Fin de la semana

This weekend we had some interesting adventures. A guy we met suggested we go to a little village called Jabolito. It is a little ways around the lake from Panajachel. We went Saturday morning. We walked around looking for the center of town only to find out we were in it. It made Orange look like NYC. After that we decided to go to another town across the lake called San Pedro. It is definitely the party town on the lake. We considered a school there and we were glad we didn't choose that one. It was a little too young and edgy for us. We went kayaking in some seriously old kayaks and explored the cove at San Pedro. The water level of the lake fluctuates from year to year, but it has been rising in recent years. We saw this first hand in the form of lots of submerged houses and docks. Just as we were leaving a huge storm blew in and we had to cross the lake in the pouring rain. We had to hold down the tarp across the front to keep from getting soaked. It was not quite the Perfect Storm, but when you consider most of the other people on the boat can't swim it ups the ante a little. The kids loved it. Did some shopping and wandered through town in the pouring rain.

view from dock at Jaibalito

Rico Suave

holding the tarp in the launcha

On Sunday we took another "launcha" boat across the lake to this great little town called Santiago Atitlan. In 2008 there were awful landslides here and many people died. The city is on a steep hillside with an enormous church. We paid a visit to "Maximon" a Mayan/Christian god who resides in Santiago. He is a wooden statue who likes to smoke and drink and answer prayers. We crossed the lake again back home to Pana in time to watch Spain vs Italy in the Euro Cup. The whole place would totally erupt when Spain scored. Had a rainy dinner at this cool little taco shop, came home and read a bit of Where the Red Fern grows and went to bed.

Moximon, the wooden guy in the center

La launcha on a nicer crossing