To Uncertainty & Beyond!

Just because we aren’t traveling the world right now doesn’t mean we can’t view our own city through the eyes of a traveler.  Chicago has so many amazing places to see and foods to eat that there is plenty to blog about. My “Kim’s Tips” for Chicago started to look more like an e-book than a concise city guide, so for the next few months I’ll be featuring great spots in our home town. Hopefully, I will inspire locals to get out and enjoy their hometown and travelers to stop by Chicago and see what it has to offer!

Isaacson & Stein Fish Company

It’s been a long road, but I have seen the light on seafood. Clark gently introduced me to sea creatures through fried calamari and Captain D’s. Now, I gladly throw back oysters and chow down on a mouthwatering hunk of hamachi sashimi. We moved to the Fulton Market district at the end of April and started wandering around our ‘hood to find the best neighborhood places. We came across a plethora of Italian bakeries, subs shops, and pizzerias (subjects of a future post, don’t worry!). But, the biggest catch was Isaacson & Stein Fish Company.

Three generations have been running this market for over 80 years and it is the oldest fish wholesaler in the city. The current owner, Sherwin Willner, began working at the market at the age of seventeen in 1967. They sell to restaurants as well as every day folk.  It’s safe to say that the Crab Cake Crusted Trout at Wildfire last night came straight from the icy tubs of Isaacson’s.

Prepare yourself before walking through the doors. If you have a weak stomach or strong aversion to that overwhelming fishy smell, this is not the place for you! It is, however, Clark’s idea of heaven. It’s full of smelly, slimy, and seemingly smiling seafood. The scene is disturbing enough to bring a nine year old girl to hysterics. It didn’t help that her brother shoved a fish in her face and made it talk. Clark does the same thing to me nearly every visit, so I felt her pain.

In the summer, the gush of freezing cold air is a savoir after the three block walk from our apartment. You’ll hear sounds of fish being scaled, chopped, and tossed into buckets while the very jovial employees chat, laugh, and enjoy their work. If you wear sandals, be prepared for your feet to get icy, slimy, and stinky the minute you walk in the door. Once you taste the amazing freshness of the seafood, you’ll know it was worth it.

Isaacson’s receives daily shipments from Greece, Brazil, Costa Rica, Hawaii, Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, and loads of other countries on the Atlantic.  About 10 tons of seafood per week goes through their doors! They also have a nice supply of locally harvested fish from the Great Lakes. Some of the best sushi joints in the city even get their fish from Isaacson & Stein’s. The merry fish guys that work at Isaacson’s will happily clean and gut your fish on the spot.

The market is very crowded on the weekends, but that’s when you realize how good this place really is. You’ll rub shoulders with chef’s from Chicago’s top restaurants and little old Greek ladies planning a family meal. If you’re craving seafood, definitely head to Isaacson & Stein’s and buy enough fish to eat yourself into a mercury-induced coma.

We’ve been back in the States for four months now. We’re still pretty unsettled, living with a friend, sleeping on an air mattress, and searching for jobs. Our travels seem almost like a dream at this point. As soon as we got back into the swing of things in the city, it seemed like we never left. It’s hard to believe we did and saw so much.

The single thing we’ve missed most about traveling is the food. We’ve made it a point to seek out some of our favorite dishes from the road here in Chicago. But, it just isn’t the same. Here are some foods that we’ve been pining for lately.

Thai Street Noodles

My favorite thing about Thailand was the street food. Little old ladies at each corner dish out the best soups I’ve ever had from a huge bubbling pot. The soups usually had chicken bits (I don’t want to know which parts…), noodles, and lots of vegetables. The broth was so flavorful and satisfying that we’d have it for almost every meal. Plus, you can’t beat the price. You can get a huge bowl of soup for under $2.

Spanish Tapas and Pan Con Tomate

I love, love, love Spanish food. My favorite tapas were the boquerones (fried white anchovies), fried calamari, and olives. I’m also a huge fan of the Catalan appetizer of pan con tomate. Crunchy toasted sourdough bread is topped with a little olive oil and then a fresh juicy tomato is squeezed over the top. The quality of produce in Spain blew me away. I’ve never had tomatoes that tasted so good!

