"The Most Beautiful Lake in the World"

When my mom was here in October we wanted to visit Lake Atitlan, a few hours from Guatemala City. We have an MCC worker there working with a partner organization. We didn't visit them this trip but plan to in a few weeks. 

 Our first stop was Panajachel, a town on one side of the lake where we had heard about a local coffee roaster and cafe called Crossroads Cafe. It was totally worth it! The coffee was absolutely delicious. We bought several bags of beans. The beans are bought from local farmers and the family roasts them and sells them. We're happy we found a great place to buy local coffee. Now we just need excuses to come to this part of the lake to buy beans. 

The family let us peak behind closed doors and see their coffee roasting area.

Yes, we're from the Pacific Northwest. 

Yes, we're coffee nerds.

 In Santiago Atitlan we had to visit the local church, said to be the oldest in Guatemala, built in the 1500s. There is a monument for people who died in the civil war, as well as a memorial for an American priest named Stanley Rother who was murdered in 1981. 

 Each cross lists a name of someone who died. 

 Santiago Atitlan is known for its beautiful handcrafts and bright colors. Besides walking, the best mode of transportation is the "tuk-tuk."

 Each region in Guatemala has specific designs or colors specific to that area. In this area, intricate embroidered birds are a big part of the culture and identity, as well as bright purples. Many women wear these as part of their traditional dress.

 Everywhere we go we get lots of looks and gawks. Most people ask if our girls are twins.

 People aren't used to seeing double strollers. 

Also, these girls are pretty cute.

 Shopping and bartering.

 The beautiful Lake Atitlan, on our hotel property.

Quick facts about Lake Atitlan:

• The deepest lake in Central America, at 1,120 feet (340 meters).
• It's surrounded by three volcanoes. 
• It's an endoheric lake, meaning it doesn't flow into the sea.
• Some famous travel writer named Aldous Huxley called it the "most beautiful lake in the world."
• The lake is surrounded by villages of indigenous Mayans.
• Hurricane Stan in 2005 caused many mudslides and damage around the lake, killing 1,400 and leaving 5,000 homeless.
• Because of damage from Hurricane Stan, most of the nearby villages' sewage now dumps into the lake.

 Waiting for our boat ride to go across the lake.

 We didn't go in these boats.

 Our captain.

 Arriving to explore another town on the lake. The water has risen more than ten feet in the last several years and many houses or restaurants on the edge of the lake are now partially submerged. 

 Tourist photo op.

 We went to the market and found these grapes from Visalia, California, not too far from where we lived in Fresno. The vendor wasn't nearly as excited about this as we were.

 Market day goods.

There are bushes of coffee beans all along the side of the road. 

 We took a tuk-tuk up the mountain to get another tourist view. 

What a beautiful place. We feel pretty lucky that visiting here regularly is part of our job.