Pana!

So despite the warning from Pierre that there was nothing of note to see there, we decided we would be remiss not to visit the most notable town in the area, Panajachel, Pana for short. We were headed out the door shortly after breakfast when Ken got an alert that one of his client's web sites was down. No worries, we headed back to the studio and he sorted it out.

About an hour later, we headed down to our dock and caught a boat in passing. It was quite full and we offered to take the next one, but they insisted we get on board. With just one seat on a bench inside the covered area, poor Ken sat on the step people use to get onto the boat. We decided it must be a theme this trip, him being forced to sit on the steps.

It was about a 30 minute ride and Ken got involved with a conversation with an ex-pat who had a restaurant in the town near us and is adding on a hotel. The guy told us about just about every item on his menu, and he is particularly proud of his special recipe pizza.

It was a pretty uneventful trip until the last few minutes when the water got REALLY choppy and instead of slowing down, our boat sped up. There were several times we got considerable air and I felt like I left my stomach somewhere on the waves behind us. Ken and his buddy even had to stand up because they were being thrown around so much - no, don't have a photo of that, I was busy holding on!

As soon as we got there, Ken said he was starving so we started looking for a place to eat. We headed down Santander Road, and quickly found something that would work - El Bistro!

I am a strict vegetarian, but Ken likes to add a little animal protein when we eat out, so El Bistro was perfect. He ordered a pepperoni pizza and I started with an avocado salad and margarita. I have to say the margarita was one of the most elegant and tasty I have ever had. It was perfectly clear, except for a small amount of a hot pink substance floating in the drink. Yummy! Ken also tried the "official" beer of Guatemala, Gallo. He says it's okay. The bread was warm and decent and we appreciated the oil and balsamic, especially how it made a heart for us.

 So here is Ken with his pizza. And here I am with my margarita.

And the lighting in the place was probably my favorite part - these were paper lanterns with lights inside and they looked beautiful!

This is also the first restaurant that we have been to that accepts Visa, very nice for our cash flow. Also kinda cool that the Visa sign is posted on a natural wood stump.

As we entered the restaurant, a woman on the street approached us to buy her woven table covers, but we told her we would see her after we ate. As we left, she approached us again, but we told her we were going to have coffee. I read about a place called Cafe Moka online and we went in to check it out. Have to say, I love the mochas down here, they add a little cinnamon and it's a little less sweet.

As we left the coffee shop, it was a relief to talk with Margarita, as she seemed to anxious to have our business. She told us that only the women in her family made the cloths we were looking at and asked quite a lot for them to begin with. Ken talked her down to about $20 a piece for 3 of them, about half of the original price - by the way, it is pretty customary to negotiate here. To the point that you have to walk away. Margarita was an amazing salesperson. She learned our names, she was persistent, she remained friendly, and I liked her. We hugged when the deal was made. So we saw very similar fabrics down the road, and I am choosing to believe that it because her family is selling fabric there as well. ;-)

People here have a good sense of humor...this was in the front window of a book store. Lots of bookstores down here by the way.

Here are a couple of "street" shots to give a feel of the shops and restaurants. It was a little surreal to have the level of commerce in the shadows of such impressive natural wonders.

After lunch and some shopping, the weather was getting a little gnarly and we knew it was time to head back. Here's a look at the dock.

And a look at the area where our boat would be headed to take us back to Pasaj-Cap - about that fourth mountainous edge you see poking out on the right.

Here's a video of part of the boat ride back - sorry it's sideways, no idea how to fix that. It was bumpy and crowded, but pleasant.

 Here's  Santa Cruz, a small town up the hill from their dock where we dropped a few folks off on our way back.

These photos are so small, I know they don't convey the feeling you have when you are on a small boat going past these huge outcroppings, hills, and mountains. Even the size of the lake is hard to imagine. It all comes together to remind you how very small you are, and how little control you have over the natural world. That's a good thing.