PETÉN - Guatemala - page 510

www.volunteerpeten.com ) , set on a medicinal plant reserve where the focus is largely on
volunteer opportunities with various projects benefiting the local community. Recent pro-
jects have included the construction of a local library and schools.
For budget accommodations in San Andrés, try the Hotel Corina, set atop a hill to the
left as you come into town.
A more luxurious option is found three kilometers east of San Andrés along the road
from Flores and then a few kilometers down a rugged dirt road accessible only by 4WD
vehicle. Charmingly rustic Ni'tun Lodge (tel. [phone] or 5414 -5780,
www.nitun.com , $150 d) is set on the lakeshore with comfortable cabins made from stone,
stick, and mortar. Inside you'll find wooden tree-trunk floors and typically Guatemalan ac-
cents, including Mayan blankets, rugs, and wooden furniture. All rooms have private hot-
water bathroom. Wireless Internet and DirecTV may have been installed by the time you
read this. Room rates include breakfast. Gourmet meals, including a choice between 2-3
maincourses,cost$20-25forlunchordinner.Mostofthelodge'shigh-endclientelearrives
by boat from Flores on all-inclusive packages, which you can book directly through the
lodge. The lodge's creator and live-in manager, Bernie, has explored Petén extensively and
is also the inspiration behind Monkey Eco Tours, which can take you to many of Petén's
more remote sites in relative comfort and style with accordingly expensive prices. A five-
day trek to El Mirador, for example, costs $225 per person per day.
San José
San José is a surprisingly pleasant town complete with a municipal recreation area on the
lakeshore.Itssomewhatsteepstreetsmeanderintothesurroundinghillside,affordingstun-
ning views of the pretty bay below. Adding to the town's intrigue is a Mayan cultural re-
vival of the Itzá people. You'll see signs in this Mayan dialect around town. A community
organization, the Bio Itzá, has its own language school and also manages a private forest
preserve north of town along the fringes of El Zotz-San Miguel La Palotada Biotope.
According to local lore, the Itzá people came to San José from the Yucatán site of
ChichénItzá, led by the mythical figure Taitzá along a pathway known as the Camino Real
100 years before the arrival of the Spanish in the New World. Another unique aspect of the
local culture are the town's two main annual fiestas. The first of these takes place between
March 10 and 19 and includes a parade and fireworks, capped off by an unusual costumed
dance in which a young girl and a horse skip together through the town streets. The second
annualfestivaltakesplaceonOctober31andNovember1.ItbeginswithasolemnMassin
the town's Catholic church, which houses three skulls in a glass case thought to belong to
Spanishmissionariesorthetown'sfounders,dependingonwhomyoubelieve.Oneofthese
skulls is removed from its resting place and is put on the church altar during the service; it
isthencarriedthroughtownonavelvetpillowbyblack-claddevotees,followedcloselyby
children in traditional village costume and townsfolk. The procession stops along the way