Guatemala: Antigua to Atitlan

After our legs had recovered from all the climbing at Tikal ruins, we put them to work again, this time exploring the streets of Guatemala’s former capital, Antigua. After a devastating earthquake, which destroyed much of the town, the country’s administrative centre was relocated to Guatemala City, but many of Antigua’s residents refused to leave the city – and it’s not hard to see why. The city is made up of quaint pastel coloured houses and churches, set on a grid of cobbled streets and overlooked by three volcanoes. Here for the first time in Guatemala, the people we encountered (especially the women) wore the brightly coloured  hand-woven traditional dress. It’s the perfect city to stroll around, soaking up the atmosphere as well as relaxing in the parque centrale, where much of the city’s action seems to take place.

On our second day in the city, after a fantastic three course lunch for just £1.60 each (thanks Nick for the tip!!), we set off to climb our first volcano, Volcan Pacaya. It was a steep ascent to the top, but well worth the effort. It felt rather like walking on the moon: surrounded by clouds, with black crunchy rocks underfoot, no living plants and smoke rising from craters – very mystical. Of course, what do you do when you get to the top of an active volcano? Toast marshmallows of course – yum!! That and find a crater to climb into for a fully clothed sauna (we were assured this was perfectly safe!!)

After a few days in Antigua, we continued our journey to Lake Atitlan, where we based ourselves at the (slightly Americanised) Panajachel. Atitlan is a volcanic lake, and the deepest in central America. Its a beautiful sight but is sadly pretty polluted so not ideal for swimming. We headed straight off to one of the largest markets in the region at Solola. This market is a local affair, rather than being aimed at tourists, which was nice as it gave us a glimpse into the traditions of the local people, although we came away empty-handed.

We also took a trip across the lake to a much smaller town, San Pedro, which had a laid-back hippy vibe. Despite Lake Atitlan being firmly on the backpacker route, both San Pedro and Pana were surprisingly quiet. November should be the start of high season but we were told that the American embassy was discouraging travel to Guatemala which resulted in tourism numbers being very low this year. It’s sad for a country which relies fairly heavily on tourists pumping money into the economy (everything costs a lot more if you’re a gringo) and yet good for us as well, as it means we get to enjoy a more tranquil experience.

Before leaving Guatemala, I must confess to dragging Neal around every crafts store in the area/country. The vibrant colours and textures of the fabrics really made an impression on me and I was determined to bring home a slice of it. The only problem being that I couldn’t decide which I liked best (they were all very unique) so of course, I needed to assess all my options before making any final choice!