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The shuttle to San Pedro on Lake Atitlan was quite full but went OK until we left the main road and headed down a very bad road and bounced around for an hour before arriving in town. I had low expectations of the hostel that I had booked and these were met and went well with my impression of the town. San Pedro seems to bwe a town to buy drugs and party hard then recover and do it all again. It was hard to get a look at the lake unless you went to a bar or restaurant. I had an early night which was interrupted many times until I left town by excessively loud fireworks that shook the walls for no apparent reason. I was glad I had only booked one night.
Catching the lancha over to Santa Cruz and La Iguana Perdida was like going to another world. Beautiful views of the lake and a chilled atmosphere instantly relaxed me and I worried I would end up doing nothing my whole stay there!
So that is what I did the first day... until the evening meal, chatting around the campfire and then bed before my trip to Chichicastenango the next day. The whole trip involved 1 boat and 3 chicken buses but was actually a lot easier than it sounds. The market, which takes place on a Thursday and a Sunday, is the largest traditional market in Guatemala and includes both tourist and local goods. The amount of stalls was overwhelming and I ended up only buying a new penknife!
We also explored the colourful cemetery where we observed a traditional Mayan ceremony burning things to get luck from the gods. We also found a typing school which the guy admitted was quiet now that computers had come along. After expolring for a few hours we decided to try and catch the direct bus back to the lake but as this did not turn up we reversed the process of 3 buses back to Panajachel. I had a wander round the shops here and bought more in the peace and quiet there than I did in the market!
The next day was my diving in the Lake. This was to be my first freshwater dive and first altitude dive so I was looking forward to trying something new. Richard and Jodie were excellent and we set out for our first dive with another girl who had nbot dived for a while to Casa del Mundo - an semi submerged hotel where you can turn on a still functioning tap, swim in and out of docks and surprise diners on the new terrace. After the hotel we swam along a lava wall before surfacing. The second dive was just 3 of us and we headed down to the volcanic fault line where you can boil an egg in the sand and scold your hands on the rocks and under the sand. Next we swam through a sauna (tight space), through a swimming pool into the very wet wet bar and played with the beer bottles before finishing the dive. I did enjoy the experience and coped with the cold and poor visibility and it definitely encouraged me to dive in the UK!
The next day I managed to do mostly nothing with only a walk to another hotel for lunch then a stroll up the steep road to the village - the only road as there is no other access other than boat. That evening was the BBQ where fancy dress was encouraged and the boys were supposed to dress up as women. I decided against fancy dress but the boys seemed to love the chance to wear dresses. One of them, John a young Australian, turned up in a pink sequinned leotard and ended up having lots of drinks bought for him! The party was a great laugh and we were all sad when 1am came and last orders was called. Joseph from my dorm was extremely drunk and slept outside for most of the night even after falling off a table.
The next morning was the replay of what happened for those too drunk to remember before most people headed to Anitgua leaving the rest of us to recover. I did managed to venture down to San Marcos (one of the other lakeside villages) but found there to be way too much tofu for me so I returned to gaze at the lake again.
We watched the final of the Euros and all had an early night - particularly as my shuttle to Semuc Champey had moved from 9.30 to 8am meaning leaving before breakfast at 7.15.
I loved the lake (except a few of the villages) and particularly the hostel and was sad to be leaving but feared if I extended again I would just end up staying for ever!
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