Sunday, February 17, 2019
San Pedro, San Juan, San Marcos
I'm going to live! I woke up early and went to the upper terrace at dawn to see the sunrise, and Tom even came with me, despite the early hour. Whatever made me sick, trust me, it has been evacuated from my body, and I am feeling much better now. I was down and out from 2:30 yesterday afternoon until this morning. I'm pretty dehydrated and still have no appetite, but I know I must eat, so I shall.
Dawn on the terrace
Serene sunrise
Breakfast is included with the room, but shockingly, coffee costs extra. Happily, it is exceptionally good and worth the 10Q. We talked with a couple from Illinois at breakfast and a girl from Manitoba. They're all in San Pedro for the Spanish classes, as Guatemala is a good, cheap place to learn Spanish.
The sky is clearer this morning than it has been for the past few days. Maybe crops aren't burned on Sunday? We just got here yesterday afternoon, and we're already thinking about adding a third night in San Pedro. It's nice here, now that I'm not dying.
Bob Marley - popular with the backpackers
In the late morning, we walked to the nearby village of San Juan, 2-3 km down the road. You can take a boat or a tuk-tuk, but we wanted to take our time and enjoy the very nice views along the road.
Pretty pier in San Pedro
San Pedro
San Juan
San Juan is a quiet little town, and once we got there, we simply wandered around admiring the plentiful murals and beautiful textiles, then got an ice cream before attempting to find the dock.
Warning: May not be politically correct
Jesus fountain
Tuk-tuk with '80s decor
It's easy to find the lake, of course, but we went down the wrong path on our way to the pier. A dog started barking at us, and then a women emerged from a house and scolded us (albeit nicely). I can understand why, because we were more or less standing in her clotheslines at that point, but with the roads/alleys/paths around here, how are we to know what is a public passageway and what's private?
Anyway, we turned around, and the commotion had caught the attention of a young girl, age 10 or 12 maybe, who asked us if we were perdido (lost). Darn right we're perdido. She then led us down some equally unlikely pathways until we were close enough to the pier that she could point the way. Then she stuck out her hand, Tom gave her 1Q for her trouble (about 13 cents), and we all parted ways happy. I got the impression she does this a lot. Ha!
San Pedro, while trying to find the main pier
Indian Nose Peak
Next we caught a lancha to San Marcos, a town full of barefoot, dirtbag hippies, with lots of yoga, meditation, good vibes, and tattoos you can get from people on the street - not our kind of place, but we had to check it out. Though I still didn't have much of an appetite, it was time for a late lunch, and we finally found some non-vegan choices at Restaurante Fe. Tom got a cheeseburger, and I got a chicken, bacon and avocado sandwich. The portions were HUGE.
Mural in San Marcos
After lunch, we walked in the direction of the nearby nature reserve and found a nice dock to hang out on, where we watched a local man fish and a hippie couple swim. I didn't have a good first impression of San Marcos, but once we ate, had a beer, and found a nice place to relax by the lake, it was really pretty nice. The nature reserve would be worth the entrance price if you had a few hours to spend, with some nice trails and an opportunity for swimming.
The quiet side of San Marcos
Jana at Lago Atitlan
Local fisherman
We boated back to San Pedro, returned to the hotel, and I jumped in the shower to wash off the sunscreen. The scary Frankenshower did not kill me. I was just very careful not to touch any metal while I was in there. The electric shower heads provide instant hot water. There is one valve to operate the shower. The less water pressure you use, the warmer the water. The concept is fine, but the installation does not inspire confidence. At least get some wire nuts for the connections!
We used the last of our shampoo in Panajachel, so today I washed my hair with a bar of soap for the first time ever. Hypothesis: soap won't be as good as using shampoo and conditioner. Experimental conclusion: confirmed.
In the late afternoon, we walked away from the touristy part of town to San Pedro's Parque Municipal. It was LOVELY, definitely worth checking out if you're in town. Today is Sunday, and on the way to the park, we passed an evangelical Iglesia de Dios that was having a service and blasting lively music into the street.
Evangelical church, San Pedro
There's a Catholic church in the Parque Municipal. We got there about 20 till 6:00 and went inside to look around. Then we sat in the park and watched the locals arrive all dressed up for 6:00 mass. At the entrance to the sanctuary, the men took off their cowboy hats, and the women pulled their shawls up to cover their heads. Tom had an idea: How about the men just give their hats to the women to put on when they enter the church? Two birds with one stone! It was standing room only by the time the service started, even though the church up the street seemed WAY more fun!
Parque Municipal
San Pedro and his rooster
Church of St. Peter (San Pedro)
Terrific topiary
We had dinner at El Barrio, about a block from our hotel, a popular bar with the expats. Irish stew and grilled cheese with bacon, total comfort food, just what the doctor ordered. I think my appetite is almost back to normal.
After dinner, we went up to the rooftop terrace of our hotel to look at the lights of the little towns around the lake. Then I turned in while Tom stayed up drinking rum and OJ. I'm pretty tired of rum at this point, even though it's good quality.
Tom
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