Lakeside Living at Lago de Atitlan, Pasaj Cap
Three months past and we are some the wiser. We had fallen in love with Lake Atitlan during our previous visit but our return has permanently woven it into the essence of our souls. Unlike a timeless timepiece, it ticks forevermore within our fondest of memories. A place that could well become our forever home, an example of exemplary, a heartbreak of farewell.
What We Did
Belize back into Guatemala Border Crossing
We were nervous about re-entering Guatemala since they have a rule requiring foreign vehicles to remain out of the country for 90 days before being allowed back in. We had heard of others getting around this by importing their vehicle under the second owner or a second passport, the Guatemalan TIP (temporary import permit) combines the passport and VIN to form a unique number assigned to the foreign vehicle, but after already paying a deposit for an apartment at Pasaj Cap we were obviously apprehensive, since we had only been out of Guatemala for 27 days.
Our entry process proceeded smoothly, just like the first time, until we reached the very last customs official who happened to remember us. While entering our information into the system he asked if we had been out of the country for 90 days, thankfully in Spanish. I mumbled that my Spanish was really bad and apologized. He smiled, still entering our information into the system, and repeated his question. I said I didn't understand, Mandi started to turn beet red as she was giving the me the WTF do we do now look. He half smiled half smirked, still typing, and said maybe it was last year. We both agreed with him and he handed us our new TIP, shitted pants averted, back into Guatemala!
Pasaj Cap (Casa de Pierre)
Our intention for the long stint in an apartment on Lake Atitlan was to eat healthier and exercise to remove some of the unnecessary inches we had unintentionally accumulated. While we did a reasonable job at both, we found ourselves drawn even deeper into the embrace of the lake. It is easily one of our favorite places and one we will always hold very dear. Its beauty is just a small fraction of the essence that surrounds it, my words will fall short so I will keep it simple. Lake Atitlan is truly and unequivocally wondrous.
During the time we spent there we did a much better job at exploring the surrounding areas and communities. Other overlanders friends, especially Jim & Rhonda (The Next Big Adventure) whom we finally met, Mark & Sas (Dream, Drive, Repeat), Pete & Natasha (Here Until There), Caro & Travis (Beluga Rodante), and Ingrid & Matty (Down the Line) coaxed us out of our apartment while Annette & Marshall, Canadian travelers of our own hearts, kept us grounded in the Pasaj Cap community. Sorry to those overlanders we missed, we spent a great deal of time just hanging in our apartment never knowing someone was there until they were already gone.
Atitlan Organics Farm Tour
In August, our first stay at Pasaj Cap, we meant to visit Atitlan Organics but never got around to it. This time we put a small group together, Jim & Rhonda and Ingrid & Matty, and huffed our way up the big hill to Tzununa then up a steep trail to the small permaculture farm. Shad, the owner, has spent the last 7 years getting the farm on its feet and does a great job explaining the farm's, and his own, evolution. It was a fun day, we donated 50Q for the tour.
Thanksgiving Dinner
In total, 30 people got together at Pierre's house for a Thanksgiving feast. Lots of food, wine, and beer was consumed. Stories told. Guitars played. Songs sung. Great, great time.
San Juan La Laguna
Known for its textiles, a town we should have visited sooner. We immediately declared it our favorite and spent several hours perusing all of the hand made items with Jim & Rhonda, Annette & Marshall, and their friend Sara. Easily, the two greatest highlights were the cotton hand spinning demonstration and Jim trying on a traditional Guatemalan outfit (not counting lunch at Cafe El Artesano). We visited San Juan a second time with Jim & Rhonda, during which, we all picked up a hand made piece of clothing...Jim finally getting the shirt he is pictured in below.
Cafe El Artesano, San Juan
The impetus for our San Juan visits and an exquisite culinary delight. Jim & Rhonda asked if we wanted to go and we jumped at the chance for real cheeses and cured meats. Almost everything is sourced in Guatemala and it was all delicious. During our second visit we also tried the fondue and pinchos. It is a bit pricey, averaging about $45 per couple per visit, including wine.
Street Art of San Juan
We haven't spent enough time capturing the beautiful street art of the countries we have visited. The building-side murals of San Juan caught Mandi's eye so she snapped a few photos. Art, such as this, is everywhere so we usually take it for granted. We'll try to do a better job in the future.
CA-4 Visa Extension
Many friends had already worked through the visa extension process in Guatemala City. We instead opted to pay a fixer in Panajachel, $50 each, and increased the duration of our stay at Pasaj Cap. Our foray to Solola to get the required black and white passport photos ended in the wrong size and paper type, not mentioning getting extorted by the photography studio, but our fixer was able to make the correct ones from what the studio gave us. What can we say, we totally gringo-ed out and threw money at the situation...enabling 10 more days of bliss at lake Atitlan.
Honorable Mentions
While we don't list every place and thing we do there are some that stick in our minds. Weeks later we catch ourselves mentioning them to others or just savoring the memory of the exquisite cuisine we consumed. Here are a few standouts.
