When we got to Pana, we went to find a hotel first before setting off to explore. we found a hotel from the book called Hospedaje Garcia. It was cheap and simple. We paid 50Q each for the night. The biggest frustration of the day was when we took a boat across Lake Atitlan to San Pedro. I talked to a man (who coincidentally was named Pedro) about taking a boat across. He tried to sell us a tour and then told us that it would cost $30 US to get across the lake even if we took a public boat. I knew this was not true and walked away. We found the public dock and unfortunately a boat for San Pedro was just pulling away. We had to wait 15 minutes for the next boat to come and then probably 15 more minutes for enough passengers to arrive. However, then about 6 of the guys in the boat and the driver left to go get beer and didn't return for another 15 minutes. We finally left and realized that our boat was taking an awfully long time to cross the lake. It ended up taking about 1.5 hours (and 25Q) to cross the lake. Our fellow travelers were loud and not so sober.
When we finally got there, we jumped in a tuk tuk (which is like an enclosed three-wheeled golf cart) for 10 Q each to go to San Juan. I absolutely loved San Juan. It was so peaceful and there were very few other tourists. San Juan is known for its natural dyes. We visited several cooperatives that were selling textiles made with the natural dyes. I really loved the products and wish we would have had longer to look around. At one cooperative, we met a woman named Angela and her daughter Fatima. I asked the little girl how old she was and she held up fingers. It made me laugh because she kept changing the number of fingers each time I said a number. Another woman, Amalia, was dying scarves in the back using leaves called sacatintas that make a grey color. They graciously invited us to the back to watch. Angela explained that the cooperative provides work for 20 families. The women weave and dye and the men look for the plants that are used to make the dye. I took some pictures of the process and bought a scarf that was dyed purple using wood. We stopped by another cooperative and met a really old woman and two younger women. I saw that they were selling cortes (the traditional skirt that the Mayan women wear). They were only 100Q so I decided to buy one. I found one I liked and Berta and the other woman helped me learn how to wear it. It was close to 4 so we found a tuk tuk and went back to San Pedro. It only cost 5Q each on the way back and the trip seemed much shorter. There was a boat getting ready to leave so we decided to get on since it was 4:15 and the last boat was supposed to leave at 5. It was a fast (40 minute) pleasant trip.
We looked for several restaurants from the guide book and none of them worked out. We found a typical restaurant with a mix of gringos and Guatemalans eating there. I ordered curry chicken and Christiana ordered carne asada. When I walked by the kitchen to get to the dirty bathroom, I became worried. As I left the bathroom, I ran into two boys who I think we're the owner's sons with a white mouse in an exercise wheel heading into the kitchen. I was really hoping that we wouldn't get sick from this experience! We also ordered licuados (watermelon for me and pineapple for Christiana). There were several dogs that wandered in and out of the restaurant. Christiana really has a heart for the dogs. She always wants to feed them. We threw pieces of tortilla to the dogs. Afterward I bought water and we walked back to our hotel. I was feeling really tired and Christiana is always ready to sleep. We got ready and I journaled and Christiana soon fell asleep. I turned off the light before 8pm! That must be some sort of record for me! The people in the room next to us were fairly noisy but I was still able to fall asleep in about a half hour.
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