When I came to San Pedro for the first time, it was because a friend told me it was a great village, near a lake, with an amazing atmo-sphere... Ok. I chose to trust her and came here to enroll in a 4 week Spanish learn-ing program at a lo-cal school. It was the first trip I made where I didn’t change location every three days. I wasn’t in-terested this time in visiting everything, I just wanted to relax somewhere, away from the job, the winter and the noises of the city.

Well, I was happy I trusted my friend, cause this funky little town was just what the doc-tor ordered. Spanish classes in the morning, reading and wandering around in the after-noon and going out at night. The perfect life.

When I had my fill of sightseeing, I began to take siestas in the hotel hammock in the middle of the afternoon. This is when I learn that travelling was not always exhausting. You can actually relax, take it easy and re-

charge your batteries. After a month of this slow pace of life, I had to go back to the “real life” waiting for me in the big city. My job was still bad, the winter

was even colder and life just seemed like an everlasting bor-ing B-Movie...

So, two weeks after I returned to Can-ada, I decided to make the big move, resign from my job, sell my house, my car and give away my furniture. 8 months after, I

became a permanent resident of San Pedro. (Although it took me 3 years to get the of-ficial paperwork...)

I hope you will take the time to enjoy this place, don’t rush it, meet friends, become a part time “pedrano” and live a different trav-elling experience.

Visit our bars and restaurants. Enjoy the pool, rent a kayak, walk the small alleys, go to the market, visit the surroundings. See it, don’t just read about it.

Viva San Pedro !San Pedro, a Funky Little Town !

Wednesday’s Edition

VivaSanPedro.net

Wednesday night, 7 pm

Pub Quiz with Great Prizes

-- Open every night at 5 pm --

Okay, so if you’ve been to Belize, or Honduras, or El Salvador, or Cos-ta... well basically any Central American coun-try, then you’ve probably been on a zipline/canopy tour (unless you don’t like adventure, in which case stop reading now!), and probably think if you’ve been on one you’ve been on them all, well that’s where you’re wrong my friend!Perched above Lago Atitlan, about a 45 min-ute drive from San Pedro and just outside the lovely little town of Santa Clara, exists one of the most exciting adventures that you will have during your stay in San Pedro! Parque Chuiraxamolo which means in Mayan “the place where green fly rest”, was built around 7 years ago, and is a community run not-for-profit tourist attraction that maintains one of Central Americas highest and longest ziplines (400 m long by 200 m high) for 45 seconds of heart stopping amazement - not your typical shoelace ziplines!The guides are friendly (though don’t expect them to speak English beyond - goooo!) and everything is run very professionally. Har-nesses are checked and double checked, and most of the equipment looks almost brand new!

Be sure to get there early for the clearest views of Lago Atit-lan, or for a different kind of experience go for a sunrise or full moon zipline. And, for the most adventurous of you out there, be sure to ask for the superman experience!

If ziplining’s not your thing, there are other activities to do such as camping, mountain biking, hiking up the in-dian nose, and even witnessing a traditional Mayan ceremony.Whenever friends are in town visiting, this is one of the first places we’ll take them.

Just hangin around...

YoMama’s Casa

* Fire Pit / Hammocks* Kitchen / Pool Table* Free Coffee and Tea

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One of the biggest nights in San Pedro is the El Barrio Pub Quiz. Every Wednesday (starting at 7pm) teams gather to show off their wits and compete for fame, fortune and fabulous prizes! Many teams play, but only one will be crowned as the El Barrio Pub Quiz Champion. There are prizes for first, second, third and last place. Prizes change weekly and can include adventure tours, meals, gift certificates and cash!Playing Pub Quiz is easy. Once contestants arrive at El Barrio, teams of up to four are formed. You can already have a team picked or, if you’re solo, you can make new friends and create a new team. The friendly El Barrio staff can help you find team-mates – Just ask!Once the teams are formed, Quizmaster Karl puts on the official El Barrio Pub Quiz bathrobe to signal the start of the competi-tion. Then the internet is cut. Cheating is not tolerated!The questions are wide-ranging. Everything from science to current events to Guatemala. But Pub Quiz isn’t easy – that’s why you’re on a team. You may not know the answer, but your teammate might. Or discussing the question might lead to the right answer.You may think that putting together the questions for Pub Quiz

is easy. Not so. Imagine writing 40 questions that are fair to people from all over the world. They can’t be too American or European or Australian. And not everyone speaks English as a first language. Above all, the questions can’t be too hard or too easy.But Quizmaster Karl and scholarly Trish have found a good balance ensuring that every team has the chance to be com-petitive.

