Sweet, Sweet Serenity
Trip Start
Jun 11, 2011
1
7
13
Trip End
Jul 06, 2011
Jaibalito, Western Highlands, Guatemala
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Throughout the 3 day trek from Xela to Lake Atitlan, there were a few positive thoughts that kept me chugging along. One of those was the thought of being done and another was the thought of recuperating somewhere very nice and quiet along the lake. Where we stayed actually exceeded all of my expectations and I wish that we could have stayed much, much longer.
Once we said goodbye to all of our trekking friends, we hopped on a ferry to head to our next destination, Casa Del Mundo in the quaint town of Jaibalito. The total boat ride was about 20 minutes and the afternoon skies were becoming dark and dreary. We were not really sure of what to look for, as we only really saw some pictures on the hotel website, so we were astonished to arrive in a setting so big and beautiful that we could not even fully photograph all of the grounds. Our boat driver dropped us off on the dock and we paused in awe of what lay ahead of us. There were about 80 stone steps that we needed to climb to get to the front office. Obviously, the last thing our bodies wanted to do that day was climb some more, so we begrudgingly hoisted ourselves up the path, huffing and puffing until we got to the main office. The buildings were absolutely gorgeous. Tucked into the sides of the cliff faces, the stone buildings were spread throughout the grounds, along with the most well maintained and colorful landscaping with scattered terraces and balconies. We had definitely found our sweet retreat.
The hostess greeted us warmly and once we told her of our 3 day journey to the lake, she empathetically reassured us that we wound only have 15 more steps to ascend. The pain of the last uphill climb was more than worth it as we stepped into what we would call home for the next day and a half. I would like to describe it as a penthouse, because in our opinion, it had the best view of the lake and it was huge! Elaborately decorated, the room felt more like someone's house than a hotel. The ceilings were at least 15 feet high and the walls were full of very tall windows so that you could see the lake from any place in the room. The bathroom was also a sweet treat, especially after the lack of a proper bathroom we'd had in the last 3 days. My favorite part of the whole place, was the balcony that overlooked the lake, and that we took full advantage of using during our stay.
Almost immediately, we all started unpacking our disgusting packs and held back gags as we opened up our dirty laundry bags. Soon, we were settled in, drying our soaked gear and taking turns in what was one of the hottest showers I've ever experienced. Then, after naps and showers, it was soon time for a communal dinner in the main dining area. We had heard the food here was good and it definitely did not disappoint. While Miguel, Vanessa and Brian enjoyed a pot of tea, I ordered a giant michilaeda because I had been looking forward to one during the whole trek. Our dinner came in 4 courses, a soup -some sort of chicken and vegetable, a salad- sort of like a sweeter version of a caesar, a main course of chicken meatballs, pasta alfredo and veggies, and a fruit crepe for dessert. Although everything was more than delicious, by the time dessert came our heads were almost hitting our plates in exhaustion. We explained to our fellow diners that we did not mean to be rude, but we had woken up at 3AM, trekked almost 6 miles and needed to hit the hay. All of us trotted up to bed and within minutes were completely dead asleep.
Very early the next morning, I heard Miguel rustling about and knew that he was probably trying to get a picture of the sunrise. I finally got up and joined him on the patio, Brian and Vanessa in suit and we all enjoyed watching the horizon turn from a steamy light blue, to a misty grapefruit haze. If not for the mosquitoes, we could have stayed on that deck all morning watching the volcanoes get engulfed in clouds and then blow them away. Instead, we decided that there was no way we could go back to bed, so we headed down to the dining area to enjoy a greatly missed necessity- steaming hot, thick Guatemalan coffee. It was definitely a trillion times better than the crap mix that was available on the trek, and we sat for a few hours enjoying the bottomless delight. Soon it was time for breakfast, and it is at this point that I must hold back tears, because the breakfast we had at Casa Del Mundo was maybe the best breakfast I've ever had in my life. The menu options were simple, yet plentiful, and Miguel and I chose the breakfast burrito, while Brian went for a spinach and cheese omelet and Vanessa pancakes and fruit. For the most part, we ate in silence as we slowly savored each delectable bite, but the silence was broken as we began to rave about how much we were enjoying it and wished we could have just one more day of this spoiling.
Shortly after breakfast, we decided to head down those 80 steps to find a balcony for sunbathing and swimming. We chose the main terrace, which was close to the dock, where we could soak in the rays while watching the boats breeze by. It wasn't long before the blazing sun caused us to year to jump into the lake. At first, I was a little apprehensive of jumping off of the balcony wall which was at least 15 feet from the top of the water, but I knew that I would regret it if I didn't. So, Brian and I stood hand in hand and took the plunge to the chilly water below. I remember screaming as my feet lifted off of the concrete below them and soon I was swimming back up to the surface, full of excited giggles. This is something that I will usually only do once, and did, but Brian and Miguel continued to jump while Vanessa and I tried to capture their faces on camera. All of the excitement tired us out and we were back on the chairs soaking in as much sun as we could before the afternoon showers rolled in. And they rolled in with a vengeance! The rest of the afternoon was spent in the comfort of our warm room as we napped, blogged and watched the storm pound the lake with rain.
Sadly, that was the end of our relaxation as we knew we had to prep for the next day, which would consist of a 5 AM wake up, a boat ride to the nearby town of Panajachel where we would catch a mini bus for a 2 1/2 hour ride to Guatemala City and from there a 5 hour Tica Bus ride to San Salvador. The only problem was, that none of it was planned yet, so instead of drowning in our sorrows, we grabbed a few beers and our iPods/iPads and hammered out a plan for the morning. Once that was done, a delicious dinner of curried chicken was served, then we grabbed a few more beers, headed up to our rooms and packed for the long road ahead.
Comments
Good Morning Youngsters,
Pardon me if I giggle at age references to your trek family. Weaving your posts was brilliant and a joy to read now that I know you survived. If my brother was leading the pre-trek meeting he would have boiled it down to "This is going to be a character builder!" It sounds like all of you are solid. I admire your youth, your wanderlust, your sense of adventure, and your comrade. Celebration of your success screamed via balcony photos. Perfect. Also, the photos of Equipo Amigos are priceless. Love, Twanda
This place looks great! What a nice place to relax after the trek.
Quite a contrast in accommodations from the trek. Looks beautiful.
Now we are talking about a place I just might enjoy. Sign me up. This place looks beautiful. I'm not quite sure how I would do on the Trek!!
Hope you are having a great time.