We spent one night in the city of Xela, before heading to a much more relaxed town on the banks of Lake Atilan. We had a whole day by the lake, so we got up early and took a boat to a small village on the other side of the lake. First we visited a local school. The school has been set up using funding from benefactors. Before it was established, most kids didn´t go to school at all. Now most children in the village attend, and they are provided with nutricious meals and health information as well as subjects including Mayan and Spanish languages, maths and music.
The kids were really happy to see us. In one class, they sang old macdonalds farm in Spanish for us. In most of the classes we visited, the kids would rush over to us and ask us to take photos of them. Everyone had digital cameras, so the kids would pull at them trying to get a look at themselves.
After the school visit we went into a local´s home to see how they lived. The houses are very basic. They have concrete floors and walls, very few shelves or possessions and a simple wood fire for cooking. There are usually a few chickens wandering about in the courtyard. They usually don´t have doors, but they might have a bit of material over the door. Housing Tasmania could learn a thing or two from Central American housing.
Next we cross the lake and visited a local market. There were fruits and vegetables of every kind, grains, corn, crabs wrapped in banana leaves and a range of unidentifiable meat products. People were pushing through the tiny alleys wearing baskets full of goods on their heads and calling to each other. It was an amazing, if squashy experience.
In the afternoon, we took the boat back to our side of the Lake and went Zip Lining through the forest canopy. There were 6 zip lines which took us back and forth over the side of the mountain. After all that activity we needed a swim,so we went back down to the lake before heading back to the hotel.
After a barbeque dinner, we played card games and did some Scottish folk dancing until well into the night. All in all, a very good day.
