Final destination: Lake Atitlan
After almost two weeks together, we made it to Atitlan – a major lake in the Western Highlands of Guatemala. The journey here has involved numerable hours on the bus, connecting with old friends and new. The bus journeys have created many moments of self-reflection on the experiences had in various activities and destinations. Looking out its windows, I have also been confronted with passing sensations from the views as we pass Guatemala’s innumerable ‘pueblos’ and ‘paisajes’.
However, ‘la vista’ of the lake signifies that my time in the bus is coming to an end. The sensation of arrival to the lake was dramatic – both visually and emotionally. The immensity of the lake was apparent from this first sight. Once in sight, one has to descend repeated ‘dangerous curves’ on a narrow road to reach the lakeside. With each curve, it hits me that my time with my fellow travelers is also coming to an end. For some reason, the time-shared feels too short – and yet we’ve managed to do so much and build such strong relationships.
Near water’s edge, the air feels cool and fresh – but the feeling cannot erase the fact that Lake Atitlan is knowingly dirty. This lake acts as a hole for all the trash, filth and sewage of the valley – a lake within a lush valley that is a major tourist destination. Somehow it seems fitting that this lake would be so highly contaminated – in a country unable to manage its own waste and a tourist population that seems generally unconcerned with such cleanly matters. Lake Atitlan is the final destination for the beautiful and the ugly, the Mayan heritage and despair, the trash and the tourists.
This feeling of Atitlan didn’t hit home immediately. It’s taken two days – including one bedridden from stomach issues – to feel this way. Although the lake has a sheen and glisten that could easily convince the unknowing otherwise. I am, however, oppressed with the understanding that the lake is dying. Lake Atitlan seems representative of so much of Guatemala if nothing is done to preserve its traditions, integrating a focus on sustainability and happiness.
Today is the day I had to say goodbye to my fellow scholars. Everyone is set to return to Arizona. But I will continue my journey of discovery in Guatemala – peeling back more and more layers of understanding in this rich and complex culture. I am pleased that I will not be journeying alone – but with my partner in crime, my husband Alejandro.
Together – the two of us – we will pass through more towns, experience more parts of Guatemalan culture and environment. It won’t be the same without my happiness companions and the sensation of having a mobile community while exploring Guatemala for the first time. Thanks for all the beauty, memories, lessons and times we shared – the easy and the difficult. I will miss you all over the next 11 days in Guatemala and for who knows how much longer. I wish you all and all of Guatemala ‘salud, dinero y amor y el tiempo para disfrutarlo’ (Health, money and love and the time to enjoy it). This is part – not all – of happiness, but may be a valuable place to start.