THE LAST RESORT
by Char Easter
© Cheryle Easter
Leaving Antigua the day after Christmas, we took a van to Panajachel. Weaving through towns and the surrounding countryside, we descended a long valley to reach Panajachel and its famous lake, Lago de Atitlán. Our first stop was J&G’s Hotel Grande, an upscale place out of our price range. A few hours later, we’d reconsider “our price range.” It was getting dark and all the other riders had been dropped off at their reserved hotel rooms. Thus far, none of the hotels had vacancies. The driver championed our cause saying he knew a place. It was full. He took us to at least six more places and they were full. So much for spontaneity.
We searched on for a vacant room in Panajachel – including the Hotel Grande, which was full. My friends call this the Joseph and Mary routine, and it is Holy Week for God sakes. Our last stop was a small, back alley place with a horrible single-bedded room and rebar poking through the walls. Chickens and roosters strutted around the yard and music blasted from the main apartment. It was the last resort on our taxi driver’s list of accommodations.
The manager wanted $30 American dollars. Cheryle was mortified and told me to translate an apology, that it was way too much and we’d rather sleep on the street. And then she walked off. I stood there dumbfounded. On the way down the stairs he said, “Vente” ($20). She still scoffed, but took the room, she said for my sake. With our key in hand, we sat in this teeny weenie dank $2 room in a daze. We took some photos. The room was good for that. Then we locked the door and wandered through the night to find J&G’s Hotel Grande.
CHURCH FOLK FEST
On the way, we passed a community church. It was audio/visual surrealism. We stopped to investigate, quickly setting up our various recording equipment. Peering through the green and blue stained glass windows, a guitar and vocalist led the congregation in an off-key, scraggly, but heart felt folk offering. Each song droned on and on. Usually our problem is missing the moment. In this case we hoped our batteries would hold up.
