July 20 - Zip Lines, Butterflies, and shopping

July 20 - Our second and final day here in Panajachel was really fun.

We started the morning at the "coffee art" cafe, which was really beautiful but the coffee was just so-so.


We then walked into town and found the "fruits and vegetables" market. In addition to some fruits I bought a cell phone.

Next we rode a tuk-tuk to the Atitlan Nature Reserve. We decided to splurge and do the zip-line tour. It was really fun! It started with a hike up the valley, where we saw Spider Monkeys and Coatis. The hike involved several rickety suspension bridges and incredible views.





From the top of the ravine, we started the descent, a series of 8 zip line rides. The first one was a bit scary but after that it was easy. I was really glad that we did it!



Next we visited the Butterfly dome. Tough to capture in photos.



We rode another tuk-tuk back to town, and after buying new sneakers for Aleeza we had dinner (beans and rice that we cooked up...) and then headed back out to explore Pana a bit more. It is a bustling town but not a lot of open space. Stuff is crammed together and there are lots of small narrow streets. From our hotel, we crossed the river and then walked along the lakeshore.


This picture shows the footbridge. We were brave and crossed it on the way home. Lots of people were using it, even though it is "closed." Welcome to Guatemala!

While we were at the docks, we heard some yelping from under the boardwalk. It was not hard to discover who was hiding under there. Aleeza wanted to take a puppy home. I said no.



That was a full day, and I left out a ton of details. We will be moving across the lake tomorrow to Santiago. Aleeza will start her training, while I will try to relax at a fancy hotel for two days before starting my homestay and language school.

Thanks for tuning in. Hasta Luego, Amigos!

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