Lago Atitlan, Guatemala
Lago Atitlan (Lago means "Lake" in Spanish) has been described as the prettiest lake
in the world.
This is due in part to the beautiful blue-green water and in part to the stunning
volcanic peaks that surround the lake.
We set off early from Quetzaltenango and changed buses as Los Encuentros.
Unfortunately we didn't realize when we got off that we were only in Solala,
a village partway down the mountainside.
That's how we found ourselves in our 8 km long 500 meter hike.
You gotta believe that Mike, the fellow on the right in this picture,
was in the army because he's in perfect alignment with Bodel who
was walking in front at that point.
Mike was from Oregon, Bodel was from Sweden, and Frank (on the left)
was from Alabama.
With me from Canada, we were quite an international mix.
Even though it was long and steep, the scenery was dazzling with many
opportunities to take pictures of the lake as we made our way along the
mountainside switchbacks.
One photo op we didn't anticipate was an enormous "Keep Walking" billboard!
Tired though I was, the humor of the situation was titillating.
As we got closer to the lake we saw a beautiful bay near Panajachel, the
town bordering the lake.
We didn't stop at Panajachel at that time, just
sat back on a boat and enjoyed a short trip up the lake to
our hotel for the night.
Our hotel was right on the waterfront giving us a great view of the lake.
The hotel grounds boasted some beautiful flowers.
We had a relaxing afternoon and evening there, going next door to a big chicken bar-b-que.
Next day we went back to Panajachel for a walkabout and shopping.
The town of Panajachel is also called "Gringotenango" because of the many tourists and
hippies that populate the place.
A fortunate side effect is that there are goods from many different areas for sale there.
I bought material for vests, a lovely embroidered blouse, and
also drooled a lot over the many beautiful blankets.
The selection was wonderful - there was so much to choose from.
