Sail With Ocean Angel
Next on our trip was a view of our volcano, San Pedro, seen from the lake. Expensive haciendas dot the shore line, and almost without exception, Francisco would say that this one or that one is owned by a wealthy Americano. I can only guess that everyone is convinced these volcanoes are extinct and will never again erupt, but you have to wonder. Our hotel room is hidden in the trees and shrubbery just beyond the two bungalows you can see on the right side of the photo above . The terraced gardens lead up from the shoreline all the way to our unit and beyond. We could not have asked for a more peaceful relaxing location.
I've tried many times to convince friends who have struggled with some sort of immense stress in their lives to just spend some time alone outside on a beautiful clear day in a spot they love to relax and give thought to all the good things that have happened in their lives, and here we were, taking some of my own advice without even realizing what we were accomplishing. We were getting a breath of truly fresh air in one of the prettiest spots we have visited and on one of the clearest cleanest days I have ever seen. We felt energized by every minute of the trip.
As we worked our way back to the southern limits of the lake, Francisco took a few minutes to quietly motor us close to his wife who was just finishing the day's laundry. She had dried it on the rocks, then folded it into the basket you see here, carrying the huge load on her head back to their home. The average Guatemalans, like Francisco and his family are diligent hard-working honest people who think nothing of working 7 days a week, sun up to sun down. We had been unfortunate enough to be brushed by that ugly side you find in any larger city. Taking this brief refreshing ride on the clear waters of Lake Atitlan helped us to move on with our journey in this entirely different culture.
Shortly after leaving the docks our captain took us along the shore in front of our hotel so we could experience our resort's beauty from the waterfront. Starting at the dock with the sailboat you can wander up the steps to the restaurant where you can relax on the deck all day if you like or follow the cobblestone pathways off to the right that lead you back to our rooms or you could climb through the tiered gardens and work your way back to the rooms that way. There was never a lack of traffic at the resort or at the restaurant which was by far the best in the entire town.
San Toliman and Atitlan volcanoes seem to dominate just about every view of the lake. It's impossible to escape their shadows and their awesome power and beauty tug your eyes in their direction time after time over the course of a day. The scene changed constantly as the effects of the sun, clouds, and time of the day played on their stage. Rare moments like this one allowed us to see the peak of Atitlan as most of the time clouds swathed the upper reaches. Knowing how cool the nights were at our elevation, we can only imagine how much colder it would have been at the tops of these silent cauldrons.
One of the many beautiful homes on the lake's edges. No roads or power lines to this home.
I took this photo off to the left trying to create an image that would bring to life the immensity of the lake and the diversity of the people who depend on this lake for their livelihood, either directly drawing from its depths for food or counting on its beauty to attract tourist dollars for their economy. Twelve towns and villages border directly on the lake with the largest being Panajachel barely visible some 10 miles away, and eleven others scattered around the perimeter. Several of the towns are only accessible by boat, while others can be reached via winding roads like the ones we traveled. There are artsy communities, a hippie-like town, traditional native communities, but nothing you could describe as really modern 21st century living.
The sun began to slowly settle over the western edge of the lake on our last day in the Highlands of Guatemala, and we tried to capture every possible minute as the last of the fishermen slowly paddled their hand hewn parongas home for the night, and lights began to twinkle on here and there around the lake as day folded softly into night. Our time here was at an end and now you can
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