So it is time for us to say adios to the small town of San Pedro, one of twelve smaller towns around Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. Jo and I have studied here at the Cooperativa Spanish School for the past two weeks, shared local meals with our very friendly homestay family and got to know this small tourist town quite well.
San Pedro, located directly between Lake Atitlan and Volcan San Pedro is a town of 15,000 people. This town, like the nearby market hub of Panajachel is very popular amongst tourists. Less than 50m from the San Pedro public boat dock are several hostels, restaurants and bars to accommodate tourists. Tuk tuks fly up and down these streets and can fit through any space, believe us when we say this! There is a local 5B ATM in this area and very safe to use.
The lagoon itself is beautiful, 18km across and very deep averaging 300m accordingly to the lonely planet guidebook. We were told that old Mayan relics have been found in the lagoon but at these depths, I don’t think Jo and I will be seeing any.
Jo fell in love with Home Café, a quaint and authentic wellness type restaurant set amongst beautiful lush foliage and hammocks where grainy bread, gluten free cakes and delicious smoothies were on the menu. Another café we both returned to on more than a few occasions was the Cristalinas Café, 100m straight up the hill from the main boat dock. The hot chocolate there was to die for and the cakes, especially the chocolate brownie were the best we have tasted in a long while. These places are a must visit for future travellers.
The north-eastern part of San Pedro (along the lake) was much like a set of rabbit warrens at first but became quite familiar after the first week. This area is heavily targeted at tourists and includes a number of small cafes, restaurants, volunteer homes, bars and the small local vender stores. We even found a local gentleman who was living amongst 1000’s of books (literally) that he would collect and sell to tourists. When we asked people around town where the nearest book store was everyones’ reply was to go see Tony. And so we did.
The south-eastern part of town is where we stayed for two weeks, quite close to the town market. Our homestay was a very positive experience, both Alejandra and Pedro helped us refine our Spanish skills further and we had some very hearty local meals. For future travellers though, if you wish to stay somewhere quiet we do not recommend this area of town. The two weeks we stayed here the noise from the local market, the presidential election campaigns, birthdays and local church parties was relentless. The noise wouldn’t stop most nights until 1am in the morning which made sleeping and studying particularly difficult. If you do decide to stay here, earplugs are a must have.
Our local family here have been fantastic. Alejandra, our house mum, has been a wonderful cook, has a great sense of humour and always has a smile on her face. Pedro, our house father, is a nurse and has a very important job in the local community. Their two children Ronnie and Petrona were very welcoming and very patient with our Spanglish. The rooftop view from our homestay accommodation you would pay a premium for in the western world and we were lucky enough to have this every day for the two weeks.
Our lessons at the Cooperativa Spanish School were excellent. The learning environment was beautiful with the meticulously managed gardens really creating a positive feel for the experience there. Jo and I started here with our third week of learning Spanish and started off sharing the one teacher. Our maestro Wilson was very patient and accommodating to our learning needs. Jo and I decided to split up in our second week and learn from separate teachers. We realised that even though there is a cost benefit of sharing the same teacher, you get half the “air time” with your teacher. We have both found talking the hardest part and you only get better at this through practice.
After school one day, we managed to catch a short boat ride across to the nearby town of San Marco. Unfortunately the afternoon showers that day turned into torrential rain as the local boat dock of San Marco became a rushing torrent or water forcing those waiting for the next boat to climb up onto whatever they could find nearby. Although we didn’t see much of San Marco because of this, the feeling we got from the town was that it was very small and relaxing, boasting many yoga retreats for westerners.
On our first weekend here, some friends we recently met earlier in Antigua visited us and we hiked Volcan San Pedro together. Let me tell you from first-hand experience that this was not easy! Although the summit of this volcano is at 3020m, both Jo and I were struggling to find out breath during the climb. The night before had rained heavily and the ground was very slippery which didn’t help and could have also been the reason for us finding it difficult to breathe. We were told that the alternate hike “The Indian Nose” had a better view and was only a 1.5hr return hike (after a 1hour bus ride to get there from San Pedro). Volcan San Pedro was a 6hr return hike and the view at the top was obscured by clouds – how everyone told us it would be. If you are looking for a good workout and don’t care too much for the view at the top we recommend Volcan San Pedro, otherwise the Indian Nose hike is probably a better option.
Our last weekend here we kayaked around part of the lagoon and participated in the weekly quiz at a local pub with school colleagues. The strong winds in the morning made kayaking conditions unfavourable however we still had fun staying close to the shore and around the mangroves. Our Spanish school provided this activity to us for free however hiring a kayak is fairly cheap at 10-15Q per hour (A$1.50-A$2.50).
Jo and I had lots of fun at the quiz night, met some great people and probably had one too many drinks. Below is some footage we took of some of the shenanigans one can expect from the weekly quiz at Hostel Fe. Enjoy 🙂
We have both learnt a lot from this small but big hearted town and have been fortunate with our very welcoming and friendly host family during our stay – it really does make the experience that much better. This is definitely a place for those travellers wishing to either party or switch off from the world and relax (or a bit of both). It also has a number of Spanish schools for those wanting to learn a little whilst relaxing. A very nice small town with a great vibe, thanks San Pedro!
Aaron & Jo x
Operation Whiskey 