Guatemala, a Mixed World.

We entered Guatemala at La Mesilla, on February 09. We found the custom and immigration offices somewhere in the middle of hundreds of street vendors, a typical Central America scene. Since then, we drove a few hours a day in the midst of gorgeous mountains and volcanoes, but we had hard time to enjoy them due to speeding and polluting buses and vans on the roads.
Guatemala is beautiful and diversified. Unfortunately, we entered the country after days of fever and antibiotics treatment due to a Salmonella infection we contracted in the Mexican jungle. As a result, the enjoyment is less spontaneous, the trip less magic, our relationship less warm, the food less attractive, etc.

We visited Lago Atitlan and Antigua, like any other tourist and we liked them. But what I enjoyed more, in Guatemala, were:
the road to aguas calientes Puentes Georginas as well as the hot springs themselves;
the Maya ruins, Mixco Viejo, specifically, our meeting with a local wood sculptor who has been restoring Mayan ruins for over 35 years. His name is Jose Alfonso Giron Mendez. Alfonso is a real artist with a broad knowledge of the Guatemala Mayan ruins and
the Biotopo del Quetzal, a national park devoted to the protection of the Quetzal bird, the Guatemala national emblem. The park is at 1700 m above sea water, in a rain forest.

Tomorrow, we will enter Honduras… to be continued…