Quick trip to Pana for Christmas Shopping

Saturday Beth and I went to Panajachel (town on Lake Atitlán) with Jennifer (principal of early elementary) to do some Christmas shopping. We took the normal route there and got stuck in some construction traffic. Thankfully we didn't arrive any earlier, as we would have sat at a standstill for a lot longer. Apparently the road crew shuts down traffic from noon to 2:30! So you just have to wait the entire time before they allow traffic through. All the while big chicken buses and other aggressive drivers speed ahead in the left lane to crowd the front of line (same thing happens on the other side), creating a big traffic jam that takes a while to filter through once the road reopens. The crew also periodically shuts down the road for half hour increments throughout the morning and afternoon, making it a headache to get through no matter what time of day.

Normally it takes two-and-a-half to three hours to get to Pana, but it took us five (that's including a lunch break). We got to town around 4 and got straight to shopping for fear stores would be closing by 6. Luckily for us there was some sort of festival going on that night and places were staying open later.

We got quite a bit done that afternoon and made it to our hotel, Posada Los Encuentros, by 8 or so that night. Beth found this place online and it turned out to be a great find. It was off the main road, so it was nice and quiet (although you can't escape the ever-howling packs of feral dogs).

On Sunday we had a nice breakfast at the hotel and then headed back out for some more shopping. We wrapped up by 11 and then headed back a different route. This route was a little longer, but much more scenic. It actually ended up taking just three hours, so it wasn't much different time-wise to the regular route, but we were treated to some spectacular views of the lake and volcanoes. It was a gorgeous day, so we stopped along the way and took some pictures and this video. I'm always amazed by how incredibly large the volcanoes are and how beautiful the lake is. You really have to see it in person!