Day 20 - Leaving the Lake

Aldous Huxley wrote the following about Lake Atitlan: " "Lake Como, it seems to me, touches on the limit of permissibly picturesque, but Atitlán is Como with additional embellishments of several immense volcanoes. It really is too much of a good thing." Atitlan is incredibly beautiful. The water is clear and deep, the mountains frame the lake and everything is emerald green.

Today, we spent our last half day at the lake relaxing and enjoying the sun. Our hotel had a wonderful pool, complete with a water slide that Derek enjoyed immensely. I'm not sure if he or the two 10 year old girls who were competing for slide-time enjoyed it more. The pool was heated to the perfect temperature and was sparsley polulated.

At noon, we rode back to Guatemala City. It's nearly a 3 hour ride from the lake through some pretty winding roads, so beware if you get car-sick. Once back in the city, our gracious hosts (the Guatemalan dental students) took us to a nice dinner at a place called 'Pizza Bar'. If you've ever been to brixx in Chapel Hill, the pizza was pretty similar. The biggest difference had the look of an upscale restaurant. It was sortof wierd eating pizza and drinking beer in such a swanky setting. Thankfully, the prices didn't match the decor!

Tomorrow, we've been promised a morning tour of the Gallo Brewery and possibly a trip to one of the malls here in Guatemala City. Yes, we are all getting a little homesick and ready to be back in the States. I'm sure the dental students have much more in store for us tomorrow than just the brewery tour. They've been such gracious hosts and I'd love to reciprocate and show them a great time in North Carolina!