Lago Atitlan: Xela, Sonola and Pana

It was 10am, and students were shoaling up by the front of the school (Centro Linguistic Maya). While making my way over, I had seen two identical Toyota touring vans parked down the road… I had a sneaking suspicion that these would be our vehicles. I am always impressed how much stuff some people bring with them on these trips. On a three-day trip, some people had two large backpacks whereas I had a small backpack, and a man-bag. Now…its not that I have a superiority complex that is stoked by minimalist packing habits, I’m just pointing something out.

So, the destination of this trip was to go to San Lucas Toliman (SLT). Yet our first stop was Xela. This is interesting because Xela is north of lake Atitlan by about an hour, four hours away from Antigua. SLT proper is on the south side of the lake, only about two hours away from Antigua. So what does Xela have to do with SLT. Absolutely nothing. There was nothing planned for our stop to Xela. Our itinerary: stay in a hotel, watch a soccer game, wakeup and leave the next day.

An interesting coincidence, the gentleman who was guiding the trip had family in Xela and he was able to pay them a visit while we where there. What are the chances, I’m glad it worked out so well for him!

After an exciting early-morning car-accident outside the hotel (we were witnesses, not involved), we set out towards the lake. We stopped at a random lookout, and were beset upon all sides by young kids selling little wooden birds, bracelets and chikles. The adults in their stalls looked beyond us, unmoved by yet another load of gringos. Only when you come within the magic 4ft away from their wares do they move in for the sales pitch. Its Jade. Very special price for you.

After the random road-stop, we stopped once again, this time in a town called Sonola during the market day. The market was packed! And the biggest difference was all the seafood: crab, shrimp, pan fry and some bigger trout-like fish. Smells were intense.

Finally, we made the push towards Panajachel (Pana). This place was so touristy that the market stands started 5 minutes outside of town on the main road in. As soon as we got off the bus, we swung a deal with the hotel that we were standing outside of to do a group rate of 80q a head. Sure there are places that are a bit cheaper…but it was just sooo convenient. Almost everybody jumped in.

I spent the afternoon walking around, taking pictures. Met a Belgian woman who was doing research about fair-trade practices, and we chatted for a bit. We went out that night, first to a friends hotel and then out into town. We stopped in at Rock Cafe, but I decided to go home early. Ends up, my friends met with some circus performers and headed to an after party at a nearby restaurant. It sounded like a awesome night. I was glad I got some rest.

Next morning, bright and early, well rested, we met down by the docks to hop on a boat. After everyone had gotten the “I’m on a boat” jokes out of the way, we set off across the lake. Although very polluted by the shore, Lago Atitlan is one of the cleanest lakes in the world, thanks to the depth of the water at the mid point. Patrick asked the Captain if we could stop the boat for a swim, the captain agreed, and we went bananas for about 10 minutes, leaping off the side of the boat into the turquoise water below. Awesome.

We came docked on the other side of the lake, and made our way up to the hotel. Although sleeping in a hotel, all our meals and all the meetings were to be based out of a catholic parish….more on the parish in the next post.