Guatemala

Guatemala (2015)

Guatemala (2015)

Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is the twenty-sixth country I visited. It is a very typical down-to-earth Central American country with friendly people and lots of volcanoes for company! But it was the lure of visiting authentic Mayan villages and seeing the Maya people in their traditional garbs is what attracted me here. Enjoy our memories and moments as you visit the individual cities below.


Tikal

Dates visited: March 31, 2015 – April 1, 2015 Very rarely do we find ourselves in a situation where we have to wake up in the wee hours of the morning, and under the not-so-convenient brightness of a flashlight, brush our teeth, change into outdoors clothes, wear shoes and head out to climb a…

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Pacaya Volcano

Dates visited: March 31, 2015 Quick! What are the two things that come to your mind when I tell you that Pacaya is an active volcano that erupted as recently as 2014 (a year prior to my visit)? Nope, not that. Naah, not that either. No, that’s incorrect too! Okay,…

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Santiago Atitlán

  Dates visited: March 30, 2015 Santiago Atitlán, called Tz’ikin Jaay (means Birdhouse) in Tz’utujil, is a rustic Mayan village on the shores of Lago de Atitlán (Lake Atitlán). We got here by a boat from another Mayan village, San Pedro La Laguna. This was a whirlwind trip, across Lake Atitlán, of three Mayan villages…

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San Pedro La Laguna

Dates visited: March 30, 2015 San Pedro La Laguna, called Tz’unun Ya’ (means Place of the Humming Birds) in Tz’utujil, is a rustic Mayan village on the shores of Lago de Atitlán (Lake Atitlán). We got here by a boat from another Mayan village, San Juan La Laguna. This was a whirlwind trip, across…

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San Juan La Laguna

Dates visited: March 30, 2015 San Juan La Laguna, an unspoiled and unsophisticated Mayan village, perches happily on the shores of Lago de Atitlán (Lake Atitlán). We got here by a boat across the lake from Panajachel. This was a whirlwind trip, across the lake, of three Mayan villages (other two…

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Chichicastenango

Dates visited: March 29, 2015 Chichicastenango, 28 miles north of Panajachel, was the highlight of my trip to the Western Highlands of Guatemala to see indigenous Mayans. We timed our day trip to get there during the famous Sunday market (largest and the most colorful in all of Americas) where Mayans not…

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Lake Atitlán

Dates visited: March 28, 2015 – March 30, 2015 Lago de Atitlán (Lake Atitlán), a volcanic lake in the Western Highlands of Guatemala, is the deepest lake in Central America. What makes it truly special and spectacularly fabulous is the sight of three volcanoes (Tolimán, Atitlán and San Pedro) that keep…

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Panajachel

Dates visited: March 28, 2015 – March 30, 2015 Panajachel (aka Pana) is a Mayan village on the north-eastern shore of Lago de Atitlán (Lake Atitlán). It is the most crowded and busiest of all villages situated along Lake Atitlán. It is small, but buzzing with activity… …pedestrians and vehicles alike. But…

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