Great Guatemala Loop Part 5 – Lago de Atitlán

Visitors to Guatemala head primarily to three places: Tikal, Antigua, and Lago de Atitlán. Hoards of tourists can be easily overlooked in Tikal – it is an archeological wonder after all. The also scatter around many acres, so there are still quiet pockets in the park. Antigua is a big city with plenty of non-tourists as well as tourists. It is a cultural and historical center that should be seen despite the crowds.

The light-skinned masses are harder to ignore in the small towns around Lago de Atitlán. Their presence seems to overwhelm all local culture, and travelers tend to group together with each other, making for more of a western atmosphere. Much of Guatemala seems to be lost around the lake.

That said, the scenery can be quite spectacular, that is, when the pollution haze doesn’t obscure things. An early riser may catch some beautiful morning, before the bohemians come out in search of the first toke of the day.

There are plenty of villages to choose from around the lake, each with their own atmosphere. This journal covers two villages: San Marcos and San Pedro.

Quick Tips:

San Marcos was one big hippy yoga center. San Pedro was one big hippy party. We liked San Pedro more than San Marcos, for sure, but if we returned to the area again, we would likely seek out a different lake town, where we could enjoy the scenery in a less western atmosphere. Actually, we would more likely avoid Lago de Atitlán altogether, rather than contribute to the demise of another small town.

There were quite a few Guatemalan artists based out of San Pedro. Their paintings were beautiful, and unlike the folk art seen all around Guatemala, this is quality work, not tourist trinkets. Take home a colorful canvas.

Beware of pickpockets and thieves in the lake area. I had read the warnings in my guidebook, but didn’t really believe them until fellow travelers shared firsthand accounts of being robbed.

Best Way To Get Around:

Xela to Panajachel(Lago de Atitlan):

In Xela, take a minibus from the Xela main square to the bus station, costing 1 quetzales per person. We should have paid 10 quetzales (.25) per person to take the bus from Xela to Panajachel, which we found out too late, after paying 15 quetzales each.

In Panajachel, we asked for directions, down to the correct boat dock to go to San Marcos. The boats appear to leave when full and not necessarily on any schedule. We paid 15 quetzales ( per person), but we were once again overcharged (the locals pay less). Later in the week, I talked to another boat operator who made me feel at least a little better when he worded it that the locals get a "frequent boater" discount rather than us being overcharged. What can you do?

Panajachel to Antigua:

After boating back to Panajachel (15 quetzales, US per person), there are a series of buses and transfers that require quick movements, as follows:
Panajachel to Solola – 1.5 quetzales (20 cents)per person
Solola to Encuentros – 1.5 quetzales (20 cents) pp
Encuentros to Chimaltenango – 10 quetzales (US.25) pp
Chimaltenango to Antigua – 3 quetzales (40 cents) pp

Our Room:
Very clean, with a double bed.

Private or Shared Bath?
Shared. Showers were good, but there were lots of spiders.

The Atmosphere:
The garden was pretty, but the owner was a bit stand-offish. No one else was staying here, which leads me to believe that there are better places to stay, but we just didn’t find them.

Food and Other Amenities:
No restaurant on-site, but there are plenty nearby.

Location:
From the boat dock, head west for a very short distance, then take the first right down a path. If you get to Piramides, you have gone too far. Follow the path, and Hotel San Marcos is on the right side.

Security:
I did not feel that Hotel San Marcos was very secure. Our room was on ground level, with large windows that didn’t seem to be very secure. The owner was always either hanging out in her apartment upstairs or off at a yoga class. The property was left open, and I didn’t see anyone else watching over things, although a young Guatemalan man was employed there, and he was likely around, but I just didn’t see him.

Price:
90 quetzeles ($11.25) per night

Our Room:
Our room was spacious and clean, with a bright hammock hanging just outside the door and a table and chairs nearby. We had a view of the lake from the balcony. We had room number 16, which we liked, but the two best-looking rooms at Casa Elena seemed to be numbers 14 and 17. These two rooms were somewhat separated from the rest in that they were half a floor up or down from a row of rooms. They were on the lake side and therefore had better lake views, and the rooms had two windows each instead of one. Because they were half a floor different, they each had their own balcony area (versus the shared balconies of the other rooms), with hammocks, tables, and chairs.

Private or Shared Bath?
Both are available, but we paid the extra for a private bath. Our shower was nice and hot, with good water pressure.

The Atmosphere:
Señor Juan was a very friendly man. I don’t know if he was the owner or the manager, but he was a pleasure to work with. The whole place is painted a cheerful peach, and there are bright pink flowers growing all around. There is a dock on the lake for use by guests only. It is perfect for catching some sun, reading, or taking a swim.

Food and Other Amenities:
Casa Elena does not have a restaurant or laundry facilities, but there are plenty of restaurants nearby, and you can drop off your laundry just across the street at a convenience store for pickup next day.

Location:
To reach Casa Elena, come up from the boat dock, and turn left at D’Noz. It is about a quarter-mile down on the left (look for the huge peach building!).

Security:
Señor Juan kept a watchful eye from his entry-side room (glass window). The place is locked up at night. A second- or third-story room would, of course, be more secure than the ground-level rooms. I felt quite safe here, and this would be a good place for single women travelers as well.

Price:
Our room was 60 quetzeles (US$7.50) per night, but there are cheaper rooms with shared baths. The rooms I mentioned above cost more, presumably for the view and extra privacy. Room 14 costs 70 quetzales per night, and room 17 costs 80 quetzales per night.

