There's a lot of mythology and speculation regarding Lake Atitlan, which is all pretty exciting. It's the deepest lake in Central America, over 350 metres at its most mysterious, and that means that the few people who are unfortunate enough to drown in the lake each year leave no trace of their final moments on Earth. This has led to lots of stories as to why there is no trace of the drowned; some say it's a portal to another dimension, some say it's a seagate, and all of these otherworldly hypotheses are candy for my brain although it's just as likely that some of the large fish living in the depths enjoy a nice snack of flesh, and the bones sink to the bottom to be covered in silt and algae like any good bone deserves.
I went kayaking on the lake these last few days. Have you ever seen something so beautiful that you found it hard to breathe for a few minutes? I don't think I've had that before, or maybe I did one time when I saw the Red Eyes play in Fremantle and the singer took his shirt off. But this was a more profound experience; being in the middle of the lake surrounded by light beams spearing through clouds all the way to the mountains, and the only sounds the slap of lake on hull and a dull thudding of tribal drums from a village across the lake. I would have taken a photo, except the kayaks are fairly dodgy here and some of them look like the holes have been caulked with twistie wrappers - I'm not taking anything on them that can't get wet. In the middle of that lake with the dull thudding of the drums I had a moment of pretending I was a Mayan warrior returning home from a long quest of heroic deeds. This dream died in the arse after a few minutes of vigorous warrior-like paddling, at which point my arms felt like they were about to fall off. And then I realised how big this lake really is - google says it covers an area of 127 km2, and google knows best right? Irrespective of the numbers, it's some God's paddling pool that's for sure.
It's good to reward exercise with chocobananas...
Another interesting story I've heard a few times about the Lake is that members of royal and political families the world over (many of whom are closely related when their family trees are traced...David Icke waxes lyrical on this for those who are curious) come to Lago Atitlan to kick the boot, cark it, bite the dust....or DO THEY? If seagates and those kinds of energetic portals are possible then are these families who are monopolising the power on the planet peeling off their meatsuits and beaming on up, Scotty? Interesting to think about, although it's also on the far end of what we'd call conjecture. Pure unadulterated brain confection! I'm going out to the middle of this lake as much as possible anyway. If there's any chance of observing strange activity or being in the middle of said strange activity, I'm all on that gravy train.
A theory with more credence is that Mayan ruins bathe in relative privacy at the bottom of Lake Atitlan. It makes sense since the water level has been steadily rising from the time the Lake was created - the lake itself is the giant acne scar of an old volcano which would have made the sonic boom-booms when it blew its lid. If I didn't want to get my diving ticket before I certainly do now. Is it possible to dive to depths of 350 metres? I'm KEEEEEEN.
Really though, there is a lot to eye off around the lake before I dig deep into the ribs of lady Atitlan. Mayan ruins are everywhere, as are vestiges of Mayan culture in the 22 Indigenous populations surrounding the lake. Also, I really need to learn Spanish. In a sojourn to the local vegie market today I had a hard time asking for a bloody pineapple. I'll be checking into Spanish school pronto, amigos.
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