08 June 2026 – Monday – Lake Atitlan

We were the first to show up for breakfast this morning. Guatemala is 2 hours behind east coast time so the 7:30 breakfast start was a leisurely 9:30. The menu had many choices all included in the room price. I had a fantastic burrito filled with scrambled eggs, black beans and avocado. It was a substantial meal that was good for the active day ahead.

We started by visiting the nearby nature park. We hiked around on the trails that were a bit challenging due to steps of all different heights and sizes. We had some great lake views too. The handholds along the way were helpful particularly on the narrow steep parts. There were lots of birds calling in the trees as we walked along. The lake is at 5110 ft elevation so the hike up to 7000 ft is a challenge for those of us who live at sea level.

We came back to town and walked along the local streets to explore. The narrow street are interesting and often have murals on the walls There are many shops and cafes along the way. Everyone is selling beaded items and clothing. It all seems the same. We found out that the village where beading is done by the most skilled artisans is Santiago. That is tomorrow’s outing. Along the way we also saw many local dogs and cats wandering the streets. As is typical in these places, there is no neutering to limit the population. I am fairly sure that these animals survive on foraging garbage. None of them appear to be well fed.

We came back to our hotel to ask where me might go this afternoon. They suggested San Juan La Laguna which would be a boat ride to the town across this end of the lake. The boats dock at various towns waiting for enough customers to leave the dock. The boats are aluminum hulled with bench seats in a covered area. There were plenty of PFDs (life jackets) visible but I hoped they weren’t necessary. We took off at top speed bouncing along the small waves. The price of the trip is about $3.25 one way. Getting on and off the boat was a bit challenging since it seems that each dock stop is a different height. There were steps on the boat and dock lines to grab but not at all what I expected. Everyone on board made it on and off so I guess that’s normal.

San Juan is a town of shops that line a steep path to what appears to be the main road. We climbed up visiting shops that looked interesting. The main road was empty by comparison. So we walked back down to the dock to catch the boat back to San Marcos. We returned just in time to miss the usual afternoon deluge. We sat in the covered lobby area to research our next outings assuming that the tropical storms approaching the area won’t change our plans. At least it seems that morning outings are the best plans to avoid the usual mid to late afternoon storms.
We decided to try a nearby hotel restaurant for dinner. The food was interesting local items some of which were vegetarian. We were the only people in the restaurant for the whole time we were there. I guess it’s not high season now.