Lake Atitlan – Heaven on Earth
Let’s just say that when you are traveling around the world and you come to a place that feels like it is world-class then it probably is just that. And Lake Atitlan is just that. I know I will have a hard time finding someplace as special as this. First, we have a beautiful lake surrounded by volcanoes. Actually, we have a giant volcano that has collapsed forming a caldera which has been filled with water. This caldera has five hundred meter cliffs surrounding it accentuated by the “new” volcano peaks. I am pretty sure this is Heaven on Earth although I do not deny that there are multiple heavens on this planet. I can’t wait to find the next one…
I am staying at Lomas de Tzununa hotel which is dangling from a cliff one hundred meters above the lake facing the volcanoes on the far side. While this hotel is remote from the fun travelers in San Marcos and San Pedro, I love the solitude and beautiful sunrises and sunsets from this location. At the hotel’s dock, I can kayak or catch one of the lake boat taxis to the surrounding villages. I have also enjoyed hikes to San Marcos and Jabilito and Santa Cruz. The taxis run every half hour on time between 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM so you can hike or paddle one way until you tire and then catch a boat ride back. The best part of Lomas de Tzununa is the proprietors, Thierry and Maria, and their son, Lucas. Thierry is originally from Belgium and Maria is from Uruguay and they seem very happy in Guatemala. I more than highly recommend a stay at their hotel where the staff is warm and friendly, the food is very good and the views will take your breath away regularly.
During my trip from Antigua to Lake Atitlan, I met some fun Americans (Ty, Brett and Andrea) and we enjoyed a great day in the famous market town of Chichicastenango. I had low hopes that this would be a fun place expecting some fake market, but it was sensational and real. Mayan artisans bring their goods to Chichi every Thursday and Sunday and gringos show up to buy them. We also took a walk to the cemetery which was very interesting. We caught a boat from Panachel and I got off at my hotel’s dock while they continued on to San Marcos. The next day, I found Ty with Dave from Chicago and we hooked up Australians Brooke, Bret and Dave, Seattleites Sarah and Ryan and Kate from Maine. We jumped off cliffs into the lake and then drank beers before I departed. I found some of this same group two days later in the small village of San Juan.
Each of these villages is populated mainly with Mayans. I found them to be very friendly. Many tried to talk to me on my hikes between villages where I would encounter them tending to their steep hillside crops or working as laborers building homes or tending to existing home properties. The women dress in traditional clothes which are so colorful. The Mayan children are some of the most beautiful that I have ever seen. I noticed that the women do not hold that beauty as they get older and I suspect their lives are not very easy. I have read that the women are not friendly to men travelers, but I found that they were the most friendly almost always offering smiles and “Buenos Dias” greetings and they graciously accepted help getting on and off the water taxis with their loads of goods. In San Juan, Ryan’s mentor from college was well-known for being there during the death squad days in the 1980s. I have tried to get more information about what was going on during those days, but people don’t seem eager to discuss. Apparently, para-military groups would go to villages and kill people, but I am not sure about the who or why. We visited a family that this professor knew and it was a nice, humbling experience. The grandmother and grandsons were present and they were very excited when Ryan and Sarah gave them paper, pens, etc as gifts. Although Guatemala still has problems, it seems to have gotten past the death squad days and the Mayans have it a bit better.
There is one more thing about Lake Atitlan to be mentioned. It has the best coffee I have tasted. Now, I am no coffee expert, but I do know that I have been drinking some of the best in the world during my travels to Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania) and Central America. All I can say is that Guatemalan coffee is very good, but the coffee specifically from Lake Atitlan is stunning. Let’s see what I find in Costa Rica, Colombia and Jamaica, but I have a feeling Lake Atitlan coffee will register near the top of the list if it is not the absolute best.
Tags: Travel
vagabondrick
Your trip just seems to get better and better!
Sounds so wonderful- the views sound breathtaking. HOw is your spanish? Are you finding that you are using it most of the time? You sound good Rick….happy traveling! Love, Julie