UNESCO Site: Antigua, Guatemala (7)

For our final class, my teacher and my friend’s teacher were feeling rebellious. The school knew we went out into town for the second half of class, and they had approved it provided we stay in Antigua. But our teachers, after telling administration we were going to a nearby restaurant, hustled us onto a bus to the next town over.
As it happens, that town was well known for its silver work. Much of the silver jewelry found in the region comes from this town, and our teachers wanted us to have a chance to see the process in action. They took us to the factory where we were walked through the entire process from the smelting of raw ore, through refinement, and eventually into the artistic working of the silver into beautiful jewelry and other pieces. The entire tour was conducted in Spanish, and I actually understood over half of it. I had come a long way in three short weeks. As at the end of any tour, we wound up in the gift shop where I couldn’t resist buying a pair of earrings. Later that night, our entire group was together for dinner. Our professor complimented my earrings and asked where I got them. I told her ‘the market’. I just failed to mention which market.
School was over, but we had four more days until we were scheduled to fly out. Our professor had prearranged a trip for us to Lake Atitlan, where we would stay in the artisan town of Panajachel. We had an old Blue Bird school bus at our disposal, so we bought a few bottles of rum, a couple decks of cards and set up camp in the back of the bus for the long ride to the lake.
The scenery was incredible, and coming over the final hill towards the lake, a spectacular view opened in front of us. It has been argued that Lake Atitlan is the most beautiful lake in the world, and at that moment, overlooking the lake with hills rising in the distance, I could easily see where that claim originated.
Panajachel is an adorable lakeside town full of markets and artists selling their wares. You can find textiles, jewelry, paintings and drawings (many of the lake) and every other form of artistry imaginable. The town, well known for its artistic flair, draws tourists and aspiring artists from around the world. After a relaxing day touring the market stalls, talking with the locals and walking the lakeside, we decided it was time to party. A few of us congregated in one hotel room while a few others took some quiet time in another.
Suddenly, a scream from the next room over pierced the air. We flew through the door, thinking one of our friends was being mugged, or worse. It turns out that she had an uncontrollable fear of scorpions, especially when unexpectedly found in her room. I dug up a jam jar, scuttled the scorpion into it, named him Juan Carlos and adopted him for the night.