We write to from the village of San Marcos la Laguna! We have now spent 10 days at Lake Atitlan, "The Most Beautiful Lake in the World!"
Each day has been unique in its own way... We have visited six villages along the lake, and did so by public transportation. We stayed 3 nights in Santa Cruz, 2 in Panajachel, 2 in San Pedro, 1 in Santiago, 2 in San Marcos, and visited San Juan for half a day!
Traveling by public boat, we quickly learned to practice patience. Private one-way boats go for 200-300Q (24-36$) across the lake... Where as public transportation is 10-25Q (1.25-3$). We had been told that public boats travel every hour, but quickly learned that this is far from the truth. By having no plan, no itinerary, and no need to get anywhere, it makes traveling quite easy and affordable.
With three mysterious volcanos surrounding a lake at 5,000 elevation, time has become a thing of the past!
For us, the volcano above the village of San Pedro is the focal point the lake. We asked around and were told by different locals that the hike to the top takes 3 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours, and 10... The treacherous hike ended up taking us 6 hours round trip, 4 up and 2 down! We each struggled on the way up, but really didn't comprehend how tough it was until we hiked down and noticed how many stares we had actually climbed. Easily the hardest hike of each of our lives!
We have had some down time since our hike but have been eager to get back to the active lifestyle. The past two days we were fortunate enough to play basketball with the locals.
We played 3 v. 3 with some really cool kids on their home court! We played best of 3 and won the first two games easily... Yes we had a height advantage, but it was their home court!
People around the lake know us as the "Tres Amigos!" but we are thrilled to be adding another brother to the group. Matty Murph will be joining us Tuesday on our adventure in Guatemala! We don't know what we are doing, or where we will be, but we guaranteed him a life changing experience!
Anyways, we leave tomorrow morning back to Antigua to check in with Grandma Sherry, do some much needed laundry, and enjoy a warm shower before heading out again!
Looking forward to the days ahead!
¡Adios!
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