Up at 5:30am. Laguna Chicabal. A volcano crater lake. 4.5 hours of hiking – up, around the lake, and back. 8:30am arrival at the lake. Sunny, blue, clear and calm. Mountain reflections and birdsong. Within 15 minutes, the clouds pour over the mountain rim down into the lake bowl, covering the lake at an alarming pace. I think, I’m glad this is not poisonous gas; there would be no escape. Instead, only mist transforming the lake into mystery. The Mayan women’s singing on opposite shoreline carries across. Sacred place.

A couple of horses graze on the footpath. Flower bouquets dug into sand near crosses marking graves. The guide informs us that the bird we hear is a female quetzal. We see her fly from a branch and evaporate.