Already a week ago I became suddenly overnight deaf in one ear. Must be an infection or something.

Working my way through the terrible heat of Escuintla I witnessed the tobacco harvests.

The reason I am here is to work on a story about the Palma Africana…To be continued.

Lago de Atitlán in the highlands of Solola Guatemala is renowned by the three volcanos on its flank and the ancestral home of the Maya communities. Due to the reputation and legendary beauty of nature it has been an expat magnet for a long time.

From the early 1970’s alternative groups of expats with a mission settle down started up their small agriculture plots, helping the local coffee farmers to organize themselves. While practicing the many aspects of spiritualism, feeding their habits with the local available drugs their escape of anonymous suburbia life was complete.

The opportunity of increasing tourism flocked the once hippies – but now pragmatic New Age entrepreneurs – in the hunt of local owned property. Witnessing the benefits of the expats, some of the Maya communities adapted the formula for affordable tourism and created a new parallel world made of concrete equivalent to an average Mexican beach resort. But still this does not count for all.

Visiting Lake Atitlan in 2006 I got intrigued by the scenic nature and the stories about mysterious bloom of cyanobacteria under the surface. In 2009 the Global Nature Fund (GNF) named Atitlan one of the most threatened lakes in the world. In 2010 I started to make pictures. This became the start of the series with the obvious working title “Under the Volcano” . My photo story published in 2011 by the Dutch newspaper NRC Next reports about the lake and it’s communities who are struggling with an invisible environmental disaster. Unfortunately I did not have the possibility to stay for a longer period.

The coming two months I will be located at the Lake Atitlan to continue the series
about daily life of the rare mix of communities and their relationship with the lake, exploring the Quiche highlands and it’s environment. Although I have personal thoughts – which I will explain later- about the story I don’t know what to expect during my stay. This all depends on the people I will meet. If internet allows it I will to try post some updates…