"All this wandering around 'Our America with a capital A' has changed me more than I thought."
The Motorcycle Diaries
After a long week of traveling last week, I was in the mood for some rest and relaxation, so I decided to check out San Marcos La Laguna for the weekend. My Lonely Planet guidebook had mentioned that it was "without a doubt the prettiest of the lakeside villages" as well as "a magnet for global seekers, who believe the place has a spiritual energy that's conducive to learning and practicing meditation, holistic therapies, massage, reiki and other spiritually oriented activities." On my boat ride over to San Marcos, I met a couple from Colorado who literally live only a few blocks away from my house in Denver, so I had a feeling that the universe and I were on the same wavelength even before I arrived.
View of the lake, from the jungle
San Marcos is an incredibly serene and beautiful pueblo. The town is very quaint, with only one road that is actually accessible to cars. Most of the attractions are located on one of two small cobblestone paths that are perpendicular to the main road and parallel to each other. The jungle weaves through the small paths, and there are only handmade signs pointing you to your destination, so I was glad that I had time to find my bearings before the sun set and had packed my flashlight for the evening. I walked around the town for a while with two women from my boat ride, and ate a delicious veggie burger at Restaurante Fe. Note that vegetarians and vegans are very welcome here. Although it was available in some restaurants, I didn't eat meat the entire weekend because of the wide variety of delicious vegetarian options. For accommodations I chose La Paz, as I was drawn to the A-frame huts with bamboo thatched roofs-- rustic but relaxing.
La Paz hotel
Paths leading to the hotel
I had some time to get stuck in my new book, the Motorcycle Diaries (great movie, but really awesome book too!), and I also watched a movie at a neighboring hostel before calling it an early night on Saturday. On Sunday morning I opted to take a yoga class, as La Paz offers 90 minute classes each morning at 9 am. As I suspected from the town vibe, it was more mystical than other courses I'd taken, and involved meditation, introspection, a bit of massage, some chanting, and a gong. It was actually a really pleasurable way to start my morning!
Some of my yoga classmates mentioned taking a lucid dream course later that afternoon (who knows what that entails...) but I opted to seek my zen through a hike, so I walked over to the Cerro Tzankujil Area Protegida. It's a beautiful nature reserve, with about a 45 minute hike to the top of a hill overlooking the nearby lake and volcanoes. There was also an awesome cliff jump that must have been about 40 feet tall and beautiful swimming cove. I certainly couldn't resist jumping in the aqua-colored water after my hike. Although the jump was actually kind of painful (how do you say "wedgie" in Spanish?) it was exhilarating and the water was the perfect temperature. What a wonderful weekend!
Nature reserve
Relaxing after a swim
View from my hike
You can't tell here, but this is a 40 ft jump to the water!
Here's a video I made of San Marcos-- some really amazing panorama shots of the lake and the volcanoes! Enjoy!
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