Instead of going to the dentist I went to Lake Atitlan. That was a waaaay more fun option.

In my environmental health class I have this semester, I recently looked into a contamination of a naturally occurring blue-green algae that has become an issue in Lake Atitlan. According to many articles, like this one, the contamination is pretty serious. Well I wrote this whole thing for class about how it is dangerous to swim in, etc etc, so I was pretty curious to finally head to the lake to see it myself. Sure enough, 2 things were confirmed:

1. People either don't care or don't know. As far as I saw, arriving into Panajachel and then boating over the San Pedro, people were fishing, bathing, swimming, washing, boating and whatever else in the water just like normal.

2. Yes, there is a blue-green algae. At some shores, it is quite stark. A bright green fuzz. Other places, it is not so obvious.

I personally did not feel up for a swim. I don't think too many people, including tourists, are aware of this problem-o. According to some reports (why do I feel the need to APA cite what I'm about to reference?!), environmentalists (both local and foreign) have been warning the gov about this for a few years... And that no village around the lake is taking responsibility for addressing this issue.

Moving on... I ran into another lovely person I work with every year with Dragons on a bus at Los Encuentros. Her name is Dolores and she is from Santiago Atitlan (where Hurricane Stan hit big time in '05). She always takes us on a nice tour of Santiago which is the home of Maximon (mah-shee-moan), a pagan saint of sorts. Wikipedia that one!

And this morning leaving San Pedro I was sort of up to my ears in Guatemalaness and day dreaming about french fries and pavement when an old couple got on the bus with a dog in a bag. The head was sticking out and the man was pulling it by a chain around its neck. The dog couldn't walk because it's body was bagged but the man was still pulling it like it could. For the next hour on the bus the dog (and a puppy - I think - in the woman's shawl) was yelping.

Upon arriving home about an hour ago, I still have not washed my feet which are really dirty from the bus ride then the walk through the fields to the house. I have attacked my special American chocolate stash and am considering an escape to Antigua tomorrow to get through midterms...