Guatemala ~ Lake Atitlan

Not a week later on Saturday, April 16th we left by car with our dog Chloe to Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, a couple of hours beyond Antigua, but a very different environment. Both of these areas are in the Highlands of Guatemala and the climate is cool for this part of the world ~ in our cooler months of December and January, it gets cold enough in the Highlands (including Guatemala City) to wear real jackets and sleep with down comforters.

The Lake was beautiful and climate fresco, which is why we chose to come here. By boat, we arrived in the small community of Jaibalito along the lake where we stayed in a 2 bedroom house on the same compound as an American there with his wife who is from Costa Rica, son, and dog named Negra (a real sweetie). Mostly, we enjoyed the cooler weather, being by the water (for Cole the dock with fishing), relaxing in a quiet and nice home and surroundings, and exploring different communities (small and medium) around the lake by boat. Chloe enjoyed swimming in the water. Cole made some friends, of course, and on the first day there he went along with the owner's son and a couple other local boys to the village to get some eggs and other things. He was feeling rather "big" - and of course he is almost 6 years old.

Remember how I talked about tourism infrastructure? Well, Guatemala definitely has it in areas and has the making and selling of stuff down. The Mayan women make beautiful cloths and in the highlands areas I saw many who dressed in these traditional cloths. I didn't get the chance to visit a women's cooperative, but I am glad to know they are in place and hopefully assisting women to make a decent income from their wares. There are many gringos in the area too - amazing how many - so much so that you see a gringo on the street selling local and imported stuff (such as toy mice that wind up and go); and there was a health-food store with things that I cannot even find in San Salvador! Funny. So, I can also now appreciate the non-tourism infrastrucutre of El Salvador and it's low key vibe even more.