This weekend, several of us took off for Lake Atitlan, specifically the town of Panajachel - sometimes called "Gringo-tenango" due to the number of American tourists here. The town became a hippy hangout in the 60´s and 70´s and is still famous for drugs and partying but also the most touristed town in all of Guatemala. The lake itself is surrounded by dormant volcanoes and mountains and is said to be one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. It was formed 85,000 years ago when a massive volcanic eruption threw ash as far as Florida and Panama. So much lava came out from under the earth that it left a huge void under the surface. Eventually, the surface could no longer support itself and collapsed to form a huge hole that filled with water forming the lake. Average water depth is 1000 feet!

On the chicken bus ride to Panajachel, my friend Maureen and I sat next to a guy that was transporting two ducks and a chicken in a cardboard box on his lap. The bus was packed and we had to sit three across each seat. So now I have proof that chicken buses do transport chickens and various other animals to the market or wherever they need to go. The animals were amazingly patient during the 2 1/2 hour ride. We had to keep an eye on the creatures at a police checkpoint. Buses are stopped randomly by the police to check all Guatemalan men for proper "papers" or illegal weapons. So while our neighbor was outside getting inspected and frisked, Maureen and I had to watch the ducks and chicken. Fortunately, that was uneventful. I can only imagine the chaos I would create by chasing 3 birds around a school bus.

Once at Panajachel, we hired a boat to take us on a 3 town tour around the lake. It made for a pretty cool day. Check out the pics.