Panajachel, Guatemala

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We left Mexico and headed to Guatemala.  From San Cristobal we took a shuttle to the border of Guatemala and then on to Panajachel (Pana), a smallish town on a lake surrounded by volcanoes.  Up till now we had been travelling in the buses but when we looked into busing from San Cristobal it was not going to work out.  The bus left so late in the day that it put us at the border at night.  This is something we really want to avoid.  We heard about the shuttle services that take you across the border and it seemed like a great option for us.  Definitely more expensive but when you are travelling with a young child convenience and safety are worth a lot!!!  It was a long trip and a long day but I think we are getting used to the long bus rides.  Thankfully, Nev has slept on most of the bus rides we have been on. 

Two of the volcanoes across the lake

We got to Pana after dark so we had someone help us arrange a hotel to stay at.  In Pana the roads are so small and crowded that they use tuk-tuks as taxis.  These are 3-wheeled motorcycles with a cab and back seat.  However, we are travelling with so much stuff that we had to hire 2 tuk-tuks to get us around.  The hotel was an OK place but we thought we could do much better for the money so the next day we moved to different hotel.  We also ran met up with a friend of ours, Carissa.  She is going to be living in Honduras for a while but met up with us to join us on our travels for a bit.

Tuk-Tuk

The next day we took a boat over to San Pedro, a small village across the lake.  Nev loved riding on the boat!  We walked around San Pedro for a while.  Got some lunch and checked out the crafts for sell.  Nev fell asleep in the Ergo.  We headed back to Pana on the boat and I met Alison, a woman who is living in Pana with her husband and two children.  She is half Guatemalan but is from the states.  Her husband, David, works at a local bar and runs a café in the mornings.  She told us about the BBQ the bar does every certain night (whatever night it was, maybe Sunday, who knows) so we headed over there for dinner.  It was really good!!! Some of the best food we have had to that point and it was a nice break from Latin American cuisine.  She also told us about their favorite place to visit in Central America, El Zonte in El Salvador.  We were not planning to go to El Salvador at all but I think we will add it in to the trip.

On the boat to San Pedro

San Pedro

Cool child size masks.  I wish I had bought this for Nev but I thought I would get else where and didn't.

Nev buying cachauates (peanuts) from a street vendor

They invited us over that evening so the kids could play together.  They live in a house that belonged to her grandfather who owned a lot of land and Fincas (coffee plantations) in Guatemala.  The house in Pana was a vacation home of his and was sitting empty.  When they were thinking of moving to Guatemala the house was offered to them to live in.  It is an awesome house!  We really enjoyed hanging out and talking with them and drinking wine.  The kids had a good time playing together too! 

Heading back to the boat.  Nev getting sleepy

Cool Guatemalan street sceen

Sleeping like a baby

We headed out the next day but we stopped in to David’s café for breakfast before we left.  The food was good.  The coffee was good but really strong!  So far on our trip it has been really hard to get good coffee.  A lot of people drink Nescafe down here.  So getting good coffee is a pretty special thing.

We left Panajachel on another shuttle.  We are headed to Lanquin where the Semuc Champey is.  This is another place Micah has been before and a place I have been hearing a lot about for the last few years.  It is one of Micah’s favorite places so I am looking forward to seeing it.

Nev looking handsome in his Guatemalan shirt