Volcan y Laguna Chicabal

At 5:30am on Saturday morning, we hopped in a cab that took us from Xela to San Martin Sacatepequez. We arranged for a cab so that we could ensure an early start. For the hike we were going to do, up Volcan Chicabal, arriving too late means missing a great view at the summit, due to fog.

After the cab dropped us off, we began our hike from the village at the foot of the mountain. We climbed up a very steep road that goes straight up. Already at 6:15am, the entire village seemed awake. Women in beautiful, bright traditional Mayan clothing were working outside their homes. The men, who wore a special red-and-white peppermint striped dress unique to this village, carried heavy loads and made their way to the fields. They were very kind and we loved seeing the smiles on the kids' faces when we called out "buenos dias!"




Notice the Mayan woman on the roof of her home.





After leaving the village, we continued hiking up. About an hour and a half into our hike, something wonderful happened. We made a friend.



This little puppy was so happy to see us! His tail wagged like crazy and he was so full of love. It felt really amazing to have this instant connection with this puppy of the mountains.



He was on his way down the mountain while we were on our way up. After kissing and hugging us for a few minutes, we thought he would continue on his way down. Instead, he joined us for the rest of the hike! He led the way up the mountain. Thus, we named him "El Guia" (the guide).



The sign says: Silence. Listen to the song of the birds. 1.09 km to the lake.


After going up, up, up for a while, we finally reached El Mirador, an excellent view of Laguna Chicabal. This is a lake that is scared to the Mayans.



After the Mirador, the descent to the lake involves going down 600+ steep, slippery steps.



El Guia says, "come on slow pokes!"



Then we arrived. It was incredibly peaceful and beautiful. We saw a couple groups of Mayans who circled the lake. We sat down and silently watched how the clouds danced over the lake, until the lake was covered completely. We shared our graham crackers with El Guia.










It was a fantastic hike! We were back at the highway around 11am or so, tired but feeling happy and wonderful. We jumped in a packed "microbus" for the ride back to Xela, and our day only got more colorful. The microbus drove through all the Mayan villages, picking up everyone along the road. It was a window into their homes and lives.

When we got back to Xela, we took off our hiking shoes and enjoyed a lovely lunch.