Touring Lake Atitlan

Touring Lake Atitlan Panajachel, Guatemala

Panajachel, Guatemala Early Bird The sun shining through my room at 6AM was enough to get me out of bed early. Walked to the lake and was already met by someone touting me for a boat tour. It was for an 8AM tour, but I thought I wanted to take my time. I noticed that, just like in San Cristobal, the indigenous locals wear their traditional Mayan clothes. I am more impressed with the ones worn here though, the embroideries are intricate, the weaving very colorful. (I later learned in the tour that for each town, they have their own unique hues, i.e. you could identify where the person is from based on the color combination of their clothes). After breakfast at Mario’s, I had a better deal with the tour agent right next door. Paid Q95 for a boat tour that starts at 9:30AM. He changed money as well. I had to use my left-over Mexican pesos and some Euros as nobody changes any Australian dollar. Q9 to 1 Euro. Was dismayed to find out a M1 = Q0.5. On the boat, I met a couple of New Yorkers, Megan and Rachel. They dispelled the stereotype of American tourists. They were very pleasant to hang out with. Their itinerary is similar to mine: they’re headed to Antigua for Spanish language immersion. San Juan Our first stop is this small artistic town which seems to thrive on art galleries, textiles and other crafts. One thing that grabbed me, this place is mural heaven! It’s like Xenenetla, although lots of difference — I prefer mexican murals. These Guatemalan murals seem to me like a deliberate — and therefore, sanitised — cultural showcase, whereas I find the Mexican murals more of a socio-political statement and commentary, more real, more gritty with more depth. There were tuktuks greeting tourists right at the dock charging Q25 to tour around the place. I just went ‘walkabout’, which was better for me as I was more interested in murals than textile or weaving demonstrations or coffee tours. I dropped by a medicinal garden and shop as well as an art gallery. Bought a locally handmade pair of earrings. San Pedro This is backpacker haven. As one of the guys here said “You have every thing you could ask for here. You couldn’t ask for more!” I tend to agree.
The lake looks cleaner and much ‘swimmable’ on this side of the lake. inquired at a lake front guesthouse, with the same amenities as Mario’s rooms, they charge half the price — and with such breathtaking view Bumped into the guys I rode with in the shuttle yesterday from San Cristobal. They obviously did their research. Had I known better I would have stayed here instead of Panajachel. There were also lots of Spanish schools in this place. Again, had I not made a reservation at Antigua, I would have just stayed here. Santiago This is the biggest town with a huge market. Other than that, it’s not really as attractive as the other two earlier towns we visited. Visited the 16th century cathedral. On the wall next to the entrance is a historical commentary. I didn’t realise so much violence existed in this place! The cathedral was meant to be a sanctuary, yet people were massacred right outside it by militia. that was years ago, back in the 90s. I suppose it is much safer now. The good thing about visiting Santiago is I had a closer insight into the day to day life of locals. there was a school where kids were playing soccer and basketball.
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