Jewel in the Rough

The guidebook says that Aldous Huxley called this “the most beautiful lake in the world.” I will try to upload some photos today so you can judge for yourself.

We woke up at 6am (again) to get on the 1st class bus to Panajachel, only to arrive and find out that the pullman bus had broken down and we would be riding on one of the converted school buses, called chicken buses, but there would only be two to a seat (as opposed to cramming in as many as possible) and it would go direct to Pana (as opposed to stopping at every small town to pick up even more people along the way). There was at first one exception to the rule. One mayan woman was allowed to share a seat with two other. She chose to sit with me and my seatmate. Lucky us, I whispered under my breath. But as soon as we left Antigua, it turned into a full blown chicken bus, making all the stops, and crowding people in the aisle. It was a neat experience, and it actually didn´t take any longer than the 1st rate bus had advertised, so overall it was a win. Also, I am still kicking myself for not buying the papas fritas that one vendor held up at one of the stops. The Guatemalan french fries looked really good, and I haven´t gotten to try them yet.

After we arrived in Pana, we walked down to the dock and got a boat to San Pedro, a resort town on the western side.San Pedro reminds me a lot of Homer, AK. A resort town on the water with a lot of hippies and bohemians, and a lot of people who just never leave. It is also cheap. The hotel I am staying at is right on the water, like with a dock that you can wake up, and go for a swim from. And how much does it cost? $2.50 a night!

 Okay, gotta run again, I am trying to enroll in Spanish classes for Monday.