1 Beauty and Culture Lake Atitlan, Guatemala Antoine de Saint- Exupery was inspired by Lake Atitlan to create Asteroide B 612 for Le Petit Prince. ON THE LAKE SHORE January 4 -11, 2014 Spend a week on the shores of Lake Atitlan, a spectacularly beautiful volcano-ringed lake in the highlands of Guatemala, and immerse yourself in the rich culture of this fascinating region. Meet local women artisans, learn about their weaving traditions, and try your hand at dying fibers with natural dyes at a local women’s cooperative. Visit colorful open-air markets, participate in cooking delicious Guatemalan specialties using local ingredients. Take Spanish classes and learn from experts about the history and heritage of the indigenous people of the highlands. Enjoy daily yoga classes with a view of the lake and end your day with a massage. Or just relax in a hammock with a glass of wine while gazing at water, sky, and volcanoes.
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Beauty and CultureLake Atitlan, Guatemala
Antoine de Saint-Exupery was inspired by Lake Atitlan to create Asteroide B 612 for Le Petit Prince.
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Spend a week on the shores of Lake Atitlan, a spectacularly beautiful volcano-ringed lake in the highlands of Guatemala, and immerse yourself in the rich culture of this fascinating region. Meet local women artisans, learn about their weaving traditions, and try your hand at dying fibers with natural dyes at a local women’s cooperative. Visit colorful open-air markets, participate in cooking delicious Guatemalan specialties using local ingredients. Take Spanish classes and learn from experts about the history and heritage of the indigenous people of the highlands. Enjoy daily yoga classes with a view of the lake and end your day with a massage. Or just relax in a hammock with a glass of wine while gazing at water, sky, and volcanoes.
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Beauty and CultureLake Atitlan, Guatemala
Antigua Guatemala is a city in the central highlands of Guatemala, famous for its well-preserved Spanish Baroque influenced architecture as well as a number of spectacular ruins of colonial churches.
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JANUARY 4Arrive at Guatemala City airport and transfer to Hotel Don Rodrigo in Antigua.Relax and settle into your room and spend the afternoon exploring colonial Antigua. Optional guided walking tour for those interested.Evening cocktails on the roof terrace of Panza Verde Hotel, with breath-taking views of the active Pacaya volcano, followed by dinner in the Panza Verde dining room.
JANUARY 5After breakfast, wander through the charming streets of Antigua before departing by private van to Lake Atitlan.Arrive at Panajachel, Lake Atitlan, and travel by boat to your accommodation: Pasajcap, Casa Colina, or Casa Rosada.Spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing and settling into your villa. After your travels, you may choose to soak in the hot tub, swim in the lake, or explore.Evening welcome cocktail at Pasajcap or Casa Rosada followed by dinner.
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Beauty and CultureLake Atitlan, Guatemala
SereneSan Juan La Laguna is a fairly sizable lakeside village that remains largely untouched by international tourism.
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For early risers, a 7 a.m. yoga class with meditation, overlooking the lake and volcanoes.After breakfast at the villas, we take a short boat ride to the village of San Juan where we are greeted by a Mayan ceremony. Spend the day enjoying the scenery in the company of local artisans. Try your hand at weaving with a traditional loom and naturally dyed fibers, and visit with local muralists. We will prepare a traditional lunch under the guidance of the women of San Juan.Return to your villa by boat and enjoy some free time. Read in a hammock, swim in the lake, or treat yourself to a massage, if you book in advance.We will have dinner at Casa Rosada.
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Beauty and CultureLake Atitlan, Guatemala
Guatemalan cuisine has been influenced by ancestral Mayan and Spanish tradition. The mixture has given birth to the big and generous range of flavors, colors, and smells present in Guatemala today.
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For early risers, a 7 a.m. yoga with meditation.Following breakfast we will convene at Casa Rosada for a hands-on cooking demonstration and lunch, under the guidance of Santos Canel, chef-owner of two restaurants in neighboring San Pedro. In the afternoon, the women artisans from San Juan will join us at the Casa Rosada studio. You may choose to continue your craftwork, take a conversational Spanish lesson, swim in the lake, or just explore on your own.Dinner at a restaurant in nearby San Marcos—a short boat ride or walk away.
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Beauty and CultureLake Atitlan, Guatemala
Lake Atitlan is a very deep lake (342m), formed by a collapse of the Earth's crust after the explosion of The Chocoyos 85,000 years ago.
