Our Morning Swim in Lake Atitlan

It’s hard to describe the beauty, peace, and rejuvenation experienced during our morning swim in Lake Atitlan, but something is compelling me to try.

The surface of the lake is calm and sparkling on a windless morning. The sky is bright blue; the world is washed clean from last night’s rain. Trees shine nearly iridescent green along the shore, punctuated by deep purple bougainvillea. The water feels slightly cool as we descend the ladder into the bright, clear lake.

We swim to the middle of our little bay. The green hillside of Volcán Tolimán rises above us, with Volcán San Pedro ahead. The only sounds, besides our own little splashes, are the hum of a distant lancha traveling from Panajachel to Santiago Atitlán, and the tink tink tink of workers building our neighbor’s stone wall.

Orange butterflies flutter above us as they skim the lake’s surface. We say “buenos días” to the fisherman in his cayuco as we pass: he returns our greeting as he tosses his line back into the lake.

We’re not setting any speed records. Our swim takes an hour, and we cover a little over one km–about 3/4 of a mile.