Chillin' On The Jetty

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The Lake

Yes, I realize that I am just publishing this diary now, a month after this trip took place, but that just goes to show how lazy I am. First I should explain why I ventured from the affluence of the country club and the saftey of my tiny little college campus to vacation in a place where a hot shower was a luxury. I suppose I don't really have any deep or philosophical answer for that other that it seemed like a damn interesting place to see. Plus the fact that I wanted to visit my lovely friend, Steve.
My first full day in Guatemala was spent in San Marcos on the Lago de Atitlan in the Highlands. Steve picked me up at the airport the previous evening after spending the night in the dorms of the school where he was studying, we got up early to catch the morning bus to the Lake. The bus that we took (the tourist one... we weren't exactly roughing it) only went to Panajachel so we took the boat around the lake. After getting on at the private dock by mistake, and consequently paying something like twice what the fare should have cost us, we finally arrived at San Marcos. This was a staggeringly beautiful place with a fantastic view of the Lake, but the atmosphere was a bit more resort-like than what we had expected. In any event, after finding a place to stay, we claimed a small dock as our own and spent the afternoon taking in the scenery... occasionally mingling with the dogs (and there were lots of these) that came up to visit. Steve wasn't too keen on the dogs, though. Unfortunately, the hotel didn't exactly have the room available the was supposed to be reserved for us. The owners offered us either a space in their own house or a bungalow in a place down the path from them. After bitching and whining from me, we settled on the bungalow in a place called El Pez (or perhaps that was the name of the restaurant?), which was resort quality but far too expensive for us as 200Q (about $25US). And thus ended my first day in Central America: with a relaxing hot shower (eureka!) in an absolute palace of a hotel... palm-thatched roofs and all.

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Photos

Chillin' on the jetty
Steve relaxing on our dock with a view of Lago de Atitlan.

San Marcos
Looking back from the dock.

The Palace
The loft in our bungalow. Wanted to show the palm thatch.