Day 19 - Lake Attilan

Today was one of our few days of rest. The hotel that we're staying in is really nice, extremely comfortable, and quiet. Even being the early riser that I am, I didn't get out of bed until 8:30AM. The lake is one of the most beautiful places on earth. It's supposed to be nearly 1000 feet deep in places, is volcanic in origin, and is surrounded by several active and inactive volcanoes.

The majority of the morning I spent in a hammock with my book. I've already read "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy earlier in the trip. It's a dark book, and slightly depressing, but very good. Right now, I'm reading Derek's book, "The Woods" by Harlan Coben. It's rounding out to be a very good book as well.

For lunch, we went to a restaurant that overlooks the lake. I had an interesting dish which featured shrimp breaded in a corn breading and fried. It was sort of like shrimp filled hushpuppies and was tasty. In the afternoon we walked through the market. Guatemalan craftsmen and women are extremely talented. There were gorgeous blankets, wood carvings, scarves, and jewelery all around.

Continuing on the theme of relaxation, we got a quick dinner and watched olympics at night. Michael Phelps is really killing it now. The games have been extremely entertaining so far.

Tomorrow, we load up around noon and head back into Guatemala City for the last two days of our trip. Olfo, one of the Guatemalan dental students mentioned that we might be able to get a tour of the Gallo brewery. I'm sure they have a lot of stuff planned for us! This trip has been a great experience, but I'm definitely ready to get back home. There is no sleep that's as good as sleep in your own bed and there's no food that's quite as good as the stuff in your own home.