I just arrived at Lago de Atitlan on Saturday and stayed at La Casa del Mundo on Saturday..... how can tomorrow be Saturday again?

It must be because this place is like a time warp. There is no use in wearing a watch and one day runs into another with such ease.

After settling into the room at Aaculaax and getting into the groove of timelessness I set about getting around the lake.

Santiago Atitlan is a beautiful little town. The tourism here is low and the locals let you know that your business is appreciated. Joan, Mary Jane, and I visited several different places and found them all very interesting.

Once off the boat, after breakfast, a young boy found us and offered to take us to visit San Simon. We paid 5q and was taken to the house where San Simon is currently housed. It was very interesting. I had visited this saint in Zunil but the Santiago version is entirely different. In Zunil there was only San Simon and no one else, other than caretakers in the room, but in Santiago there was San Simon, Virgin Mary, and Jesus all present. There was also a VERY strong incense burner going and the room was rather small. We were entirely smoked out. While we were there a believer came in to have a chat with the saint and from the tone, and what few words I could understand, he wasn´t really happy with the way things were going for him. We left before he got really riled up.

We then visited the old Catholic church of the town. Since a communion was going on we did not want to interrupt and waited outside the church. Serendipity is so much fun. While walking around looking at the outside of the church we came to a large iron gate. We all three peered inside and, as if from nowhere but really from a nearby office, a young woman came to the gate and opened it. We were allowed to come in and from there was given no instruction or guidance. We walked toward a lovely courtyard and found a sign with the name of a priest we had all read about in our guide books the night before.

Turns out Father Rother, an Oklahoman priest, was murdered in this particular room in 1981. He is now a martyr and this room, where he died, is a place for giving his martyrdom recognition. There is a short history of his involvement with the local people, his blood still stains the wall and is covered in glass, and there are several different places for reflection in the room. It was surreal how we even came to be in this room. That the girl opened the gate with no questions, we wandered a bit, saw a piece of paper with this fathers name on it, and then walked into this memorial. It was surreal and touching. He was a great man with many good deeds behind him.

After the communion was done we walked around inside the church and viewed the saints that line both sides of the giant church area. Each saint is clothed in material and ties made by the local women every year. With each new year each saint gets a new wardrobe. It is very interesting indeed.

At the back of this church, and to the right of the entrance, is a memorial to the people of the community and of the church that were killed or disappeared during the Armed Conflict in Guatemala. The people of Santiago actually pushed the army out of their town. The memorial consists of brass crosses at varying depths hung on the wall. Each cross bears the name and date of disappearance or death. It is very sad because there are sooooo many crosses (maybe 200) and those are just a portion of the people killed or gone.

There is a very hard reality present here and it is everywhere. Even the women of this community are hard.

After the church we visited the market, because we are keen to visiting on market days, and the ladies here are strong and united. Joan and Mary Jane were interested in buying some textiles. Everyone else in the market was interested in Joan and Mary Jane. :) As they shopped I started looking around at all the women taking interest in our actions. Since I was not buying I decided to step back and take it all in. I took a picture of my friends and their fans. Once the picture was taken the woman Joan was bartering with snapped her head in my direction and said "pagar!" (pay). She wanted me to pay for taking her picture.... but my picture was not of her. There was a moment of tension but it was eased with Joan giving her money and buying her goods. Thanks Joan!

After leaving these ladies I noticed the big difference in textiles and clothing in this area. The men wear short white pants with birds or small animals embroidered onto them, a sash for a belt and some sort of billowy shirt. The women wear huipiles (blouses common to this area) of purple, blue and white. This is in stark contrast to the bright colored huipiles of other lake towns. Their skirts are a dark textile and they wear matching shawl type of thing over one shoulder. This shawl is very multifunctional. They put it between the basket and their head when they carry things on top of their head. It holds babies to their breast for feeding, to their back for carrying, and to their stomach while the kid is sleeping. It is also used for carrying fruits or veggies home for dinner. Very functional!

I like the way they dress and its difference to the rest of the lake towns. There is a ton of wood working and painting done around this town. Beautiful carved birds, jewelry boxes, paintings of markets, women, and family members. Very beautiful.

Once our visit here was done Mary Jane continued on her journey to San Lucas Toliman and Joan and I returned to San Marcos.

Once home we took a luxurious dip in the lake and watched local women do their laundry and bathe right beside our swimming. Needless to say... as I swam my swimsuit was washed. ha ha

It was very interesting sharing space with these ladies. There was a family of one mom and her three daughters doing laundry and then taking the clothes they are wearing off, washing them, and then washing themselves. Two other young girls were doing the same just up the rocks from them on the same part of the lake.

I peeked at the mom and her routine. She took a black pumice rock and loofaed her entire body with it. She rubbed her legs free of hair and softened her heels with it. After all of my time walking in sandals that made perfect sense so I grabbed a rock that looked like hers and softened my heels as well. It works perfectly!

I was not the only person to watch the women in amazement. A Guatemalteca man was on higher rocks enjoying the view as well. I think my intent was honest and his was a little devious. The ladies were indifferent to all of us.

After our swim Joan and I met up with one of her hiking friends from a trip in Xela. He informed us of a sauna that was happening that night and we made good on the information. We went directly to La Paz and signed up for a spot in the sauna. We ate dinner and met up for some time in the hot box.

A Mayan sauna is amazing! This one was completely dark inside, hot as anything, and fit 6 people comfortably. Joan and I spent some time getting to know our fellow sauna seekers and ended up being the last of the group to leave the heat.

I passed out and slept like a baby.... only to wake up and watch the sun come up. It was amazing.... every detail.