Our first two days on Lake Atitlán were spent at a quaint hotel with king sized beds, fireplaces & good views in every room, pretty rose gardens, and a funny parrot named Marabel who enjoyed her Spanish radio programs. This turned out to the highlight of Panajachel.
We could not set foot on the streets of Panajachel without getting solicited for: ...a boat-ride? ...buy a tablecloth? ...eat at our restaurant? ...no, eat at ours! ...need a quetzel keychain? ...you name it!
Anytime we walked out of an establishment or stood still for more than 1 minute, there they were.
Once Lenny bought something ("good price for you"), he was now a mark for other ladies to follow him down the streets to give it a try. Quite entertaining!
Panajachel is the second largest town on the lake and is a tourist attraction for city folk to venture out on the weekends. The streets are lined with markets to meet the demand. They must come for the spectacular mountainous scenery, because all of the food we had here was terrible.
Everything was a hassle. Its residents also seemed a bit weary of it all... & so did the dogs.
We don't know the details, but had heard that the lake has become contaminated by run-off and sewage and are not sure how far along it's come to getting cleaned up.
That might contribute to some of the hardships on the tourist industry affecting these residents, not to mention the water supply.
That said, there is always an upside to a place that must have been irresistible in its heyday. Being used to plenty of visitors, people we met here were quite open & unreserved, the kids precocious and outgoing, plus the weather is perfect and you can't beat the views!
Typical Panajachel scenery:
A room with a view
Market-lined streets
Cocktail hour in Panajachel:
Balcony over the gardens
Dining in Panajachel:
The best part of the meal
Panajachel Locals:
Heavy load
"Photo! photo!"
Carrying water