San Pedro La Laguna, Santiago Atitlán, San Antonio Palopó

Diary:

Spent the day touring around some of the villages around the lake. A ferry took us to each village where we spent a few hours looking around and exploring.

After a 30 minute boat ride across the lake, our first stop was San Pedro La Laguna, a tiny, sleepy village lying at the base of Volcán San Pedro better known for it's "horticultural" exploits. We got off the boat and wandered through coffee trees and cornfields to the edge of the lake where we found the Cafe Luna Azul (Blue Moon Cafe), reputed to serve a killer breakfast (which it certainly did).

While wolfing down our wonderful three-egg omelets we met a very, shall we say, "laid back" dude (err, gentleman) who introduced himself as "Antonio from California". He was mentioned in the LPG as the "eccentric horticulturalist inventor who built and operates Thermal Waters", and after seeing what he toted in his backpack there was no doubt about what specific plants he cultivated at San Pedro. Chatting good naturedly with us and the other patrons of the Blue Moon, he casually rolled a joint the proportions of which would have made Cheech and Chong gasp in disbelief. He proceded to light up, and relax back in his easy chair. When he admitted to us that San Pedro was absolutely the "best place on earth to do nothing at all" and that "many travellers had arrived and had never left" the tiny community, gazing out at the spectaular view of the lake, we did not have any trouble believing him.

The villages of Santiago Atitlán and San Antonio Palopó had somewhat more to offer, at least from a cultural perspective. An amazing variety of hand woven tapestries and handicrafts were found in the markets and steep narrow streets of the towns.

Today was our 8th anniversary so we splurged for dinner at the best restaurant in Panajachel, La Terazza. The food was nothing to rave about, but the set and setting were perfect.

Photos: (click on images to see full size)