Guatemala from a tourists eye

Guatemala has so many different sides to it culturally, cuisine and geographically. From hilly mountains, indigenous communities and volcanoes in the west; to tropical lush humid flatter lands in the East by the Carribean. During the first week off work I toured around the West, visiting and climbing Volcan Pacaya (an active volcano which last errupted in April this year!!) and had the priviledge of seeing the next volanco, Volcan Fuego, treating me to a mini pyroclastic flow!:).

Then colonial Antigua and spectacular Lago Atitlan, then up into the Mayan highlands where their local Mayan language is the first language spoken (there are 24 native Mayan version languages spoken in different Guatemalan regions), and the bright traditional costumes are worn, sometimes with pom-poms wrapped into the hair. Then the gorgeous aquamarine pools of Semuc-Champey where a swim and a relax were in order. Topped off by the Mayan ruins of Tikal with amazingly high temples and structured buildings, stuck in the middle in jungle. One area in Tikal is dated before Christ whilst the rest date up to 700AD when the Mayan Classic Era collapsed and all Mayan sites were abandoned.