After I´ve had so many problems to actually get to Lake Atitlán everything else went just perfectly! Kathy had gotten my email and was at the bus stop when I arrived (a mere five hours later than planned) and the place where we stayed was just perfect.

There is actually not much to tell except for that this was probably the most relaxing weekend I´ve had in a very, very long time. Lake Atitlan is a truly gorgeous spot. A huge lake that that is overshadowed (but in a pretty sort of way) by three volcanoes around its edges. (Unortuantely they are too far apart to take a photo with my camera that would show all of them in one photo. And I don´t have access to panorama-software at the moment) A lot of people say Lago de Atitlán is one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. I don´t know about that, since the weather wasn´t all that good, but it certainly is a nice spot. And the hotel we stayed in, La Casa Del Mundo (150 Q/double) certainly contributed a lot to our wellbeing. Great food, clean sheets, fresh towels, loads of hammocks, interesting people and even a warm shower! We were in paradise!

Fire at night

The way back to Antigua was - thankfully - less exciting than the way there and I arrived pretty much on time. The cool thing was however that on Sunday night, Fuego was more active than normally and I could even see him belch lava! It wasn´t a huge eruption, but still - it was the first time I ever saw a volcano do that and I though it was incredibly cool!

Security concerns

The bad news is that security in Guatemala seems to have gotten worse in the last two months. Most governments have issued travel warnings in the last few days, the news are full of violent robberies, killings, assasinations and (small) riots and the reports you hear of foreigners getting robbed seem to be increasing as well. Last week a dutch girl from the school next to ours got shot. She got caught in the crossfire when a robber started shooting at the security-guy accompanying her bus. And it´s still unclear whether she´ll make it. My teacher has stopped shopping for supplies in Guatemala City, even though it´s cheaper there, since she says it´s too dangerous. My friend Ben went there to change busses the other day and saw how a guy got mugged and beaten to pulp in bright daylight. Maybe I should just stay put in Antigua, where there is less crime. Don´t worry, mom...

On the web:
La Casa Del Mundo