Guatemala

Antigua is one of the prettiest towns I've ever walked through. Cobblestones, pastel walls, ruined churches and three volcanoes standing over the whole thing. I could have stayed there for weeks, eating, drinking coffee and pretending to take Spanish classes. Then I went north to Tikal, where the Mayan temples poke out of the jungle canopy and the howler monkeys sound like they're about to come for you.

Guatemala is also where I lost my wallet on a bus. Cards, ID, cash, all gone, and my stomach dropped through the floor. A few hours later someone handed it back with everything still inside. I think about that a lot. The markets at Chichicastenango were a riot of color and noise, and Lake Atitlán looked unreal. But the thing I remember most is that stranger with my wallet.