Panajachel, Lago de Atitlan

At 6:30 o’clock in the morning the minivan picked us up and we were off towards the border. Just before the Guatemalescan border was a long line of cars waiting. To cut a long line short our driver just passed the other cars and paid the control some money (not surprised that the people don’t like gringos, haha).

At the border we had to wait two hours until our pick up arrived. It was strange our drastically the landscape changed. Guatemala seemed to be hillier and dryer and the houses look different as well.

In Panajachel at Lake Atitlan we found a nice spot to stay and we started exploring the very touristy city. It felt a bit like a mix of Khao San Rd, Bangkok and Thamel, Kathmandu.

It was a bit too touristy for our taste but we still checked out some Spanish Schools. But the ones which looked professional are booked out for the next days so we decided to take a boat (lancha) and check out San Pedro.

And we got lucky. We found a Spanish School – Orbita - with homestay at the lake. Fingers crossed it is good. So we moved to San Pedro and started our Spanish course on Monday.

So before we get serious we will check out Antigua for a day trip first and afterwards we head over to San Pedro.

Accommodation: El Chaparral, Calle Santander, Solola, www.hotelchaparral.com

Price: GTQ 180 per night

Comment: nice, clean rooms in the center, close to the waterfront with reasonable price and wifi