Indian Thali

Indian is always high on our list of favorite foods. One of our favorite items to order in India was Thali. It’s almost like a lunch combo special. You get a big plate with lots of little curries and sauces with bread and rice. It was always very filling, full of flavor, and super cheap.

Middle Eastern Hummus & Falafel

There are a lot of great Mediterranean restaurants in Chicago, but we have not been able to find any that serve up hummus and falafel as good as we had in Egypt and Jordan. Our meal of choice in Jordan usually consisted of a cucumbers, carrots, tomato, and pita along with a big bowl of hummus and a side of freshly fried falafel. This usually cost us just under $2 including a couple of Cokes! I still haven’t quite broken myself of this food habit and head over to our local Middle Eastern joint and get the vegetarian platter at least once a week fro my falafel fix.

Turkish Kebabs & Tea

Another of our all time favorite street foods is the Turkish Kebab. Chunks of meat are rubbed with lots of yummy spices and grilled before your eyes with peppers and onions. I love the way the Turkish kebab is served wrapped in tortilla-like pita and then a tube of paper that is peeled away as you eat. After you stuff yourself with a kebab you must have the obligatory glass of Turkish tea. Don’t forget the sugar cube!

What foods do you miss?

If you’ve seen our “Highlights from Germany and Austria” video, you know we had a fun time in Bavaria. Beer halls, mountains, castles, alpine luges, pretzels, rolling fields, fast highways, schnitzel, and lederhosen make Germany a very fun place to visit. On top of that, right next door is Poland where you get cheaper beer, perogi, and quaint little villages.

However, there is also the obvious darker history of the area that can’t, and shouldn’t, be ignored.

Some of the most moving tourist sights in Germany and Poland are the concentration camps that have been restored and preserved and memorials honoring those killed in the Holocaust. The museums that document and bring to life this horrific event can’t be missed. These places do their best to tell the tales of millions of people whose lives were destroyed.

While not the most uplifting places to visit, we made it a priority to go to several during our time in Europe. It is impossible to avoid seeing the effect that WWII had on that part of the world.

Dachau – Germany

Main Entrance - Dachau Concentration Camp 1945

Built on the grounds of an abandoned munitions factory 16 km north of Munich, Dachau was the first regular concentration camp opened by the Nazi party.  It was the prototype for all other camps built afterward. The camp was in use from 1933 to 1945 as an internment center of the Third Reich.

The purpose of the first camps was simply to concentrate a group of people who are in some way undesirable (i.e. Jews, gypsies, prisoners of war) in one place, where they can be watched by those who incarcerated them. The forced labor, beatings, murders, and mass extermination soon followed.

It is hard to know the exact number of people who spent time in the camp.  The general estimate is 200,000 prisoners from more than 30 countries. About two-thirds were political prisoners and nearly one-third were Jews. Many died in the camps due to malnutrition and disease as well as suicide.

The historic site is free to the public and pretty crowded (especially with large school groups). It is also very spruced up.   It was used after the war until 1960 as an interment camp and the site of the Dachau trials, so much of the original construction is not in tact. The audio tour is very reasonably priced (only a few Euro) or you can hire a guide. The site consists of a central building (now housing a museum), reconstructed barracks, the camp crematorium, and a gas chamber that, thankfully, was never used. (Although, it is still quite chilling to stand in the “shower” room and see the holes in the ceiling where Zyklon B was planned to be dropped in.) There are several memorials and works of art on the grounds as well.

It is a sobering place, however, some of the “feel” is lost because of the remodeling. All of the statues, memorials, and new construction detract from the “realness”. It is hard to put yourself in the place of people who actually walked there during the war. But, it is worth a visit if you are in Munich.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe – Berlin

This controversial memorial in Berlin was created by architect Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happold.  The expansive grounds are filled with 2,711 concrete slabs of varying heights. The slabs gradually get taller and taller as you enter the memorial.  According to the creators, the site is “designed to produce an uneasy, confusing atmosphere, and the whole sculpture aims to represent a supposedly ordered system that has lost touch with human reason.” I enjoyed the memorial quite a bit, especially the underground museum (also free of charge). Some of the exhibits there are quite moving.

