It’s not a far walk to get off the beaten track, off the tourist thoroughfares through Panajachel, Guatemala. Meandering just a couple streets over brings you into a whole different world. The cobblestones dwindle to narrow slices of dirt cut through the jungle, the painted houses turn into hodge-podge shacks. The people are friendly and respond to “hola!” Kids are not hassling you to get shoe shines and buy woven bracelets, but instead, balancing tubs of tomatoes their heads (and sometimes dropping them), playing with bottle caps, running with no apparent purpose, and staggering under large loads, as in this photo. No bargaining stalls, no “special price for you.” Just the peace of lives being lived.

Lago de Atitlán is one of the world's most spectacular locales. Diamond splatters dance across the water, fertile hills dot the landscape, and over everything loom the volcanoes, permeating the entire area with a mysterious beauty. You can take a boat ride around the lake. The trip takes about 2 1/2 hours and it cost $30.

Suddenly, we were confronted by a group of about 20 young men holding machetes, circling us, and mimicking my gringo Spanish. “Puedo pasar? “No, no puedes!” Uh-oh. Amidst the chaos of gleaming teeth and blades, laughter, taunts, and fear, I kind of shut down. Panic took over, and I didn’t know what to do. Luckily, my wife kept moving, and a teenager we were walking with grabbed my arm. We pushed through unscathed. How we had arrived in that fiasco was just as confusing. Kate and I boarded a chicken bus that morning in Xela bound for Panajachel. The only gringos on the bus, our Spanish was very subpar at the time. So when it took several strange turns and passengers grew increasingly nervous, we had no idea what was going on. But when the bus started ascending a narrow Jeep trail on the side of a sheer cliff and people started crossing themselves, we knew something was definitely wrong. Ultimately, the bus was forced to a stop in the middle of nowhere. Mayan people on foot were everywhere. We eventually learned we were in the midst of a mini insurgency. The government had sold sacred land to a foreign mining company, and the Mayans were in revolt. They had shut down the main highway, as well as this alternate route. We had to backpack out, climbing over felled trees and passing burning refuse—and the aforementioned machete men—along the way. When we finally reached our destination long after nightfall, we learned that several people had been killed during the uprising!

Barbie has always been such a fashion icon, so it's no surprise that she's branched out into world style. Thanks to a creative genius who envisioned dressing secondhand dolls in colorful local textiles, Barbie has been given a chance to represent the fashion of Guatemala. This vendor in Panajachel dressed each Barbie and Bratz doll uniquely to represent the textile styles of the different regions. I regret not buying one of these uncommon souvenirs, and that's why I'm posting this highlight -- so future travelers won't make the same mistake.

After a 2-plus hour bus ride from the port of Puerto Quetzal in Guatemala, my husband and I arrived to a tiny speck of a town called San Lucas Toliman, one of the many small villages surrounding Lake Atitlan. We walked down to a dock where we boarded a ferry for a cruise across the lake. The lake area is surrounded by volcanoes, some active, and the sky was riddled with smoke clouds between gorgeous blue skies. After close to an hour on the boat we landed at the town of Panajachel where we were greeted by the most industrious saleswomen who literally brought the shops and their gorgeous multi-color wares to us!

The road from Antigua to Panajachel winds slowly up into the highlands, you enter a different world from the valleys up to the mountains, and then you wind down and the first glimpses of Lake Atilitan are spectacular. Arriving in Panajachel you get a first taste of local village life and it makes a perfect base camp for exploring lake side villages.

I traveled to Panajachel, a town on Lake Atitlan in the Guatemalan Highlands. The scattered Mayan villages surrounding the lake have a very mystical vibe when the mist rises in the morning. While I was staying in San Pedro, the steep main strip of the village was hosting their annual carnival. Quiche Mayan children were running around with fruit on sticks and jumping on the rickety metal rides that would never have passed North American safety regulations! I saw these two girls holding hands staring at the ferris wheel to their left and snapped the photo.

August 2010: It’s 6:00 am at Panajachel’s west dock. I was waiting for the water taxi to bring me to the other side of Lake Atitlan in order to hike up Volcán San Pedro (9,900 ft) before noon. My thoughts were that the strenuous hike would be the major highlight of the day. It turns out that the boat ride, which made stops at all the tiny villages along the shore of Atitlan, was just as memorable. There are less non-Guatemalans in this area since most visitors rightfully head toward Antigua Guatemala or Tikal, so at the second water taxi stop when the pale Caucasian woman with jet black hair boarded the boat with her toddler, it was hard for me not to notice. They sat behind me. After the boat began moving again, she politely tapped my shoulder and asked in a thickly German-accented English if I was Chinese. I replied that I am American, but yes, I am ethnically Chinese. It turns out she recently moved to Guatemala with her Chinese husband after 5 years in Shanghai. Since moving, her son has had few occasions to use his Chinese, and she asked if I spoke Chinese. And after I replied yes, she graciously asked if I wouldn’t mind conversing with them in Chinese until they got off at their stop in San Marcos for yoga class. Chinese was the last language I expected to speak in the Highlands of Guatemala, but it made for a memorable morning.

