Here is a photo of my host family that I lived with for 10 days in Xela. From the left, Pilar (plus 5 month old bump), Jose and Diego (age 2). They were so patient with my limited Spanish, Pilar cooked the best Guatamalian food and Diego is a dote.Now, I am tired!. Ive just finished a three day hike from Xela to Laco de Atitlan. I went with the group Quetzeltrekkers again. They sure know how to organise a good trip. The three days brought us through varied landscapes and lots of agricultural land. The guides were great at filling us in on random pieces of infornation. I loved all the plants, lots of which were wild herbs and flowers I recognised from The Eden Project in Cornwall. Walking through an area with Alaska Grass. It grows at the same altitude all the way from Alaska to Tiera Del Fuego in Argentia:

No one complained about the weight of their backpacs after this man jogged past:

A village with corn (maize) fields...There was amazing plants but very little fauna. During the civil war, only a few years ago, the government were killing the indigenous populaton, which had to hide in the mountains. The government then burnt all their corn fields, so they had to move deeper into the highlands and relied on eating any and all the animals they could catch. As a result, Guatamalan´s fauna has been drastically depleted. But I did see the caterpillar...We slept in some very strange places. The first night was in a dis-used building complex in Santa Catorina. The town is very rural, with only one white person living there. The building felt like something you see in films like Terminator, or Man of War, when society has crumbled and people are hiding out in abandoned places. We had a really unique experience in this town. We went to a Temescal (not sure of the spelling) but it´s a very small hut that fits 4 people sitting down and is basically a type of sauna. The locals use it to wash in and sometimes prepare bodies for burial. Inside it, there´s a fire with hot stones on top. Its really smokey andvery hot. You wash yourself by mixing water from a boiling hot bucket and a freezing cold bucket and throwing it over your head and body. Kinda hard to explain what it was like and I´ve no photos either. The photo is taken as the guides are waking us up at the crack of dawn... Yawn... The second night was in Santa Clara in Don Pedro´s house. I well off man by Guatamalan standards. We had a great night around the fire, drinking, singing and telling stories. In the photo you can see one of the guides, Mark and a boy called Henry. Henry lives in the home that Quetzaltrekkers supports. He ran away from his parents/grandparents for reasons no child should have to, and he lived on the street until the home was opened up. This was his 25th time on the trek. He was great entertainment.

On the third day we got up rediculously early again and climed another hill and watched the sun rise over the lake. Another beautiful sight.

Here´s one for Dad. This is a pic of Christan, from Dunquin, Co. Kerry.

The homeward stretch. We headed for the town below..

Nothing like a game of frizby in the lake to cool down after the hike...A bus picked up the group and drove them back to Xela, but a few of us stayed on in San Pedro. They are really great people and I had a fantastic time with them. From left to right.. Me, Amir (Israel), Sonja (Germany), Ido (Israel), Michael (Sydney), Magali (France) and Gil (Israel).I´m back in Antigua for tonight and am heading to my forth country tomorrow.