Environment

Hillary and Colin

On our trip from Guatemala City to San Juan, we got our first glimpses of the beautiful mountains that grace the area surrounding Lake Atitlan. Our ride in the cramped white truck took us through a pass where we delighted in our perilous mountain journey (for parents, we were actually in no danger), and we have loved the mountains since. Our favorite mountain is the Indian´s Nose, which is in the shape of a face (from the side and lying down).

When we first rounded the hairpin turn that gave us our first view of Lake Atitlan, we were blown away. Even now we struggle to describe the spectacular sight we wake up to each morning. From our hotel, Patrona´s, and almost anywhere in town we can see the picturesque view of the perfect clear lake surrounded by the cloud-topped mountains.

We can´t wait for our mountain climb because the plants on the way and the views from above will be amazing. We are especially excited to be hiking to the tip of the nose and being surrounded by clouds.

Even with the rain and cloudiness that has been following us, the lake and mountains are as magnificent as ever! The weather actually has not been bad… In the morning the temperature is perfect, but in the middle of the day it is incredibly hot. The first few afternoons we were here there were torrential downpours, so we thought that was going to be a regular occurrence. Luckily, that has not been the case and we have had nice weather for working on our mural, even in the afternoon.