Bus In To San Pedro La Laguna
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San Pedro La Laguna,
Guatemala
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Sent my volcanic rock and Carribbean sand (yes very dorky) home today.
We cruised around the charming Antigua then caught a 2:00pm shuttle bus with some Israelis heading to San Pedro La Laguna on Lake Atitlan. The trip was uneventful apart from some very loud Americans talking bollocks. We bussed in not taking the boat as most people do and were awarded with fantastic views from a steep, winding road down to the lake. As soon as we arrived we were offered some ganja. After dealing with all the locals who try to get you to go to particular hotels and try to carry your bags for a tip, we checked in to Casa Elena hotel for 70 quetzals about US$5 each for a private room with bathroom (poo problems). The room was a little prison cell style however the hotel was right on the beautiful lake which is surrounded by massive mountains,volcano San Pedro, corn fields, coffee plantations and cloud forest. Food is cheap here and there are lots of Spanish Schools. We ate a huge plate of salad at DīNoz Restaurant. The traditional clothing is worn here in all seasons and you can watch the women wash and people bathe in the lake. Just donīt brush your teeth with the water.
We booked a bus to Chichicastenango for the big market day tomorrow, watched a guy make some awesome UV string mandalas, dreamcatchers and little mobiles then found out that the FULL MOON is tomorrow night and the village is having a psytrance party at a space named Freedom. No wonder there are so many Israelis around. The village has a hippy feel and many travellers have stayed here to long. Everyone is trying to sell us gear from Shamanīs body oils to cocaine. The tourist area near the lake is segregated from the traditional village where lots of Mayans live. We would have preferred the smaller town of San Marcos which has meditation, reiki, yoga and pyramid accommodation.
We went to bed early on a mattress with crazy springs. It is cold here in the Highlands.
