"Listen to the whispers the noise can’t seem to make you hear. Slow down… breath…remember what matters."
-Your Conscience
A Little “Social Distancing” From Outside the Zoo

After we took so long to release our last newsletter, we thought we should follow up with another to let you know our whereabouts during this challenging, not to metion, scary time in the world.

With “social distancing” becoming the new norm in all our lives, we decided to distance ourselves along the shores of Lake Atitlán , in the Highlands of Guatemala.

Yes, we are in a foreign country...with foreign people... speaking a foreign language- well, sort of- and about as distant as we can be!

We are trying to do everything we can to combat the spread of this terrible virus. We've been traveling- like, a lot- and in new places all the time, meeting new people, shaking hands "Hello" and hugging "Goodbye."

We've finally found the perfect place to wait this out. Be sure to keep reading to the end to find out where. But, before reaching the end, I hope you enjoy some fun, easy reading and maybe even get a few needed laughs at our expense!
Our New Home...for Now
The Guatemala Border
After hearing news that Guatemala closed its borders to Europeans, we opted to cut our time short in Mexico and make a mad dash for the border, fearing a ban on Americans would be next.

At the time, Guatemala had still yet to report any cases of the virus, and the numbers in Mexico were rising, with one case in the state of Chiapas, where were were currently living.

We arrived at the border late afternoon on Thursday and crossed into Guatemala the following morning. On Saturday, they began quarantining all incoming travelers. On Monday, they closed the borders to all non-residents.

A few days later and we would have said goodbye to a huge chunk of our trip. And with our Mexican visas about to expire, this would have caused more than a few problems.

Lago de Atitlán

Lago de Atitlán [ atiˈtlan] is located in the Sierra Madre Mountain Range and the deepest lake in all of Guatemala. It's also huge! The lake is surrounded by tiny villages, populated by the Maya people, with many indigenous languages being spoken throughout the region. The Maya culture is also very rich in centutries-old traditions, with all women and even young girls still wearing the traditional "traje" or dress, to honor their ancestors. We even witnessed a group of local girls playing football (soccer to us Yankees) in their long, heavy skirts, making me sweat just at the sight of them!

Getting to the lake is the biggest challenge for most travelers. Most of the villages surrounding the lake are nearly impossible to access in anything larger than a Tuk Tuk , or maybe the old Honda hatchback I used to own. The Mayas definitely weren’t envisioning large RV’s traveling through their towns when they built the narrow streets and installed the low hanging power lines. But even that doesn’t stop a Chicken Bus from getting through.
The "Chicken Bus"
I’m curious what you’re picturing if you’ve never before seen a “Chicken Bus.” I’m pretty sure it’s not a brightly painted, shiny-grilled, pimped out school bus that would be more at home on the Vegas Strip than in the tiny towns of Guatemala.

These public buses are seen everywhere, decked out with their own style, transporting locals in all directions, and all driving like they’re evading the Federales.

I can’t help but love them!

So, of course, we figured if the chicken buses can make it through these towns, why not La Tortuga?

Braving the Roads of Mexico and Guatemala
Now, we have traveled down all kinds of roads during our 6 months in Mexico so we figured there wasn't much that could scare us.

We've been down windy roads with no shoulders, with huge buses and 18-wheelers barraling toward us, more in our lane than their own.

We've inched along miles of dirt roads with so many washboards that our ceiling separated from our cabinets and our canned foods became air born.

We've weaved through tiny towns, dodging pedestrians, street dogs, mules, and chickens, where street vendors had to re-locate their umbrellas in order for us to pass.

And, lastly, we've driven down roads with power lines that hung so low they could double as a laundry line, and some that actually did.
You get the idea!

What I'm trying to say is that nothing prepared us for the roads into Lake Atitlán.

The adventure began when we made our way off the main highway and into the town of Sololá , which must be conquered in order to reach the lake-side town of Panajechel ("Pana" for short), and our destination for the next several weeks.

The town is rumored to be the easiest to navigate in order to reach the lake.

(Pause for effect)

I have a few choice words for the people who started that rumor!

One wrong turn and the next thing we knew, we were practically suspended upside-down by our rear bumper on a one-lane road with a 90° p itch (OK, maybe 45), but I'm talking steep! And the only escape was to make a 90°  turn onto another road, equally as narrow and steep. We had no choice but forge ahead, hold our breath and pray our tires didn't leave the ground. 

We did finally made it down, but it turns out, that was just a test to prepare us for our next challenge.
At the bottom of the hill, we became stuck in the middle of a busy intersection, with one side of the RV stuck on a tall curb, and the other side scraping past a pipe along a building...all while the locals, cars, and chicken buses waited and watched…and honked!