My first impression of San Marcos was not a good one. First, after being overcharged for our bus ride, we were also overcharged for our boat ride. The boat money collector blocked our way onto the dock until we paid what he demanded. Next, we were finding it difficult to find our way around. We were tired and frustrated and just wanted to find a clean and reasonably priced place to stay. Finally, I have a lingering image of a young boy, angry and stomping away from me when he didn’t feel I had given him enough money for "guiding" us to a hotel. We didn’t ask for his services, and he didn’t actually guide us anywhere but rather walked in front of us as we wandered around, pointing at signs we could read ourselves. We didn’t stay where we parted ways with him either. Ug.

My second impression of San Marcos was… yep, also not good. I hadn’t realized that San Marcos was not really a Guatemalan town. By that I mean that few Guatemalan people actually live there. The town is populated by expats from the world over, each of them running a hotel, restaurant, or a massage-yoga-meditation, or other holistic, place. The whole town is one big hippy yoga center.

Now, I’m all for alternative therapies and internal harmony, and I certainly want a balanced chakra, I mean, come on (what is a chakra, anyway?), but to stay in a town more like Boulder, Colorado, than a Guatemalan village is not what I came here for.

That said, there was certainly some good non-Guatemalan food to be had (at non-Guatemalan prices), and the view from San Marcos south is something to behold, when you are lucky enough for the atmosphere to be pollution-haze free.

The best spot in San Marcos to spend time was definitely the swimming spot on the far west side of town. There is a tiny beach and a small headland with plenty of rocky perches to catch some sun and read a book. There is also a short path on top leading to a great spot to cliff-jump into the fishing cove (at your own risk, of course!) The view from this point to the south is humbling. Massive volcanoes rise up, their height emphasized by the flatness of the lake.

Near the swimming point was a nice-looking café called Moonfish (unfortunately closed the day we were there). Just next to Moonfish Café was a guesthouse called Aaculaax (not in our guidebook). Aaculuux was full, but it looked like a great place with a more reasonable price (70 quetzales, US$9, for a double) than the other places in San Marcos. The owner does stained glass, and the place is funky and artsy, with a lot of character.

We ended up buying our own fruit, yogurt, and granola, which made for huge and cheap breakfast. There are a couple open-air stands that sell these items for good prices. The Piramides also had good food.

Here is a brief rundown of the hotels we looked at:
Hotel Paco Real - no double rooms
Hotel La Paz - one shabby double room
Piramides - full, but was recommended by a fellow traveler
Hotel Quetzal - looked good from outside, noticed it on far west side as we were leaving town
Hotel San Marcos - see separate entry

San Pedro, like Panajachel and San Marcos, is filled with tourists. But, unlike San Marcos, at least there are Guatemala people running the businesses rather than foreign expats (although there are a few of those as well). The prices are better as well. We liked it way better than San Marcos and wish we had gone there first.

We walked from San Marcos to San Pedro, which was very nice and took 2 hours. We talked to a couple friendly local folks along the way and were not harassed by anyone trying to sell us anything. Once in San Pedro, of course that changed quickly. And along with the deluge of offers to buy food, drinks, and trinkets, my husband caught a 10-year-old boy trying to steal a flashlight hanging from my pack.

Once we broke through the sales staff, all highly skilled in knowing who is new in town, we found a fantastic place to stay. Casa Elena was big and bright and friendly. There was a dock on the water for guests to use, and it was great to lounge in the hammocks overlooking the lake.

There are a lot of good places to eat in San Pedro. All of the places down by the water seem to be geared toward tourists, and the prices and selection reflect that. The food definitely has a more western and international flair. If you go to the top of the hill, you should be able to find a number of traditional Guatemalan eateries. We had grown a little weary of corn tortillas, so we opted to stick with the more touristy places. We ate at:

Restaurante El Fondeadero (Guatemalan food) – very large plate lunches
Chez Tin Tin (Indian and Thai dishes) – the samosas were delicious, and the curry had a good flavor, but the meat was tough
D’Noz (western) – great chocolate cake!
Nick’s Place – good pizza, a nice size for light lunch for two people
Iglu – ice-cream stand, very disappointing – skip it

D’Noz also offers live music on Wednesdays, and they have free movies at 7:30pm every other night. This place is packed at night, so come early to get a spot to sit. Upstairs there is an Internet room with free coffee with 30 minutes Internet use. We saw the movie Bowling for Columbine by Michael Moore while in San Pedro. I love this movie, but it is definitely a different feel to watch it with a room full of international travelers when you are the only Americans in attendance.

My favorite part of staying in San Pedro was meeting Miguel. He worked in an art gallery that we walked into. He said to us, "Do you speak English?" which I interpreted to mean that he would try to sell us art in English rather than Spanish. I was wrong. Miguel was studying for an English test and had a couple questions. I helped him out, and then throughout our stay in San Pedro, we stopping in twice per day to answer his questions while preparing for the exam. He emailed me a month later and said that he passed the test.

Finally, here is a summary of common San Pedro sights, smells, and sounds:

…dreadlocks… the subtle glint of beaded necklaces and body piercings… Mayan women washing laundry in the lake… the bitter-sweet smell of coffee beans being processed and dried… the also bitter-sweet smell of marijuana burning… bongo drums, too many bongo drums… endless sales pitches, especially for sweet breads and juice