Breakfast was served in the spacious hotel dining room. It is remarkable how little it has changed in 30 years. One of the boat owners met with us as we ate and we arranged for a trip across the lake to see the October 5, 2005 debris flow destruction of Panabaj and to visit Santiago Atitlán with a return trip along the north wall of the lake. Ramón, the boat owner, told me that people on the other side of the lake speak Tzutujil and that Matiósh still holds for "thank you".

He met us at the hotel beach at 9:45 and took us to the landing where we boarded a small launch that easily sat the 15 of us. The boat was safe and had adequate life vests. The trip across was beautiful with relatively calm water. The lighting on the volcanoes was exquisite. After about 45 minutes we entered the bay between Tolimán-Atitlán on the SE and San Pedro on the NW. We docked on the NW side of Santiago Atitlán. Our captian , Quilino gave instructions to get to Panabaj, then to a restaurant with a Tzutujil name in Santiago Atitlán, and finally, to a public beach where he would meet us.

We walked less than a km along a paved road to get to Panabaj. Then modern world is reaching the west side of the lake. Some of these towns were only accessible by boat in 1976. We entered Panabaj and walked respectfully across the debris flow that came down at 5:00 am on October 5, 2005 and buried part of the town, killing 35 people most of whom are buried in the flow. Many surrounding buildings are still partially buried. The flow started high on the caldera wall and entered the stream that flowed through the town. The canyon opens onto the flat right at the former edge of the town.

But Guatemala struggles onward. We were accompanied by two young boys riding a bicycle with no tires, just rims. Jonathan had his binoculars out and soon the boys and some others were looking through them and were in awe of what they saw regardless of which end they looked through. Soon a group of young girls came over to look and were equally amazed. Then their mothers and at least one grandmother joined the fun, all chatting excitedly in their wispy, clicking tongue.

We walked back toward Santiago Atitlán on a higher dirt road and then cut through a resort back to the paved road. By then I had forgotten the Tzutujil name of the restaurant. I asked a young teenage girl. She didn't know what I was talking about but offered to show us a couple of others in the town center where she was headed. She took us to the Pescador which was crowded and pointed down the street to the Gran Sol before saying good-bye. We gave her Q 15 for her help.

We went to the Gran Sol but it was closed due to a funeral. Then, out of nowhere, a little guy in native garb handed me a flyer for the Tiosh Abaj Hotel/ Restaurant—the one the boat company recommended! We followed him to an elegant new hotel that has only been open for a month. The food and ambiance were excellent. Some students swam in the pool. It looked like a great place to come back to, although the meals were pricier than we were used to paying. After walking to the public beach we found our boat and headed back across the lake. The wind had picked up considerably and the ride was quite choppy with a lot of spray. We went clockwise along the north wall of the caldera and observed its geology. There is evidence of lake level fluctuation on the barren fan delta below Sololá.

Back at the hotel we loaded up in the vans and headed south on the lake road to Santa Catarina Palopó to look at Newhall's ring dike exposure. Unfortunately, it was dark by the time we found it. It is probably more spectacular when not viewed by flashlight. We returned to the hotel.

Stan and I did some shopping and then went to the Café de Sol where we joined the group for dinner. A very so-so band played too loudly for the size of the place. We went back to the hotel. Some of us were restless so I went with some students to a bar. It was an outdoor affair and the cool breeze made it a bit uncomfortable. After one beer, Zack, Dave, and I called it a night and took a cab back to the hotel.