This weekend we were blessed with a wonderful problem.  We had two invitations to Lake Atitlan, which is known as “the most beautiful lake in the world.”  Our “buddy” family set up by the school asked us first, so we accepted their invitation.  The other invitation was from a member of the ND Alumni Club, so we made arrangements to get together with them on Saturday for the game.  Friday was Independence Day, so we didn’t have school.  We were planning on leaving early because traffic was expected to be horrible.  There is one main road out of the city that leads to Antigua, Atitlan, and El Salvador, which covers the long weekend destinations for thousands of people.  We still hadn’t heard from the family at 10:00 so we called and left them a message.  Their 5^th grade daughter (not in my class, though) called at 10:30 and said they were running late and it will be a couple hours.  So Sarah decided she had time to go to the gym and I walked her there before coming back to shower and I hadn’t packed yet (imagine that).  I was going to go get her at noon, but told her to take her phone in case they called earlier.  When I stepped out of the shower, Brenda called and said her brother was on his way to pick us up.  I called Sarah to tell her to run home, and of course, she didn’t answer (Chet, you are right!).  So I had to run the half-mile or so to the gym to get her, and we ran back.  I threw things together and Sarah was showered and ready in 12 minutes. 

The lake is not that far from the city, but it’s not an easy drive.  It takes about 2 ½ hours normally, but with so much traffic it took an extra hour.  The road leading to the lake is like a roller coaster, which Sarah isn’t a big fan of so she had to focus on not getting sick.  The family owns an apartment in a big tower near the biggest village on the lake, Panajachel.  The lake water was not nearly as brilliantly blue/green as I remembered it, and the family explained that it is mostly gray during rainy season.  So Sarah’s first glimpse of the lake was not quite the same, but it’s safe to say she was still impressed.  Some facts:  Atitlan was formed in an immense volcanic explosion 85,000 years ago. Like Pompeii and Mt. St. Helen volcanic pressure was released with devastating results.  However the explosion here was much more destructive. The explosion at Mt. St. Helen released 2 cu. kilometers of rock and ash, Pompeii blew out 6 cu. kilometers. Atitlan discharged over 180 cu. kilometers of hot ash and rock.  An immense hole was left in the earth's crust, leading to Atitlan being one of the world's deepest lakes.  One of the more interesting effects of the explosion is that deep, large fissures were formed, out of which the water flows. Atitlan is unique in that it is a fresh water lake with no river outlet.  Tens of thousands of years later three volcanoes grew on the southern shore. 

Increasing tourism has been a priority for Panajachel since the lake became a National Park in 1955.  The place is now crawling with gringos, and many American stars are rumored to fly in for a getaway.  Supposedly Bono has a house somewhere on the lake as well (Father Scully, can you get us an invite?)  For a while Pana was a haven for hippies, and some remnants from that era remain.  Walking out of the tower’s lobby, there was a hairy monkey sitting on the ledge and we were reminded how much we miss our friends, especially Reffett.  We watched the sunset while drinking coffee on the deck of the “Sunset Café” before having the best pizza in Guatemala with our entire host family (parents, 3 kids of 10, 5, and 2, and brother/sister-in-law).

In the morning, Sarah and I walked to a Natural Reserve and saw a lot more spider monkeys, crossed some cool hanging bridges, and saw a pretty big waterfall.  We also walked through a “butterfly preserve.” 

Our ND connection picked us up in a boat and took us to their incredible private home on the lake.  The two story home is built into the side of the mountain and every single room has a view of the lake and the 3 volcanoes on the other side.  You have to see the pictures to understand how amazing it was.  I don’t know how they ever leave and go back to the city.  We sipped a margarita in the pool before lunch

and then it was game time!……………… Ok, I’m back.  I had to step away for a kleenex and some tylenol…skipping ahead to after the game, we watched a spectacular sunset before dinner was served and they took us back to the towers around 9:00 pm.  Here is the money shot:

On Sunday, we went to Mass in Panajachel and did a little shopping on the street.  Sarah needed yet another blanket (while I still have only a sheet on my bed), and she’s getting pretty good at negotiating.  The guy started at 850 Quetzales for a huge hand-made quilt and she got him down to 325Q (about $40).  Our host family picked us up and we went to a different reserve.  We walked along a riverbed that was mostly dry, but had suffered much damage due to Hurricane Stan last year.  Many roads, bridges, and homes were washed away or buried and thousands of people died.  There had been a lot of rain so we couldn’t find a safe place for the kids to cross, which prevented us from seeing some waterfalls but it was still a great time.