El viaje

We got up very early. Lus stomach still not ok we called il dottore, Mr Udosic. Because of him we have a well equipped travel pharmacy with us and he is always available for advice and help.Grazie fratello ✊

After having gotten some supplies from an open pharmacy, which was not so easy to find at this early hour i went for long swim. The water was warmer ,the spectacle greater then expected.

When i came out i saw the biggest Kolibri feasting on massive flower buds. It had a green metallic glimmer. Much like the lizard i saw shortly afterwards. I always hyperventilate a little when i dont have my phone or camera in such moments. So i sprinted to the room, took cam and phone , sprinted back but, of course , both had gone. The lizard looked so cool though that i had to research.

Sceloporus smaragdinus, Bocourt’s emerald lizard.Native to Mexico and Guatemala ( obviously not my picture…..)

And the Kolibri for good measure. There is so many green Kolibris with blue dots that i am not sure which one it is so ill not post names. My one looked like this. And for a Kolibri it was big, 10-15cm or so.

Atitlán is also beautiful in the rain and clouds but there is not much you can do because you are soaking wet after 10 seconds outside.

Yesterday i forgot to mention the Mayan ruins IN the lake: In 1998, a Guatemalan scuba diver noticed something strange lurking in the depths of Lake Atitlán. His unlikely discovery led to decades of excavation, revealing the ruins of an ancient Maya pilgrimage site: a forgotten island of enormous religious importance. Like a Mesoamerican Atlantis, the submerged city had been left abandoned, unseen, and untouched for over a thousand years.

https://www.thecollector.com/maja-ruins-samabaj-guatemala-atlantis/amp/

I will be back for this, prepared and equipped.

Lu and i also really wanted to climb one of the volcanos but for weather and stomach reasons we decided to head south.

Hurricane season is starting here, it really is a gamble to wait for the right window . We could wait for weeks.Our recommendation, come before or after the heavy rains start.

Over a couple of bad roads

Through a couple of coffee fields

Quick stop for lunch.Lu had chicken broth and i an excellent Pepián.The best so far.

Pepián is a thick meat stew. It is one of the oldest and most recognizable dishes of Guatemalan cuisine having as its origin the influences from Guatemala’s colonial past and the indigenous cuisine. Dadja & Dan would love it!

And just like that we left Atitlán behind us.

Not one minute to late because it started pouring again! The upside here being that the rain draws some lovely but very short lived art on our windows.

Every now and then the rain stopped.

Thats when the contrast between the omnipresent Momo busses and the lush green stands out the most.

While Lu was having a nap i had a bit of a race going on with the one in front of me.

I am not sure whether to admire these Momo conductores for being excellent drivers or whether to fear them for being straight up nut cases.

They go very fast in these super heavy, super massive trucks on these very steep and very narrow roads. Long story short, i lost the race. I also tend towards nut cases..

These guys are hanging low,

30 seconds later

15 Minutes later the roads are dry again..🤪

Arriving at the coast it was a good 10 degrees warmer then up in the hills. On the way to Monterrico.

Quick location check and hotel research on the map revealed this. We are close to Pipos home in El Hawaii, contacto Ruben! Hahaha

Shout outs to botha dem badbwoyz!

After finding a nice place we went to the black sand beach and this is what we saw.

Excited as Nachbars Lumpi i wanted to capture this infernal show in time laps. But obviously it started raining hard and i had to safe the electronics. Funny nevertheless.

Buenas Noches Marie!