Mayan family home stay with a lake view
Trip Start
Sep 23, 2010
1
327
366
Trip End
Jul 13, 2012
Where I stayed
Mayan family home stay San Jorge
Panajachel, Western Highlands, Guatemala
Sunday, April 1, 2012
The driver stopped to put on a tarpaulin on the way and we arrived around 3.30pm. We then checked in with the travel agent and found out that we'd be staying at one of the staff's house. As we had a bit of time before going to his house, we had a wander round the very touristy market stalls down to the lake. We were glad that we weren't staying here as half an hour was long enough of constantly being asked if we'd like a boat here or a souvenier there. At 5pm we caught a chicken bus back up the hill with Jorge to the village he lives in called San Jorge del Laguna. Then we walked to his house and met his wife Ana and two year old daughter Nidia. Nidia took to us straight away and started showing us all her dolls and stuffed toys. We soon settled in to our room which was one of three in a small modest house and were given a quick lesson on their native language Kaqchikel which involved a lot of tongue clicking and high and low emphasis. After a cup of thick corn based drink with bread and muffins, we went outside to admire the lovely view of the lake and the town of Panajachel. Around 7pm we helped Ana make tortillas (Cat was better at it than me as it kept sticking to my hands and I dropped them a few times). At 8pm we had dinner which was rice and beans with our homemade tortillas and a sweeter corn drink that was much nicer. After dinner Cat helped with the washing up whilst I enjoyed the view with Jorge up on the roof. Later we settled in for the night watching the last episode of Merlin, then got an early night.
Mon 2nd Apr.
Got up around 8am and had eggs, beans and tortillas for breakfast. I opted to have a cup of tea whilst Cat had juice (that we'd brought with us). After breakfast we had a walk to the point to see the view, but it was still misty and could only just make out the volcanos. We then had a wander down to the village where we met some more locals including the local laundry women. We gave them a laugh taking photos and then headed back up the hill to catch a bus down to Pana. We had another look around to see if it was any better than yesterday and sat by the lake hoping the mist would clear. Sadly not, so we went to an internet cafe to book a room in Guatemala City and a shuttle for tomorrow. Then we walked up to the old town which was far more interesting and even managed to get Cat's trouser leg stiched at a tailors. After an ice cream and milkshake, we caught the bus back to the village and had a rest in our room. We dozed for an hour or so and then had a walk down to the point to see if there would be a sunset. Unfortunately, it was still too misty and we couldn't even see the sun, so we walked back to the house to have a shower. Unfortunately, the hot water wasn't working, but Ana kindly heated up some water so we could have a wash before dinner. Whilst waiting for dinner, the couple from Oz we met in Antigua and Caye Cualker turned up to say hi. We'd mentioned to them about the home stay and they'd also booked and were staying with Jorge's brother a few doors down. We stood and chatted for a while until dinner was ready. Just before dinner, Ana gave Cat some traditional dress to wear and then we enjoyed chicken with pasta in tomato sauce and tortillas. After dinner we decided to go and spend the evening with Stuart and Allana in their family home and Jorge led the way to introduce us to his brother's family. We sat and chatted for a few more hours until 11.30pm and then headed back to our room to get some sleep.
Tues 3rd Apr.
Got up at 7.30am and had a breakfast of spaghetti with small pieces of beef in tomato sauce and sweet bread. Around 9.20am we loaded our bags up and walked with Jorge up to the main road to catch the shuttle to Guatemala. Nearly an hour later the shuttle turned up and we were shoe horned into it for the 3 and a half hour journey. Two hours later we stopped back in Antigua and were told that we had to change buses as this shuttle wasn't going all the way. Talk about no communication. So we were loaded up into another shuttle (this time Cat got the front seat) and arrived into Guatemala around 3.30pm.
