Leaving Pana

This is the view from inside the lancha, when we left Pana the next morning. The lake is calm and flat today, the side curtains are up allowing for a view and the breeze for the 30 minute trip to San Marcos. The woman here had a bundle of flowers, and she got off before we did.














Lots of lanchas leave from this public dock. The lake is 9 feet higher than usual, and this dock was thrown together with salvaged lumber from the old one. The captains know every submerged piling and other obstruction.  The submerged tree will die, it used to be on the beach...















One of the villages, just west of Pana, where we stopped enroute to San Marcos. The mountains completely surround the lake, making for a majestic view.














One of the volanos across the lake. It's early, but already hazy.

We have chosen San Marcos because Lonely Planet says it's the prettiest of the less than a dozen villages around the lake. They all have a small tourist section, and the locals live up the mountain, high above the water. I've read that the people who live around the lake are  among the most isolated in the country, and we'll see lots of indigenous people here. The lake, rightfully so, has also become a destination for adventure travelers, because of it's isolation and awesome beauty. There is something unique about each village, and we'll probably see several of them in the next few days. Heading west from Pana, we stop at Santa Cruz la Laguna, pop. several; Jaibalito, population 600; Tzunana, pop ?; a private dock for a small hotel; and then San Marcos la Laguna, pop 3800. It's the last village on the north side of the lake, heading west.

I have drawn in the journal I'm keeping a picture of the lake, marking each village and a few notes about each one.  Stuart has doesn't have a strong opinion about which village we choose for our base, but I'm sure I don't want San Pedro, which has the reputation of being a college-student hangout, even though it's reported to be as pretty as some of the other villages.

The passing scene is too beautiful to be described, but I'll post a few pics, in a weak attempt to show the beauty of the lake. Oh, the crossing costs about 14 quetzales, about $2US.