THE WESTERN HIGHLANDS - Guatemala - page 208

8:30 A.M.-midnight daily, $4-7), a restaurant and bar on a nice patio overlooking the lake
serving good sandwiches and Pan-Asian inspired dishes such as scrumptious mango curry.
Across the way, Le Jardin des Saveurs (9 A.M.-9 P.M. Thurs.-Tues., $4-7) takes its in-
spirationfromitsFrenchownersandoffersavarietyoftastyEuropean-inspireddishes.Try
the chicken in Dijon mustard sauce. Heading up the street from the Santiago dock towards
thetowncenteryou'llfind Bistro Nuevo Sol ( www.bistronuevosol.com , 7A.M.-1:30P.M.
and 4-9 P.M. Mon.-Sat.). They have gourmet California-style pizzas, delicious calzones,
tasty sandwiches (try the meatloaf sandwich), and fudge brownies for dessert. Movies are
shown nightly at 7:30 P.M.
Last are a pair of offerings owned by the same couple. Housed in a bright red structure,
Ventana Blue (7th Avenue, tel. [phone] or 4050-0500, 6-10 P.M. Wed.-Sun.) prides it-
self on creative Asian/Guatemalan cuisine. Their scrumptious cashew chicken takes me
backtoThailand.AlongthebeachneartheMikasoHotel, Café La Puerta (tel.[phone],
www.cafelapuerta.com ) is the place to go for excellent homemade pasta.
Information and Services
There's a Banrural (with ATM) in the heart of town, reached by heading straight up the
street from the Panajachel dock for about a kilometer. You'll pass the town market on your
right,twoblocksbeforethebank,whichwillbeonyourleft.FromtheSantiagodock,head
up the street and turn left at the market. There's also an ATM machine just off the Pana-
jachel dock.
For Internet and phone calls, D'Noz is just off the Panajachel dock, or you can head
up the street one block to Casa Verde Tours ( www.casaverdetours.com , tel. [phone] and
7721-8344), your all-in-one stop for Internet, laundry, international calls, and full-service
travel agency including shuttle buses to Antigua, Guatemala City, and Xela. On the main
drag, turning left at Casa Verde as you come up from the Panajachel dock, you'll find Café
Jardín (7:30 A.M.-9 P.M.), serving breakfast and snacks in addition to offering Internet ac-
cess. Both charge about $1 for an hour online.
Recommended language schools include the following: Casa Rosario (Canton Sanjay,
tel. [phone], www.casarosario.com ) and Corazón Maya (first left up the street from
Santiago dock, tel. [phone], corazonmaya. com). Also along this street is Sol de Oro
Spanish School (tel. [phone]). In the El Otro Lado sector between the two docks are
Escuela de Español Casa America (tel.[phone],[e-mail]), Mayab'
Spanish School (tel. [phone], www.mayabspanishschool.com ), and San Pedro Span-
ish School (tel. [phone], www.sanpedrospanishschool.org ) .
Getting There
ThereareboatseveryhalfhourtoSantiago(30minutes,$2)fromthedockatthenorthwest
part of town. Lanchas also leave throughout the day for the lakeshore villages of San Mar-