Panajachel and Lago Atitlan: days 9 & 10 (part 2)

A water taxi on Lago Atitlan, taken from the dock at San Antonio. The volcano in the background is San Pedro.

This really may be the most beautiful place in all the world. I don't know for sure because there are still a lot of places I have yet to see, but I will say this; the area around Lago Atitlan, Central America's deepest lake, with it's three volcanoes, picturesque villages and colorful Mayan culture is on my top 10 list of most beautiful places I have seen so far.

After dinner the night before (part 1) we had encountered a man who said he owned one of the many excursion boats/water taxis on the lake. We agreed that he would pick us up on the beach in front of the Hotel Vision Azul the following morning at 8 am and give us a tour of some of the lake and two of the villages on it. He asked us for a cash deposit which I was hesitant to give at first. Seeing my hesitation, he offered to let me keep his Captain's license, which I declined. As he walked away with Q150, Barbe just shook her head and said, "He just made some easy money". I disagreed. There is a part of me that continually wants to believe in people and to trust them. It's true that sometimes I am taken advantage of because of this, but I choose to live life believing that there are honest, trustworthy people out there, people who still keep their word and with whom I can still do business on a handshake. For $18.75 I am willing to put my money where my heart is. We are both very interested to see if Cesar shows up in the morning.

Travel note: If you visit Pana, I highly recommend taking one of these excursions. It cost us $50 for 3.5 hours on the lake and in the villages. Most of these guys will ask for a deposit if you are planning for the next day. Do ask them for ID and a phone number as there are "sales guys" out there who don't actually own a boat (even if they take you to the lake and "show you their boat" ) They just line up business for the real boat owner and take a cut.


Waiting on Cesar and the "Flor de Lago"

We are up early the next morning and down by the waters edge by 7:45. We wait expectantly. Shortly after eight o'clock we see Cesar in the "Flor del Lago" heading our way. I am relieved, not so much for the Q150, but because Barbe will never let me live it down!

Standing by the edge of the lake where
 "agua caliente" is coming out of the rock.

It is a beautiful morning on the lake. The sun is warm and the air clear and fresh. Cesar is very kind. He does not speak English, but speaks slowly and clearly enough for me to understand everything he is telling us as our guide. The first place he takes us is to a very small dock at the bottom of a steep bank. The dock is only about 12" wide and the path leads up to a private gate, but if you climb along the rocks at the water's edge there is a crack in the cliff from which a trickle of scalding hot water is running. It is almost too hot to touch. Guatemala has 21 volcanoes, some of which are still quite active and is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. Atitlan, one of the three volcanoes near the lake, last erupted in 1853 and is labeled as "dormant". As evidenced by the water temperature coming form the rock, there is still a lot going on under the surface.




Our next stop is the village of Santa Catarina. The women are setting up their wares, some actually doing the weaving of table clothes, scarves and place mats right there. (see photo part 1) We are inundated by people trying to sell us something or wanting us to eat in their restaurant. At times they can be very annoying, especially those who are very persistent and will not take no for an answer. I keep reminding myself that all of them are only trying to put bread on the table. Tourism is the main commerce in Panajachel and so this is to be expected. We do buy one of the small, hand painted, unframed pictures so typical of art work in Guate, and later a scarf, headband and cloth.

The scarf, cloth and head band we buy from a woman named Maria in the village of San Antonio. She too is persistent, and walks along beside me showing me the few scarves she has. Her prices keep going lower and lower and, although she has a certain dignity about her, I also sense desperation. She puts the scarf and headband on Barbe and when I finally tell her we will make the purchase her face lights up and I realize that she is not nearly as old as she at first seemed. I do not know her circumstances, but I know that, at least for today, she has her daily bread. I am beginning to understand that for so many people, this is sufficient.

We climb San Antonio's steep streets, visiting places where pottery and cloth are made. As we climb higher, Cesar takes us to the Catholic church that sits high in the town with a superb few of the lake and the volcanoes. (This goes for almost all the houses in the town). He tells me that in the late '70's, during one of Guatemala's civil wars, the priest and a number of the villagers where killed here. It is estimated that 100,000 Guatemalans were killed during this time. It is a reminder that life in this small, peaceful village has not always been so tranquil.

As we stand on the overlook near the church I ask Cesar if he has ever traveled outside of this area. He says he hasn't. I ask him if he is aware that he has the good fortune of living in one of the most beautiful places on earth. At first he doesn't understand. Surely there are many places equally as beautiful. I assure him that although there are places of great beauty elsewhere, that this is truly an amazing place. I'm not sure he believes me.

It is time to return to the hotel. We have plans to meet with friends later in the afternoon and the boys want to be back in the room in time to watch the Superbowl. We are not 100% sure we will be able to get the right channel, but they are anxious to find out. I'm not sure who my boys got their love of football from, it certainly wasn't from me, but every time we stop the van...out comes the football. I am glad they do. They are SO much cooler than I am! I love my boys and I am so glad we are able to make this trip together before they are grown and busy following their own dreams.

Captain Cesar with "Flor del Lago" Look him up next time you're in Panajchel.
He anchors his boat to the north of the public dock and the larger excursion boats.