After one ferry, one border crossing, two taxis, five hours in a bus terminal and eight buses for a total of 30 hours of travel, Lauri and I were quite excited to finally arrive at Lago De Atilan. Her and I are officially on a crunch time with our time left in Central America so we are on a crash course through Guatemala must do’s together. Meet Lauri, my adorable my new Swedish travel partner in crime.
The journey from Guatemala City to Lago De Atilan set the tone for yet another session of falling in love with another part of Central America. Mountains started to appear with layered coffee fields and the greenery and colors increased as the temperature dropped. As we got farther and farther from the big city the locals that boarded our chicken bus got shorter and more colorful. Normal attire for men woman and child, being beautifully embroidered, colorful and sparkly fabrics wrapped in a number of variety ways.
Lauri and I decided to stay in a town called Panajchel in which the lonely planet seemed to claim it as the favorite town around the lake. At the hostel we met some French guys that recommended that we check out the volcano on the other side of the lake as well as a Tuesday exclusive market in Soala. Shopping and hiking our some of my favorite things, as well as my new travel companion so our day following days seemed to already be planned.
The market in Soala was amazing. A real, local focused market rich with authenticity and spirit. Vegetables and fruit that I haven’t seen since I left home appeared! It’s obvious the cooperative climate of the highlands results in a booming agriculture. Because of this, the street food is quite overwhelming with deliciousness and not to mention the cheapest food yet. So, Lauri and I decided to commit to an entire day of food and shopping indulgence.
The shopping, wow. The leather. The clothes. The cloth. The beads. The pottery. The jewelry. The hammocks. All of it hand made and extremely unique. By 5pm Lauri and I agreed we had been more than successful at our day of indulgence and scurried to catch the last boat across the lake to San Pedro at 7pm. I’m extremely glad we did this at night. It was a full moon, which lit the surrounding mountain range and the tiny town’s nestled along the lake into the hill sides exposed how majestic this place really is. When the boat rounded the corner to reveal San Pedro, Lauri and I looked at each other in awe. I really looked like a postcard. Perfectly arranged cottages, trees and churches, their lights reflecting on the lake, almost as though it was smug.
We stumbled upon hostel named Casa Blanca that did in fact have an adorable fluffy white dog named Blanca. For $5 a night got us our own room on the lake, a kitchen with the cleanliness level of home, wifi and HOT SHOWERS. I almost cried with joy being that hot water has been a luxury I have had to leave at home and the excitement didn’t end there. The Israeli owner had decided to make a huge dinner of his homeland food, flaffel, fried eggplant, cabbage, tomato salad and French fries. And he invited anyone staying at the hostel to help themselves for free! Being that Lauri and I had dubbed this day as indulgence day, I suppose it made sense to end the day in such a manner. The Israeli food was literally some of the best food I have ever had in my life. Following dinner, fat and happy we sat with a few of the Israelis lakeside, sipping tea as Lauri and I cuddled under a blanket. I have to say it’s nice to feel a bit cold again.
We woke up early the next day, ate breakfast and drank a lot of Guatemalan coffee then headed up to San Pedro Volcano. As we faced the 4,000 ft incline we first hiked through coffee fields, corn fields and wildflowers. As we reached higher elevation the trees changed accordingly. It took us about 3 hours to get to the top and it was beyond worth it. The view was incredible. At a sharp10,000 ft it felt like I was standing on top of the world. Lauri and I ate lunch as we dangled our feet off some delightfully hot rocks and enjoyed what San Pedro had to offer as I took in the familiar feeling of a sense of belonging that the mountains give me.
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