I wish I could say that was the end of it.

But yes, the fun continues…

Once we escaped that town at the top of the mountain, we made our way down the long, steep and windy roads into the town of Pana, where we were required to make a hairpin turn into the entrance of our campsite. Well, of course we couldn't do it on our first try. That would be too easy. Let's just say, I've become perfectly comfortable standing in the middle of busy intersections, stopping and directing traffic, chicken buses and all.

Finally, safe at camp, with our brakes smoking, and still in a bit of shock, we looked at eachother and contemplated abandoning the RV where it sat and buying a Tuk Tuk for the trip home! Now that would make a good blog post!
Back to Living Lakeside

We live near a beautiful lake back home in Colorado, surrounded by a stunning mountain range, so it takes something pretty spectacular to knock my socks off. 

Good thing I brought flip flops!

Lake Atitlán is like Lake Dillon on steroids, surrounded by not one, not two, but three volcanoes, and our campsite has a front row seat.

The camp sits just steps above the lake, in a large grassy pasture, surrounded by trees and open space. Our views include not just the lake, but a few horses, bulls, and hundreds of birds, including a resident parrot, Arturo, who greets us with "hola" everytime we walk past.

The best part about our campsite is the friends we were able to re-connect with here. We met Victoria, Neil (and Zappa, the dog) in Baja during our first week across the border. We spent a good amount of time together before going our seperate ways. Luckily for us, El Salvador was too hot for them so they started making their way back North and we re-united again here in Guatemala. I can't tell you the warm feeling it gives me to have friends nearby during this crazy time!

With all of that, you'd think we'd be content to stay put where were were. Well, we did, in a way...

Moving out of La Tortuga
We've been living in our 27' "home-on-wheels" for 6 months now, tripping over one another and learning new ways to find our own personal space. And truthfully, we've actually come to love it. Well, if you ask Noah his opinion, I'm sure he'd have a different opinion.

So, it was even surprising to us when we decided to move out of La Tortuga for a few weeks and "social distance" ourselves even further.

Thanks to the generosity of a contact we met in Baja, we were offered a "real" home to live in during our time at the lake. But "real" doesn't seem like the right word. Our home in Colorado is real. This place is un-real! It sits right on the lake, has two caretakers (to help keep the pool clean, the dogs and birds fed, and the beautiful lawns manicured) and is surrounded by gorgeous palms and flowers. Oh, did I mention the pool?
We couldn't be more blessed.

With La Tortuga "in storage" at our previous spot- getting her brakes replaced by a local mechanic- we loaded up some belogings and the entire contents of our frig and freezer, and hired a Lancha (boat) to take us across the lake to our new home.
"Blessed are the flexible for they will not be bent out of shape."
-Anonymous
Our original plans for Guatemala included three weeks to a month around Lake Atitlán , where we would attend our next round of Spanish classes. After spending three months in Baja, without the need to speak any spanish whatsoever, we needed to get Noah back on track with his Spanish so we didn't return him to his Spanish immersion school knowing "menos" than when we left.

We took our first few weeks of classes in the city of Oaxaca, a perfect school, but a great distance from our camp. After two weeks of making the required one-hour (each way) journey for class, we decided we'd be better off to leave the rest of school for Guatemala. Oops!
Our next plan, once leaving Lake Atitlán , was to make our way to the city of Antigua, where we'd re-connect with some Guatemalan friends we met while in Oaxaca, and enjoy the Semana Santa (Easter) celebration with the locals.

It was to be an experience of a lifetime!

Well, due to this pandemic, we are now secluded in the house in San Lucas, similar to many (if not all) of you in your communities. We leave the house only to shop for food. Restaurants, shops and pretty much everything else is closed, including Spanish school. Luckily, the Tuk Tuks are still running, equipped with masked drivers carrying hand-santitizer. Yes, even Guatemala is taking this seriously.

As for Semana Santa, the president of Guatemala has just announced all celebrations canceled. Yes, even faith is on lockdown.

Along with other friends and fellow travelers out exploring the world right now, we understand our disappointments are small and trivial compared to the real worries spreading throughout the world. A missed trip, a missed flight, a missed Spanish class is nothing in a world where loved ones are dying, so to that we say...Be Safe! Stay Distant! Stay Healthy! And for all those new homeschooling parents out there...Stay Sane!

Oh...and if there are any Spanish teachers looking to keep up on those teaching skills...we're available by Skype!
Thanks so much for following along on our adventures!

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