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Lago Atitlan - hippies vs. hedonists
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We'd researched Lago Atitlan a bit. It's a large and ancient volcanic lake, reputed to be more than 300m deep, though no one seems to know for sure. Each little community around the lake has its own character. Panajachel is for short-term tourists, San Pedro La Laguna is for the party-hearty crowd as well as longer-term tourists, and San Marcos is a calmer scene, dominated by new-age hippies studying yoga, meditation, and many other holistic healing arts. After Xela and Antigua, we wanted to get away from noise and crowds and tourists (like ourselves), so we opted for San Marcos and spent the first (and only) night in Hotel Quetzal, which was affordable and perfectly adequate. After one afternoon in the town, though, we realized that there was absolutely NOTHING to do there if you didn't wish to to study cristals, pyramid healing or throat chanting. We had what has still to date been our WORST meal of the trip at some foreigner-run cafe with the word "lemon" in the name. A meal that was inedible, expensive, AND which we waited over an hour and a half for...
The next day we were off to San Pedro la Laguna, and never looked back. We found a good school to study Spanish, La Cooperativa, which was run by the teachers themselves, so they received the money, rather than some rich, anonymous owner. A week of one-on-one tutelage, 4 hours/day for 5 days was $75, which seemed a good deal. To top it off, they had an apartment we could rent - a real apartment, with full kitchen, bath and a terrace overlooking the lake for only $11/day. We took it immediately, and were so happy we did. We bought the delicious coffee grown on the volcanos surrounding the lake, and drank it on the terrace in the morning, watching the sun rise. (Yes, we're getting up that early every day now...) Talor went to the market and made many great meals. We were even able to have some friends over for dinner - Yan and Veronique from Montreal, who we ended up hanging out with and climbing a mountain with over the next few days.
The Spanish classes were very helpful, and lasted only the morning, leaving our afternoons free to explore, kayak, hike, etc. (Erik hiked up the volcano San Pedro, and complained about his sore legs for a week afterwards...) San Pedro is a party town, but that lager-lout atmosphere is kept to the area just around the port. Further inland, things calmed down and most people you encountered were there much longer term. We very much enjoyed our stay and highly recommend San Pedro as well as the Cooperativo, if anyone reading this plans a trip to Lago Atitlan.
Where I stayed:
La Cooperativa Spanish School
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