The town of Panajachel, on the shores of volcanic Lake Atitlán, has become so touristed that it's sometimes called "Gringo-tenango." (Even if it's 'over-touristy,' still: GO--it's one of the most beautiful spots on Earth...) Through a friend-of-a-friend, we were able to meet a family, though, whose teenage daughter was weaving--not to sell something to tourists, but making something to wear for herself. Each Maya ethnicity in Guatemala (there are about two dozen different languages spoken--not 'dialects,' but 'languages!')--prides itself on its weaving; you can sometimes tell which valley or village someone is from simply by looking at their clothing.

Just hours away from the United States and yet worlds apart, Lake Atitlan is truly one of the most beautiful and interesting places I've ever visited... and by far a magical and inspiring backdrop for any yoga practice. Nature puts on a glorious show each day, from the first morning light to the crystal- clear, star-filled night skies- the views are so breathtaking, the air is so clear, the sun is so brilliant- no one ever wanted to miss a practice, although I imagine a few of them would have been fine with a few less chaturangas! And best of all, Lake Atitlan provides you with just the silence and just the inspiration to further your solo yoga practice. Find a deck, a patch of grass, or as I did, a helicopter pad, and let it flow...

This was a rare treat - to be where travelers rarely go. I probably shouldn't even write about it but I couldn't resist sharing the experience. This was truly a look at how the system works with the producers, wholesalers and buyers of local produce doing their deals. Interesting to see that the women do most of the selling and the men most of the buying. They were dealing in 100's of lbs. not the usual market of one or two items. The different colors and patterns of the clothing tell these people who's who and from what village. I just called them the flower, bird or pattern people. However, the men seemed to be mostly in embroidered bird pants.

With a view like this -- from bed! -- who would want to get up and out?! Nearly every room at Casa del Mundo has such a vista. (And no, I don't work for them -- I just can't speak highly enough of this gem of a spot!) Not only is it a TERRIFIC deal (rooms are as cheap as $53!) but it's such a charming place to relax for a few days. Dinners are communal, making it the PERFECT place to meet other travelers visiting the lake. Oh and the food is delicious, too! Pack a book, some sunscreen and expect to be delighted...and at peace.

No trip to Guatemala is complete without at least a couple days of R&R at one of the best hidden lakeside hotels in the world, Casa Palopo. By the numbers: 7 -- the number of villas the hotel has. 5 -- the amount of stars I'd give this place. 3 -- the amount of volcanoes you can see from your own personal patio. 1 -- incredible lake. And also the room number you should request as not included in the picture was the sunken bathtub that has the same view of the lake and volcanoes. So besides the beautiful view, complete privacy, impeccable service and delicious Guatemalan food, there's also very cool indigenous shopping five minutes down the road in Panajachel. So if you're in Antigua, charter a car to the Lake (about 2 hrs, roughly $50) and take in the understated luxury and overwhelmingly romantic scene that Casa Palopo has to offer.

After traveling to many places all these years, I come to conclude that Lake Atitlán in Guatemala is one of the most amazing places in the planet. This pool at Casa Palopó, is by far, the most beautiful place to see the sun rise every morning. Can't wait to come back!

One of the best ways to connect with a culture is to connect with it's people, and hiking from village to village in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala provides you just this opportunity. The majestic lake is overlooked by three equally majestic volcanoes, and is surrounded by 12 remote villages. Each village boosts their own unique customs, culture, cuisine and dialect- and while often times similar to their neighbor, no two are exactly the same. From the colors of their huipil to their religious or shaman rituals, each village is an anthropological study in and of itself. I recommend choosing a home base hotel on the lake and set out to experience 2 or 3 villages per day, allowing yourself time to shop the markets, visit the churches, eat tamales and enjoy village life on the lake in each location. To best experience villages across the lake, pick a starting village, take a boat across and set out from there, hiking the road to the next village. A local boat 'taxi' can then pick you up at the next village. If possible, try not to have too much of a plan, leaving plenty of time open for spontaneous stumblings- music in the street, tortilla making by the side of the road, shaman ceremonies, surprises. Despite war, political strife, and poverty, the villagers that call Lake Atitlan home have remained resilient and vibrant and managed to protect their rich culture, making the inspiring natural beauty of the region only surpassed by the inspiring people that call it their home.

These two brothers were the life of the party at La Casa del Mundo. One minute they were lying with each other sweetly, the next they were clawing at each other and rolling around meowing. A true sibling relationship! There was a great swinging chair on the porch overlooking the lake, and you couldn't sit on it without one of these guys jumping up on your lap or pawing at the woven seat. It made the stay at Casa del Mundo that much more like home.

Lake Atitlan is an amazing volcanic lake in the western highlands of Guatemala. It is surrounded by villages inhabited by people primarily of Mayan origin. This photo was taken right after sunrise when the mist is on the lake and the local men are going out to fish. The scene was physically and spiritually inspiring. I took a lot of photos, but this one captured the scene the best.