However, I think the symbolism is lost on many of the people passing through. Kids are running and playing hide and seek while squealing, guards are constantly reprimanding people from climbing on the columns (including us), and the whole place has more of a playground feel when large groups of students come barreling through.  As a piece of art, though, it is beautiful and quite an appropriate memorial.

Jewish Museum – Berlin

The original Jewish History Museum in Berlin was founded in 1933 and shut down by the Nazi party in 1938. It was revived in 1978 and the new modern section was completed in 1999.  The new section is the creation of architect Daniel Libeskind and was one of the first buildings designed after the reunification. The museum is massive and filled with not only Holocaust information and memorials, but a history of the Jewish people, culture, and lives.

The new building can only be accessed through an underground tunnel.  The entrance and architecture are all very symbolic.  The zig-zag of the tunnel symbolizes a broken Star of David. The Holocaust Tower is an empty silo 79 feet tall. The room isn’t heated or cooled and contains only one tiny window at the top of the tower. A guide essentially locks small groups of people in the room for a short amount of time. You stand in silence, taking in the empty, cold space.

The rest of the museum is much more conventional and chronologically follows the story of the Jewish people. We didn’t realize how massive the museum was, so we didn’t get to spend as much time there as we would have liked. You can easily take 3 hours. There is a lot of great information as well as some fun interactive exhibits.

Auschwitz – Poland

The pinnacle for “sight-seeing” during  our time in Poland was Auschwitz. Unlike Dachau, this place has been preserved  to almost exactly the way it was during the war.  The site consists of two camps: Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau.  The first camp consists of 16 buildings and was used for administrative purposes and a prison camp.  The first prisoners were brought there in 1940.  It housed not only Jews, but also Jewish supporters, prisoners of war, and any other group of people the Nazis found to be a menace to society. As you walk through the camp there are signs describing daily life and operations of the camp as well as some sites were specific atrocities took place.

Birkenau is reached by a free shuttle bus that leaves every half hour.  This was the extermination camp.  Much of this camp has been destroyed, but the main railroad entrance, several barracks, guard towers, and furnaces are still there.  This was probably the most moving place we visited on the trip.

Small groups of tourists listened to their guides describe the process of herding huge groups directly from the trains and into the furnaces.  We came across many people standing alone to the side and crying. Some were holding photos of family members. It was here where the reality of the Holocaust really hits home.

There are a ton of great artists and writers that attempt to realistically depict the hardship and genocide, but standing on the actual spot made it infinitelymore real than any film, book, or photo can.

We made it a priority to do this kind of sight-seeing on our  journey.  A backpacking trip shouldn’t be all boozing at hostel bars (just a little…).  As backpackers, we try to gain some knowledge and history (no matter how dark) of the world we are traveling through.

These places are some of the most memorable on our trip and we’re very glad we chose to see these sights.

Have you had a similar experience? Leave a comment below and tell us!

Well, I’ve been back in the U.S. for about a month now. I finished up with Spanish class in Xela and flew to Ft. Lauderdale, FL on Valentine’s Day! Clark and I met there and spent a couple weeks soaking up the sun in South Beach. (More on that strange place coming soon!)

Thinking of visiting Guatemala? I’ve come up with a few tips to make the most of your Guatemalan experience.

Also, be sure to watch my Guatemalan Highlights video at the end of the post!

Graduation Day at Minerva Spanish School!

Learn a little Spanish! You’d be surprised how far a simple “Hola, como estas?” will go with local people.Spanish is also quite necessary to be able to communicate with most Guatemalans. There is very little English spoken in most areas. Sure, you’ll always find a tourist to speak English to, but to communicate with the locals, Spanish is a must.

Learn the meaning of “Va”. When in Quetzaltenango (Xela), my host mom kept adding, “Va, Kimberly” at the end of her sentences. Sometimes when I was leaving, sometimes not. I thought she was saying “bye” until I discussed the topic with a fellow classmate. We asked her instructor and he told us that it was sort of a shortened form of “Verdad?” which means “true?” or “right?” So, she was basically saying “Yeah”. Apparently it is a very commonly used word in Guatemala. I heard it a lot in Xela.

Get used to guns! Armed men are everywhere in Guatemala. Even in the heavily touristed areas you’ll find private guards at coffee shops, convenience stores, banks, ATM machines. It’s quite disconcerting and didn’t make me feel safe at all. It actually made it seem more dangerous.

