To the Lake!

We got the clients up at 3am and herded them up into the hills over town to watch the sunrise. Unfortunately, the clients were kind of grouchy and the sunrise wasn’t very good. Fortunately, I had purchased a few watermelons in Xipiran and hidden them in my pack. They were a welcome surprise when we sliced them up with breakfast and I was glad to be unburdened by them!

By that point the sun was high in the sky and we began hiking along the hills that ring the lake and up to La Naríz, a little peak overlooking the lake. From there we descended into San Juan la Laguna, where we went for a little swim and had lunch at a local women’s cooperative. The women weave, grow an awesome kitchen garden and raise some sheep and goats. I could have easily have hung out there for a lot longer, I so enjoyed sitting, talking and working with the women. I want to be a farmer when I grow up!

From there it was a short hike into San Pedro. San Pedro is one of those quintessential ex-pat towns, full of hippies young and old, and lifelong language students who don’t actually speak any Spanish. We left the clients to soak up the bong-smoking, bongo-bashing bohemian atmosphere, while the guides and kids caught a combi back to Santa Lucía Utatlán. We parted ways there, and I headed north to Nebaj, while the boys headed back to Xela.