Trip to Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

Saturday, the morning I was set to get on a 3-hour shuttle to Lake Atitlan, I woke up feeling 90% better than the previous 3 days. I was cautiously optimistic, yet a little afraid to a) eat and b) get on the shuttle. I ate only a banana and got on the 5:30 a.m. van as planned. I was fine. Phew.

After a pretty quick trip through some interesting Guatemalan cities and rural areas, we made it to Atitlan. Seeing my first view of the lake as we came over a hill, it did not disappoint. It's truly a stunning area, with misty volcanos rimming the gigantic green lake, which looks more like a sea. The shuttle descended into a town called Panajachel, and dropped us off. "Pana" is one of 7 towns that dot Lake Atitlan. Most people don't stay there since it's kind of dusty and crowded, and instead catch a lancha to one of the other towns, like San Pedro, San Marcos, Santiago de Atitlan and others. I was headed to San Pedro. I would have liked to have gotten on this boat ...

... but instead I was directed to this one: 

Nonetheless, the boat ride across the lake was beautiful, and really a treat in itself. The lanchas actually ride really low to the water so you can touch it (or get splashed in the face in my case). The water was a pretty green and not too cold.

San Pedro looked a little sketchy as we approached, but as we got closer I could see this was because people used the rooftops to hang out their laundry. The town itself was really charming. It reminded me a lot of Livingston, the Caribbean port town in Guatemala at the entrance to the Rio Dulce, where I had been with Mike.

It's a busy little village with shops and restaurants and tons of tuk-tuks (little motorized, 3-wheeled rickshaws), motorcycles, and scooters zipping all around you. 

It took me a while to find my hotel, but eventually I realized I had to go through a maze of alleys to get there. (Incidentally, motorcycles drive up and down these alleys, too. I definitely thought I was going to lose a foot a few times. )

I finally found the path leading to Mikaso, and it was perfect!

A boathouse beside my hotel

Getting sun on the rooftop deck

I didn't do a whole lot in San Pedro-- just walked around and looked at shops, laid in the sun on the rooftop deck, had lunch in little restaurants, and caught up on chatting with friends and family.

It was a really nice couple of days. It wasn't long, but I was ready to come back when I did. Solo travel is a freeing experience and of course you can do whatever you like, but unless you meet people, it can be a little boring after a while, so short trips are okay. All in all, I was really glad I saw the lake area and would love to go back someday and check out the other towns.