as we go by.
Life here is simple, and it is one of the most beautiful
things I have ever seen.
