This morning Hugo met us bright and early in the dining room for breakfast, then we set out on a walking tour of Santiago. While the town itself was much larger than I expected, the areas just outside the town were smaller. We met some families and saw their homes along the side of the road, and were able to watch a young gal use the wooden loom to create fabric for selling items at the market. It was a treat, and I appreciated them letting us into their home. From there we walked further to see the area that the mudslide in Oct of 2005 destroyed. Some homes had been rebuilt and restored, but others were still buried half way deep in the dirt. Also, along the side of the road, we saw coffee plants and Hugo showed us the beans and explained the process to us for producing coffee as well as planting new plants. I just wish we could have roasted and brewed a cup right there! We then walked into town and saw the main food market, and then walked through the textile market towards the shoreline. Jens and I took about a year deciding on which painting of Lake Atitlan we wanted to buy at a gentleman's shop (poor man -- he probably thought we would never decide) since Hugo told us paintings here would be much less expensive than ones we would find in Chichi or Antigua. Something to make mention of about Santiago, and really most of the highlands town, has mostly to do with the people encountered there. The majority of the people living there still wear their traditional Maya clothing. The clothing actually is used as a way to identify what city or region they are from, as different colored shirts for the girls indicate different geographic regions, as well as the men in each city varied the style of pants or accessories worn. The villages are for the most part a slower way of life compared to the US, yet still you occasionally would see a Maya gal chatting on a cell phone in her typical attire, which made me have to laugh, as I guess technology knows no geographic limits. It is similar when you see a bunch of people dressed in Maya clothing carrying a bundle on their head, and then see them put the load down and climb into the back of a Toyota pickup truck, almost as though the culture has been preserved, and yet not. The people were for the most part very friendly, and while we did have some kids approach us asking for a Quetzal (the equivalent of about .15 in US), we were not approached as much as I remembered from my last visit to Guatemala 10 years ago. I enjoyed being able to offer some money in exchange for some photos, as that seemed to be more of value to me than even the textiles being sold. After shopping a little, we rested for lunch at a restaurant and then parted ways with Hugo of the afternoon and made our way back to the hotel. We spent the rest of our afternoon relaxing in the pool. We could have gone out on the lake in canoes, or hiked around the area, but we were both hot and tired and a few hours of playing in the pool became a great way to finish the day.
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.
