The serene and stunning Lago De Atitlan was created 84,000 years ago following a volcanic eruption. It is surrounded by three majestic volcanoes and is often considered one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. Sitting at 1500m above sea level, it has a great climate, perfect for exploration or sitting back with a good book.
The lake is home to the Indigenous Mayan people, the Tz'utujil, Kaqchikel and Quiché people who are strongly religious, spiritual and have managed to retain their customs and culture over the years, despite the influx of tourism. However they have not always lived in harmony on the lake - in fact when the Spanish conquered Guatemala, the Kaqchikel allied with the invaders against their people. Today, the Mayans live in peace and are some of the friendliest people that we have met during our trip.
The Mayan Indigenous dress is vibrant and decorative, mostly hand sewn with intricate decorations, they are also the masters of accessorising with multi-coloured necklaces and velvet hair ribbons. Making us feel very boring in our Melbourne black!
They make a living from farming and selling their wares. The humble corn plant is central to Mayan lives. Not only do they live off the stuff - corn on the cob, maize tortillas, corn drinks, but they also believe that they have descended from the plant. The Maize God is considered one of the most important as the life-cycle of this food is crucial to daily life. We saw at least 20 women everyday carrying a bowl on their head containing maize kernels which they then took to their local maize grinder to turn into dough, ready to make the infamous tortillas.
We'd intended to do 2 weeks work on an organic farm in the most Indigneous and un-touristic town on the island. However after waiting 5 hours for our American host(!?) to appear and then be shown to a bed withour a sheet, a sinking dirty mattress and a sofa cushion for the both of us to sleep on (and still expected to contribute money to living expenses). We politely declined and headed to San Pedro, another town on the lake.
San Pedro at first sight appears to be touristy, however after leaving the main street, we were surrounded by the incredibly friendly local people - in fact old and young alike they would always pass by uttering an 'Hola' or 'Buenos Dias'. We found a great hospedaje run by a local family. With our own bathroom, kitchen and rooftop with sweeping views of the lake at only $3 a night each, we snapped it up and booked in for 2 weeks to save some money, as by this stage our budget had dropped down to a measely $20 a day for the 2 of us.
With 2 weeks of relaxing in San Pedro, we had time to fit in some volunteer teaching at a local school. It was fun, but challenging to say the least!
So we took advantage of the cooler temperatures and finally did some exercise . We walked up the very steep San Pedro Volcano that overshadows the town. The trek took us 8 hours and it took three days for our legs to recover, but the sweeping views across the lake made it completely worthwhile.
We'd heard that Belize was an expensive country full of US expats and had never planned to head there. It was en route to Mexico, so we'd intended to pop in for a couple of days and then make a bee-line for Mexico. As always seems to be the case, many of our favourite places have been the ones where we arrived with no expectations. After an hour spent in Caye Caulker, only 40 mins by speed boat from Belize City, we knew we'd be definitely staying longer.
There are no roads on the island, just stark white sandy lanes where the locals travel by bicycle or golf buggy to get from one end to the other. The locals know how to please you with the delicious Caribbean cuisine of jerk chicken, tropical curries and lots of seafood - all lovingly prepared under the palmtrees on the strip of beach. The swimming area at the end of the island was paradise, crystal clear waters with tropical fish, stingrays and a swim up-to bar! So no surprise we spent a lot of time there!
Tom went on a snorkel trip to the reef (the second largest in the world) on one of the days with an 80 year old local aka 'the fish whisperer' who had been swimming in the reef since he was 8 years old. He knew the fish by name and they knew him, fondly whizzing towards him when he jumped in the water - groupers and sting rays clung to him like a dog welcomes its owner.
