The day began with a drive around Guatemala City, a very urban environment. We visited the Peace Statue, a symbol of their modern period, post war. The Civil War was bloody, with some areas total populations killed by Death Squads. Farmers (guerillas) were trained and boys were conscripted to fight. The CIA also taught torture techniques. This caused animosity for foreign military and the people started saying "green-go" (green military uniforms), which led to the term 'gringo' meaning foreigners, particularly the U.S. The Civil War lasted for 36 years, and 300,000 people were killed. People secretly worked to keep some traditions alive. The peace process took 10 years. Guatemala has recovered much quicker than some of the surrounding countries.
Carlos, our guide, found out that there was a celebration happening in the town of Sumpango, which is known for its huge kite festival in the Spring. We watched the parade and walked the market, arriving at the home of a special kite maker, Don Frederico, who spoke with us and showed us some kites. Some of the kites are up to 20 meters across. At the festival, whole families were celebrating, and I noticed a number of individuals with disabilities like Dwarfism, Down Syndrome, and missing limbs.
After stopping at Solola Cemetery, and viewing the brightly painted tombs above ground, we finally arrived at our destination town of Panajachel, next to the beautiful Lake Atitlan, ringed by volcanoes. Panajachel is nicknamed 'Gringolandia', for all of the foreigners and tourists here. We stayed at a very fancy place, Hotel Porta del Lago, on the shore of the lake. The hotel balconies allow a grerat view for the sunset over the lake.
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