Eat the street food. While I wasn’t blown away by the food in Guatemala, there were some tasty street foods that I just couldn’t pass up. Most of them were fried, like Pupusas and Doblados. However, I really liked getting a crispy tostada once in a while too. It’s a crispy tortilla topped with guacamole and a Guatemalan version of cole slaw. Yummy.

Ride a chicken bus. I know it can seem scary, but just use common sense, take short trips, and be aware of your surroundings. Very few tourists are targeted for violent crime on the buses. Most incidences that occur are between citizens. You won’t regret having this interesting cultural experience.

Drink Coffee. Eat Chocolate. I’m not a huge fan of coffee, but my time in Guatemala has pushed me higher on the coffee drinker spectrum.  The coffee and chocolate here is some of the best in the world. Definitely buy some freshly picked and house roasted coffee at the shops on Lake Atitlan. Tasting some chocolate is also a MUST. My school took us on a chocolate tasting outing that was just amazing. Try the thick, creamy hot chocolate. You won’t regret it.

Go to the lakes! Words can’t really describe the beauty of Lake Atitlan. Photos only capture some of what you see. It is much more than that. It is tropical, relaxed, and peaceful. You’ll also get to dive right into the Hippie culture, or just watch from afar!

Take Salsa lessons. Salsa dancing is fun, fairly easy, and great exercise. Everyone in Guatemala knows the basic salsa steps. Even if you have two left feet, suck it up and take a few lessons. You’ll be glad you did. Going to a salsa club and watching the more advanced couples twirl around is great!

Eat the fried chicken. I know it seems like I’m going on and on about this topic, but it really is quite good here. The best fried chicken I had was in Xela at the weekend market. It was fresh, juicy, and packed with flavor. Don’t forget to add some hot sauce!

Here is a little highlights video I put together. Enjoy!

I traveled solo in Guatemala for about four weeks and had lots of “firsts”. In this series of posts, I’ve taken a look at these experiences. I rode my first Chicken bus, attended my first language school, tasted my first piece of fried chicken from Pollo Campero, and traveled solo for the first time.

First time traveling solo

At first I was extremely nervous about traveling alone. When I boarded the plane in Chicago I definitely had some butterflies in my stomach. Would I hate it? would I be okay by myself?

After my first few days in Quetzalroo hostel, my positive experiences boosted my confidence significantly.

I’m an only child and I enjoy my “alone time”. Maybe that’s why I took to solo travel so naturally.  It was easy to find a quiet corner in the hostel and whip out my Kindle or Laptop for a while. The places I chose to hang out in (Antigua, Lake Atitlan, and Xela) were all great places to wander around alone. The churches, ruins, streets, and architecture of Antigua and Xela and the breezy, warm, island-like atmosphere of the lake were all beautiful.

My favorite church - La Merced in Antigua, Guatemala

Waiting for the boat to cross Lake Atitlan

Yes, it was my first time traveling solo, but after just a few days I knew so many people that I never felt alone. I ran into someone I knew continually as I made my way from town to town. You meet people in hostels, restaurants, coffee shops, buses, and tours and end up seeing them again along the way.

Why did I love traveling solo?

Freedom: I loved waking up when I wanted and casually preparing for the day without worrying about someone else’s schedule. If I wanted to read on the rooftop terrace or beach all morning, I could. If I wanted to spend an entire day taking photos of doors, I could. If I wanted to eat at Pollo Campero twice in one day, I could…maybe that’s not such a good thing.

Reading alone on the beach in Dubrovnik.

Feeling Adventurous: I got a lot more pleasure from my bus trips and hostel searches while I was going it alone. I felt more independent and adventurous throwing my bag up on the roof of a shuttle and waiting all alone at gas stations for the next bus. I became much more self-reliant during my month in Guatemala.

Meeting People: While couples who travel can and do meet people, it is much easier when you are by yourself. You are much more approachable as a single person and if you get a little lonely there is no other choice but to talk to a stranger. Solo travel forces you to be outgoing or you’ll just sit there alone and experience nothing. Travelers also feel an instant connection with each other, probably because of shared interests, similar age, and the college like atmosphere of hostels. Making friends is very easy.

