change of address

One morning, we went to Hotel Acculax for breakfast. LP says Acculas serves a delicious and beautiful breakfast, they did not lie. The patio where breakfast is served is yet another "this must be a Disney stage set" beauty. The bowls  were filled with delicious fruit and flowers from the garden, the coffee was grown and roasted on the property, and the view of the lake from up here was unmatchable. We decided to spread our money around, and moved from the beautiful jungle room at Bosque Encantado to a sun-filled room at Acculax. Acculax is the Mayan word for the owner's name, Nicholas. The German man is married to a New York woman, and their three year old son is growing up with four languages; German, English, Mayan and Spanish. The rate is a little higher, 330 Q, but we'll splurge. Our room is called La Cascada, the waterfall, becuase we climb a lot of steps carved into the mountain side, then then down some steps to get to our room and private little balcony.





Our room is the one up top...lots of steps, but by the second time up, it was nothing. Here, we're overlooking the lake, and there is a shady flower garden with hammocks waiting for us. There are about 10 rooms here, I think, and we have one of the best views.

The hotel is built right into the living rock, and our room is actually called La Cascada becuase it weeps in the rainy season, not because of the steps! We noticed that the floor is sloped, and there is a drain hole in the low corner. There are some decorative cement snakes on the rock, diverting the water when it rains to the drainage channel at floor level. Our bathroom is across the little balcony, and is all rock. The shower is huge, with an unlimited supply of hot water. The window in the bath is the work of our hostess, Lily, who is a stained glass artist. The windows in our bedroom are floor to ceiling, facing the lake.













The view of the lake from our private balcony.





















The sign on the path, directing us to our hotel. This is as close to a billboard as anything on the lake!

We spend a few days in San Marcos, walking and swimming, eating and dozing in a hammock. San Marcos is known for it's meditation centers and yoga schools. I took a class one afternoon with an Australian man in Anasura yoga, with just one other young woman in the class. Stuart and I both can easily let time slip away from us here, as so many other people have. We've met people who came here for a few days, and a couple of years later are still here. Carlos, who owns Blind Lemon's restaurant, is a blues guitarist. His wife (whom we did not meet) was a Peace Corp worker, and was thrown out of Guatemala at the beginning of their civil war. She was 'not finished' with Guatemala, and they eventually returned, and now live here. Carlos played and sang for Stuart and me one night, when we had dinner in his restaurant.

Susan, a 50-something woman I met one afternoon on the rocks, sold every thing she owned in CT, bought a sail boat with a friend, and after a year of sailing sold the boat and moved to San Marcos. She's going to eventually settle in Asheville, NC, where she hopes to do a little farming. We met so many travelers with the most wonderful tales...James, who had just submitted his final paper for college, and was approved for graduation. He told me he considered himself a graduate as of about 2 hours ago, and was on his way to San Pedro for the beginning for a walk-about in Guatemala as celebration.  We promised to have a beer in his honor later that day....This place will grab you, and if you're lucky, you will find yourself living here for a long time.