Ridiculously Relaxing Trip

So, for numerous reasons, last week was quite stressful. Not to worry! Just two boat rides away from Santiago is Paradise. Let me show it to you:This is Casa Del Mundo, a hotel in Jaibalito which is pretty much as close to Paradise as I've been recently :)

Thursday night I had call (which was relatively uneventful) and on my way home Friday morning all I could think about was going away somewhere. There are two great places to stay here in Santiago, but I wanted a complete change of pace. So, I went off to Jaibalito, by way of San Pedro which is another village on the lake. Actually on the boat to San Pedro I ran into someone who used to live here at the house with me. I had a snack with her and her friends in San Pedro in a bougainvillea covered veranda overlooking the lake.

Here is a map (North is Down for some reason) of the lake. The place I stayed (Jaibalito) is so small that it isn't on this map. It is between Santa Cruz and San Marcos I think. Anyway, when I got there I was a little bit desperate for R&R and found my way quickly to Volcano Lodge.

The first wonderful thing about Volcano Lodge is that there is a beautiful garden all around the cabins. The second wonderful thing, which I didn't find out until later, is that there is HOT HOT water in the showers which is something not to be found where I am living in Santiago. I took two 20 minute showers in 2 days which is a record for me as I generally find bathing about as much fun as going to the dentist. I went down to the lake to swim and read for the afternoon and finished my book (Veronica by Nicholas Christopher, entertaining and fanciful but not superb) which I was able to trade in for a new one at the hotel (Golden Country by Jennifer Gilmore, Jewish family saga from 1920s-1930s centering on what it means to be successful). Dinner came in 4 courses and I sat with an interesting couple who live in Guatemala City. He: American, used to be in the military, now working at the embassy and for NGOs. She: born in Guatemala City, quite Evangelical, was the head of a family planning organization in Guatemala.

Unfortunately that night I didn't sleep very well -- fevers, chills etc -- which I took as a sign not go climb Volcan San Pedro the next day. Instead of going home to get my hiking boots and meet up with the other people going for the hike, I went to the other hotel (Casa del Mundo) and spent the night there. I didn't take full advantage of the views and location as I slept for a good bit of the day, but I was super happy to be there every time I woke up and realized where I was. I skipped dinner secondary to GI distress (seems to be a dependable part of life here) but breakfast this morning was delicious!! I hung out with an American woman who now works in Antigua (Guatemala) for a while and we went to a nearby restaurant for coffee. You sit and drink coffee and look out over the lake with the volcanoes in the distance. All I can say is WOW!

On my way back to Santiago I walked around San Pedro again, this time through the marshy/forresty/hippy part. I got 2 new books which is very exciting: The Kite Runner (which I have glanced through before but never slowly and completely read) and Mirrors of the Unseen (Jason Elliot, about Iran). I know Isabel Allende or Marquez might be more relevant :) The guy who ran the bookstore was fun to talk to -- he is currently interested in ethnobotany/space cookies.

Anyway, I'm back now in Santiago and am ready for another week! I feel quite refreshed :)