We arrived in San Pedro on Monday, travelling first by van and then by boat across Lake Atitlan. The town is encapsulated by a mountain range, of which Volcan de San Pedro, a 3000 meter or so behemoth, is the peak. At the center of the range is Lake Atitlan, and there are a handful of towns on the lake´s shore. On a usual day, the lake is crystal clear, perfect for swimming and sunbathing. We, however, arrived during a very unusual time because an algae bloom has filled the lake. I won´t go into much detail because it is hard to understand what is happening or why it is happening but you can read about it for yourself (link below). The locals are in somewhat of a panic, but no one has a good answer on what to do about it. Some tourists (including myself) helped the locals clean the lake with nets and baskets but to be honest, it was about as useful as putting out a forest fire with a water bottle. Very sad and an important lesson for us all.
In town, we are staying with a local family and have Spanish lessons 5 days a week from 8 am to 12 pm, and homework afterwards. Apart from studying Spanish, exploring the different towns on the lake, and climbing the mountains, there is not a lot that happens in San Pedro. In a way, it's a nice change of pace from the hustle and bustle of life in the states, but we are also both anxious to see more and travel to other places. I think one or two more weeks here and we will move on to Tikal and other towns along the way. I will try to post some videos so that you can get a good sense of the town and our living situation, but not today. Adios for now.
From Playa San Diego, we made our way to El Tunco, a haven for those wanting to eat ceviche, surf, and relax on a beautiful beach. But, do to some unexpected injuries and other events, no one in our group actually surfed (but swimming and eating ceviche was still a blast). From El Tunco, we headed for San Salvador (via chicken bus). At first, we thought we would avoid the capital, given the reputation capital cities have for violence, but after numerous recommendations from other travellers, we thought we would give it a try. The city, it self, is not very impressive. Sprawled out and lacking a focal point, it is hard to navigate, expensive, and lacks big attractions. However, certain parts of the city are worth seeing. The ¨center¨ of the city is more or less, a huge marketplace. People sell anything and everything and whole scene is a quite spectacular display of ¨organized chaos.¨ Zona Rosa is exactly the opposite, more like an American suburb than a part of Central American city, it has museums, X mas decorations on each street, an enormous shopping mall, the president´s house, and security guards with shotguns on most corners (although that part is common for all of San Salvador). From San Salvador, we headed back to Antigua, again via chicken buses. This was quite the undertaking, and the journey took about 11 hours but only cost $8 (compared to $35 per person for a private shuttle). Walking across the border was a trip, so was being stopped by national police and watching them take away two people, presumably for not having the right identification. Now, we are in Antigua and are leaving for Semuc Champey tomorrow morning (considered one of the most beautiful places in Guatemala). 
