Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Pana


After a day at the Chichi indigenous markets in the Guatemalan Highlands north west of Antigua we caught the bus to a town called Pana which rests on the shore of Lake Atilkan.

Surrounded by doormat volcanoes it is hard to imagine a more perfect setting for a town this side of heaven.

Pana is not a stunner in itself- it consists of a dusty main street littered with cafes, restaurants and full of hawkers trawling for gringos to sell them the same woven souvenirs that are all over Guatemala.

The hawkers in Pana are more persistent that anywhere else we had been to in Guatemala, we had instances where they would pull up chairs and sit with you until you brought something or donated.

There are quite a number stray dogs too- mangy and unhealthy looking with sad eyes that watch you eat al fresco.

We decided to catch a water collectivo to nearby San Pedro partly because we heard that it was a nice town and partly because i wanted to explore the lake on water- it is incredible.

From the centre of the Lake the mountains and volcanoes that surround it rise to the sky extending over 3000 metres. Because of the way the sun was shining when we visited the mountains were blue, sky blue.

After a lazy day exploring sleepy San Pedro, the quietest little hamlet imaginable, we sat at the dock drinking Cuba Libres until sun down and caught the boat back to Pana so we could put our dancing shoes on.

Asta La Vista

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