Guatemala = Spring Break 2016

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Spring break week in Guatemala! I spent 2 days in Antigua over Easter weekend. Then I headed to Lake Atitlan for 5 days in Santa Cruz for a yoga retreat, like no other!

I prepaid $20 for a shared van ride from the Guatemala City airport to my hotel in Antigua. Other passengers on my van just walked out of the airport and got in my same van for half the price! In Antigua, my hotel was nice. It was just 2 blocks from the main square, had a kitchen and fridge I could use and had nice sunny and shady common spaces to sit. My room itself was simple, no frills. For two days I walked til I dropped. I googled a self-guided walking tour of all the churches in the city. I also sat in on a few parts of Easter services, saw an Easter parade, and watched locals create an "alfombra". They are temporary street art that are made out of colorful wood chips and look like a decorative carpet that takes up the entire street!

In Lake Atitlan my hotel, Isla Verde, was beyond comparison. I stayed in a private cabana probably 200 steps up the mountainside. The main house and yoga yurt were at the bottom of the hill near the lake's edge. The food was great, the yoga was fantastic, the relaxation was perfection. I explored one day on foot and walked to Jaibalito, the town next door. I was leaving the edge of town just as the school bell went off. I watched the kids leave school and talked to a few. Super cute! I explored one day by taking a taxi boat to San Juan. I went on a coffee tour and walked around the town to buy a few souvenirs. Everyone was so nice!

Nobody told me about the sand-flies. About 24 hours after I got back home my ankles were so itchy for a few days. Nothing benadryl couldn't alleviate. Other than that, a perfect trip!

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Photos

Alfombra in Antigua on Easter
Alfombra are temporary street art made of colorful woodchips. They look like a carpet and lead up to a church. The locals had a system and made them really quickly!

Her name is Cristina!
I bought most of my souvenirs from her, in San Juan.

Arch of Santa Catalina with Volcano in background
I went 3 times and this was the most clear picture I could get!

Yoga yurt
I told my yoga teacher "No more yoga music. Let's open the windows and listen to the lake!"

Worry dolls
The tradition is that you tell your doll your worry, put her under your pillow, and in the morning, your worry will be gone!