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Depart your villa before sunrise by private boat with Juan Skinner, environmentalist and expert in the history of the lake. Have breakfast on your way to the Santiago lagoon where we will meet with the local fishermen. Enjoy the magical scenery of the lake and witness the work of artisans in the village of Santiago. We will have a traditional lunch in Santiago, at El Pescador, and learn more about the legends and history of this fascinating town.Return to your villa for the late afternoon where you may relax, swim, or explore. Or you may want to take a yoga class, continue your work on your craft project at the Casa Rosada studio, or practice your Spanish with a local instructor.We will have dinner at Casa Rosada.
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Beauty and CultureLake Atitlan, Guatemala
Besides being a National Cultural Heritage and functioning as a permanent museum of old photographsCasa Cakchiquel promotes the history, art, conservation of nature, and education.
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For early risers, a 7 a.m. yoga class with meditation.After breakfast, we depart by private boat to the Santiago dock. We then take a scenic drive through a coffee plantation to San Lucas, a pristine cloud forest that we explore on foot. We continue by car to Panajachel, stopping for lunch along the way. Once in Panajachel, we visit its bustling open-air market.Finally we arrive at Casa Kaqchikel (http://oxlajujbatz.org/maya-womens-center/casa-kaqchikel) in Panajachel for a hands-on cooking demonstration and cultural afternoon. We are pleased to have arranged dinner and cocktails with the eminent anthropologist, Richard Adams.A private boat will take you back to your villa at the end of the evening.
Guatemala offers gorgeous places perfect for hiking, specially on Lake Atitlan. The valleys, mountains, volcanoes and forests offer spectacular scenery.
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For early risers, a 7 a.m. yoga class with meditation.After breakfast, we depart for the nearby village of Jaibalito for a poolside lunch at the Club VenAca. You may reach Jaibalito by a two hour escorted hike with breathtaking views of the lake below, or you may prefer to take a short boat ride.On our final evening, we will assemble at Casa Rosada for cocktails and dinner, overlooking the lake and its three volcanoes.
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Beauty and CultureLake Atitlan, Guatemala
The meaning of "Atitlan" is " at the water." It is a fusion of simple Nahuati words that belies the complexity of the entity it identifies.
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7 a.m. yoga and meditation for early risers. Breakfast and free-time at your villa. Depart for the airport in Guatemala City by private shuttle at noon, or throughout the day.
Thank you for sharing a special week with us!Note that this is a sample itinerary and subject to changes according to weather and other unforseen events.
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Beauty and CultureLake Atitlan, Guatemala
Guatemala has 27 languages. Of these, only one is no longer spoken. Of the remaining 26, 10 are institutional, 10 are developing, 1 is vigorous, 3 are in trouble, and 2 are dying.
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Your hosts, Dita, an artistic Czech and founder of Ecolibri, and Suzy, an American academic philosopher, met several years ago at the Lake and quickly discovered they had much in common. This workshop grew out of their desire to share with others their love of good food, laughter, natural beauty, traditional craft, and Latin American culture.
Your workshop fee is $1400. Half of this is a tax-deductible contribution to Ecolibri, which supports local artisans and communities around the lake as well as single mothers and their children.
To learn more about Ecolibri, see http://Ecolibri.org.
For further information, you may contact us via email:[email protected]@tufts.edu
Aldous Huxley wrote, "Lake Como”, touches on the limitof permissibly picturesque, but Atitlán is Como with additional embellish-ments of several immense volcanoes. Itreally is too much of a good thing.
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The workshop fee covers:• One night accommodation in Antigua• All meals and all listed excursions• Hands-on cooking courses and recipes, materials• All yoga classes• Transfers from Antigua to Panajachel• Private shuttle from the lake to the Guatemala City airport at noon on Sunday 1/11.• A short video-documentation of your week in Guatemala.The workshop fee does not not cover: •Airfare to Guatemala City and travel insurance•Taxi from Guatemala City airport to Antigua (since workshop participants arrive at different times)•Transportation from the lake to Guatemala City airport, if you leave later than noon on 1/11 •Optional tour guide in Antigua, optional massage therapy•Accommodation at the lake, upon your personal choice:http://www.atitlanhouse.comhttp://www.pasajcap.com/english/apartments-rentals/belemapt.phphttp://www.pasajcap.com/english/apartments-rentals/copaapt.php
