8-10

Yesterday was uneventful, unfortunately, and largely consumed by transferring from Flores to Lanquin in the Guatemalan highlands.* We´re here to see Semuc Champey, a self-proclaimed ¨Wonder of the World,¨ but that isn´t until tomorrow. Instead, today was taken up by the wonders of our hostel, El Retiro. Sublime and perfectly described by Lonely Planet, it and the surrounding countryside, are, in my humble opìnion, heaven on earth. The Rio Cahabon winds through the region (even El Retiro) carving valleys and canyons that were made for hiking. So we did for a fair bit of the day, and nothing makes for a good hike like beginning and ending it with a dip in the aforementioned icy river.
I know I say this a lot, but God really does love this country. The landscape here isn´t the only charming thing, though: so too are its residents. Indeed, for most of our hike were were accompanied and dareIsay protected by an amiable stray dog we took to naming San Perro. (The people we met along the way were likewise friendly, if decidedly less loyal.) It seems to have even rubbed on on foreigners. The first night we met two wonderful Israelis - fitting, considering how Seth and I met) and spent this afternoon with another wonderful Dutch couple, Victorine and Nico.
With the two of them in tow, in fact, Seth and I went (on my friend German-cum-Nicaraguan friend Daniela´s half rememembered advice) to the nearby caves of Lanquin at sundown to see what can only be described as a bat exodus. It´s impossible to describe and I am still sans-pictures but know this: nothing compares to the feeling of thousands upon thousands of bats at once wizzing by your head as you and your companions cry out in every language they know!

* The ride wasn´t all a waste, however - the six-hour ride was easily made bearable by making the acquaintance of Hilda and Joris, a lovely Dutch couple who Seth and I inadvertantly introduced to the crudities of American humor... but that´s another story for another day.