Written by: Hannah Burton
Woke up this morning around 8:00 AM to the amazing views of Lake Atitlán. The lake’s surrounded by volcanoes, and it’s the deepest in all of Central America at 341 meters. It was formed 84,000 years ago after a volcanic eruption. Anyway, we were all up, got dressed, and headed down to breakfast, which was served by the hostel. It was an amazing breakfast that consisted of eggs, beans, bacon, sausage, avocados, and tortillas. We haven’t had bacon on this trip, so everyone was pretty psyched about it. Definitely a 10/10 meal to start the day.
After breakfast, we hung around waiting for Professor Cadwalader and Captain Lennon to join us before heading out. By 9:30 AM, we were hopping onto a water taxi to San Marcos. Now, these water taxis aren’t exactly the most fun experience. They’re small, and the ride can be pretty wild especially when the boat hits waves. You go flying up and then slam back down.
San Marcos was beautiful, as expected. Once we got there, eight members of our group went off with Professor Cadwalader to try cliff jumping in the Cerro Tzankujil Nature Reserve. The jump is a 12-meter (around 40 feet) drop, which, needless to say, I opted out of. I would like to return home with all my limbs intact. The girls all went in search of some coffee. We found a super cute outdoor café called “Bistro-Café” where we grabbed some coffee. We walked around and checked out the little shops in the area, and I ended up talking to one of the women about the Mayan calendar. She explained that there are 20 Mayan signs, each one corresponding to a day, and the sign you’re born under reveals your key attributes. She even pulled out a book for us to look up our Mayan astrological reports.
After that, the girls and I decided to head to San Juan, another village nearby. Meanwhile, the guys decided to stick around San Marcos and explore more there. They ended up grabbing some food and coffee at a café.
San Juan was stunning. The vibe was totally different from San Marcos. This town really immerses you in Mayan culture, with tons of vibrant art everywhere. Reagan and I grabbed a coconut (which, let me just say, was a disappointment) and walked around more. We stopped at a place called Xajooj for lunch, it was like a sports bar, and we got cheeseburgers and fries. Afterward, we headed back to the dock to catch a water taxi. The others had gone to check out a chocolate factory, so we’d missed that, but we were all about heading back.
Reagan and I had a real experience getting back on the water taxi. The trip took almost an hour, and let’s just say it was a bumpy one. Reagan was so freaked out, she clung to her life jacket the entire ride. By the time we got back to the hostel, we were both pretty ready to chill. The guys were already back, so we all relaxed for a bit in the room before meeting up around 5:00 PM for a hangout.
Dinner was served shortly after. The hostel prepared a BBQ dinner with chicken, rice, pasta salad, and potatoes. The meal was so good and we all filled our plates. The night ended with a costume party, a little singing, and some dancing.
All in all, a solid day full of fun, culture, and a few water taxi-induced heart attacks.
