Jaibalito

I didn't really like Panajachel as a town, it was loud, dusty and smelly and I hoped that I would find some peace in one of the smaller towns around the lake. I picked out two that looked quiet and went with the cheaper option, the "Posada Jaibalito" which was owned by a German guy who baked his own bread. Very curious about the last I boarded a boat from one of the docks at around noon which took me to Jaibalito. As I stood on the pier where the boat had dropped me off and the sound of it's motor disappeared towards San Pedro La Laguna it seemed to be completely quiet for a second. I breathed cleaner air, I had as much time I wanted and I felt good! For the first time back on the road it felt like I had found what I was looking for, not because I didn't like the earlier stages but because for the first time I could really kick back, relax and see what the day would bring for me.
The "Posada Jaibalito" is a small hostel not far away from the lake with a few shared rooms, hammocks in a nice chilled atmosphere. The trees give a lot of shade which makes the place seem colder than others which is nice during the day but can get a bit chilly in the evenings. I checked in and had a late breakfast (traditional Guatemalan with eggs, rice, beans and cheese) that came with a slice of good looking bread. The bread really was amazing, probably the best I had tasted in months, even though it was simple without too much trara.
I did nothing for a while before I wrote a bit on my blog and continued to do nothing. Isn't life wonderful? Rune, my Norwegian room mate showed up sometime in the afternoon, he was a very interesting guy, and we had a nice conversation, dinner and a beer together.
I woke up early the next day to do Yoga and meditate, Rune did that every day, but I had a hard time getting up so I only joined him for the meditation. We chose a spot right at the lake that had amazing views and he told me what to do. I don't know if I did it right or if what I did deserves to be called meditating but to focus the mind and try to forget about everything that is around you was a nice way to start into the day. My attempt was interrupted by a young dog jumping on my back, playfully trying to bite my head but Rune also had to leave and it was a lot harder to do by myself.
I went for a hike to the next town, Santa Cruz La Laguna, and beyond until the trail stopped halfway up a headland and left me no choice but to turn around. The trail wound along the edge of the lake passing beautiful properties and revealing scenic views of the lake and its surroundings.

Since I have no photographs that I took myself to show you I will try to draw you a mental picture of what I saw: standing on a hill, maybe 30 meters above the water the lake spread out underneath me, gleaming and glittering in the sunlight. It is big enough that I have to turn my head to see from one end to the other and still some corners and pockets are hidden behind headlands and hills. Three volcano peaks (actually it is only two, the "Atitlan" and the "Toliman" which has two peaks)line up perfectly across from me in a straight line looking almost the same and a smaller uprising closer to the lake, the "Cerro de Oro" that looks exactly like the "snake that swallowed an elephant" from the story "The Little Prince". Further to the right another volcano rises close to the shore, its shape forming a perfect triangle, at its foot the village of San Pedro la Laguna which shares its name with the mountain. All around the lake it is easy to spot the small villages and cities, white dots on the line that separates lake and highland and where there is no village the surrounding hills come down to meet the lake. It is a clear day, only a few clods crib the perfectly blue sky but close to the water a refreshing wind blows without which it would be too hot for a hike. It is a majestic view from where I stand, simple beauty in its pure form and I almost feel something like sadness that I can't share this moment with someone else.
The rest of my day went by like the last one had ended, with good food and company and loud 'gospel' music from one of the six different churches in town. I really enjoyed the quiet time that I had in Jaibalito where I discovered just a tiny bit more of myself and found the peace that I needed to fully recover from the trip here and settle back in into the backpacking life.