The shuttle picked us up at our hotel for the journey to Panahachel. Ricardo warned against taking the chicken bus because the money saved would never cover the medical bill or funeral should the all too requent accident occur on this drive. The shuttle (90 Q.) is much safer. The driver stopped for us to take photos at this overlook. The chicken bus would not.
Lago Atitlán's largest town is Panahachel (or Panajachel or just "Pana," locally.) Ricardo suggested the village of Santa Cruz as a destination and we took a launcha like the one in the foreground. We were "escorted" to the boat by a greeter as we got off the van so the real cost of the ride - 10 Q. each cost us 50 Q. total (30 Q. tuition fee - now we know better and so do you. Unless one needs assistance and is willing to pay the fee, firmly refuse and the activity you are pursuing will cost about 25 - 50% less) Actually, had we been going to San Pedro, farther on the opposite side of the lake, 50 Q would have been correct for the two of us.
Above, this has to be the tallest building on the lake. Seismic activity must not be a concern to its owners. What a setting!
Above and below is our room at the Posada Iguana (100 Q.) It was clean and comfortable and without electricity. We had an oil lamp and candles to use to light our way as we returned from dinner and for use inside the room. For the room, yummy hummus sandwiches and drinks for lunch, a communal dinner that was excellent and several drinks each we spent 300 Q. ($40) total. Unfortunately, in the morning, the electricity was not on so the shower (in a separate building a few feet from the room) would have been cold water. In this climate (cool) the shower was unnecessary. We were treated with the utmost respect since most of the international clientele were in their twenties. It was very entertaining to hear about the world from their perspectives. Several young people were working as volunteers in surrounding villages and seemed to be enjoying a good life. In that vein, I must mention visitors and volunteers Jake, Jimmy and Kelsey. They are volunteering in the country at a medical clinic and doing "good works" projects as well. Jake is an ER resident MD, Jimmy has one more year in med school and Kelsey is a law student. We enjoyed their company at dinner and hope they enjoyed their cruise on S/V Sirena. I am sure that our paths missed crossing again in Rio Dulce by only hours.
Below is the view from the porch outside the Jerry Garcia Suite next to our room.
This woman gave me permission to take her photo. Our hotel is out of sight, beyond her, close to the shore. To her left and downhill family members were gathering vegetables. As we continued walking the path...
This is still the same path. The lake temperature is about 72 degrees F and the air temperature is about the same so the only swimmers we saw were locals that were foraging for fresh water shellfish along the shore.
The next day we checked out of the hotel and visited the small village of San Marco (10 Q each for this boat ride) and had breakfast (60 Q for two - $8) and then San Pedro (another 15 Q each). The village of San Marco had a certain charm and children were everywhere since their "fall vacation" had just begun. Below is their Catholic Church.
San Pedro was a much larger town and had a decidedly less comfortable feel, I thought. Barb didn't get that feeling, but I somehow felt that we were being sized up a possible prey. Luckily there were a lot more likely candidates among the visitors that day, so nothing bad happened.
The boat ride back across the lake to Panahachel was 25 Q each. We hiked around Pana, got some lunch and enjoyed the town. Just as it began to rain we caught a shuttle back to Antigua at about 4pm. We arrived tired (in a satisfied way), checked into Juma Ocag again and proceded directly to La Peña del Sol Latin for dinner.
Seeing Lago Atitlán is a must! The costs are low and the benefits are priceless. What a beautiful planet we have!
No comments:
Post a Comment