Movin' on day...we think

Time to reckon the bill and pay for a week of decadence here at the Posada. We've been back and forth across the lake a few times, sometimes rougher than others. Chaldera's aren't always the calmest places. The wind has come up and a couple of the crossings have been bone-jarring adventures that have left Shelley's hands cramped from gripping the plastic seats as the boat slammed into the waves. It didn't help that we heard that a couple of months ago 5 people didn't make it...sunk like a rock was the term David used, I believe. Nice. We intend to move on today. We did, however, make it to the market in Santiago Atitlan twice and yesterday raced across the lake, grabbed a tuk tuk to the bus station, just in time to have Muzzy push my butt up into the rear end of the chicken bus to Solola (he needed two hands!). The bus then climbed over 1000 feet in 20 minutes on a road that had more twists and turns than a bad mystery novel. It never slowed down once, just honked as buses decending waited at the hairpin corners for us to pass them. Yikes! Arriving in Solola was a relief and a thrill. This sprawling village on the top of a ridge, the main plaza packed, Guatemalan music blaring out over the balmy windy day as hawkers cried their wares...vegetables, fruits, chickens, tables of hand-woven fabrics sold by women in amazing costumes, men strutting like peacocks in fabulous ghost-cloth jackets with over embroidery, cowboy hats and these great spotted wool skirt-like things around their hips...and villagers from all over in different costumes of amazing colors and head ornaments. What looks like "costumes" to us is actually their daily wear...and they wear it proudly. This is not a tourist market. We only saw a very few gringos...none buying cloth...this market was locals only. There were tables of beads sold in small packets and by weight, stalls of brightly colored thread...I swear Guatemala has the corner on DMC embroidery floss! And then there was the food! Chuchitos, small tamales with ground meat inside, more avacodoes, soups and stews and ice cream. It was a fabulous market well worth the hair-raising climb.
We have hooked up with our friend Jon Kaplan and intend to start heading toward the highland village of Todos Santos...maybe in one day or perhaps stopping on the way. If you want to know what these areas look like, Google the names and take a look around.
On the road,
Shell & Muz