Guatemala

We flew from TX to Guatemala, which is a pretty quick and affordable journey if you're willing to be flexible. We had a long layover just to save some money, but we still made it to GUA around 7 in the evening. We got through the airport, did the passport process, and everything. It was pretty straightforward. Something we didn't know is that there will be QR codes around the airport with a questionnaire you need to fill out before you can exit. There, we met up with our driver (would totally recommend! He was great and made our lives so much easier on the way to and from the lake), got some snacks from the stands just outside the airport, and then headed to the car for our 4-hour journey to the lake.

We made it to San Pedro the night prior, around midnight, so we went straight to bed, but the next morning it was time to go to school! I can't recommend Lake Atitlan Spanish School more. We were there MON-FRI from 8am to 12pm. It gave our vacation some structure and was an amazing way to meet new people. They handled everything from transportation to and from GUA to accommodation, 3 meals a day, and a snack during school time. We didn't end up doing any, but there were also activities every evening to mix and mingle with the other students. This is the day we explored San Pedro, just walking around and seeing what the pueblo looked like. We stopped at iCafe, which I would recommend for the amazing view.

This is the day we explored more pueblos than San Pedro. We took a short trip by Tuc Tuc to San Juan, which is the nearest one. There we explored a bit, grabbed some refreshments, and visited la Calle de Las Sombrillas, which was a cute photo moment. San Juan is nice if you're into art or want to do a coffee or chocolate tour. Those aren't really our things, so we shopped and then hopped on a lancha (water taxi) to Panajachel. Panajachel was my 2nd favorite pueblo after our home base, San Pedro. Go thrifting! If you put "Paca" into Maps, you'll find a store about a 20-minute walk from the docs. Pana was the place with the most hustle and bustle that we saw on the lake, and it was HUGE compared to the others.

Today we went Jet skiing from San Pedro. We did the 30min package, and it was more than enough time. After that, we hopped on a lancha over to San Marcos because Haille (pictured on the left) was jumping off the 12-meter platform. If you're not into jumping, that was also a really nice area of the lake to swim around. Then we got some coffee and headed back to San Pedro for dinner. This night we even went out to the bar with the other people who were staying with us.

We visited Alex at Tornado's Cafe, and he helped us set up a horseback riding trip with Pedro. It was a great experience that left our legs feeling like jelly. We went back to Tornado's to rest, then to iCafe for a quick snack with a view before dinner.

Friday is the last day at Lake Atitlan Spanish School. We got to wear our host mom's traditional clothes, which was such a great part of the last day. Everyone receives their competition certificate and gives a short speech. We celebrated with another night out!

This is the day we went back to visit Pana, and Haille got her tattoo!

This is the day we went from the lake back to the city. We went and had a nice early dinner and then relaxed in our hotel. We stayed at the Wyndham Garden, which I would recommend!

After an amazing week, it was time to head back home to Texas. Make sure you bring a sticker to the airport to add to the glass!