San Pedro

 Tonight is our last night in Jaibalito (Casa Del Mundo) and so today we had to venture out to San Pedro to get cash. Paying for items with credit/debit cards is a luxury we greatly miss, as most places on the lake (including hotels) only accept cash, and there are only a handful of ATM machines located in the two major cities at opposite ends of the lake; Panajachel and San Pedro.

We left this morning for San Pedro around 9am, and the lake was beautifully calm. Upon arriving we began our hunt for the restaurant, Cafe La Puerta, which boasts the best breakfast in town. This proved to be more difficult than expected, and after about 45 minutes, consulting with numerous locals, and 10 minutes at an internet cafe, we were finally able to find it... if we were on the amazing race we definitely would have come in last! But it was worth the effort; the coffee and the bacon were both fantastic.

As we sat on the terrace overlooking the lake, we felt the wind suddenly pick up dramatically. After about 5 or 10 minutes, white caps dominated the lake and I decided we´d better head home before the conditions worsened. Typically the waves don´t pick up until about 2pm, so at 11am we were quite surprised to such such rough waters.

Upon arrival at the launching dock, Matt and I scanned the waters and debated whether to wait until the waves calmed (usually around 5pm), but convinced ourselves the ride would be fine and hopped the nearest boat. After about 5 minutes after our departure, I quickly began to regret the decision. As San Pedro is located in a cove, as soon as we left that cove that waves had increased dramatically, and I began to get a bit nervous. I was seated next to an expat who had been living in San Pedro for a few years, and she looked at me somberly and said "these are bad waves... we are going to get soaked". Oh, how I wish I had stayed on the dock!! At this point we were bouncing higher and higher with each wave, and sinking lower into the water with each landing. The Captain´s helper put a tarp over the front of the boat to try and protect those of us sitting right at the front, but this did little to protect against the waves and the high winds. The waves continued to own our small boat, and the point I got the most nervous was when the captain turned off the engine in the middle of the lake (as the waves were so dominating). The swells were so high that I was fairly convinced at this point that we were going to take on water.Finally, he turned on the engine again and slowly drove towards San Marcos, a trip that should have taken 5 minutes took 20, and felt like an hour. Although this was not our stop, the expat highly recommended that we get out anyway, she said she hadn´t seen conditions so bad before. I didn´t have to think twice about this advice and as the boat was slamming against the dock, we scrambled out onto land. I looked behind me and noticed that every other passenger, including the locals, got out as well... I guess everyone had had enough of the bumpy ride! So, we spent the day in San Marcos, periodically checking on the waves, finally when the last boat was to leave the dock, and the waves had subsided somewhat, we made our way back to the hotel, where we are very grateful and relieved to be back!