San Pedro Lake Atitlan | Travel Landscape Photography | Lago de Atitlán en Guatemala
Eleven villages surround Lake Atitlán, Guatemala, and with only 4 full days to explore, I chose San Pedro as my day three exploration point. Situated on the southwest corner of the lake, I had read that this part of Atitlán had a little more liveliness to it. When I stepped on the dock and looked up the hill, a line of bars, cafes, and shops littered the alleyway. The first village road I came across, 8A calle, was a mix of backpackers and locals, each enjoying the pace of their mid morning hours. It was nice to be back into "civilization" for a bit. Colorful graffiti once again covered many of the building walls, so I found myself for a good few hours just meandering around the neighborhood.
I zig-zagged my way through multiple streets, finding myself fading away from the backpackers, and more towards the natives. A large market full of fruits and vegetables lined the streets, along with clothing accessories, and crafts. I was getting thirsty from the uphill walk by this point, so I stopped to refresh myself with a grande jugo de naranja. The lovely Mayan lady danced, as she freshly squeezed the orange juice, both of us enjoying a good laugh. At this point you may be wondering, or maybe you aren't, why I don't take photos of people or their market stands. I'm sure most people are nice enough to oblige if you were to ask their permission beforehand, but at times I feel uncomfortable doing so. Call it my lack of confidence when it comes to approaching people, but it's also a little of the fact that it just isn't something I'm into photographing. If you happen to be an individual who enjoys taking portrait photography of that kind of thing, then keep on doing it. Because we need people in that realm of photography as well.
I'd eventually find myself lake side, as a slight breeze blew in from the east. A couple sat nearby, embraced in hugs and kisses, as I sat along the lake witnessing the magic that our home planet continues to offer. I love the photographic capture below from just a few yards away from where I sat, because it depicts the shorelines of San Pedro so perfectly.
San Pedro Lake Atitlan | Lake Photography | Scenic Wall Art
My day continued back towards town center and to the western edges of San Pedro. I once again found myself lakeside enjoying not only the warmth of the sun, but the scenery that surrounded me. I stopped for a bite to eat at Forbidden Fruit, a smoothie bowl cafe, and conversed with a young girl from the village named Melissa. Lucky for me she spoke English and I made good on my promise from the night before of forcing myself to interact with someone the following day. You can read more about that by visiting my San Marcos blog post. The disappointment that I had been feeling a day prior, was because I had passed up on a couple of opportunities to connect with people in San Marcos. I was yearning for connection, but also wanted my space. The funny thing about it though, I know when my desire to interact arrives, yet when it does, it's usually when I least want to reach out to others. Counterintuitive, I know! This would turn out to be the nicest day I encountered during my stay in Lake Atitlán, Guatemala. The sun was shining bright and everything was feeling oh so right.
Visit the entire photography project, by visiting my Behance account. Click the link: HERE
Read about my first day visiting Lake Atitlán and the village of Jaibalito, by clicking the link: HERE
To browse and purchase any of my fine art / landscape photography prints, click the link: HERE.
To browse my current inventory of repurposed barn wood framed photos, click the link: HERE
San Pedro Lake Atitlan | Travel Landscape Photography | Lago de Atitlán en Guatemala | Blogs About Life Experiences | Fine Art Photography Prints | Personal Blogs About Life