Come with us to this land of total enchantment. The colors and beauty of Guatemala will stay with you forever. The traditional Mayan culture will touch your soul. We’ll visit the gorgeous colonial city of Antigua, then head off to Panajachel which sits on the beautiful volcano surrounded Lake Atitlan.
We’ll spend time exploring the wonderful villages around the lake. Then go to Chichicastenango to the biggest open air market in all of Central America. Textiles are everywhere, each village with their own designs and colors. You’ll also find great wood carvings and colonial antiques. And, we’ll enjoy some of the local cuisine. Fly into Guatemala City.
Tuesday, June 15: Arrivals in Guatemala City. We’ll head immediately to Antigua – a short 45 minute ride from the airport. Antigua is one of the best preserved Spanish colonial cities in all of the Americas. The natural beauty of the city is watched over by the towering Agua Volcano. The town is always bustling and it’s cobblestone streets are lined with boutiques, galleries and restaurants. We’ll arrive and settle in and have a group dinner and get acquainted.
Wednesday, June 16: We’ll spend all day exploring Antigua. We’ll wander through the handicraft market which is filled with textiles and other local crafts. We’ll meander through the streets and enjoy some of the shops, ruins and other historical sights. We’ll visit the beautiful yellow church that has such a wonderful presence and enjoy the main plaza.
Thursday, June 17: We’ll hop in our van and drive 3 hours through the beautiful countryside to the picturesque village of Panajachel on Lake Atitlan. The lake is surrounded by three towering volcanos and seven villages. It is one of the most beautiful lakes anywhere in the world. Panajachel, while smaller than Antigua is near the center of the country and is also filled with incredible textiles and other crafts. We’ll arrive in time to explore the village on foot and have a good dinner.
Friday, June 18: We’ll spend the day visiting the villages around the lake by boat. Each village has its own personality and local weaving style and colors. Some are quite small and others larger with much to see. It will be a gorgeous day in the sun.
Saturday, June 19: We’ll spend the morning again exploring all that Panajachel has to offer. In the afternoon, we’ll hop back in the van and head for Chichicastenango in the Guatemalan highlands. Since pre-Hispanic times, Chichi (as it is known) has been one of the most important trading centers in the Mayan region. This is still true today, as Chichi hosts the largest market in all of Central America each Thursday and Sunday. We’ll arrive in time to watch some of the market set up, get acquainted with this wonderful white stucco town, eat a good dinner and go to sleep early in our gorgeous hotel.
Sunday, June 20: It’s market day in Chichi, so we’ll get up early and head out right after breakfast to try to beat some of the crowds. It will be a day filled with color and culture. Shopping opportunities – especially for textiles abound. When we’re too tired to shop anymore, we’ll head back to Panajachel for dinner and some rest.
Monday, June 21: We’ll do any last minute shopping and sightseeing in Panajachel and organize our purchases for shipment back to the states. We work with a good consolidator there, but each piece must be catalogued and marked before packing. We’ll have a lazy late lunch overlooking the lake and a beautiful sunset.
Tuesday, June 22: We’ll head directly back to Guatemala City to the airport for afternoon departures.
$2100 per person, double occupancy. (Single occupancy, please add $700.) Cost includes shipping your purchases back to Boerne, Texas. Deadline to sign up is April 20, 2010.
