Panacam Adventure

Eli was eagerly pulling us along the trail into the dense, tropical forest of Panacam Natural Reserve.  The narrow trail wound steeply up between tree ferns and pink polka dot plants; we could hear a stream splashing down the steep gorge, and birds moving in the trees above us.  The plants glistened with rain from last night's storm, even though it was almost noon.  Small lizards darted across the path before us, sometimes right in front of our dog's nose, but he didnt even have time to react before they were gone!  Besides, we were on a mission and he was focused.  He didnt realize what was awaiting him, but he knew that we were relying on him to pull Jonny's 200+ frame up the mountain!  We soon reached a beautiful little waterfall where we cooled our heels for a minute -- and it was cold!

Climbing into Panacam Natural Reserve near Lake Yojoa.

This was truly a mountain stream-- coldest water in Honduras!

 

It took some persuading to get Eli to join us in the water... but eventually he succumbed to the temptation of .........Fetching the Stick!

Jonny waits for Eli and I.

Soon we crossed over the suspension bridge and continued on our journey toward the alleged waterfalls.   This was actually Jonny's second visit to the nature reserve, and although he compared the area to Silver Creek Falls in Oregon, I found it hard to imagine even half of those hikers attempting to scale the terrain that Panacam presented!  This was not for the faint of heart.  By the time we reached a second stream and suspension bridge, we were ready to cool off again.............

Jonny tries to shame Eli into the water by questioning his malehood......

Finally we arrived at the waterfall; it was beautiful. 



The Panacam Nature Reserve is located near Lake Yojoa in Honduras, and holds bragging rights to some of the most spectacular views in the area.  The trails are divided up, so you can choose to take the shorter routes, longer routes, or the entire loop.  The map at the lodge provides distances and locations of each leg of the journey, and also elevation changes.  There are accomodations available for groups (groups with lots of money), and the location is somewhat remote to offer the utmost in tranquillity. 



We visited the  Yojoa area in August, which is the rainy season.  It is still moderately sunny for part of most days, but you can count on some sort of squall blowing in later in the day.  Consequently, we saw very few tourists during our 4 day stay, and none at Panacam!



Once we had conquered the first leg of the loop, we were confident that we could handle the rest.  I would strongly recommend that if a person felt very fit and started early enough in the day, they should follow the trail the rest of the way.......slowly and with lots of drinking water. 




The view changes as altitude increases -- not just the views of the valleys spread out before you, but the huge trees with the limbs spreading out, supporting a thousand bromeliads, ferns, and tillandsias!  No matter how I did it, I just couldnt seem to snap a picture that captured the intensity of it all.  It reminded me a bit of that recent movie with the planet of huge trees supporting the blue flying creatures...............if you've seen it you know what I'm referring to.

This path placed us right on the ridge of the mountains, with steep drop offs to each side  and incredible views!  It was unreal.

Here you can see Lake Yojoa in the distance.

Wow!  What a View!

It did actually shower on us a little, but luckily the heavy canopy kept us and the path from getting too wet.  Unfortunately the camera battery died just as we got to some really cool plants, and we spent lots of time at the end of the trail in a steep descent via manmade steps next to dripping, moss and fern covered walls of rock.  We made it back to the lodge in about 6 hours from starting out.  It was quite an effort, but definitely worth it!

Destination: Finca Bosque

Lush green leaves of banana trees, avocados, limes and coffee greeted us as we drove down the twisting road leading to San Pedro and Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.  The skies were blue, although fast moving clouds were filtering through the volcano peaks and seemed to roll down the steep slopes across the lake toward us. 

After nearly an hour of negotiating deep potholes and steep, hairpin turns, we arrived at our destination.  As the thunder rumbled, we could see the rain ahead of us, then closer, until finally engulfing us while the wind whipped the surface of the large lake.  What an arrival!  And what a change from the oppressive, sticky heat and humidity of the hotsprings!

We had climbed over 3,000 feet, then driven down the steep mountainsides to end up at about 5,200 ft of elevation.  Needless to say, it was a little shock to climb out of the pickup in a tank top and shorts.......

The lightning varies, but the storms occur fairly regularly every afternoon during the rainy season (March - Oct.).

