Day 60 - "South of the Mexican border lies a country so breathtakingly beautiful, one would think upon entering it that he had been transported to Paradise. This land of mist-veiled mountains and lush, verdant jungles bursts with a profusion of rich and brilliant color from the riotous waterfalls of its tropical flowers to the shimmering plumage of its rare Quetzal birds. The country, of course, is Guatemala. And far from being a Heaven on Earth, it is a turbulent land that has been plagued with years of unremitting tragedy and a decades-long civil war."

A quote I found on the web, which couldn't be more true about what a fantastic experience my travel in Guatemala has been. And thus I headed out of that amazing country, back into the relative safety of Mexico. I didn't get to see the lava flows of Pacaya while I was there (which the picture above is of, though disappointingly not taken by me), and passed by a lot of other things, vowing to return to see them someday.

I made one quick side jog 8 miles out of the way to see my inspirational photo spot a final time, and then headed back to San Cristobal de las Casas, in Mexico. The border was very easy to cross back into, no bribe had to be paid, and once in the relative safety of Mexico I instantly felt like it was boring -- lacking the raw primitive nature of Guatemala. And also a lot more expensive...