Hippies in San Pedro, Guatemala
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After riding the boat from Santiago Atitlan we soon came into the port of San Pedro, Guatemala - a hippy town on the far side of Lake Atitlan. As Mira and I dismounting at the docks, we were promptly accosted by a hotel runner, who - taking us for hippies - attached himself to us like a barnacle and talked to us as if we were hip. In this traveling world, we could expect nothing else. I did not even try to make him pronounce my cow-bleating name. In fact, I did not even want to talk to him at all. But, for a tout, he was not too bad. He actually told us the name of a cheap hotel, some things about it, and the price. Knowing that he already gave us all the information we needed, he quickly realized that he could not be of any further service, and promptly departed from us with a smile on his face and a wave of his hand. Mira and I thought that it was funny that a tout would tell us the name and price of a hotel. It seemed as if by sharing this information he was putting himself out of job, as we could go straight away to the place that he directed us to go without following his lead. This is what we did.
Hippies in San Pedro, Guatemala. Did not give the hello test to these ones. They appear to be in love.
We ended up at the cheap Hotel San Francisco which had a kitchen and a good view of Lake Atitlan. Mira and I joked about the self-deprecating honesty of the tout as we entered through the doors. We thought we were slick. We soon mounted the sky high stairs of this classic hippy hotel of San Pedro. The hotel was actually pretty nice, we had an amazing view of Lake Atitlan, and were paying less than three dollars each for a great roof-top room with a private bathroom and shower. We were happy.
Even though the hotel was full to the brim with hippies. Of whom I occasionally had the opportunity to chase away from the patio outside of my room's big picture window. I simply do not want to listen to hippies talking about moons and full moons and full moon parties when I am standing in my bare-butt skibbies inside the open window of my hotel room. I am not a part of the crowd, I do not wish for my ears to be subjected to cool talk. "Doesn't hippy sound like something that you can just throw off of a high building and watch go splat at the bottom?" Mira rhetorically joked. Looking down, far down from the roof-top patio at the ground below, I momentarily thought about testing her theory.
I do not mind hippies - the old ones were great travelers who blazed stark trails across the earth, and they tend to be really interesting people who like good conversation and have great stories. You meet these grizzled old road dogs on every far-flung corner of planet earth, and they give no sign at how they ended up there. But I do want to be subjected to 'cool dudes.' Or more precisely, I just do not want to listen to 'cool' talk and having to make it known that, regardless of my outward appearance, I am not really all that cool. I hate drugs, I scarcely drink, will only touch a cigarette if it would make Mira laugh at how awkwardly I hold it, I go to bed early, wake up earlier, get tattoos because I - and I alone - like them, know nothing about what is trendy, do not know what trance music is, never been to a rave, only read books that were written by people who are long gone dead. I, yes it is true, am an old guy. I like to sit around and drink tea and talk about old books and Herman Melville. I am repulsed by bars unless they are frequented by Erik the Pilot and his unique brand of bar-room humor.
It is my impression that the hippies once found a way - any way - to keep traveling the world, chasing horizons, and never going home. I have been privileged to listen to the stories of more than a few of these old-time travelers. Now the hippies seem as if they are in a perpetual search for various and frivolous ways to spend all of their money so that they will have to go home. I do not have the impression that these hippies are really hippies at all, moreover, it appears to me, that they are just normal kids with dreadlocks.
Ain't nothing wrong with this, I suppose.
But San Pedro, Guatemala is full of these dreadlocked kids far too proud of themselves and their dreadlocks to say hello to an unknown traveler passing them in the street. For fun, Mira and I walked around the bar district saying hello to every dreadlocked kid that passed our way - just to see if they would return our greetings. Our success rate was strikingly low. But this was a fun game none the less. It seems as if our unreturned greetings just proved the social hierarchy that resounds in such circles. THEY know where IT is at. I do not. But Mira and I would be launched into a sea of laughter at each dreadlocked kid who would give us the stone-face at our simple words of "Hello, how are you doing?"
If this is cool, then I am not.
