San Pedro & San Juan

Our journey from El Paredon to San Pedro started out a bit questionable as the car we were in kept dying every 1000 feet.  Dad would get out and twist some wires while the driver gave the car some gas and then we would go a bit further.  Thankfully the drive that we thought was going to be 20 minutes only ended up being about 5!  We then piled our large packs into a little fishing boat and were taken across the river to another shuttle which drove us the 2.5 hours to Santiago, Guatemala, going from sea level to over 5000 feet.  Dad put us on a boat to San Pedro, where our Airbnb stay is located, while he journeyed to a local hospital, ATM, and pharmacy to get to the bottom of his ear pain (swimmer’s ear), which made the journey from El Paredon rough for him.

The place we are staying in San Pedro is referred to locals as ‘The Titanic’ as it has a Titanic-like balcony overlooking Lake Atitlan.  It is a 3 level town-home-type place and is a mix of a traditional Guatemalan style design with some modern updates, meaning that it is a unique layout with some funky aspects.  There are 2 bedrooms near the entrance on the bottom floor, each bedroom has a full bed.  There is a bathroom with a shower and while water is limited, this is the first place we’ve had a warm shower in over 3 weeks!  There is also the carved out area for a sink/scrubbing fixture that Guatemalans use.  Upstairs is the kitchen, a bedroom with a queen bed, a living room, and a small closet with a toilet and the sink for the kitchen (so this is where we wash our dishes).  The top floor is a flat roof with railings, it has a beautiful view with a shaded seating area and bar.  We eat our meals and do schoolwork up here.  It is nice to have some space to spread out for a couple of days and we are happy here with no set plans.

Lake Atitlan is a beautiful volcanic lake in the Western Highlands of Guatemala.  It is surrounded by mountains and several volcanoes along with many little villages that boats ferry to throughout the day.  The lake level fluctuates rapidly, it is said to have a 60 year cycle and has sometimes risen up to 18 feet in one month!  However, they are currently experiencing a drought and have blue algae in the lake, so it is not recommended that we swim in the area we are staying.  The temps are much milder here and we all wear sweatshirts at night.

Saturday we boated over to San Juan to see what was there to do.  We learned about weaving and using natural dyes from plants instead of the many artificial dyes used by the majority of Guatemalans.  We ended up hiking half way up Indian Head Mountain at the hottest time of day!  

Boat ride to San Juan

The Indian's forehead is to the left behind the kids, then his nose and chin extend to the right.

We had a local guide who was amazed at SJ’s determination to hike on her own, and G’s build when he took off his shirt - ha!  

Along the way we hiked by coffee fields and learned about how they grow and harvest the coffee bean.  Many Guatemalans claim to be the top producers of coffee; however according to world statistics they are about tenth in line.  

Coffee beans

The guys wanted to hike the entire mountain but we decided it was best for the family due to how steep it was and how little daylight was left, if we turned around at the half way point.  It was good exercise, a perfect adventure, and gave us a great view of the lake! 

Hiking Indian Head Mountain

Overlooking Lake Atitlan on the way up

View from the lookout half way up the mountain