The Traveling Lidburys: Enjoying Lago de Atitlan, Guatemala

Monday, December 31, 2007

Enjoying Lago de Atitlan, Guatemala

Kyle jumping in for a refreshing swim....

Me jumping in after him!

This place is fabulous!!!

My recommendation for food of the week.... the yummy chicken quesadillas!

Overall, a very relaxing New Year´s Eve!

The Best and Worst Experiences SO FAR...

The Best...
- Egg, Bacon and Cheese Bagel - JoMa Bakery, Luang Prabang, Laos
- Guide - Wiwat, brother of our friend Somyat in Oz, gave us the whirlwind tour of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai & the Golden Triangle, right to the Laos border at Chiang Khong -Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Taxi Drivers - Bangkok, Thailand (cheap and honest!)
- Place to get a Tailored Suit - Royal Tailors, Sukhumvit, Bangkok, Thailand
- Place to become aware of "monkey mind" and try to quiet it - Tushita Meditation Centre, Dharamsala, India
- Place to do some yoga - with Yogi Praveen at Sri Sant Seva Ashram in Rishikesh, India
- Best & cheapest massage ($10 for 90 minutes) - Rishikesh, India
- Mango shakes - Moonlight Cafe in Rishikesh, India
- Boat ride - on the Gozdem I gulet - on the Mediterranean Sea, Turkey
- Car Rental: 1960's Ford Cabriolet convertible - Cappodocia, Turkey
- Castle - Krak des Chevaliers, in the countryside near the Lebanese Border, Syria
- Mate's place to take advantage of: Marco's - Amman, Jordan
- 7 type of Pork sandwich: Tuck Inn - Larnaca, Cyprus
- Diving: Thistlegorm Wreck - Red Sea, Egypt
- Temples and Relics: Aswan to Luxor, Egypt
- Train trip: Sleeper Train - Cairo to Aswan, Egypt
- Cheap Felafel Sandwich: Akher Sa'a - Food Court opposite Hotel Luna, Cairo, Egypt
- Curry: La Taj - Brick Lane, London, UK
- Cheap Lunch: Saltenas - La Paz, Bolivia
- Pizza: Minuteman Pizza - Uyuni, Bolivia
- Tour: Pampas Tour - Amazon Basin, Bolivia
- Bike Ride: World's Most Dangerous Road - La Paz, Bolivia
- Hostel: Adventure Brew - La Paz, Bolivia
- Bus ride: on the super-luxurious bus with nice meals, shampagen & wifi on board! - from Buenos Aires to Iguazu, Argentina (17 hours)
- Mystery Meat Grill: Mixed Parillada - SM de Los Andes, Argentina
- Ice Cream: Ceresa (Cherry) in Mendoza, Argentina
- All-you-can-eat Meat Feed: Porcao - Rio de Janiero, Brazil
- Place for Beer: Gallo Chopp at Sunshine Grill - Antigua, Guatemala (Happy hour, US$1 pints)

The Worst...
- Food in India: Agra, India
- Drivers: A tie between Cairo, Egypt & Delhi, India
- Taxi Drivers: ALL OF THEM!!
- Beer: Barada - Damascus, Syria
- Sickness: Steph's Food Poisoning - Amman, Jordan
- Food: Meals on the Felucca - Nile River, Egypt
- Place to Cross the Road: Cairo, Egypt
- Access to Alcohol: Most places, Morocco
- Left Luggage Services: Casablanca, Morocco
- Bus ride: Rissani to Fes, Morocco
- Touts (aggressive salesmen): Djemaa El-Fna - Marrakesh, Morocco
- Tour Guide: Freddie, the unusually silent guide - Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
- Breakfast: Croutons and Jam, Puma Hostel - San Martin de Los Andes, Argentina

Kyle has read...

Practically nothing since getting to South East Asia!
In an Uncertain World: Tough Choices from Wall Street to Washington by Robert E. Rubin and Jacob Weisberg
Mercy by Jodi Picoult
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
How to Meditate: A Practical Guide by Kathleen McDonald
Open Heart, Clear Mind by Thubten Chodron
Modern Buddhism by Alan & Jacqui Moore
The Accidental Buddhist by Dinty W. Moore
The Buddha and His Teachings by Samuel Bercholz and Sherab Chodzin Kohn
The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan
The Aquataine Progression by Robert Ludlum
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
The Pursuit of Happiness by Douglas Kennedy
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh
The Falls by Ian Rankin
The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan
The Beach by Alex Garland
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult
The Miracle in the Andes by Nando Parrado
A Case of Need by Michael Crichton
State of Fear by Michael Crichton
Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult
Stupid White Men by Michael Moore
Marching Powder by Rusty Young
State of Fear by Michael Crichton
The Russia House by John Le Carre
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
Matter by Iain M. Banks
The Cradle Will Fall by Mary Higgins Clarke
The Bancroft Strategy by Robert Ludlum
1984 by George Orwell
Thirteen Steps Down by Ruth Rendell
Deception Point by Dan Brown
The Soul Drinkers Omnibus by Ben Coulter
Sala´s Gift (My Mother´s Holocaust Story) by Ann Kirshner
The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner
Black Friday by James Patterson
Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling
Inhaling the Mahatma by Christopher Kremmer
Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Steph has read...

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
Mercy by Jodi Picoult
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahira
The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan
Anger: Buddhist wisdom for cooling the flames by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Peaceful Stillness of the Silent Mind by Lama Yeshe
Open Heart, Clear Mind by Thubten Chodron
Modern Buddhism by Alan & Jacqui Moore
The Accidental Buddhist by Dinty W. Moore
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Aquitane Progression by Robert Ludlum
Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married by Marian Keyes
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan
The Pursuit of Happiness by Douglas Kennedy
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
The Beach by Alex Garland
Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult
The Miracle in the Andes by Nando Parrado
State of Fear by Michael Crichton
Marching Powder by Rusty Young
Stupid White Men by Michael Moore
Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
American Gangster by Max Allan Collins
The Bancroft Strategy by Robert Ludlum
1984 by Geoge Orwell
The Cradle Will Fall by Mary Higgins Clark
Thirteen Steps Down by Ruth Rendell
Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell
Anybody Out There by Marian Keyes
The Innocent Man by John Grisham
Deception Point by Dan Brown
Divine Secrets of the Ya-ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
Black Friday by James Patterson
Sala´s Gift (My Mother´s Holocaust Story) by Ann Kirshner
The Pursuit of Happiness by Chris Gardner
Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling
The Body Farm by Patricia Cornwell