From an action packed stay in Antigua we headed for Lago de Atitlan, the main attraction of which is the Lago (lake). The main turismo town here is Panajachel. Not heaps pretty but the lake itself - surrounded by three volcanoes and many mountains - is absolutely gorgeous. We found a great tour guide who took us across the lake to a few of the nearby villages and towns, all the while filling us in on the culture and dress of the various Mayan nationalities which still exist in the area. We got to do a bit of hiking, make traditional tortillas with an old Mayan lady, see how organic coffee is processed (yes, had to buy some - go easy on us Customs Officials), dress in traditional Mayan clothing (being gawked at by passersby) and a visit a real-life working idol, Machimon, who likes cigars and liquor. Oh and we bought a cool woven hammock chair! That was our first day in Pana. The next day we did sweet FA, which was very nice. Next was Coban, which looks just up the road on the map but you actually have to go all the way back to Guatemala City and up a different highway to get there. There is a direct road on the map but apparently the locals don´t know about it! Less than convenient. Still we arrived safely enough and organise a trip to the somewhat nearby Semuc Champey. An astonishing natural wonder which consists of a bridge of limestone straddling a torrential white-water river. The limestone bridge actually has several turquoise pools of water which cascade gently from level to level which you can swim in. And we did. Cold to the point of cryogenesis, but I guess we should have about another hour on our lifespans now. On the way back to town we stopped by the Caves of Lanquin, a massive cave system most of which hasn´t been explored yet but which you can easily see the first few hundred metres of thanks to seemingly magically strung lighting. Quite creepy and slick with bat crap, (and impossible to photograph) but pretty awesome.Today we spent the morning hiking around Biotropo de Quetzal, a smallish reserve named after the national bird of Guatemala, the Quetzal. They´re apparently in residence there, along with a plethora of bird species, mammals, insects and various interesting creatures. We saw two brown birds and a blue flying insect. The walk in general was marvellously soundtracked by the trucks blasting on down the nearby highway and the family of screaming children which followed us most of the way. Aaahh, the serenity. Needless to say, if there is any wildlife in residence in this park (which we both seriously doubt) it wasn´t terribly keen to show itself today. Pretty plant life though. We´re outta here tomorrow. On to the northern region of El Petèn, full of jungle and ruins (and mosquitos).Oh we decided we´ve got time to extend ourselves a little further north, on to Belize! We´ll be so close to the border anyway, we couldn´t resist the temptation. Exciting stuff!