The huge lake within this group of 3 volcanos is actually a caldera, similar to Crater Lake in Oregon, although much deeper with no known outlet.  In the past few years the lake has risen --some say by 12 feet in 5 years --swamping bars and restaurants, boathouses and docks, so that only the roofs are left on the water surface.  Rumor has it, the water level was much higher only 60 years ago, which explains why most of the smaller villages are located up on the steep mountainsides!

Main dock in San Pedro; $3 fare to villages across lake every 20-30 min!

Lake Atitlan is a big, beautiful lake traversed hourly by boats ferrying people from one village to another; canoes and kayaks and wood fishing boats -- even scuba divers  can be found in the cool water shadowed by the volcanoes.

Stinky chickens rode with us on the ferry from Santiago to San Pedro. 

Swimming at the tiny San Marcos dock.

Fisherman in wooden boat.

Throughout the small villages dotted around the lake, 4 different dialects of the Mayan language are spoken by the natives, in addition to Guatemalan espanol (which is different from Mexican or Honduran espanol, by the way) ;  numerous gringos from all over the world have opened bars, restaurants, hotels, internet cafes and massage spas for the tourists that visit every year.  There are guided tours up the volcanoes, and horseback tours through the banana/corn/coffee plantations, zip lines to ride across the canyon, and endless bed and breakfast options with their own unique twists.  People of all ages and nationalities call this area their home, and everyone seems to live at a relaxed pace (except of course the bus drivers who rule the roads at 90 mph)!

 Corner of the lake looking down from the road.

Many natives here who do not grow coffee, grow row crops such as cabbage, tomatoes, onions, cilanto, radishes, etc. in the rich dark soil bordering the lake.  Corn grows just about everywhere else: especially on steep hillsides suitable only for mountain goats and sure-footed natives!

Typical truck headed to market on the main highway--look at the size of those carrots!!!

Larger than life!!! 6'6" next to 3 month old corn.

San Pedro is one of the larger small towns around the lake; it has a bank (and bank machine), a good central market, and a large selection of dry goods in the local "tiendas" there.  Most of what we eat is found at the open air market: beef, chicken, pork, rice, beans, vegetables, spices, herbs, strawberries and blackberries, fruits, knick-knacks, eggs, shaved ice, choco-bananas, tamales, tortillas and hot dishes.  The market is only open until about 2pm, so its important to get there early.



 All of the other important items, like toilet paper, flour, cereal (kelloggs is everywhere),  jello, alchohol and pop are in the small stores there.  Its difficult to find good dairy products; a few well rounded tiendas have some items, but there is a really good dairy delivery truck that goes around the villages with bagged milk, real butter, yogurt (which is popular), cheeses, cream, etc..

Tuk-tuks barely fit down the maze of paths between buildings.

San Pedro is full of bars, restaurants, and rooms for rent by gringos, mostly.  In the middle of town is a large area that is accessible  by paths, (similar to golf cart paths), creating a sort of maze leading to the touristy restaurants, etc.  Many people walk or use the local tuk-tuks (3 wheeled taxis) to maneuver the paths through town.  The other alternative is walking up these incredibly steep roads...... which I have also done!

This little bed and breakfast is termed a "coffee boutique", and is indicative of many lodgings between the towns, that have combined small plantations with tourist  accomodations.  They tend to be very relaxing and personable, with just a few guests.  Many offer a variety of accomodations from basic bedrooms with shared bathrooms, to full cottages with eateries on site.  This one in particular, Finca Bosque/Gilbert's Hideaway, grows coffee and provides kayaks to use on the lake.  Guests who visit in fall may enjoy helping to harvest the coffee by hand.  There is also a small bar/eatery with a pool table and horseshoe pits partially completed, and a sauna on site. 

Our temporary cottage on Lake Atitlan.

Currently there are two houses on the property, the one-bedroom cottage we are staying in, and a soon-to-be-completed house that will sleep 4-6.  A smaller unit nearby will offer basic bedroom accomodations.  The entire property is probably 2 acres or so, and right on the lake! 

The view of the lake and neighbor's garden, from our second story patio off the bedroom; Gilbert visits frequently.

We  are enjoying the change of scenery, and look forward to the weather drying out so that we can jump in the kayaks without fear of being drenched!  

Near the front door is this huge elephant ear (Colocasia) against the coffee, with a banana tree popping up through it all!  An awesome little table and stools are nestled under the elephant ear.

Leaves on paths provide protection from the hard rains around the courtyard near our front door.