Lake Country

We headed south on our eleventh day along the Pan American Highway to see the lakes next to the Guatemalan border some 85 miles from San Cristobal. Our start was delayed for some time because the man who had the key for the garage where the bus had been parked for the week end could not be found so we fidgeted in the hotel lobby for what seemed an agonizingly long wait. When we finally boarded the bus we headed straight for Lagunas de Montebello National Park in the high mountains. Located in Karst Topography, there are 16 lakes in this area noted for their varying colors due to mineral content. Basically these lakes are sink holes which are typically round but some are apparently a series of connecting collapses resulting in elongated formations. The top two pictures are of the main lake showing that rain fall in the recent past had been abundant indicated by the submerged vendors stalls.

We were scheduled for a mile and a half nature walk along the lake and a couple of our group opted to ride horses. The horse traffic had made some of the trail difficult but the hike was pleasant. The collage below depicts the trail including a watch tower, a sink hole lake (cenote), and the eatery and vendors stalls at the parking lot. This is obviously quite a tourist attraction at the right time of year.

Center right is a picture of green house donated to the Park by an individual who had assembled the plant collection it housed. The white tablet tells the details that we did not write down! Claudia was inspecting the specimens.

Pictured in this collage are some of the many flowers and plants along the trail. Jim and Darlene the travel photographers were taking pictures of every plant they saw. Jim is featured in the center. Interesting plants and flowers but we do not know their names.

Not much to say about the horses; it was a little humorous watching Joan and Dave mount and be led off up the trail.
We visited a famous pottery village, Amatenango, on the way to lunch, which featured unique and colorful pieces.

Lunch was scheduled for Finca Santa Maria a restored county hacienda. Our meal was barbecued pork or chicken. The meals were very good, served in an open thatched roof shelter, upper center. They also had rooms to let, upper left. It is still an active coffee farm complete with roasting facilities. Coffee trees are pictured with cherries ready to pick. New coffee plants were being nurtured next to a south facing wall, middle bottom. The tree, lower right, is full of weaver bird nests. The center pictures are the old kitchen oven, barbecue spit, and a bench like structure with a hole in the top that had once been used as a "cook top" fired with an open fire underneath.

From the veranda flower green houses were visible along the river. Upper picture lower left is an ordinary shot and the lower picture is a closeup. This set up appeared to be on the adjacent farm.

To be continued.