Life in Panajachel Guatemala

Guatemala, specifically Panajachel, is very different from the U.S. in many ways, however there are also many similarities. People keep asking for pictures, so here is your information and picture overload!

First, for fun, guess what kind of fruit is pictured below? I found this in Teresa’s yard the other day. The answer is at the bottom!

Let’s talk transportation… people here do have cars, but there are not very many of them. There are three types of transportation that are most enjoyed by the folks of Panajachel.

Chicken Bus

These are buses that were once used in the US that have been sent to Guatemala to be fixed up and used again- usually painted quite nicely. These busses will take you pretty much wherever you need to go, and hence the name, sometimes you will even have a chicken sitting next to you.

Tuk Tuk

These are Taxis, for 5Q (about $.63) they will take you anywhere you need to go within the nearby cities. Hold on, because it is a bumpy ride.

Pick Up Truck

Here it is not only legal, but a much encouraged way of travel. Some pick up trucks have seats in the back, but usually you just stand and hold on to the rails while getting to see an incredible view of the mountains. These are a great mode of transportation when going between the cities.

Now, let’s talk tradition.. in Panajachel there is a large population of Mayans. Many of the women and older men still wear the traditional Mayan clothing, which is such a neat piece of their culture. These clothes are called “tipica,” (man and woman pictured below.) Another tradition, women use their heads to carry almost EVERYTHING, it is amazing, you can see here in this picture a woman carrying firewood, this is not uncommon. One last tradition, in the states, we “cut the cake,” here in Guatemala, they “bite the cake”.. however, as they are biting, someone else pushes their face into it. Melanie found this out the hard way at the anniversary party of the rehab ceneter last weekend!

How about food??? For one thing, the fruit here usually grows green, whether it is oranges, tangerines, or lemons. Below is a picture of a tangerine, I found out that many times in the states they will dye these orange to make them more appealing. The next picture is a typical breakfast plate here in Pana, consisting of eggs with onions and tomatoes, fresh cheese, fried bananas and watermelon. Then is a picture of a typical lunch, fresh cooked vegetables, beef, rice, and a tomato/cucumber salad. Quite delicious :). OHH and I couldn’t forget, Luke will be thrilled to know, they do deliver Frito Lay products here!

How about work? Many of the people here have the same types of jobs as the states, restaurant workers, teachers, hotel administrators, secretaries, bank associates.. however there are some trades semi-unique to Guatemala.

Tortilla Stands – this is a little hard to see, but on every corner there are women that have a stove on the side of the road and make corn tortillas right there to sell. You can see there are many tortillas on her stove under the umbrella. Next, vendors, we have these in these in the states too, but the items they sell here are so unique to Pana and so innovative and beautiful. In a nearby city, they even dye all of their own material naturally, for example using mint leaves, carrots, cinnamon, and flowers (demonstration of the dying process in the picture below with the Mayan woman). They also have dentists, just for a little bit of a different purpose, to give them gold teeth, and then a picture of a cute little boy polishing shoes.

Some things are fairly similar… there are parades and fairs… however some of the rides are much more manual.. (the father in the red is pushing the merry go round).