My classmate, Lindley and me and La Parranda.

Shared Experiences: One huge apprehension I had about traveling solo was that I wouldn’t be sharing my experiences with anyone. I imagined wandering around a city by myself and snapping photos with no real memories. This is far from my actual experience. I almost always shared my time with someone that I met along the way. I’ve also kept in touch with a lot of people. There were definitely times that I wandered around alone, but it was by choice and I enjoyed it. I still have those memories even though no one was with me. I can look back at those photos and remember the day, the scene, the weather, the feeling. It doesn’t take being with another person to enjoy a place.

I also have great memories with people like dancing at La Parranda and the Tropicana, hiking up Mt. Pacaya, tasting the best chocolate fondue ever, wandering around a beautiful cemetery, swimming in Lake Atitlan, and witnessing someone take their very first bite of a McDonald’s cheeseburger.

Sami and her first Cheeseburger Happy Meal!

She liked the cheeseburger, by the way.

Of course this doesn’t mean I’m ditching Clark.

There were absolutely times when I missed him a lot and wished he was climbing the volcano, poking fun at the hippies, or jumping on a Chicken bus with me. But, separate experiences are good. And, I’m sure had a great time without me in Chicago. He spent most of it braving the “Snowpocalypse” huddled in Beth’s apartment with no electricity and heat and a five-foot high snow drift outside the front door. (I think I left at the perfect time!)

For those of you who are timid about solo travel, I have some advice: DO IT. Even if you have a husband, wife, significant other, new puppy, three cats, pet rock, whatever. Take a short trip by yourself. It’s liberating and empowering. You won’t regret it.

What do you love about traveling alone? Leave your comments below!

During my four weeks in Guatemala I had lots of “firsts”. In this next series of posts, I’ll be taking a look back at these experiences. I didn’t cover a lot of ground, but I do feel that I got a pretty authentic experience and learned a lot about Guatemalan culture and a little more Español than I knew before.

My first post in the series is about my experience riding Chicken buses and eating too much fried chicken. This post is about my time spent at the Minerva Spanish School and Culture Center in Quetzaltenango (also known as Xela).

Don Julio and his son greet the students each morning.

I’ve never taken one-on-one language classes before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from the five-hour-a-day sessions. On top of this, I would be staying with a family who spoke little or no English. I’m not new to the idea of a host family. I’ve stayed in plenty of homes on choir tours in college, through CouchSurfing, etc. But, I can usually communicate fairly easily with my hosts. This time would be much different.

Sound a little scary? It was.

I met my host, Ana, on a Sunday afternoon. Needless to say, my Spanish hadn’t really improved during my week of sight-seeing in Gringo-filled Antigua and Lake Atitlan. Communicating with her was not easy. I still only knew how to speak very limited, present-tense Spanish. It didn’t help that my host was missing a few front teeth which made her pretty hard to understand.

I really couldn’t hold a conversation. Ana and I tried to exchange a few pleasantries as she showed me around the house, but she figured out pretty quickly how little I was comprehending. When she left me alone in my new bedroom, I freaked out a little. I took a few minutes to hyperventilate and ask myself why on earth I did this. I’d already paid for one full week, so I knew I was on for at least that long and felt a little trapped.

I pulled myself together and whipped out my Spanish-English dictionary with a mission. I began to try to compose at least one coherent sentence and re-learn some basic verbs. With a little difficulty, I made it clear to Ana that I was going to go out and take a walk. (It probably sounded more like “I go walk to see city.”) She told me that dinner was at 7:00 (I actually understood that part.) and my Spanish experience began!

My first day of class only added to my anxiety. It was INTENSE, to say the least. Most of the teachers at the school were young and spoke a little English. Mine was a little older and spoke no English at all. I was not confident about my skills or optimistic about my prospects for improvement. Then, we took our first “tea break” and I met the other students.  They were a very fun group of girls that I got along with right away. My spirits rose a little.

Grace, Lindley, Bekah, and Mary. My Spanish school classmates.

By the end of the day I began progressing a little and got into “the zone” and I was in much higher spirits by the end of my first week. I’d been hanging out with my new classmates, salsa dancing, eating pupusas, drinking lots of coffee, and studying by booty off. It was good to hang out with other English speakers and share our experiences and apprehensions. We tried to practice a little, but mostly socializing with them really helped me to relax.

