Lago de Atitlan, Guatemala

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During our Spanish Immersion course in Antigua, it was time for a 2 week break, so we booked a shuttle (Q100) to Lake Atitlan! On the list of the most beautiful lakes in the world, Lake Atitlan did not disappoint us. We arrived in Panajachel and were picked up by a Tuk Tuk and swept through the city to our Airbnb home. Cirilo was the perfect host there. He ended up watching our bags for us as we traveled to and from different towns around the lake during our stay. We continued to return to his home without booking via Airbnb. Lake Atitlan is about a 90 minute drive from Antigua, most people arrive in Panajachel. From there truck, shuttle, and boats are available to commute to the towns. Some are only accessible via boat due to the large volcanos around the lake making it impossible to access any other way. We choose 3 towns to visit; San Antonio, San Juan, & Santiago. San Antonio was accessible by truck so we found a pick up truck for Q10 per person to ride on. The town is very small, quiet, not much to do, but the views are spectacular! The owners of the hotel we stayed in let two of their kids escort us on a hike to a waterfall. In turn we gave them a tip and bought a round of ice cream bars for everyone. We did do a little shopping because the town is best known for it's textiles and ceramics.

We rode on a pick up truck back to Panajechel to get a boat ride across the lake to San Pedro where we got a Tuk Tuk ride to a different dock for a boat ride to San Antonio. Finally reaching our destination we hiked uphill to our Airbnb. The town had a wonderful outdoor market where we purchased fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and eggs to prepare our meals at home. We kept up with our Spanish every day, reviewing notes, speaking, and using Duolingo. The area was very touristy so we didn't do much other than walk the city, visit the churches and parks, Don got a great hair cut, and we tried to engage with as many locals as possible. After a few days, we returned to Panajachel so we could go to the Chichicastenango Market which is only open 2 days a week. The market is definitely worthy of making the list of things to do, but it certainly is not the best shopping. The city closes of approximately 10 x 10 blocks and vendors set up their goods, tarps, cooking stations, and thousands of people come to purchase everything they need. The market is for locals and tourist, although we all get quoted a different price. Pretty much all shopping at street markets is negotiable. It is fun to banter on prices but NEVER degrade their products or workmanship.

Our final town to visit was certainly the best for last, San Juan. It is known for it's art. Being an artist myself, I absolutely loved this town. There are two popular streets, the street of umbrellas and the street of hats. Each one has a canopy down the long street of either hats or umbrellas, thousands of lights, bright colorful tassels, balls, and other random decorations. There are markets, restaurants, ice cream shops, lining the streets and are full of people at all hours. Don engaged in a basketball game with a young boy which a couple local Mayan woman put down their bags and joined in on the fun. Many buildings were adorn with large colorful murals showcasing Mayan traditions, textiles, people, and foods. Luckily we were there for 4 nights at a Mayan families home. They taught me how to weave, escorted Don on a hike to Indian Nose, cooked traditional meals for us and we got to converse with the family members ever day. Multi generations all live at the same house, each person doing their task to support the household, and we got to see it all up close. They taught us how to do our only laundry with a brick of soap and a wash basin. All cooking was done on a wood burning stove. When there was a power outage, it didn't seem to effect the household since everything was so rustic. We just needed a couple candles for light.

We returned to Panajachel for a couple more days before going back to school. We enjoyed long walks at the lake, ate ice cream, did a little last minute shopping, and relaxed. It was easy to walk everywhere since the towns are all so small, however Tuk Tuk's are available and usually only Q5-10. Stray dogs are a huge sad problem here. We felt very safe day and night, in the city or off the beaten path. The best products and prices for souvenir shopping was certainly Panajachel. I am not one who buys a lot of stuff when traveling, however, I was told that the prices and quality are incredible. They were right. I bought blankets, towels, and clothing for incredible prices.

If we were meant to stay in one place, we’d have roots instead of feet.

Michelle

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Photos

San Antonio
Don and I were escorted on a hike to a local waterfall. Narrow trails, steep hillsides, we roamed through a cascading terrace of gardens that provide produce to the whole town.

My favorite purchase
This queen size quilt is my favorite purchase. Each circle is beautiful needle work. The patchwork is bright with variable textures.

Panajachel
At the docks of Lake Atitlan with volcanos in the background.

Truck ride to San Antonio
Cheap transportation at only Q10 ($1.30) per person! A great experience riding in a pick up truck bed.

Laundry day
Local women doing laundry at the lake in San Antonio. Women of all ages carry large baskets of laundry down the steep roads to do this daunting chore early in the morning. Many homes do not have access to running water so this is the only option they have.

San Antonio
Our guides for the hillside hike to see a waterfall. They are Abby and Cory are two of the six children of the Hotel owners. They were fulltime RV'ers in the US, and moved to this little town when they became partners of a hotel. The kids are all homeschooled, fluent in Spanish and enjoy their new lives in Guatemala.

San Antonio
Don pointing out the interesting watering system of the hillside gardens. Water is detoured from the waterfall along narrow channels feeding the gardens. Rags and rocks block the water to turn it off. When the garden areas need water, they simply remove the rags and rocks to open the flow of water. Simple, yet intricate.

San Antonio
Shopping day! Don found this great shirt. He loved the color, fit and price. The seller however tried pushing the pants which he insisted were too small and she insisted looked fantastic on him. He did not purchase the pants thank goodness but had fun trying traditional clothing on.

San Antonio
I am wearing a traditional headband. The woman who made this sat me down and wrapped my hair in it. It is very comfortable and easy to put on...I bought two!

San Antonio
Truck ride back to Panajachel was a full (8 people) and road construction. Still we enjoyed the experience and the price can't be beat.

Lake Atitlan
Our first boat ride across the lake. We were making our way to Santiago. Many forms of transportation to reach the little town so we started very early in the day.

Lake Atitlan
The boat docks to San Juan. It wasn't time for us to visit this town yet, but I was getting excited for it just seeing the decorations at the dock.

Santiago
Our own private indoor/outdoor kitchen right outside our bedroom. A perfect place to prepare the foods we bought at the open market and a little table for us to work at practicing our Spanish.

Santiago
We found a cleanish meat market where we bought some sausages at. The tiny ones were so delicious, I don't want to know what was in them. Sometimes I am grateful I cannot understand everything in Spanish.

San Antonio
Our staple item we make with most meals in Guatemala, fresh salsa. I have hated tomatoes for 51 years. I have had heirloom, garden fresh, beefsteak, roma, pear and cherry tomatoes, I don't like any of them! The tomatoes in this area are something completely different. I ate them every day, craved them. Perhaps the volcanic soil they are grown in? They were amazing.

Santiago
Keeping up with our studies even when vacationing around the lake.

Santiago
I was able to put my headband on by myself! Enjoying tortillas with fresh guacamole, tomatoes, onions, and sausage. The foods are so good here.

Santiago
The open market in Santiago. Not nearly as big as Antigua, but we were grateful to have found a great market for our food. Almost everything is negotiable, but the prices are so low, it is hard to offer a lower price. For example; 2 jalapeno peppers, 2 limes, a handful of fresh cilantro, bell pepper, 1 libra of tomatoes, 2 onions, & a head of garlic is about $2.50.

Panajachel
Lake front at sunset. The boats are primarily used to move people and goods from town to town. There is a little bit of fishing, but it doesn't pay as well and there's not many fish.

Santiago
Open market view from upstairs. This is just a small indoor part of the market. It continues in every direction down corridors to the outdoors and lines all of the neighboring streets.