Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

We had a fun bus ride through the mountains to Lake Atitlan, and what a stunning lake it is! It reminds me of beautiful lakes in North America or even Lake Luzerne in Switzerland. We spent a night in charming Panajachel and chose a decent hotel due to our week of bathroom fear. As always I woke up early and walked around town during the early morning calm and burgeoning which I love. The lake was still and the mountains beautiful but I realized that we needed a less touristy environment after being in Antigua for a week so in the afternoon we took a boat to foot of the volcano, in a town called San Pedro. It’s a small town with both a granola/backpacker area and it’s own community. Places that we visit with backpacker areas are actually quite welcoming because too much of the authentic means a different level of comfort; a lot more flies, dog poop, sad stray animals, and sometimes children too. It’s wonderful to explore the authentic communities but it’s also nice to have a good coffee and a room in an area designed for backpackers from other countries. Sorry guys, I’m 41 with two kids in tow.!
In San Pedro we stayed in great place called Gran Suen which is family owned. San Pedro is a walkable community with great little nooks on dirt paths. I met a few expats that raved about life on the lake with the volcanoes. We discovered a great wifi restaurant, called the D’Noz with huge meals and a library with daily world news update binders to browse. This small town has many language schools, non-profit agencies working with the region, and a small Israel community. We spent a couple of hours in Santiago de Atitlan but really preferred San Pedro..
We hiked 3,000 feet with a guide up a mountain to an impressive vista of the lake. The kids went horse-back riding and went to the pool even though the lake had plenty of swimming opportunities. We visited a few of the towns on the lake but preferred San Pedro.
Time was running short before we needed to be in Panama and as I diagnosed the airline vs. bus trip through 5 Central American countries I realized I had to make a decision. Fly from Guatemala for about $900 dollars due to flight cost, airport taxes and fees, or take the bus and spend one third the cost or less and see a little of 5 countries. So we left on Wednesday for El Salvador a country that brings wonder of the unknown and a little fear to the mind.
.