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J U L Y
 2 0 1 0 Issue 42
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| CARIBBEAN RETIREMENT PAGES: CLEW’S VIEWS Panajachel, Guatemala: The Optimal Town Carter Clews When I was a youngster growing up in the rolling hills of Western Maryland, my parents would load we three kids into the Olds every Saturday and take us all “to town” to do the family shopping. “Town,” in this case was Hagerstown, Maryland. The “Hub.” The “Big City.” Filled with towering skyscrapers that pierced the yawning sky; crammed to the hilt with every imaginable toy, candy, and confection a kid could ever hope to have; Hagerstown, Maryland, was Oz, Fantasy Land, and the Celestial City all rolled into one. Or so it seemed to this six year old. Invariably at some point in the sojourn, Dad would turn to us all and say, “One hundred thousand people – the perfect size for a city. Hagerstown is optimal: just big enough to have everything you need, but not so big as to be overwhelming.” Dad always talked to “we three” as if we were adults. I was probably the only six-year-old in Washington County, Maryland entirely conversant in Kant’s Categorical Imperative. And as far as I know, my brother, sister, and I were the only kids in town who considered Mr. Bluster “egregious.” I was reminded of all this while perusing the literature to find what might be considered the perfect size town in Latin America. As far as cities go, I still think 100,000 may be right on target – a thought bolstered every time I journey to nearby La Ceiba, Honduras, from my home in the tiny barrio of El Pino. But, what about “towns.? What size should a Latin American town be in order to meet all of your basic needs and provide for your entertainment wants, as well? Clearly, the town has to be big enough to house a sufficient number of larger stores, small boutiques and “green grocer” kiosks to provide you with clothes, foodstuffs, and various sundries. It should certainly have a wide enough variety of restaurants to sate a fairly diverse palate. And while you don’t need professional football, futbol, the Hippodrome, or a World’s Fair, some sort of viable entertainment would seem in order. Add to that a primary attraction of a significant magnitude. Something, let’s say, to satisfy the “Wow! Factor.” As in, “Wow, that is one massive ski slope!” Or, “Wow, how did they ever pack that many neon lights, lounge acts, and slot machines into one desert town?!” Primary attractions of that magnitude not only guarantee you exciting (or, at least, intriguing) ways to while away your hours. They also assure steady stream of friends, relatives, and erstwhile acquaintances who “just wanted to stop by to say hello.” LAGO DE ATITLAN WITH ITS LILTING WAVES AND VAST EXPANSE… CERTAINLY ONE OF THE MOST BREATHTAKING BEAUTIFUL LAKES IN ALL OF THE AMERICAS And that brings us to Panajachel, Guatemala. With 14,000 inhabitants, Panajachel is the perfect size Latin American town - “optimal: just big enough to meet your needs, but not so big as to be overwhelming.” Plus, it has Lago de Atitlán, with its lilting waves and vast expanse, certainly one of the most breathtakingly beautiful lakes in all of the Americas. Panajachel (aka: Pana) is located in the Guatemalan Highlands encompassing the majestic chain of volcanoes stretching from the Antigua region to the Mexican border and the Cordillera de los Cuchumatanes north of the bustling city of Huehuetanango. If you think of Guatemala as a fat “J,” Pana is located in the lower third of the bottom loop. Actually, Pana is not far from Chichicastenango (Chichi) about which I wrote some months back. So, if you want to learn more about the general area, that column may be a good place to start. Those who remember the Sixties (and as George Carlin used to say, “If you remember them too well, you probably weren’t there”) may recall that Pana became a popular way station on the Hippie Generation’s “Magical Mystery Tour.” Most of them left when the Marxists staged a bloody, brutal revolt in the late Sixties and early Seventies (Hippies had a personal disdain for Marxism, but they didn’t mind abandoning the rest of the world to it.) By then, however, some of the finer elements of American Culture were well ensconced in Panajachel. And those who remained have inculcated it well. In Pana, you can find just about everything you need, or want, on Calle Santander, one of the two main streets running through the town down to the beach (the other is Calle Rancho Grande). Calle Santander is lined with bookstores, restaurants, tiendas, boutiques, cybercafés (always a must if you know anyone else living anywhere else in the world), and more than adequate accommodations. Stroll up to Calle Principal, turn towards the town center, and you can get the full, festive flavor of a typical Latin American colonial village. The market place dominates, with its cacophony of colorful kiosks and gaily dressed locals. Here, you can purchase everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to handwoven shawls and handmade crafts to the indigenous knickknacks you’ll want to send the folks back home to prove you’re really here (which you can do from the post office at Santander and 15 de Febrero). But, don’t stay too long downtown, because Lake Atitlan – described by Lonely Planet as “one of the world’s most beautiful and fascinating bodies of water” – is only a few short blocks away. Here’s how I described Lake Atitlan in my February, 2009, column on Chichicastenango, and every word still rings true: “Atitlan is a 130 square kilometer lake of such stunning beauty that Aldous Huxley described it as “touching the limit of permissibly picturesque.” The lake, whose name translates “the place where the rainbow gets its color,” lies at the base of towering volcanic mountains and floats in the sky a mile above sea level. And, oh yes, if you bring along your “Roland Martin’s Helicopter Lures” (about which I wrote an award-winning infomercial), the bass angling is great, particularly after the spring spawn.” I won’t change a word, but I will briefly expand upon what I wrote, for better, or worse. First, the worst: Tempting though they may be, I don’t want you to rush off along the isolated paths leading away from the lake’s shoreline. Simply put: they are not safe. Foreigners walking those wooded paths too often fall victim to bands of marauding hoodlums. The government, of course, should stop these hooligans dead in their tracks. But, sadly, the government of Guatemala, like most governments, considers collecting taxes and rolling out red tape its top priorities. Hence, the outrage. Now, back to the better. Sounded at a remarkable 340 meters deep (though that is only an estimate; the actual depth has not yet been plumbed), Atitlan is by far the deepest lake in Central America. The combination of its being about 15 degrees above the equator and 5000 feet above sea level contributes to its ideal climate. The weather is never unseemly hot or cold. Though the rainy season lasts from May to October, nary a day goes by that the sun doesn’t shine. Fishing, boating, swimming, diving – they’re all enticing elements of the Atitlan experience. And especially in the morning hours (before the afternoon winds can whip up the waves), the placid lake is an ideal venue for whiling away the hours diving in, or living your day dreams. As Huxley wrote, “It really is too much of a good thing.” So, pack up your troubles in your old backpack, dive bag, suitcase, or – my advice – shipping crate – and head for Panajachel. For a Latin American town, it is “just big enough to have everything you want, but not so big as to be overwhelming.” In short, it is optimal. With not an egregious Mr. Bluster in sight. See you next month on the new Caribbean Retirement Pages. |
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Please give me your feedback about the new Caribbean Retirement Pages and you can also reach me at Twitter account: @caribcarter. And don’t forget to sign up for your special “CaribAlerts” emails keeping you up to date on breaking events and opportunities throughout the month. I look forward to hearing from you. |
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