Perhaps, I am a little proud of this.
Wade from Vagabond Journey.com
Antigua, Guatemala
April 19, 2008
Links to Previous posts:
Immigrating to the USA- The glory land at the end of the rainbow is a lot of work.
Boat Travel on Lake Atitlan, Guatemala- Working the hustlers of Lake Atitlan, Guatemala.
Hotel Webpages on Hobo Hideout.com- How to live in hotels for free. Panajachel, Guatemala
The Battle of Ahorita- Standing my ground and getting a shower. San Pedro, Guatemala
Free Hotel in Santiago Atitlan- How I stayed for free in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala
Read the above posts to travel further into the Vagabond Journey story.
Comments from readers:
Bob L
New Hampshire, USA (home)
"If this is cool, then I am not. Perhaps, I am a little proud of this."
You should be proud. That makes you one of the few *originals*. I
really wish I could claim the same.
This is a discussion that can, and does go on for hours. What is a
*True* backpacker (biker, bicyclist, runner, fisherman, etc, etc).
There is no real answer. But there are some things that tend to happen
to any activity, probably since the beginning of time.
First it is hard. If you tell people you are doing it, they will
ridicule you, or be in awe, or whatever. Very few people know anyone
is doing this. At this point, only the hardy and the fool hardy try
it. This happened when people went west in US history.
Then, it becomes better known. Not much easier, but there is more info,
what routes to follow, what dangers etc.
Then it starts becoming easier so more people do it, which makes it
easier still.
Then it becomes trendy, acceptable. Then everyone does it. At this
point, the old timers start saying how much better it was way back when.
How all the *Newbie's* ruined it. Really, it was the old timers who
ruined it by letting others know they went. How's the song go *once you
call a place paradise....*.
From the beginning there are hardy, adventurous souls doing it. And
there are goofy ones. But every one of them thinks they are *it*. In
each clique there are those that will laugh at the people in the other
clique. There are precious few (you are one) that see this and try to
appreciate all of the variations. None of them are really wrong. Some
are just amusing.
To really see this, look at the history of the baby boomers. Actually,
what you are seeing are the kids of the baby boomers and the kids of
those that grew up just after the baby boomers. If you look at
*hippies* you will see that in the beginning there were people that were
*doing it* on their own. This was going on in the 50's even. Then, as
more of them did it, it became easier. Etc, until it became *popular*.
At that point, you could buy jeans in stores with flower patches sewn
in and ready made holes. The popular kids were wearing these cloths
and acting like they were hippies. The baby boomers were the ultimate
force in trends, and they still are.
For the record, I am 46 years old and have never been trendy. I got
into motorcycling when most were getting out of it. I have never had
the cool car. I liked 60's music when everyone else was into 80's
music. (of course, now everyone is into the 60's music again). Etc.
I am not immune to trends, just not even remotely tuned into them. I
am not a backpacker. I am not likely to give up my cushy job that lets
me travel 5 or 6 weeks a year until I have to. I sometimes go on all
inclusive, expensive SCUBA trips. It is not surprising to find me in a
bar if I am traveling and have free time with nothing to do that I am
interested in. I would never do drugs (besides alcohol), but really
don't care if others do. I like $5 hotels. But at times, paying
$200/night for 2 people at a resort is not out of the question (SCUBA
only). Yes, cheap is good, and one of my goals. But, really, it is
value I look for when I travel. I have more expendable income than most
backpackers, and less time. If $5 gets me a good place, great. But
if I can instead spend $50 and get a great place, sometimes I will. I
have taken organized Motorcycle Tours. Those are good, but not good
value. When traveling Ironbutt style (www.ironbutt.com)
I have spent as much as $80 for a motel I was in for only 4 hours.
So where do I fit in? No-where I hope. I like to think of myself as
having a toe in a number of different styles, but not really fitting
into any of them. Hey, we all need our illusions.
BTW. I do like the new system, not that the old one was bad.
Personally, I would like to see dates in the menu, but that's
nitpicking.
