It was simply an awesome day! We woke up very early, and I made breakfast for Dana, Kim, Miguel, and myself. I decided to keep it simple, so we had cinnamon toast. I don't know if the family cat was hungry, or just needed some attention, but she was certainly intent on helping me prepare the meal by rubbing against my legs and checking out the oven.
Dana had arranged for a private van to pick us up at 8:00 to take us to Lake Atitlan. We swung by the Central Park to pick up Pam and Mike; a couple of friends from school. They came to Antigua for a few weeks to hang out and learn the language. I'm quite impressed with how much they were able to pick up in two weeks!
It was about a three hour ride to Lake Antitlan, and it was a very enjoyable. It was pointed out to us that we were traveling on the famous pan-American highway, which is surprisingly modern and well-maintained.
The lake is quite large; it's a few miles across, about 1,000 feet deep, and is surrounded on all sides by volcano and mountains. The water itself is a slight greenish-blue, and I was surprised at how clear the water is near the shore. Dana negotiated a boat ride with a local captain, and soon we were off...zipping along the water in a small tourist boat powered by a 90 HP Suzuki engine.
In the middle of the lake, we saw the Lake Atitlan Pearl Diving Operations...where some of the largest fresh-water pearls in the world are collected. Small boys are employed to get the pearls. They are taken to deep water aboard small wooden boats, have rocks tied around their ankles to help them sink, and tossed over the side. They have to hold their breaths for about 2 minutes as they sink 120 feet or so to reach the giant oyster fields. These molluscs can grow to 3 feet across and easily weigh 400 pounds. The boys use a bit of rubber hose to “tickle” the sensitive membrane that attaches the two halves of the giant shell. When the oyster “laughs,” the boy reaches his hand into the shell to feel around for a large, round, smooth growth. A pearl! The goal of his quest! If he finds one, he smathers the outside of the shell with a bit of red-colored grease. After a couple of tugs on his lines, he's pulled back up to the boat to catch a bit of fresh air and maybe wait out the bends before being sent down again.
In a few weeks, the villagers that live around Lake Atitlan will gather on their boats to harvest all of the oysters marked with red grease. With any luck, they'll find one or two perfect pearls that will sell for tens of thousands of dollars. Less-than-perfect pearls are sold for industrial manufacturing purposes and often end up in toothpaste. Ever heard of toothpaste that'll make your teeth “pearly white?” That's not just a clever marketing gimmick! So please be sure that your toothpaste contains powdered pearls from Lake Atitlan...those boys worked hard for that natural ingredient!
At least that's my understanding of the Lake Atitlan Pearl Diving Operations as explained by our Spanish-speaking boat captain as we motored across the water. My Spanish is still pretty limited, and it's possible that I may have misunderstood a detail or two...
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