Panajachel, lago Atitlan, Guatemala

We took a van to Guatemala. Lots of people travel alone in Latin America: women, men, young or not, and we got a sample of that on the van

Immigration was a breeze and customs agents very nice. They simply wrote our names and passport numbers on a piece of paper, we payed 2 USD per person. No computers here, everything is written down on a piece of paper. It was a warm welcoming to Guatemala. Immigration in Guatemala is as follows: you can stay three months, then it's very easy and inexpensive to get a three month extension. You do not need a lawyer. This gives you 6 months. Then you leave the country for a day and come right back in for three months, apply for another 3 month extension, etc.

we are finally in Panajachel, after a 8 hour ride 

This is our hotel. It is 40 USD a night, with 4 breakfasts included. We had to bargain to get breakfast included.

never seen a purple lake before

Lago Atitlan by Angelina

lago Atitlan is gorgeous but is said to be very polluted nowadays

this is the place we like best for lunch. They serve excellent rice and beans + tortillas and picante for 12 Q. We avoid fish from the lake since it is so polluted and dirty...

 it is too touristy for us here. There's a ton of French, Italians and Americans, just like in Mexico 

they dry peanuts here 

we went for a hike at the natural reserve 

we had a blast at the playground in the natural reserve 

Angelina completed addition 3 on khanacademy.com, good job!

un clin d'oeil à Stéphanie. I was not able to buy the green one for 60 Q

we're leaving for Antigua by van

San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas

The 5 hour bus ride between Palenque and San Cristobal was tough. The constant winding of the road and rocking of the bus got us sick. We had our puke bags from the airplane available in our backpacks and had to use them.

This is a scenery typical of the Chiapas.

This is how we travel on the sidewalks: single file and kids in between the parents.

There are a ton of French retirees on vacation here. Lots of Americans too, and Canadians.

This is a nice city. The elevation is 7100 feet.  The temperature is cool at night/warm in the middle of the day. We're looking for a possible rental here. 

1-2-3 soleil is a French game that kids and grown-ups love to play.

Our hotel is "hotel Villa Real I" on Benito Juarez street. One night is 35 USD. It does not include breakfast. Homes get cold inside around 5pm. There are no heating systems either. You get to see your breath inside your bedroom. It starts to warm up again around 9am.

Today we went to an indigenous village called Chamula. The tour cost 10 USD per person. It was worth it.

This is a Mayan cross.

They were having a religious celebration in the church. We've never seen so many candles and flowers. Also a lot of incense. It felt mystical, more Mayan than Catholic.

Locals will tell you they are Catholic, but their religious traditions are more Mayan. They carry out their Mayan rituals with hens and Palo Santo wood inside the church.

In the cemetery, they have different color crosses according to who the person was and how they died. Suicide was not considered shameful but more as a way of life. Nowadays, the Mayas bury their dead with their cellphones...

The Tzotzils are among the finest weavers in Mexico. Their clothing is art. The village that has the best weavers is Zincantan.

We got to eat some true tortillas with excellent beans and ground-up squash seeds.

The beans are cooked in a clay pot in the coals on the edge of the fire.

Wood tortilla press.

The tortilla pan is made non stick with some lime.

This photo is for Olivier!

Traditional homes are warmer and resist earth quakes quite well compared to newer homes.

We bought Angelina a poncho because it gets so cold at dusk.

There are two nice pedestrian streets. It's nice to not have to constantly watch for cars. They can get really close to you here.

We made the mistake of having lunch at "Burger King".

We played a bunch of "1000 bornes" games.

This is where we accused Louis of rocking the table. What's going on Louis, stop it please! It did not take long to realize that it was an earthquake.

Our prefered restaurant was the "Maya paka" on Madero street, the best deal Hadrien and Stéphanie found for us. It's great.

plus Jorge was real nice and funny.

We did not get to drink a single drop of wine though...

A free Marimba concert on the plaza

 

The market goes on at night.

Hadrien and Stéphanie are leaving for Oaxaca on a night bus. This is where our routes separate.

It's hard to see them go...