As a young girl I had spent some time growing up in Panajachel Guatemala. A few years back, one of my best friends and I planned a trip back there. She went ahead and lived a few weeks in Antigua to learn spanish first. I met up with her there and we traveled together to Panajachel.
Let me tell you a little bit about this magical place. Panajachel is an 800 year old pueblo on the edge of Lake Atitlan. The lake is one mile above sea level and is actually a huge volcanic crater that is filled with water. It has three majestic volcanoes surrounding it. Atitlan is a mayan word meaning “the place where the rainbow gets its colors”. Â There are small villages surrounding the lake. The Cahikel and Tz'utujil Mayans live there.
I was very excited to go back, wondering if I would recognize my old school or house. Would I still understand some of the mayan language? My heart beat with excitement. We hired a driver to take us from Antigua to there instead of taking the local chicken buses. The chicken buses were huge school like buses painted bold primary colors that were filled with locals, tourists and at times animals. (Hence the name chicken buses.)
They went very fast, and on our way to Panajachel we moved over as they blazed past. We also saw a few as burnt wreckage on the sides of the mountain road. We drove up a huge mountain range on a very windy road. As we crested the top, we saw below us, the volcanic crater that was the lake. It was breath taking!
We found a hotel for about $20 a night. We got a quaint room near the edge of the lake with a patio, pool and it included breakfast each day. As soon as we settled in, Â I rushed to the lakes edge wondering, do I remember this view? Did I once stand right here in this spot? The lake was huge and the volcanos were so massive they seemed to touch the sky. I watched the light change as the sun began to set and the sky had colors of gold and orange that was reflected in the water. How many times had I watched that here?
I spent two wonderful weeks there and visited my old school and church.
It was an amazing journey. I felt more at peace there than I had for so very long. The days were long and relaxing. In the late afternoons the rain would come for a few hours and it would seem to flood down the streets to the lake. My worries washed away day by day. I felt so tied to the land and lake there. Knowing I had grown up in such a spiritual and amazing place healed some of the wounds I had picked up along the way of life.
Next post I will share the story and photos of two amazing young Cachikel Mayan women we befriended. They took us up the mountain to their home to share their traditions with us. I will never forget this friendship.
I want to share this with you because life happens. We get wounded and we heal. Each of us in our own way and with our own time. This is one of my journeys that helped to heal my heart and open my eyes to the possibilities of what life could be like for me. What journeys did you have to heal your heart?