Guatemala 2018

Friday2ndNovember

It is on this 4th day of our Guatemalan stay that we begin our tour of the country. But before leaving Antigua, we pay a small visit to the region's coffee producer: Filadelfia Coffee. The guided tour begins with the nursery.

The young coffee plant shoot.

The fruit in clusters, red when ripe.

Inside, surrounded by the pulp, the seed recognizable in two hemispheres.

The coffee bean after roasting.

We finally leave Antigua and then have lunch 45 minutes away towards Chimaltenango, at the friendly restaurant El Castillo.

We are approaching Lake Atitlán, the next stop of our stay, where we will spend a few days. The landscape is starting to get hilly and we are very happy to have our Kia Sportage to cross rivers and other steep paths (even if it was sometimes a bit close... ).

An avocado orchard.

Our arrival from the East plunges us directly into the beauty of the site!

The panorama is superb between Sun and volcanoes!

This giant agave adds an exotic touch to the setting...

The lake is surrounded by volcanoes, notably San Pedro, Tolimán, and Atitlán volcanoes.

This lake was born 84 thousand years ago during the collapse of the magma chamber (caldera) that filled this entire area under the ground, now filled with water.

In the background, the Atitlán volcano with an altitude of 3536 meters. Its last eruption dates back to May 3, 1853.

To the right of the Atitlán volcano, the Tolimán volcano, 3,158 meters high. Last eruption unknown...

"In February 1976, a violent earthquake of magnitude 7.5 struck Guatemala, killing over 26,000 people. The earthquake fractured the lakebed, causing underground drainage, which led to a two-meter drop in water level in one month. In 2007, another earthquake had the opposite effect, partially filling these infiltrations. Since then, the level has risen by about eight meters (one meter in 2012), submerging the banks and ruining riverside homes. Hurricanes Stan (in 2005) and Agatha (2010), due to their exceptional rainfall, also contributed to these imbalances.<\/i>" © Wikipedia

First stop around Lake Atitlán with the largest town (~12,000 inhabitants): Panajachel.

The lake is one of the most important tourist sites in the country. Dozens of restaurants line the town's shores.

Tonight, the menu choice will be international with a classic hamburger...

Saturday3rdNovember

Our hotel in Panajachel at Larry's place.

An orange trumpet vine (Pyrostegia venusta<\/i>) and an avocado tree (Persea americana<\/i>) to adorn the hotel garden...

Neither the lake nor the San Pedro volcano moved during the night. As for the dog, I didn't check...  

On the left, the Tolimán volcano (which hides the Atitlán volcano behind it) and on the right, the San Pedro volcano.

Left photo, the Tolimán volcano. Right photo, the San Pedro volcano.

Breakfast in the restaurant with the original name: "los volcanes"... On the right, you'll notice the frijoles at the top of the plate, here in the form of a very compact purée; it can sometimes be in a more or less liquid sauce, or even with the beans barely crushed.

One of the reasons for the lake's charm is the traditional clothing worn by the inhabitants living around it! Each village has its own style. Directly descended from their Mayan ancestors, these "huipiles" garments have spanned the ages, evolving over time, notably with Spanish influence.

We leave Panajachel and begin our clockwise tour of the lake. Here, the village of San Antonio Palopo.

And here we are at the same place we arrived yesterday. The sun isn't in the same spot, but the panorama is just as beautiful.

After a 3-hour drive, we arrive at the west of the lake in the village of San Pedro de la Laguna. We drop off our luggage at the Mansion del Lago hotel where I get my private room and private toilet and shower. Classy!  

In all tourist places, it has established itself: the tuk-tuk!

Lunch at the Chile restaurant.

For the afternoon, we leave our wheeled vehicle for the most common mode of transport around the lake: the lancha. This large motorboat is the floating bus that allows villagers and tourists to quickly and easily reach neighboring villages.

Our lancha crossing lasts 20 minutes (via the neighboring town of San Juan la Laguna) and we disembark on the wooden pier of San Marcos la Laguna.

New village means new huipil style! Unless she's also a tourist!  

The church of San Marcos la Laguna.

A small open-air amphitheater hosts a group warming up their voices with religious songs. The atmosphere struggles to build as we are initially the only audience...

Then a few other spectators arrive, some of whom, alas, are quite inebriated, in front of an impassive orchestra...

Facing the village, the San Pedro volcano catches the clouds from its 3020 meters of altitude.

At the foot of the volcano, San Pedro de la Laguna where we are staying.

Here we are again on the pier, waiting with the locals for the lancha that will take us home.