After arriving in Panajachel,the main tourist town surrounding lake atitlan A meal and a tour of the town at night was the go,there were heaps of little pubs with loud,shit music and it was overrun with touro's.Not really digging it i retired to bed and slept well.The next morning i walked down to the lake to check out the scenery.The streets were quite as the Gautemalans are definately night owel's and stay up late then sleep in.When i got to the lake i was a little awestruck.It was huge,glassy and the water was clear.The air was freah and green mountains surrounded the water 360 degrees.On the opposite side was three volcanoes,two beside each other and one to the right.It was a beautiful sight three volcanoes on a lake,a little surreal.The lake itself is the origanal volcano which at some stage, filled in and filled up with water from the tropical rains off the surrounding mountains.The origianal volcanoe must have being soo sooo big and its hard to even imagen it active,even standing beside it.
To me it is a real life experience of seeing how the earth was created.
The place has history,loads of it.The mayan people,original indiginous people of this land have lived here for god knows how long and continue to do so.Its common to hear their dielect in the streets and the lakes edges is scattered with their village's.The area went through a civil war in the late seventies,early eighties and thousands of lives were lost and scars remain today an all the locals.Also the best coffee in the world is grown here,but most of it is exportes around the world to richer coutrys,then probably added with all sorts of crap to be bottled as nescafe.Their is also a high feeling of spiritual energie here with the age of the land and mystery's of the mayan.Mayan shaman healers exist in the hills.
This place (and the people) has seen so many crazy timesbut nothing could ever take away the bueaty of the land and the goegeous views of the lake.Many say its the best lake in the world and after seeing it with my own eye's im a beleiver.
