Date of Entry:January 26th 2017 (problem with dates earlier)

Date of Writing: February 14th 2018

One highlight of Guatamala I don’t have time to properly experience is Lake Atitlan which deserves days if not weeks, luckily there is some ways to do it as a day trip and so around 530 am I’m awake and getting into a shuttle van to Atitlan that I booked one way with my hostel Wicho and Charlies.  It turns out I’m the only person making this early morning trip and I feel bad for sleeping though the first half of it rather than talking to my driver who turns out to be a very friendly local.  I won’t be going back by private transfer though, that will be my Guatamalan chicken bus adventure.

Either way I arrive in Panajachel the gateway to the countless towns dotted around this incredible lake again framed by volcanoes and filled with local fisherman.  Atitlan reminds me of Fewa lake in Pokhara Nepal, and of a smaller version of Titicaca on the border of Peru and Bolivia. Both beautiful places, and I find myself wishing I had more time to explore the various villages around the lake.

I wander through Panajachel a while taking pictures of the lake, volcanoes, flowers and even stray dogs.  It’s still early so the streets are virtually deserted and the countless restaurants for tourists are only just beginning to show signs of life.  Still the lake sparkles and the empty streets are perfect for me.  I should wake up early more often.

Eventually I get hungry and find a restaurant just opening up with a great view of the lake and settle down as the only guest, ordering a big breakfast of sausage, egg, bacon, beans and several other things alongside the huge pile of freshly made tortillas.  It’s cheap and just utterly delicious.

After breakfast I  wander down to the docks where boats give you access to just about any town around the lake, and there are many, catering to any type of experience you want, luxury (by Guatamalan standards), backpacker hippy havens, small town Guatamalan feeling, and just about everything else.  I go to San Pedro, a backpacking mecca but also just one with frequent boat service and since I’m doing Atitlan as a day trip that is a requirement.

I book the boat and about 10 minutes later we’re heading out across the lake on a small motorboat passing by countless hillside villages and so much else. Getting closer to the biggest of the volcanoes which looms over the lake and overpowers everything else scenery wise.

We arrive in Sao Paulo and it’s still before 11 in the morning.  The village itself is up a hill so I walk past the countless hawkers without much of a plan.  I don’t have time to hike the volcano or take a horseback ride, so my plan is just wander around town and get a feel for the place.  So, I head up the steep hill and start wandering.  Sand Pedro is small, but up the hill away from the tourist shops, it has a bustling life to it, full of colourfully dressed locals and hectic unorganized market places. And since it’s a hippy place of course there’s a grateful dead presence to honour my father.

I don’t feel comfortable filming the people blatantly as I don’t want to disturb their lives too much so I just hit record and let the camera dangle from my neck strap which explains the shakiness of this video, still its a cool 75 second long glimpse of day to day life walking through the market place in San Pedro, Guatamala.

I eventually head down from the local market place choosing a different path to work my way back to the lake side.  I’m very happy as I walk, Guatamala is strange, barring the volcanic eruption I’ve seen nothing truly astounding, but I just love it in this country, I feel welcome, safe and fulfilled here.  It’s already a country I want to come back to sometime soon.  As I walk I snap some more photos of this picturesque little town.

Around 1 o’clock I head back to the docks and hop on a boat back to panajachal, knowing I’ve got a fairly long journey back to Antigua today, especially since I’ve opted for the much cheaper but slower chicken bus route which will include three buses and hundreds of stops, but should be a fun adventure.  I also know I want more tacos before I take my night bus from Antigua to Guatamala city and onto Flores and Tikal, one of the most impressive Mayan sites in South America.

I arrive back in Antigua at around 4:50 having learned several lessons.  One:  Chicken buses are not meant for people over 6 foot.  Hell maybe not even over 5 feet.   Two:  Locals in Guatamala are incredibly friendly.  They shared food, advice and stories with me the whole way.  Three:  Chicken buses are really slow and stop everywhere.  The private transfer took about two hours, the chicken bus almost 4.  The fourth and most important lesson is that for travelling relatively short distances I’d pick the chicken bus every day, as it may not be comfortable, but it’s cheaper and gets you in contact with Guatemalans, who are awesome.

Back in Antigua I join up with Brittany, Lennox, and Jefferson again and we head to the taco place just a few doors down and gorge ourselves until my mini van transfer to Guatamala city where I will hop on an 8-9 hour night bus to Flores.  a long journey which makes me very glad I’ve paid for first class, as the bus is comfy and I’m able to get some sleep and wake up refreshed ready to explore the ancient Mayan civilization at Tikal, one of their most important cities.