EL BARRIO PUB QUIZ TIPS

• Keep up on current events. Make sure you glance at BBC, CNN or another news site in the days before Pub Quiz.• Have a diverse team with people from different parts of the world with different interests. An old person helps, too!• Be secretive! Don’t let other teams hear/see your answers.• Eat! A full tummy keeps the brain working.• Buy tequila shots for other teams. Not only is this a nice thing to do, you’ll get them drunk – and you might gain an advantage. However, keep in mind that they may do the same to you!So put on your thinking cap this Wednesday at El Barrio (be-tween Mikaso and The Buddha). The fun starts at 7pm.

Viva San Pedro 3

Pub Quiz: Put Your Thinking Cap On

SUNDAY AT NOON

Smokin’ Joes’ BBQ

One of the great things about travel is the chance to see new things. If you’re a photog-rapher, it’s an opportunity to capture a whole

new world.Guatemala is no exception. I’ve been coming to San Pedro la Laguna for three years and if I have my camera with me, I never get bored. I’m originally from Vancouver, Canada, but in the last few years I’ve lived in Ghana, West Africa, San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico, Nova Scotia and San Pedro la Laguna. I make a living primarily through travel writing, cre-ating websites and their content and freelance editing. I have a background in television production. They’re all creative pursuits, but my favorite is photography. My subject matter in Guatemala has changed over the years. In the beginning it was all about landscapes: volcanos, Lago Atitlan, etc.This year I’m forcing myself to step out of my comfort zone and start taking photos of people

– especially portraits. I’ve always found this kind of photography intimidating (you have to ask permission) and hard (people tend to pose). But I find this kind of photography the most rewarding. During my third extended stay I want to shoot portraits of all the people who are in my San Pedro life. The project is underway and you can see some of the images on these pages. Another thing that I do to keep things interest-ing is post a “Photo of the Day” – you can see them at www.roadspill.org. Trying to have one image that is “Photo of the Day” worthy is tough – but it is another way of encouraging me to shoot on a daily basis and to think about what I shoot. I should note that the photos you see here are not all taken with an fancy DSLR. They’re a mix of images taken with an iPod Touch, small point-a n d - s h o o t , and yes, a fancy DSLR. Always re-member: the camera isn’t what takes a good photo – it’s you. Now get that camera out and start shooting!

Atitlan Portfolio : In the eyes of Doug4

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Gypsy’sBored of your travel clothes?

Second-hand clothes, hip and unique piecesWe also do alterations & repairs

SP-WebStudio.comWeb Site Production

Viva San Pedro 5

http://business.sanpedrolalaguna.net

Free Listings

Chances are during your time spent here in San Pedro you will at some point come across the wild call of the popcorn kids.

When you do come across Pedro, Alex or their youngest brother Samuel (likely pop-ping from busy restaurant to bar during the evenings), take a minute to say hello, even if you don’t want to buy any of their popcorn.

Unlike some other vendors in town these youngsters are polite, friendly, and just try-ing to sell you a healthy post-dinner snack... oh and did we

mention it’s only Q2 for a bag and the money goes to-ward their schooling?!?

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Trust us to organize your activities and all your transportation needs.

Agencia Maya Tzutujil (Also Postal Services)

RESTAURANTE15 years of

experience in serving you the best food

Happy Hour 5-8 pmGreat daily specialsFriday : Fish Night

Viva San Pedro 7

When I first came to Lake Atitlan, one of the things I was missing was cheese. Good cheese was only available in Pana-jachel, so each time I went there on a shop-ping trip, I came back with smoked Gouda, Camem-bert and other fine cheeses depending on availability. A couple of years af-ter, the “tiendas” in San Pedro began to carry cheeses made in Xela. Not bad at all.

But now, when you’re in the mood for cheese, there is a magical place in San Juan for it. El Artesano. When you go there, be prepared to enter cheese paradise. You can get a cheese plate, with about a dozen different strong and tasty cheeses. Always the Blue cheese, the goat

cheese and the french cheese aged to per-fection. There is even one that is washed with beer.

A great selec-tion of wine and affordable prices makes this place very special. El Artesano is only open week days, from 11:30 to 8 pm (closed at 4 pm on Fri-day)You normally

don’t have to re-serve, but just in case, here’s the phone number to make sure they are open when you decide to go: 4555-4773. You also have to call in advance if you want pizza, only available on Thursdays. Bon appetit !

A Paradise for Cheese Fans !

Saturday Brunch All you can eat for 40Q 10 am to 2 pm. -- Open every night at 5 pm --

RESTAURANTE15 years of

experience in serving you the best food

Happy Hour 5-8 pmGreat daily specialsFriday : Fish Night

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Info : vivasanpedroguatemala@gmail.com

Production : Daniel BazinetCollaborators : Trish Van Veen, Doug MurrayPhoto : Doug Murray, Daniel BazinetDistribution : AdrianInformation : 5304 7357

www.vivasanpedro.net

Quality FoodAt Affordable Prices

Monday-Saturday : 8am-10pm. Sunday : 4pm-10pm

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