¡Hola! I've been in Guatemala for over a month. It's time to post some photos. Guatemala means "the land of many trees" in Mayan language. The landscape can be described as very green and mountainous. Most hills are volcanic which means that they are pretty to look at, but not great for climbing. There are several established sport routes just outside Quetzaltenango on a hill called La Muela (the Molar), but not of high quality. My favorite places so far are: Semuc Champey for its pristine waters, Lake Atitlan for its view, and Quetzaltenango (Xela) for volcano trekking. I thought the Maya ruins at Tikal were overrated, but your mileage may vary. The boat ride from Rio Dulce to Livingston is very beautiful and enjoyable, but Livingston is a dump. Skip it by all means. The beaches are full of garbage with little creeks of raw sewage that run straight into the Caribbean sea.

The weather in the western highlands is much colder than I expected. When I first got here, I was baffled when locals called it their winter season. Now I know why. The daily rain keeps the high temperature at around 60°F and low temperature in the 40's.

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Semuc Champey

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