Guatemala: Spanish school and a wonderful 2+ weeks in Panajachel / Lake Atitlan

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We were thinking about how to summarize the 16 days in Panajachel in a way that would be interesting and short enough so as not to discourage readers from reading it (is it just me or is it rather common these days for people to have seriously short attention spans – I blame the internet, what with all those hyperlinks…). As we ran through the list of things that we’ve done and seen while in Panajachel on Lake Atitlan, we quickly realized that it is a long list with many loco adventures and perhaps the best way to tell the tale is simply to stick to a simple, summarized listing with some photos. So here goes.

Arrived in Panajachel on Saturday November 23rd via 14 seater minibus “collectivo” from Antigua – a relatively easy ride.

Arriving in 14 seater luxury

Arriving in 14 seater luxury

 

Spent two nights in a hostel on the main drag, Calle Santander, where we met two german motorcycle riders who are riding their off road touring bikes (Dakar rally style BMWs) from San Diego to Tierra del Fuego (the southernmost tip of South America).

Calle Santander - the main drag in Pana

Calle Santander – the main drag in Pana

 

Took two very educational and entertaining weeks of Spanish school – learned enough Spanish to get by (well, so far we think so – will let you know…)

Where the Spanish lessons went down

Where the Spanish lessons went down

 

The view from Spanish school

The view from Spanish school

 

Lived with a Guatemalteco (Guatemalan) family while in Spanish school. Spent meals (3x a day) learning about life in Panajachel (and Guatemala) in slow, broken and usually hilarious Spanish conversations with our homestay mother, Magda.

Our homestay mom, Magda

Our homestay mom, Magda

 

Got the living sense scared out of us (before we understood the custom) of super loud firecrackers going off at 5:30AM.

View from casa de Magda (Magda's house)

View from casa de Magda (Magda’s house)

 

Apparently it is customary to set off firecrackers early in the morning to celebrate (and wake up) any child in a household’s birthday. This happens every morning.

Ran the extremely challenging and spectacular Lake Atitlan Challenge Marathon (42.2km) – a race called one of the top 10 challenge marathons in the world by ESPN.

The Lake Atitlan Marathon package pickup

The Lake Atitlan Marathon package pickup

 

Bev placed second in her age group (how amazing is that?) and she won a night’s accommodation for two, including breakfast, in a luxury hotel on the lake – OK, yay!

The winner on her prize bed

The winner on her prize bed

 

The pool at the hotel

The pool at the hotel

 

The Christmas tree lit up at night, as seen from our room

The Christmas tree lit up at night, as seen from our room

 

Took a couple of lanchas (powerboat taxis) across the lake to explore some of the other villages on the lake.

On one of the many lanchas

On one of the many lanchas

 

Hiked up and down a volcano (the Volcan de San Pedro, with a maximum elevation of 9,908ft).

View from halfway back down the volcano

View from halfway back down the volcano

 

Walked around town by foot and rode as passengers on the ever-present Tuk-Tuks.

Typical street scene with tuk-tuk

Typical street scene with tuk-tuk

 

Rode on the back of a “picop” (a regular pick-up truck with a series of metal bars installed in the back to allow people to hold on while standing on the back), a regular mode of taxi transport in these parts. One one occasion there were 20 of us on the back!

Watched a fascinating parade of costumed dancers – part of the Catholic Christmas traditions in the area.

Not sure what these costumes have to do with either Christmas or the Catholic church...

Not sure what these costumes have to do with either Christmas or the Catholic church…

 

Generally had a fantastic time!
Really enjoyed the Guatemalteco people – they are very friendly and generous, and rather loud!

Bev’s thumbs-up: being challenged by a new language, colourful Guatemalan/Maya fabrics, smoothies at La Pitaya in Panajachel…and placing in the marathon!
Bev’s thumbs-down: 3 days of freezing cold and strong winds

Richard’s thumbs up: learning Spanish, the marathon, hiking the volcano
Richard’s thumbs down: loud firecrackers at all hours

Author Description

Richard

There are 3 comments. Add yours

  1. 20th December 2013 | Judy says: Reply
    Yay! Another update, always waiting for new blogs. Happy that you have such a fantastic time there, so proud of you! Talk soon xo
  2. 23rd December 2013 | Denise says: Reply
    Congratulations Bev on placing first in such a challenging race. You are a force to be contended with for sure. I think that one of the costumes in the Christmas parade is meant to be Frankenstein and Myrrh, instead of Frankincense.
  3. 2nd January 2014 | Heather says: Reply
    Happy New Year Bev and Richard Sounds like South America is really agreeing with you. Congrats on your race Bev. That's fantastic and it couldn't have been a better prize! I'll check in later on as a little bird told me you are now in Nicaragua which is a place I have always wanted to go. Heather

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