The Lake Atitlan area has been our home for the past 3 weeks. The lake is very busy with launchas zipping backpackers back and forth across the lake from one village to another. The lake itself is large and was formed 85000 years ago when a volcano blew leaving this huge crater. Circling the crater are hills and volcanoes some still puffing out smoke. One of the smaller hills inspired Saint Exupery story of the serpent swallowing the elephant in The Little Prince. Apparently the author spent time here following the crash of his small plane into the lake. The various villages each have definite and unique ambiances. San Pedro our first stop,is known as the party place.It is filled with young people- aren't they all young? - looking for a good hostel,good beer, and adventures. The noise quiets down after 11pm and in our little bnb on the outskirts of the town, we found a sanctuary. Ron started his language classes right away and made some new friends. One afternoon we all hopped into tuk tuks and went to San Juan's exquisite restaurant. They served wine, 25 different cheeses and many meats made/ cured on site. It rivals any European deli offerings. Another day we got up very early and hiked the Indian Nose to catch the sunrise over the volcanoes. Tough hike but amazing views. After a week or so we moved on to San Marcos across the lake. We found a little cabana to rent. It is part of a large hotel so offers lots of amenities like restaurant, bar, hot tub and beach front. The resident dog, Nappy has adopted us and walks us everywhere. How he knew we were returning on the launcha one afternoon I'll never know. There are many many dogs around the lake and it is a problem. So sad to see so many sick and begging. Nappy certainly has a good gig😂. The first night we wandered next door to the hostel where there was a drum circle underway. We listened with much curiosity as the kids drummed and eventual began to howl. It was explained to us oldies that the drumming brings on a primitive trance like state. Hmmm and perhaps some special brownies help too. San Marcos is the place to come to learn holistic healing,yoga ,lmeditation and I guess drumming! Ron has even begun to like the vegetarian diet. Everywhere we go, our stay is being enriched by the people we meet and their stories. Yesterday we meet a professor of anthropology from Albany who shared his lifetime love of Guatemala, the Mayan culture. He comes here every year to do research. The other day we had lunch with a 70+ year old and his wife of NFA who give workshops around the world. He is a hypnotherapist and was fascinating to speak with. And of course we have oodles of time for the young people we meet who are bursting with energy to explore here. Most have a plan after here- lots of med students lots of teachers and even young families. Some are content to hang out till they figure their world out. Good luck with that! We got to experience first hand the medical care here as Ron had trouble with kidney stones. We were fortunate to find an English speaking doc who treated him very well. We are making plans to see other areas of Guatemala as our time on the lake is coming to an end.