Lago de Atitlán & Antigua, Guatemala

The next stop on our trip is Lago de Atitlán, a beautiful lake surrounded on all sides by 3 volcanoes and steep-sided cliffs. To get here, we have a long shuttle bus journey to the nearest city, Antigua, followed by our first shot on the infamous local ´chicken buses´. These legendary buses are already familiar from their former life as U.S. school buses. Here they have made some subtle changes, including painting them various psychadelic colours and adorning the windscreen with assorted rosary beads, religious medals and "Jesus loves you" stickers. The real shock comes when you board the bus and find it crammed to bursting. Picture a Tokyo subway train, with all manner of luggage, livestock and sweet-vendors thrown in. They are dirty, smelly, massively-polluting machines that run without schedules, stopping wherever someone sticks out a hand or shouts loud enough to be heard. They are also a fantastic experience, offering a glimpse of real Guatemalan life away from the tourist shuttle buses, and there is always at least one local keen to engage you in conversation on each journey.

Our luggage is on the roof. Seriously.

After 4 changes and plenty of bargaining over bus fares, we finally reach Panajachel, one of the many villages dotted around the shores of Lago de Atitlán. The village is a bit of a transport hub for the area but has great views across the lake and we find a nice room in a place run by the Guatemalan Mr Miyagi. Each village has its own individual character so we take the opportunity to make the short boat trip to San Pedro, another village across the lake. Unfortunately, like so often in Guatemala, it is again necessary to bargain over prices to minimise the amount of ´Gringo tax´ added to the ordinary fare. Negotiations completed, we set off and are soon exploring the quiet streets and markets. San Pedro has a far more mellowed atmosphere than Panajachel and it's easy to see why a lot of visitors head directly here. There are numerous cafes and restaurants to laze away an afternoon; instead we opt for the local market where we find ourselves among hordes of old local women pointing at pots of stews and sauces. Completely unaware of what we're doing, we mumble some pigeon-Spanish and gesticulate sufficiently to walk away with two plates of what may well be chicken. Or pork. Or vegetables. Regardless, for 40p each it tasted great!

The brown stuff is beans. We think.

After taking our fill, we make our way back to the pier for the return boat trip, lucky enough to catch a boat just about to depart. This being a Guatemalan mode of transport, things were never going to go smoothly. Unfortunately, our particular boat would not make it across: almost perfectly in the middle of the lake, the engine spluttered and died, leaving us drifting at the mercy of the waves. While initially unconcerned, our fears increased when the locals started grabbing life jackets and we quickly realised it would be one between two (if we were lucky). Thankfully, there would be no need to get wet, as another boat soon rescued us all and we continued on our way back.

Sunset over the lake

The following day we set off for one of the biggest markets in Guatemala, held twice a week in the nearby town of Chichicastenango. A riot of colour and noise, it´s famous for both its size and the variety of original Mayan crafts and outfits on offer. This is not only a tourist destination but also a living market for many local people, full of stalls selling all sorts of products, from fruit and veg to light bulb fittings. Picture a bigger and brighter ´barras in the sunshine and you´re halfway there. With a bit of inventive bargaining, we walk away with a pretty scary Mayan mask for just a few quid. After a day of bargaining, we return to Panajachel tired and hungry, so decide to visit our favourite food place, which sells only pupusas (small pancake-like packets of dough with a mix of cheese, beans and other fillings, originally from El Salvador). This place is great because the pupusas are hand-made, the owner always has the football on tv and the beer comes in litre bottles. What more can we ask for?

The food market at Chichi

After a few days relaxing by the lake, we move back to Antigua to spend the weekend. There's a lot going on just now because independence day is celebrated in a lot of the countries across Central America. In all the villages and towns we have visited, there have been parades, parties and celebrations, all leading up to this weekend. There is a party atmosphere as soon as we arrive in Antigua - marching bands make their way through the streets and groups of young people race around bearing flaming torches and singing. While we´re not completely certain of the significance (or safety) of running with flaming torches, they seem to be having fun and it all adds to the party atmosphere.

Don't run with scissors. Or flaming torches.

The highlight are the processions and parades on Saturday, when the streets are lined throughout the day and culminate in a street party in the evening. Not to be excluded, we happily join in, picking up a bottle of rum and some coke to get us in the spirit. Using traditional Polish measures, we set off plastic bottle in hand to join in the party and dance along to the bands. Inevitably, we find ourselves ending the evening on a park bench, surrounded by drunks and late-night revelers. That´s us: bringing the class of Glasgow to the streets of Guatemala.

Street party for independence day

The following morning, our hangovers receding (despite a 40 minute homily in Spanish), we see the city has been transformed and where there were masses of people the streets are now empty. Even without the crowds, Antigua is a fascinating place and we are happy exploring the cobbled streets, people-watching by the fountain in the main square and visiting a few of the churches and ruins dotted across the city. We also go on a trip to hike one of the volcanoes surrounding the city. Despite an eruption at a neighbouring volcano the day before, we're assured it's completely safe. After a fairly easy climb, we can see the crater at the top and spend half an hour roasting marshmallows over the steam vents. The ideal way to relax and unwind after the festivities, and to end our time in Guatemala.

Roasting marshmallows in a volcano

All together, Guatemala has been a place of contradictions. Stunning landscape, colourful fiestas and an interesting indigenous culture were tempered by mediocre food and a widespread desire to extract as many Quetzales (the Guatemalan currency) from tourists as possible. Despite this, we're really glad we came here. Tomorrow we move on to El Salvador and look forward to our first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean...