Scroll down to see all pictures In March we had to go back to Guat City for a follow up MD visit for Al’s nose. Guat City is in the mountains so it’s quite cool in winter. While there we read about a music festival scheduled for the following weekend at Lake Atitlan. We planned to visit the lake at some point, and since we were already half way there and ready for something fun in our lives, we decided to go and attend the music festival. So we hopped a bus to Panajachel and found a hotel. Pana, as it is known, is on the shore of Lake Atitlan and is the hopping off point for the ferries that carry people to the other towns along the lakeshore.
The First Annual Lake Atitlan International Music Festival was held at Santiago de Atitlan, so we took the ferry there the day before to check out the scene. Good thing we did because we never would have found the festival! The festival was held outside of town, in a hollow surrounded by hills along the lakeshore with nothing but trees all around- a beautiful setting. It was a bright, sunny day, with tents for food vendors, people stretched out on blankets, kids running around and everybody smiling. And the whole event was arranged to raise funds to rebuild a hospital in the town of Panaba that was destroyed by mudslides from Hurricane Stan the previous October. It was a real feel good experience, with a mix of Guatemalan, Canadian and American musicians.
April was a quiet month- time to regroup and consider our plans. We had intended to leave Guatemala in the spring and sail to the Bay Islands of Honduras. But with things in a bit of upheaval we decided to stay put. We made a day trip with our friends Bob and Trish to a small Mayan ruin site closeby, Quirigua. Very interesting place with carved stone stelae over 30 feet tall, and large rocks called zoomorphs carved to resemble animals. We also made a day trip with a group to Finca Paraiso closeby. This is a low key, small resort, the highlight of which is the waterfall and hot springs at the river. Scalding hot water pours from above the waterfall and mixes with cold water running down the spring-fed river. Large rocks encircle the deep pool at the base of the waterfall, then the water gurgles along a rocky stream. It is magical, and the water feels so good I didn’t want to get out! Also in April, my fellow Sweet River Band members, Steve and Mike, returned to Mario’s Marina and we started rehearsing for our season of music on the rio.
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