San Marcos La Laguna

I arrived in San Marcos early Saturday morning and fell in love with its Bohemian atmosphere. It brought me back to my college days when I was living by the hippie code. There are two parts to San Marcos, one is the tourist part with many new age hotels and restaurants that foreigners own. The second part is where the Mayan lives. Even though it is the same city, each side looks totally different.

I stayed at a hotel called Paco Real which had several little huts that were set up around the beautiful jardin. I stayed in the Honeymoon Suite, and I was very lucky because it had its own bathroom and shower. After checking in and getting my room, I began exploring my surroundings.

The first thing I did was grab some breakfast. After wandering down the trail, I came across Hotel Aaculaax which was the something that you would see in a dream. After walking down the trail that was surrounded by trees, you came upon this amazing hotel that is built right on a mountain. They have these wonderful stain glass windows in the rooms, bathrooms and lobby area.

After breakfast, I hiked the trail that lead to San Juan. The view of Lake Atitlan from there was unbelievable, like something you would see on a post card. I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

After the hike, I made an appointment to get a massage at Beatrice's Massage. She is a French woman who came to Guatemala 17 years ago to visit and never left. After being here for a week I could understand why.

After my massage, I decided that I would venture down by the lake to see what was happening. Once I was down there, I saw a lot of the Mayans who were selling there vegetables, bread, tortillas, blankets, jewelry, etc. I decided to relax by the lake for a while and take in its beauty. From the shore you could see the three volcano's that are around the lake. One the lake they have boats that take between the cities that border it's coast. I decided to go for a ride on the lancha.