Adventures in Atitlán Day 2: San Pedro La Laguna
Day 2 of our Atitlán adventure began before sunrise!
We left the hotel at 5:45 and walked over to where the “taxis” line up to take passengers to various villages around the lake. Our destination was Santiago where we would catch a lancha over to San Pedro La Laguna.
It was a cheerful group that climbed into the back of the Guatemalan “taxi” at 6:00 in the morning and headed for its first stop 20 minutes away in Santiago. This is how many folks travel to the various villages around the lake on a regular basis, whether it be to set up stands and sell their products a few times a week or going back and forth to work on a daily basis.
(I failed to mention earlier that the other part of the “we” in this trip is my friend, John, a fellow gringo who lives in the same small village that I do when I’m in Guatemala. Having some business to conduct in Atitlán, he was kind enough to allow me tag along and proved to be an excellent tour guide!)
In Santiago, we said goodbye to our fellow travelers and headed to catch the lancha for San Pedro.
As soon as we landed, we made a beeline for Café Cristalinas; this was John’s coffee hangout when he lived San Pedro. Apparently Cristolinas offers more than just good food and great coffee because we met some very interesting fellow adventurers that day at breakfast.
As we stood taking pictures in front of the restaurant, Tom, a writer from Minnesota, yelled down to us and wanted to pose with his coffee.
When he left, we were joined by an interesting group of young people whose paths has crossed during an adventure they were all having in San Marcos. As noted earlier, each of the villages around the lake is known for something different. San Marcos is known as “hippie-landia.” It is believed to have a special spiritual energy and attracts enthusiasts of yoga, meditation and holistic therapies. San Marcos is the village where, for about $25, one can participate in a chocolate ceremony (lasting 5-6 hours) conducted by a man who calls himself “The Chocolate Shaman.”
Anyway, these folks came from France, Washington DC, Ecuador, Israel and maybe one or two other places and were staying at the Mystical Yoga Farm in San Marcos.
It was our good fortune that they journeyed over to San Pedro and into Cristalinas on the same day that we did. I’m always interested to meet people of different ages, nationalities and walks of life and this was a super friendly, energetic and interesting variety of individuals!
(Part of me wanted to follow them around just to hear their stories, enjoy all that great energy and see what they got up to but I’m sure that past the coffee drinking I’d never have been able to keep up with them…haha!)
Walking around town
I was fascinated by the mazes of narrow alleyways and passages everywhere. We walked through one and nearly ended up in someone’s house… Oops! (although I’m guessing this is not the first time that has happened!)
Also interesting and beautiful is the multitude of colorful murals and wall art located all over the town.
This is Indian Nose (so named because of the Indian profile it forms). It’s a popular hiking spot for enjoying what I understand are absolutely spectacular sunrises over Lake Atitlán. A real adventurer would be writing this from experience and I hear that the hike itself, though steep, doesn’t take more than 30-45 minutes; that said, getting up at 3:30 a.m. to have the experience?… not very likely!
A stall in the central market
House for Rent!
Where do I sign?…
Haha!
The chances of Pat moving down with me for a few months to live in an old tatoo parlor? ……About the same as mine of making that 3:30 a.m. hike up Indian Nose!!
This is San Pedro Spanish School where John studied when he lived here several years ago. It’s a gorgeous facility with manicured gardens everywhere and classes conducted in individual cabanas situated on the lake. I can’t imagine a more wonderful place to study Spanish (or anything else!)
During this day of reunions for John and new experiences for me, we paid a visit to the Guatemalan family with whom he lived for 2 months while studying at the Spanish school. Here are some awe inspiring views from their 3rd level balcony.
Last but certainly not least on our tour of beautiful San Pedro… the central park
In small villages, the central park serves as a community gathering place. There is usually a large church in or near the park, an athletic court where kids play ball, and a gorgeously landscaped area great for visiting, studying, relaxing or any number of other everyday activities. At night there will be food stands, music (sometimes bands or even karaoke) and various other events.
San Pedro’s central park is filled with and surrounded by stunning beauty in every direction and, in addition to the large church, boasts a statue which represents Peter, the patron saint of the village. The chicken represents San Pedro providing food to the villagers.
We were a couple of tired but happy travelers as we made our way back to Santiago by lancha…
…and then to San Lucas by “taxi.” It was very accommodating of the volcanoes to provide such a picturesque sunset on our ride home!
Tomorrow, it’s off to Panajachel!!