My teacher, also named Ana, seemed to think that I progressed pretty quickly, so in my second week, we stepped it up a notch. I started learning past and future verb tenses. I only spent two weeks studying at Minerva, but feel I got a very good “refresher” of the Spanish language.

I also loved my friendly host mom, Ana. She made some great food and took good care of me. Once I got over my initial apprehensions, I really enjoyed my time in Xela. With a little help from my dictionary, I’m even able to read the Sherlock Holmes story “The Redheaded League”. I never would have been able to do that a month ago. I’m still not great at conversing, but I can read and write enough to continue the progress on my own.

I highly recommend this type of program to anyone who wants to learn Spanish. Guatemala was a great setting. The people are super-friendly, there are a plethora of schools to choose from, and it isn’t expensive. Quetzaltenango feels much more “real” than Antigua, so I really enjoyed studying there. There are fewer Gringos and you can really immerse yourself here. Just bring a coat. It’s freaking cold!

Thinking of studying Spanish abroad? Have you had a similar experience? Feel free to e-mail me or comment below with questions or tips!

I’m spending my last day in Guatemala in Antigua. Tomorrow I fly to Miami to meet Clark!

During my four weeks in Guatemala for about four weeks and had lots of “firsts”. In this next series of posts, I’ll be taking a look back at these experiences. I didn’t cover a lot of ground, but I do feel that I got a pretty authentic experience and learned a lot about Guatemalan culture and a little more Español than I knew before.

This first post is about something very near and dear to my heart…Chicken (both the fried and bus varieties).

First Pollo Campero

This is the KFC of Guatemala and EVERYONE loves it (including me). The menu is pretty much the same as you’re average Church’s or KFC. But, the chicken is higher quality, incredibly juicy, and MUCH less greasy. (Sorry, Harold’s, I’ve found a new favorite!)

Pollo Camepero is the largest fast food chain in Latin America and can also be found in the U.S. in some Wal-Marts and even Disneyland! I probably ate there more times than I should have during my stay. They offer a pretty cheap sandwich combo-only 25 Quetzales (about $3) will get you a crispy chicken sandwich, fries (that are kind of soggy) and a drink. Not bad! I definitely recommend giving Pollo Campero a try!

If you want to avoid a fast food chain, there are also LOTS of local fried chicken options. I wasn’t aware of how popular this “dish” was in Guatemala. There is a little old lady frying chicken in the street on every other corner or a brightly colored Pollo Campero rip off on every block. Yum!

First Chicken Bus

I’d heard so much about Chicken buses that I was very excited to jump on my first one as soon as I got into the country. Luckily, I didn’t have to go it alone, as that might be a little dangerous. I joined up with a Peruvian girl at Quetzalroo Hostel and we made the hour journey from the city to Antigua together.

The bus was a lot more comfortable than I expected. The drivers actually take pride in keeping their buses clean and freshly painted. Most of the people riding with us were families or workers heading out to “the burbs” after a hard day in the city. I didn’t feel unsafe. I did, however, keep my bag with me by my feet. I’m not quite ready to chuck it up on top of a bus yet.

My second chicken bus ride was a little more eventful. Some of my fellow Spanish school chicas and I decided to spend the weekend at Lake Atitlan. (Yes, I returned to Hippielandia.)

We jumped on a chicken bus and thankfully survived the gut-wrenching two and a half hour ride. The incredibly winding through the mountains were tough to handle. Our bus driver could teach a thing or two to any Indian driver. I was amazed that our tires were staying on the ground as we took winding curves at 65 or 70 miles per hour.

Only one of us almost threw up…

We also had a great “cultural” experience. Sitting directly behind me was a man who was chewing tobacco and spitting it out of the window. His tobacco infused spit then blew directly into the open windows behind him and onto the women sitting there. They complained, yelled at him, and even got a little physical.

He retaliated by calling them a variety of derogatory words and spitting as often as he could manage for the remainder of the ride. He also insisted on leaning over the poor little old lady next to him to talk to another guy across the isle. At one point a fight nearly broke out as one woman began slapping him in the face repeatedly and yelling at him. She moved as soon as she could.

