Bye Bye Pana

Being back in Panajachel, Guatemala for a few months gave us the chance to settle in and enjoy this dynamic community. Living in the casitita in the middle of town, walking the streets every day, eating out, wandering, and taking time to discover Pana has been great. From the friendly expats that have settled here to the roving hippies making handmade art to the sassy three and a half foot tall Mayan ladies selling shawls and bracelets and men peddling bags of cashews and coffee in the streets, this town is full of characters. It’s a strong contrast to our time on the road. Instead of exploring hundreds of kilometers of new terrain and spending a day or two at a flying site, just glossing over a place, we had the opportunity to go a little deeper into Lago de Atitlán.

Our last week in Guatemala was Semana Santa (Holy Week, which leads up to Easter). Town was crazy. Our riverbed LZ got completely taken over by chicken buses and visiting out-of-towners’ cars, trucks, and vans; the music was incredibly loud and mostly terrible; and there were hoards of people drunk on cheap tequila, micheladas, and buckets of beer. Our happy little tourist town on the lake was transformed into Guatemala’s version of Spring Break Lake Havasu 2014. Although it was a chaotic end to our stay in Panajachel, there were really beautiful aspects too: Calle Santander (the main tourist street in town where the Real World PG office is) was totally transformed on Saturday morning with intricate street art made of pine needles, colored sawdust, grains, flowers, and a gorgeous arrangement of fruits and vegetables. There were some great handicraft markets from neighboring towns, and Mister John, an American expat and creator of our favorite Pana breakfasts, agreed to host a screening of the classic paragliding movie “A Never Ending Thermal” (complete with superstar Jorge Atramiz in attendance) on our last night in town. It was a perfect way to say goodbye to our Atitlán friends.

As we drive north, we’ve been overwhelmed by thoughts of this special place. This is by no means a complete list, but here are some of the things we love/ things we’ll miss about Panajachel:

The pitter patter of small corn tortillas coming to life between weathered and skillfull hands, cobblestone streets, tuktuk bling, running from lightning and not-so-distant rumbles, aguacates, aguacates, and aguacates, Hola Aguacates! Christian’s Bob Marley renditions and Stefanie’s cooking creations, Shukos (Cade only), Deli afternoons, and Chinitas' Szechuan soup. Afogatos and Dark Knights and frozen cappuccinos from Café Loco and the best best coffee in the world plus extra-caffeinated entertainment from Mike at Crossroads.

We’ll miss getting to hang out with a different superhero every day and never being the last one to the office, no matter how late you are. Care Bear moments in the sky and chocobananos in the aterrizaje. Mike’s variety of always-loud music in the camioneta and resulting high-speed off-road dance parties. Surly Mayan vendedores and blank stares in the LZ. Moisteriousness, mystical volcano views, and hammock hangouts.

Sleepy guys on the sidewalk, sunset chalk art sessions at the river, Ropa Americana, and amazing English mistakes. Churritos, despegue sleepovers, postres by Stefanie, and sharing precious chocolate with Liam. Cloud soaring, potluck dinner parties with the crew, oversharing on the way to launch, and tandem switchy loops over the lake.

Waving to the nuns at the monastery, filling a bag of vegetables for a few Q’s at the market, tuktuk rides with Rok, and a few glider bags, and 4 or 5 of your friends. Taking an hour to walk a hundred feet up Calle Santander with Don Christian and rides to launch that are ten times more dangerous than the flight down.

Watching Xocomil pour over the volcanoes and slowly bend the surface of the lake in the morning. Goats in the street and people working the land, fruta fruta fruta! everywhere. Tasty Chinitas treats by Ling and delicious Deli creations. Colorful market wandering, getting lost, then finding yourself again.

Stacked pickups rounding corners, Choconoya, and a taste of ‘merica at Mr. John’s. Roadtrips to paraísos escondidos, volcano missions, and friends that make them awesome. We’ll miss walking the 200 feet to our neighborhood tortilleria (or one of 5 more within a block if ours happens to be closed), the Bubble of Joy, and SorrySorrySorry! (and ThankYouThankYouThankYou!). Hot pools, pupusas, and horchata. Volcano Sunrises, Volcano sunsets.

We most definitely have not ‘done’ Panajachel or Lago de Atitlán. Just the opposite—we’ve barely scratched the surface of what there is to experience in this little wonderland. Although we spent many hours and days floating above the lake, Santa Catarina, and Pana itself, I know that waiting around each cobblestone corner, hidden in every narrow little callejón, and tucked away in each hill perched on the crater surrounding the vast lake sits another little concrete shack full of life; the tongue clacking rhythm of the Mayan language, the pitter patter of tortillas being shaped by adept hands and warmed on a large round comal, the sound of popping of elote over hot coals drifting along walls and throughout the streets. I have so many photographs I’d like to make—capturing a moment here and there of daily Pana life. I have ideas for projects I’d like to see come to fruition. I have flights imagined, venturing beyond the bounds of our happy little aerial skatepark bowl, exploring the Altiplano from the sky and eventually drifting down to walk it on foot. The adventure has just begun here.

One of our favorite parts about the gypsy lifestyle is meeting new amazing friends and catching up with old ones that are all somehow interconnected within the global flying community. Our time in Pana has been no exception. Hanging with all our new Guatemalteco amigos, the Flying Baba brothers and their lovely ladies Enna and Hai Yan, los Venezolanos Tommy (el Osito Cariñoso) and Jorge from da Island, Jenny and Graham from the lovely UK, Leo el Argentino, the visiting Americanos Nate, Tim, and Dusty, the Austrian Embassy, and of course our ever gracious and amazing hosts Stefanie, Christian (O-Vic Russo), and LiaMitos. The hardest part is leaving each other behind when it’s time to move on to the next season. We’ll miss our Pana family immensely and can’t wait until our windward paths cross la próxima vez. Gracias hermanos! It has been a pleasure sharing a little piece of life with you all.