At Lake Atitlan

So we have been at Lake Atitlan now for the last few days.  We spent 2 days in San Pedro La Laguna which is a small village town.

There, I hiked the Volcano San Pedro... it was a hike!  They don´t tell you the difficulty level or anything, but it was long.  We hiked quickly with our local guide, until it was clear that we could not keep up.  It was steep the entire way, only up, sometimes so steep that you would have to lurch one leg then the next.  The volcano top sits at 3000 meters, just over 9500 feet above sea level.  I am not sure what the distance is from base to top, but it took 3 hours up, and 2 hours down.

The terrain begins with a narrow trail that winds through a coffee plantation and avocado trees.  People were already hard at work at 6am here.  The trail stays narrow and it winds up the extinct volcano.  The terrain becomes very thick and dense.  There is a man that catches up to us that has some work tools, like a hoe and machete, and he plows ahead.  I find out that he is maintaining the trial because it can become overgrown or fall out quickly.

At the top, the view is to the east, and it is beautiful.  You can see most of the lake and all the villages that scatter around.

See my other post about the dog, Perro Guapo de Volcan San Pedro, aka the handsome dog of San Pedro Volcano.


Now, Jesse and I are in Panajachel.  We took a boat taxi across the lake to here for 25Q each or 3US.  We have a nice little place that has a garden and hotel parrot names Chichijal ?? I do not know how to spell that.  It does not like men, but does like women.  Only women can feed it... and Jesse saw what happens when he tries!!!

Jesse leaves on the 1st to fly back, and we will be spending the 31st in Guatemala City, because his flight leaves first thing in the morning.