Sunday, March 29, 2015

One of the most beautiful places in the world, Lake Atitlan

It has always been a given, that if I ever got the chance to visit Guatemala, Lake Atitlan would be part of the tour.  I didn't know anything about this lake, except that over and over and over I'd heard others express their lasting love, special memories and unique spiritual connections with this natural wonder of the world .  And now I finally understand why.

I couldn't stop taking pictures of this beautiful, serene, soaring landscape of natural beauty.  The magnificent beauty surrounding myself and this lake was nothing short of life altering.




Lake Atitlán is renowned as one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.
It is the deepest lake in Central America, thrusting itself over 1,100 feet deep.
It's deep caldera is a result of volcanic activity 84,000 years ago.
3 Volcanoes share the lake's shores; Volcan Atitlan, Volcan San Pedro and Voclan Toliman.


You have no choice.  But to relax.

This mountain is called 'Indian Nose'  Can you see it?

Many small towns can be found dotted all around the lake, in which Maya culture is still very prevalent.  Traditional clothing is still worn by many of the men and women indigenous to the land  Most towns are accessible by road, but would take hours and hours.  The easiest mode of transport from one town to the next is water taxi.

Brian and I, pretty proud of ourselves for getting a water taxi at night

I had the great pleasure of spending 3 of my 4 nights with Brian and Lindsay!  They had plans to visit the lake as well, so we headed up, met up and had a blast!  We spent the days lazily exploring trails and towns, swimming, eating, drinking and dancing.  The town we spent most of our time in was San Marcos.  I gotta say, as an Oregonian I thought I knew what hippy culture was like.  Until San Marcos.

The town has become a Mecca for all things spiritual, with several meditation, yoga, and massage training centers, among many other earth loving communal style compounds, vegan cafes, precious stone vendors galore and tie dye for days.  I even met a dog named Rainbow.


Local kids love cameras.  A lot!

A quick and easy way to get around the larger, hilly towns.  Tuk Tuks!
Brian studying the laws of gravity, with an audience below.
Our favorite spot to chill in San Marcos


Lindsay's volcano selfie

I didn't want to jump off that platform, but I really wanted this picture, so I jumped.




Shortly after I returned home from this amazing 10 day adventure, I got fired from my job for going.  I still can't quite wrap my head around the logic there, but one thing is for certain;  I wouldn't take it back for anything in the world!!!  Lake Atitlan, we'll meet again...


Volcanos everywhere, welcoming and bidding farewells.

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