A week in San Pedro

This is my travel Buddha that my great friend Kimberly gave me for my birthday! It's supposed to bring good luck to travelers, and I always keep him in my purse!

San Pedro La Laguna has been my favorite city in Guatemala so far, and I was sort of sad to say goodbye to this hippie town after being there for more than a week. There are two docks in this town, and a narrow cobblestone street running between the two with an assortment of locals in indigenous clothing and tourists from all over the world. Being in this town for over a week, we were able to get comfortable, have our favorite places to eat, and get into our routines.

Local Mayan man

We took a week worth of Spanish classes at the San Pedro Spanish school where we got one on one instruction for four hours a day. It was definitely a long time to be sitting there! Two hours into the first lesson, I didn't think I'd be able to last, but in the end I am glad I took the class. The format was different than high school; instead of listening to the teacher instruct and write on a white board, my teacher Clemente and I would have conversations or go back and forth telling stories. Four hours is a long time to talk to any one person you don't know very well, but doing it in a different language is tiring! The practice is what I needed though. Luckily the teacher gave me a break one day and taught me the Bachata, his favorite dance style (similar to salsa but more simple). After classes one night, Nate and I took a salsa class together. Definitely one of the highlights! I thought we did pretty good, even though Nate managed to elbow me in the face at one point. I've somehow convinced him to take more classes in Columbia, which I'm looking forward to!

I made the one on the left!

The town is filled with hippies and travelers, and there are lots of people selling hand made jewelry. I spent an hour with one of the guys practicing my Spanish and learning how to make earrings out of metal. The earring I made didn't quite match my teachers, oops! Luckily it's not too noticeable when wearing the earrings, but I definitely need some more practice.

Nate and I took Spanish classes in the afternoons which left our mornings free. One day we kayaked around the lake in a dilapidated kayak with dilapidated oars. It was a choppy day out so we definitely got a little wet, but it was fun for the most part. The level of the lake has been rising over the last few years, and so there are several restaurants and homes that are now half way underwater and the level is still rising and threatening other businesses. 

Most mornings I took yoga classes which was a great way to start the day. On my walk to class I would stop and get some delicious, freshly squeezed juice from some local ladies. The class is right on the edge of the lake with a beautiful view. It was so relaxing to do yoga while listening to the birds, waves on the lake, and nearby horses. The instructor, Michelle, was a super sweet girl from Michigan.

Now we are once again in Guatemala city. The 3 hour bus ride gave us our work out for the day as the driver was speeding around the twists and turns through the hills and we had to grip onto the rails and use our core in order to not fly out of our seats. Travel day is always an experience! Luckily, everyone is really helpful, pointing out what buses we need to transfer to, letting us know where to get off the bus, and helping us hail down taxis. We're staying in walking distance to the mall, our safe haven for fresh air. Last night we went to see the Hobbit in the VIP section. We had large, reclining lazy boy type seats, a table, and a call button to call a waiter if you wanted to order drinks or food. All this for the same price as a movie back home!