As I said before; “Variety is the spice of life”. I know, that article wasn´t too good but it´s still true :) The things I did in the last couple days did indeed vary strongly, so here we go:

Water: I mean fresh water; something different from yet another beach this time. I´m talking about Lake Atitlan to be exact. Visited Panajachel and took a first glimpse of this gorgeous lake, surrounded by volcanoes, indigenous communicites and whatnot. Also bumped into a funny procession as apparently Easter is nearing, which is supposed to be pretty hectic here. Keep you posted!

Lava: Yes, hot stuff coming from the center of the Earth :) Up close and personal on Volcan Pacaya, close to Antigua. Pretty interesting and not always equally safe, but still good fun. Who needs Volcan Arenal anyway!?

Culture: Yes, again… Antigua this time, a colonial marvel close to Guatemala city. Intensely beautiful, and completely different from the rest of Central America since it´s so well-organised, clean and (relatively) safe. Started to feel like home… scary!

Ocean: Almost forgot how much I loved the beach, so time to head down for a change! Monterrico is hot, humid and a nice spot to crash down and hang out for a bit. Different from everything else I´ve seen lately but hey, it´s an addiction remember?

Coffee: Lots of plantations around, but hadn´t really had a close look at any of them yet. Coban was the place; got a (private!) tour on a small coffee finca and learnt a lot more about this addictive stuff. Indeed; I have been moving my dirty hands through beans from which you are now having your daily shot of caffeine. How does that feel? Enjoy it!

Natural pools: Swimming pools suck; they smell like chlorine and are congested with hair. In Holland, that is. Guatemala offers all natural pools on a huge cascade. Almost as blue as the Caribbean Sea, almost as clean as European tap water!

Cave-swimming: I know, that word doesn´t exist but it´s the best way to describe it. Swimming through a cave (Las Marias, near Semuc Champey) with a candle in your hands, a unique experience and most of all a lot of fun. Hectic at times too, since passages are narrow / steep and slippery at times! There was a little consequence to this one, so keep reading!

Bats: Ugly mice with wings, flying really fast. Had a few hundred of those around my head at the Lanquin caves, which they all seem to fly outof at about the same time. Interesting, especially the fact they fly straight past you but don´t strike you at all.

Health care: The Las Marias cave, a hole, my twisted motorics and a few sharp rocks. Need I say more? Ended up cutting my foot (4cm in length, 1cm deep) and am now stiched up, for the first time in my life. I love traveling, you just experience something new every day! ;) I now know what a hospital looked like in the 1940s, though they did a pretty good job on cleaning (45 minutes because I was too stubborn to leave the tour after this happened) and stitching me up. To be continued!

-René “leave me alone, it´s just a little scratch” Miltenburg

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Lake Atitlan ... and me

Jesus is coming!

Some real lava, up close!