This past weekend marked my graduation from Spanish school and my transition to life at Lake Atitlán. But before getting down to business (i.e. research projects), we decided to take the weekend to enjoy all that el lago has to offer: breathtaking views, delicious food, great shopping, and good vibes all around. So what better way to do this than to rent a double-decker boat for the day and cruise around the lake?
We started in Panajachel (“Pana” for short), which is the largest lake town. It’s relatively lively and has its fair share of tourists and ex-pats. After a fabulous breakfast, we headed for the dock to get on our boat, praying that it wouldn’t rain.
With the music bumping, our boat headed for San Pedro La Laguna, but about halfway there our driver stopped in the middle of the lake so we could go swimming. And by “going swimming” I really mean jumping off of the boat into the lake, and then swimming back to the boat just to jump off again. The water was the perfect temperature, extremely clear, and this gorgeous dark turqouise color.
Once we got to San Pedro, we headed to this hipstery restaurant/bar/hostel called Zoola. This place had the coolest vibe–we sat on brightly colored pillows on the floor, ate amazing food, and then checked out the beautiful pool/bar area. Loved this place.
After San Pedro, we got back on the boat and headed to San Juan La Laguna. We made a quick stop at a weaving collective, Asociación de Mujeres en Colores Botanico, where a woman gave us a demonstration of how cotton is cleaned and made into thread. She also showed us how the thread is dyed, and explained that they use all organic products (leaves, fruits, vegetables, etc) to dye the thread.
After that it was time to head back to Pana and chow down on some delicious tacos. Lake Atitlán, I love you and I’m so excited you’ll be my home for the next month.
-S
Work hard, and flourish 