Lake Atitlán

Lake Atitlán is likely the most beautiful caldera on Earth. No amount of writing or pictures can do justice to the beauty surrounding Lake Atitlán. After leaving Antigua, we spent a few days at Maya Moon, an eco-lodge between the small towns of Tzununa and San Marcos. Eco-lodge is, of course, a nice way of saying what you should expect as a guest — spiders the size of your hand, scorpions, and weird noises coming from your room in the dead of night. Even so, we had an amazing time and would not have changed a thing about our stay.  

Travel by boat, or en lancha, is a common way to travel between towns around the lake, Here, Merritt and I are headed to Maya Moon from the city of Panajachel.

The view from our room at Maya Moon.

We swam every day from our own private dock at the lodge.

Since it is low season in Guatemala, we shared the entire estate with just two other travelers. The other travelers at Maya Moon were young entrepreneurs that have a shoe factory close to Antigua. Finding work here in Guatemala is a nationwide epidemic. Finding work that pays a living wage is even a harder challenge. But bright, young entrepreneurs are changing that story throughout the country. The two other travelers with us at the lodge work for Adelante, a leather shoe company that provides stable work that pays a living wage to cutters, sewers, and cobblers in Guatemala. 

Though we enjoyed our talks with other travelers regarding transportation, sewing and manufacturing, the highlight of our time at Maya Moon was a beautiful hike that went through the mountainous towns surrounding the lake. We scaled up and down steep terrain with corn fields and other lush vegetation. Here, corn fields are grown wherever land exists. It was impeccable to see corn fields on 45 degree mountainous land with the side of a corn field abruptly terminating due to a 500 foot drop with rocky terrain below. 

Our guide, Luis, was born and raised at the lake. We were humbled by his story. His mom and dad never legally married, which is common here. They raised eight children together, including Luis, who are now all grown. However, just a few hours after our hike, Luis was going to celebrate the marriage of his parents. His father is terminally ill and wanted to officially marry the woman that has been by his side for the majority of his life. The money from our hike that day helped with the expenses of the celebration. It was another powerful reminder about why we are doing this trip. Life is short, and every person on this planet has a story. We will bring you more stories of the beautiful people we meet along the way. Until next time.