This year we’re spending the Christmas holidays at the huge and beautiful Lake Atitlan in Guatemala! From the beginning everything seems like its going the right way and even the bus ride there gifts us amazing landscapes and views over the high volcanoes surrounding the lakes. Crazy!
We arrive in Panajachel and from there we jump on a ferry that crosses the lake and connects all the little towns (20Q/pp). The first stop is San Pedro, one of the most known villages of the lake, but our stop is the last: San Juan la Laguna, a small artists hub full of galleries, colours and great vibes. On AirBnB we found a small cosy house that is gonna be our basecamp during Christmas; the house is a just outside the center (but not too far) surrounded by corn fields on one side and by lake on the other. The views are spectacular!
During Christmas festivities in San Juan la Laguna you can hear carols being played in the small shops, you can see a cardboard Christmas tree in the central plaza and at the market everybody is busy buying for the big dinner. Also the art galleries and exhibitions are getting ready for the festivities offering deals to the lucky tourist who’s willing to bring back home such artsy souvenirs.
One day we decide to go visit San Pedro (in tuk-tuk it takes only 15min and costs 20Q) and although the town seems bigger and more touristic, its still a very nice place to have a stroll around. The central plaza, where you can find the main church, is the perfect spot to relax, refresh with a tasty artisanal ice-cream or sit down to have a chat with the locals. Not far form the church, there’s a big sport court and it is there that we see a big town’s celebration known as combite (people wearing masks of famous people or cartoon characters), which gifts us a good laugh. ¡It’s the first time we see something like this!
Today is finally the 24th and everybody in town is getting ready for the long-awaited special night. Us too decided to go fancy and spent the whole afternoon cooking “italo-catalan” delicacies in our lake-front bungalow. So tasty! Fried shrimps, handmade mashed potato, avocado salad, grilled steaks, “pan amb tomaca” (bread with tomato) and for dessert some super tasty cookies!
Midnight has arrived! Fireworks start going off not just outside our doorstep but around the whole lake and the view from our balcony is simply breathtaking. The whole country is partying! The sky keeps changing color and so does the water reflecting the beautiful “under the stars” show. During the whole day we’ve been hearing the noises but now we can finally fully enjoying the colours! Sometimes they explode, sometimes they don’t but in the end that’s a bit like Guatemala, innit? Obviously, Max doesn’t miss the chance to take some photos of the event!
It was a magical Christmas. Thanks a lot Guatemala!
¡CHECK OUR NEW VIDEO ABOUT THE X-MAS FESTIVITIES IN GUATEMALA! 🙂
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zk7gXX0Z8Y[/embedyt]
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