When entering Guatemala by bus, I hadn't expected how little I ever wanted to leave it three weeks later. Greeted by golden rays of the setting sun on the way to Flores - the busy and colourful city in the lake and base for an adventure to the ruins of the Maya megacity of Tikal - I already felt the energy coming back after a busy time in Mexico. Meeting wonderful people on the bus ride to Semuc Champey, the outerworldly cascades in the middle of the jungle, made the trip already worthwhile. Continuing to the buzzing colonial beauty of Antigua and its surrounding volcanoes, offered the chance to do an adventure of a lifetime and climb the active volcano Fuego. 

Serene mornings, letting go off all stress on the shores of tiny lakeside villages and strolling through hippy streets at Lago Atitlan created a perfect transition to finally arrive at the beach, grab a surfboard and forget about time in El Paredon. 

Guatemala will forever have a piece of my heart.