Bob L
Wade in Guatemala:
Yes Bob,
You really said it here. Yeah, different lifestyles for everyone. It makes me happy to travel year round- so I need to pinch my pennies, be conscious of how much change I have jingling in my pockets, and continuously try to come up with new ways to make a few dollars here and there. You, on the other hand, seem to be just as happy as I am with your great job and six weeks of vacation time (a HUGE amount in the USA) and motorcycle and SCUBA trips all over the world. I see absolutely no reason for people to live on the Sparten side if they do not have to. It sounds like you really enjoy and appreciate the $50 - or even the $200 - dollar hotel rooms that you happen stay in, and I do not find anything wrong with this. You worked all year, you should not have to worry about spending $2.50 for a beer in a bar if there is the real potential to enjoy yourself there. I think that this is great, in fact. You seem to truly enjoy the spoils of your work and live your vacation time to the fullest.
This is great, man. I don't often find people who really enjoy what they do everyday.
There is a give and a take to everything, I presume. I went out to a backpacker bar that seemed to be a really fun place the other day. I really wanted to kick back for a few hours, drink some beer, and have a good time. But they were charging $2.50 for a small beer, and I knew that if I stayed there I would have to spend multiple days worth of travel funds. This was not worth it to me, so I decided that that was a time to give - and I walked out. I sometimes wish that I did not have to be so conscious of how much money that I spend - I would certainly have more fun in the short run - but in the long run I think that I am happier with a couple full days of travel than with a few hours of drinking beer. A give and a take, and I choose to give a little in order to take what really makes me happy.
There are different priorities and lifestyles. If I was on a short trip of a few weeks or a couple of months or was sitting on a decent amount of expendable money, I definitely would have stayed in that bar and drank those $2.50 beers with relish - and truly enjoyed what I was paying for. I do not find anything less respectable in this, it is just not the lifestyle that I am living right now.
You also mentioned another great fact here: that the trailblazers pave the way and enable those who they ridicule. I think people just like to feel good about themselves and to try to make others feel good about them too. haha. I neither have a problem with blazing trails, nor with following them, it is just rude people who spend their time convincing others that they know where *it* is at that makes me toss a few jokes in their directions.
If I walk down the street and say hi to a stranger and they return my greeting, I feel good. Whereas, if I say hi to someone in the street and they give me the stone face I break out in uproarious laughter. Either way, I still feel good.
I appreciate your comments, Motorcycle Bob, you make this blog worth doing.
Thanks,
Wade
Oh yeah, I will improve the directory system soon.
Comment from Mark in Guatemala, June 8, 2008:
Hey I just read your article ¨Hippies in San Pedro¨ and it is so on
the money! I am writing this from an internet cafe in San Pedro while
it is pouring outside.
I always assumed most of these kids had hang-ups about not feeling
¨cool¨ in middle school or some earlier period in life. I think their
try at social superiority is partly an attempt to hide the fact that
they are uncomfortable around those individuals who are playing a
different game. Which seems very uncool to me, and also closeminded.
Ironic, huh? But like you said, most of em are just normal kids with
dreadlocks. Is there a nearby store they all shop at that sells ¨The
Official Hippie Uniform¨? But i would also guess that part of the
reason they didnt say hi was just plain weed-induced apathy. Marijuana
addiction will slowly drain the life out of people.
Anyway, very sharp parody. It was great reading.
Mark
Wade in Prague, Czech Republic- June 10, 2008:
Thanks for the compliments, Mark!
Yes, that whole insider/ outsider dichotomy is kind of silly . . . especially amongst travelers. I would think that if someone was out on their own, outside of the bounds of their "home" community, that they could find the common decency to return hello greetings.
But I suppose that people tend to take "home" with them when they travel, so if someone seeks to be cool at home, there will seek to be cool in travel. I suppose being able to identify oneself as being a something (?) makes people inherently feel good. And nothing allows someone to identify themselves by identifying what they are not.
So I take my un-hellos when I can get them with a smile, as I know that I am not a part of their group. haha.
Thanks for writing!
Walk Slow,
Wade
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