In the Lake of Luxury: Lake Atitlan

Roland enjoying the ride
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After the ruins near Tecpan, we got back in the van (including the three students) and drove to town. The girls departed and we stopped for a bit of tire repair. That's where Kitty got her first up-close look at a tuk-tuk. We also marveled at the open air laundry facility down the street from the tire shop.

While our ultimate destination for the day was La Casa del Mundo, near Jaibalito, we first had to get to Panajachel. The drive up the volcano seemed long, with a lot of curves. Steve had fond memories of a roadside lodge where we could stop for a late lunch. The lodge was still there and it turned out to be a good stopping place as the traffic was quite backed up near there due to road construction. By the time we had eaten our soups and combo plates, traffic had cleared again. We got pies to go. Our driver warned us that we may encounter a roadblock because of a strike in a small town along the way, with tires lit on fire in the road to block access in and out of town. As it turned out, the strike was over, but we did see some of the remains of the road blockage.

We knew we were in for at treat and we could see almost immediately why it rated so well

Kitty maintains her avocado-smuggling tourist persona. ;)
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Somewhere along the way, the driver got a phone call and agree to pick up another job for the day. That put an end to any dilly-dallying we had been doing. But it also meant a very, very fast ride down an extremely curvy road for the descent into Panajachel. It was worse than being on a rollercoaster. At least with a coaster, you know the cart is going to stay locked to the track. Yikes! It was a white knuckle trip down the volcano.

Once in Panajachel, we assembled our luggage near the dock where we would be getting a taxi boat to take us to Jaibalito. Steve and Mike had an errand to run before we got on a boat (confirming travel arrangements for the day we left Lake Atitlan), but first they had to fend off the droves of tuk-tuk and boat drivers who wanted our business in the worst way. Mike told them that their approach made him feel like meat among vultures. They backed off a bit, but when Mike and Steve returned, they were back to see who would get to ferry us to La Casa del Mundo.

Picture of Hotel Casa Del Mundo, Jaibalito Lake Atitlan Guatemala
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We thought to wait for a general public transportation boat--not hire a private one. The public boat has a route and picks up and drops off people along the way--like a bus. The private boat takes you directly to your destination and understandably costs more that the public boat--like a taxi. In the end we decided that the difference in cost would not really matter to us as we had enough people to make it economical.  That and we really wanted to get away from those docks. Convenience matters! Also, Steve had once had a harrowing journey on una lancha in Lake Atitlan: the boat kept taking more and more and more people on and the passengers kept nervously watching the boat get lower and lower in the water. They did not capsize, but better to not worry about that...

Docks at Casa Del Mundo at Sunrise
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Mike's research had told us that the boat trip would be short. And it was. 10 minutes only. The hotel, La Casa del Mundo has it's own website that includes a great YouTube video. Interested vacationers should look at. There are also many great photos of the place on the Trekearth website. La Casa del Mundo gets rave reviews from all guide books. Frommer's considers it to be one of the best hotels in the entire country. So, we knew we were in for at treat and we could see almost immediately why it rated so well. The grounds are lovely. The rooms are nice, albeit on the slightly smaller side. It was a very fun place to stay. We really did regret that we did not have more time to stay there.

Looking up at Terry and Roland's and Steve and Kitty's Room (First Window's you See)
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La Casa del Mundo is built right up into the hillside surrounding the lake and hence it is a steep climb from the dock to the main buildings and again to get to our rooms. There are benches along the route and porters to assist with luggage, so someone who has trouble climbing steps would be able to make the trek of about 150 steps with breaks, but this hotel is definitely not wheelchair accessible. The food was very good. Therese was very impressed and asked for a chowder recipe. Evening meals are served at long tables, so guests get an opportunity to meet and mingle. Some enjoyed warm showers, while others had to do with tepid ones. Such is the case everywhere we visited in the Central America.

Near the Hot Tub on the decks of Casa Del Mundo
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After dinner and a short walk, Mike and I turned in early. We also got up early and were down by the water's edge snapping photos as the sun rose. The light was spectacular over the water and it was, again, easy to see why this place has received such glowing reviews.

Therese, Kitty and Steve went for a hike early the next afternoon and upon returning to the hotel, Kitty set off again with Mike, Terry and Roland for a boat "cruise" to San Pedro la Laguno, one of the nearby villages. Our quick impression is that the town seemed to be a conservative place that had some liberal foreign influence from the young tourists that  study Spanish and the schools set up to support that...

Breakfast at Casa Del Mundo
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After a wonderfull dinner we turned in and Therese was surprised that Mike wanted to get up so early.  He is not normally an early riser at all!  But the photos taken early that morning are absolutely stunning.  See for yourself.