The last five days in Guatemala revolved around vans, broken Spanish, hymns, and bugs. I’ll save some of that for final thoughts on my time there. But in between all that we took a tour way off the beaten path to one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. Semuc Champey is a collection of natural limestone pools set deep in a valley along the Cahabon River. While the trip for me up to this point was an introspective analysis of indigenous longevity and the eternal impact of colonialism, this was an opportunity to step away from that inner anthropological wresting match and return to my natural place on Mother Earth. Here, we were all animals again. It was a very primitive and humbling experience.

The pictures here will never do it justice. But if you’ve ever been in a place where nature has totally overpowered you, you’ll know how I felt.

Stay tuned for the conclusion.