Il Giardino, San Marcos
A vegetarian restaurant with a garden setting. Being mostly meat and vegetable eaters we were a bit skeptical and wrongly so. Mandi's favorite became the veggie lasagna and my go to was the curry plate of the day, Q65 and Q45 respectively.
Smokin Joe's, San Pedro
Southern BBQ at the Lake on Sundays! We think we ate there the most, thoroughly enjoying the familiar flavors. Our favorites were the spare/baby back ribs, pulled pork, and brisket, when available. Prices range from Q65 to Q85 per plate with unlimited sides. We always had leftovers, probably due to starting with happy hour before ordering our food. The Q10 Bloody Mary's were perfectly spiced! Nester is from Woodville, that rings a close bell for anyone who might be reading this back home.
Mister Jon's, Panajachel
Our go to for breakfast during our trips to Pana. The omelettes are delicious and the Q8 coffee is bottomless and really good. They also serve lunch and dinner but we only had breakfast. Our bill was between Q120-Q140, $16-$18.
Lake Atitlan Grocery Survival Guide
Having lived at the lake for a collective 4 months, we thought we should share some of our sources for quality food. We spent most of our time cooking our own meals, we meaning Mandi, using the three more easily accessible towns for all of our ingredients. Hopefully this will provide enough information for anyone who may be visiting one of our favorite places.
San Marcos
Vegetables: Lifespan 3-4 days. Best vendor is down the trail going to the lake on the left, right if you are coming from the dock, but the selection is usually limited. She opens up around 11-12 and has the best eggs we could find. Her prices fluctuate so be prepared. The other vendor on the trail to the lake has really good produce sometimes and if you happen to catch the vegetable store on the edge of town during restocking day it could be a big score. In the mornings, there are a few people selling veggies in front of the basketball court at great prices.
Meat: Not much as San Marcos is known as the vegetarian town. Diego at Pasaj Cap can get whole chickens for Q15 per pound, tip him 10-15Q. We heard it is possible to get chickens from the veggie ladies also, but never did. Pierre sources great tenderloin which can be bought as pieces or in its entirety. If you will be spending a fair amount of time there and have a freezer, an entire tenderloin will not disappoint.
Dairy: Decent New Zealand butter, salted and unsalted, is available in some of the grocery stores near the basketball courts. Local yogurt and some cheeses can be found.
Other: Shangri-La coffee is grown and processed in San Marcos and is really good. It is available at many places around the lake but is the cheapest in San Marcos. The little health food store has a few things but make sure to check around, some items are cheaper in the neighboring stores. Love Probiotics is located in San Marcos and worth a try. We found that staples were much cheaper in San Pedro or Pana but the price of the lancha may not be offset.
San Pedro
Vegetables: Lifespan 4-6 days. The market at the top of the hill is pretty good. Most vendors close at noon but several stay open longer and are worth a check if you are in town. The main delivery is Saturday evening for Sunday morning but the Sunday market can get crazy busy. One time we were able to find asparagus!
Meat: Johanna's has a small selection in the freezer in the back. Their bacon is a bit salty for our taste but is still good. Smokin' Joe's has opened a meat store, Tue-Fri, and has a great selection. Their bacon, breakfast sausage, Italian sausage, and smoked hams never let us down. If you contact Nestor a day or two before going to the Sunday BBQ he will bring the items you want so you can make the most of out the Sunday trip.
Dairy: Johanna's has a real full fat milk and a decent sharp cheddar. At times we found other cheeses, yogurts, and cream. Salud de Vida, the health food store, carries local and some imported vegetarian and vegan products.
Other: Salud de Vida (the Health Food Store) and Johanna's are great stores. Johanna's usually had the best prices for most things, especially for items also in the health food store. The health food store has eco-friendly products, bulk herbs and local peanut butter that only contains peanuts. Both stores are essential in our opinion.
Panajachel
Vegetables: Lifespan over a week. The local market is open all day and has everything at the best prices.
Meat: Sandra's carries some Smokin' Joe's meat but it is more expensive than in San Pedro. They also carry a bunch of other meats such as ground beef, pork chops, ribs, etc.
Dairy: Sandra's has a cheese and cured meats counter. It was our source for blue and great hard Parmesan cheese. One of the best cheese selections we've seen in a while.
Other: Sandra's has the best selection out of all of the stores. They carry hard to find items such as coconut and almond flour, albeit expensive. Like San Pedro, the prices were usually better than San Marcos. The local market also has a variety of bulk nuts, beans, and grains sold by the pound. We were excited to find raw almonds and macadamias.
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Looks like you really falled in love with that place. Nice to read the good time you're spending there. Lucky you who have time to take you time... :-)
All my best wishes for 2017, safe travel. Enjoy the New Year's Eve.
Claude-Alain
Where are we now
Look Rock, TN
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