Central America - next stop: Guatemala

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

After my trip to Vancouver I wanted to get started on my spanish languages skills and I was thinking where it would be best to learn. Of course the best thing to do is to go into a country where the language is spoken. As my brother was in Guatemala a few years back, he recommended to me to go there to study spanish. Thanks to him and his contacts, I was able to find a great spanish school very quickly.

Flying in from Vancouver is quiet long and tiring. I had to switch twice, in LA and Houston. I made all connections without a hitch though. I spent my first night in Guatemala City, the capital of Guatemala. A friend of mine arranged for me to stay with one of his friends living in the city.

One the next day I made my way to San Pedro La Laguna, a beautifully located beachtow right by the Lake Atitlan. A-must visit location when traveling in Guatemala.

GUATEMALA TODAY

Country Facts

Area: 42,042 sq miles (108,890 sq km)

Population: (2008): 14,000,000 (growth rate: 2.2%); birth rate: 29.1/1000; infant mortality rate: 29.8/1000; life expectancy: 69.7; density per sq mile: 304)

Capital and largest City (2003 est): Guatemala City, 2,655,900 (metro. area), 1,128,800 (city proper)

Highest point: Vulcano Tajumulco, 4211 m ( also highest point in central America)

Ethnicity/race: Mestizo (Ladino) - mixed Amerindian-Spanish ancestry - and European 59.4%, K'iche 9.1%, Kaqchikel 8.4%, Mam 7.9%, Q'eqchi 6.3%, other Mayan 8.6%, indigenous non-Mayan 0.2%, other 0.1% (200

Language(s): Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (23 officially recognized Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca).

Religion(s): Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs. There are a small number of Jewish, Muslim and other faith communities.

Currency: Quetzal made up of 100 centavos. Approximately Q10.90 = €1.00

Government: Guatemala has a unicameral Congress, comprising 158 seats. Members are elected every 4 years and are eligible for re-election. The President is elected by universal suffrage for a single term of 4 years.

Head of State/President: Álvaro Colom Caballeros

Time zone: MEZ 7 h. There is no change in time between winter and summer.

San Pedro la Laguna

San Pedro La Laguna is a small town with a population of approximately 13,000 people which is situated on the Western shore of lake, beneath the volcano which also bears its name. The inhabitants of San Pedro are primarily Tz'utujil Mayan with a small, but growing, expatriate community. Many travelers visit the town to study at one of the Spanish schools, take time out to do plenty of outdoor activities as well:

- horse-riding
- salsa-dancing
- swimming in the lake
- african-drumming
- volcano hikes
- hammock swinging
- hot-tub soaking
- visiting nearby villages & other towns


view on San Pedro

San Pedro remains among the most visited of the lakeside village due to a couple of reasons :

- fairly cheap accomodations
- backpackers from various parts in the world -a global scence
- its marvelous setting

This is primarily a coffee growing area and a backpacker destination. Many people living in San Pedro will have to go work in the coffee field if there is not temporarily not a lot of work available in their actual job, such as teaching. There are plenty of spanish school in San Pedro and for some, which are rather unknown and not advertised super well on the global scence, sometimes suffer to make ends meet. Anyway you will see coffee being picked on the volcano´s slopes and spread out to dry on wide platforms at the beginning of the dry season.






The community in San Pedro follows mainly the traditional way of life. You will see people wearing indigenuous clothes, mostly around the busy market area in the upper & local part of town. Most of the touristy things are in the lower part of town, between the 2 docks. The one on the southeast side goes to Santiago Atitlan and the other one on nortwest side serves Panajachel, a well sought-after town in the whole of Guatemala.

streetmarkets in Gringolania = local term for touristy part of town




creative craftmaker




Bienvenidos en Guatemala! It's good to be here!



religious painting on a wall, highlighting the profound belief




my first gallo beer







motorbike snapshot




public bus (informal chickenbus) which
were auctioned off in the US and newly
painted after being bought





on my way to school




reunion at the catholic square




beginning of semana santa celebrations



early volcanco hike whilst sunrise - stunning with in the back



neat house in the mountains



old man carrying stuff on this forhead








streetmarket, random guy playing guitar



back to San Pedro on the back of a pick-up truck




main church in Panajachel - one daytrip to check out the city



Amigos



buying beans on the market




old woman on the market wearing an indigenous dress




well captured photo of a typical family



creative painting




main street uphill towards the local part of town



main streets towards Gringoland :)




hilarious exposure as part of a political campaign




Tu'ku - the local taxi :)

Generally it is easy to walk around in San Pedro. Once you are lost, you will always either get up to the catholic church in the local area or to the lower part where all the tourism activity takes places :) Otherwise you can always ask people on the street. Nearly everyone is willing to help and give you some directions. "La gente de San Pedro" (people of San Pedro) is friendly and always willing to help!