I didn’t quite understand everything that was being said, but it was obvious that this guy was not popular with the entire back of the bus. While the shouting match and slapping was going on everyone turned around to stare. No one jumped in to defend the girls or old lady though. He was kind of a big guy.

At one point, we also heard the word “Americanas” and he presumably was speaking about us. Luckily, none of us had enough Spanish to understand what horrible things he was saying.

When he got off the bus about an hour and a half later, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at each other. We even high-fived the poor girls who kept getting spit on on their way out. It was bonding experience.

I highly recommend taking a chicken bus in Guatemala at least once. Especially if you only need to go an hour or two away. It’s totally worth the cheap price and lively experience.

However, the Chicken bus is not always safe. While I had no bad experiences, I have heard first hand accounts of robberies and even shootings on Chicken buses, even in some touristy areas. I suggest sticking to the quick, easy routes that you know are trafficked by many tourists. For instance, Guatemala City to Antigua is short and easy. If you keep your eyes open and are aware of your surroundings you’ll probably be just fine!

When I was planning my route from Antigua to Xela (Quetzaltenango), I asked the advice of fellow travelers and was told again and again that I must stop by Lake Atitlan. Two villages on this scenic lake were continually recommended to me: San Pedro and San Marcos.

After spending several, consecutive nights partying with backpackers, Habitat for Humanity workers, and Peace Corps volunteers, I was ready for some tranquility. After looking into both towns and hearing the opinion of lots of different people, I decided to go with the peaceful village of San Marcos. I only had a few days to kill before I had to be in Xela for class, so I thought I’d relax by the lake for a bit.

The bouncy shuttle took me through tiny villages, winding roads, and up and down lots of hills until I finally reached the little town of San Marcos la Laguna. The view coming down from the mountains to the lakefront is absolutely beautiful. I’d heard that this is the place to go to relax, do some yoga, and meditate.

That was an understatement.

San Marcos is one of those places that oozes peace, love, and happiness. Everyone is wearing billowy pants, dangly jewelry, and flowing cotton. There was someone sporting dreadlocks or playing the guitar at every turn. In summary, Sarah Palin’s nightmare.

Around each corner is a business that specializes in meditation, healing crystals, yoga, massage, or rebirth. Many of the cafés and hotels have names like “Moon Fish”, “Unicorn”, or the word “Holistic” somewhere in the title.

Honestly, it was a little too “Dharma Initiative” for me. I like Bob Marley as much as the next girl, and I loved “60’s Day” in high school. I can down tofu and chug soy milk with the best of them, but this place was, like…far out.

I believe in shampoo. None of my shirts contain even trace amount of hemp. I enjoy yoga for the health benefits (my chi is just fine, thank you). I wear deodorant. I pluck my eyebrows. I’m traveling with a laptop, SLR camera, Kindle, iPod, and hair dryer for God’s sake!

Obviously, I stood out among the sea of dreadlocked, puffy pantaloned, incense sniffing longhairs. No offense…

Don’t get me wrong, each and every one was very nice and helpful. I even met a guy that looked just like “The Dude” who showed me the best photo spots around the lake. I got all kinds of great advice on how to get from one town to the next, which ATMs are the safest, what color soup one should eat to boost your positive energy, and what size crystal best aligns your Chakra. Useful stuff.

In all seriousness, I should probably keep an open mind about these things, and I’m sure I have offended a couple of our free-loving readers with my “evil chi”. I have decided I am either too cynical, or my healing crystal is too small.

Later that night, I ran into a few people I knew from Antigua, and we had a nice chat over mojitos. We listened to some live music and watched a fire dancer. They were also feeling rather “un-Dude” and were moving on soon.

After my second night, I took the ten-minute boat ride to San Pedro. There was a little more happening across the lake, and the incense fog had lifted.

Even though the hippie scene wasn’t for me, no trip to Guatemala would be complete without Lake Atitlan. I would recommend both cities, depending on what you are looking for. San Pedro and San Marcos are both great bases to explore the other villages by boat.

The region is really beautiful and has a little bit for everyone. You can take weaving classes, watch fresh coffee being roasted (and then drink a cup, of course!), take a week-long meditation class, play pool with the locals, or finally have your Chakra aligned.

This is one groovy lake, baby.