It´s been quite the busy week. We went to Panajachel on Thursday and Brenda and Adrian were in awe at how different it was from the other two towns they had seen. Yesterday I worked with a couple of clients and in the afternoon we both had massage appointments. Today we headed across the lake to Santiago.
No sooner had we stepped off the boat when a young boy approached us asking if we wanted to go to see Maximon. Maximon is the rum-drinking, cigar smoking idol that is worshipped in Santiago. I said yes and before we knew it, he had us escorted to his friend´s tuk-tuk negotiating a deal of 15 Quetzales for all 3 of us. ($1.80) He clambered into the back so all 3 of us would fit in the back seat and off we went.
However, the upsell was fast coming for little Joel. Just 9 years old, he had the sales pitch down better than I´ve seen many entrepreneurs 3 times his age. He told us that there were actually 5 sites we needed to see in Santiago. The Mayan laundry, the Peace Park, the site of the avalanche that killed 400 people, Maximon and the Catholic Church. For just 125 Quetzales, ($15) we could have the complete tour.
We were all laughing so hard, it was difficult to catch our breath long enough to say, “it´s a deal”. David, our 18-year-old driver was also absolutely delightful. He gave us a thorough explanation of everything we saw and I translated into English for Brenda and Adrian. They both taught us about the history of Santiago and how the civil war affected the town. It was fascinating and we all learned lots.
After the tour, we had them take us to El Bambu, the restaurant I had loved on my first visit to Santiago several weeks ago. They agreed to come and pick us up and when I phoned to let them know we were ready, Joel was waiting quietly around the corner for us and David was in the parking lot already. What service for a few dollars!
David dropped us in the center so we could do some shopping and Joel escorted us, noting what we were looking for. At one point he noted that Brenda didn´t like the colors of the water bottle holders that were available so he took us to another store where there were more colors. He paid attention, carried my bag when I bought something and made sure we didn´t pay too much. He waited patiently while we shopped and was consciencious that we got to the boat on time.
He knew his prices, that our restaurant had a fabulous lake view and the schedules for the boats. He had started working at 9:00 that morning and would work until 9:00 that evening. He will repeat the schedule tomorrow before he goes back to school on Monday. We haven´t stopped chuckling about him all day – he really was one enterprising young boy!
We had a fabulous day, later meeting my little girls that sell nuts just before leaving San Pedro. (You have to get to Santiago via San Pedro so it was a long day.) As we were getting on the last boat leaving San Pedro for home, Juana and Jennifer arrived selling nuts. I got hugs and kisses and Brenda bought chocolate covered peanuts. Just 7 and 10 years old, I am always thrilled to see the girls as they were in training with their Dad when I arrived in December. Now they are all over the villages selling on their own, weighing the nuts and calculating the change. They are absolutely adorable.
We arrived home tired and ready for a quiet evening in. We have a full week planned as it is my last week on the lake. I changed my plans and am not returning here after my tour through Guatemala but am returning to Canada mid-March as originally planned. So it´s a busy week and a bit of a sad one for me. It has been such a wonderful time and it has been fabulous showing Brenda and Adrian around the lake as they too fall in love with the people, the culture, the beautiful handi-crafts and the country. It´s easy to do!
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