I went to this place : Lanquin. The busride was really like they say, bumpy, as it is in the mountains but totaly worth it. But i have this pills agains carsickniss witch makes my sleepy and help me to survive this things. I stayed in this hostel in the nature. The people working in the hostel told us, when we just arrived that we were lucky because it was the first day they had the whole day electricity and hot water, juij lucky me.

The cute dog 🐶 from the hostal ‘linda’

I went there to see champey, it is a parc with natural swimmingpools in nature, really amazing. In the hostel they offered this tour to go there and as the hostel is a bit further away it is more easy to do this with the hostel. So I went there the next day with the hostal. After hanging in the back of this truck(this seemed the way of transport here) for a while, we arrived in Champey. I didn’t know about going in caves. So the tour included also some walk(swim) in some caves. We all got this candle and watershoes and we had to follow a rop in the water in the caves and with the other hand we holde this candle. At some point we had to clime on ladders and sometimes the water was so deep that we had to pull ourselfs up on the rob with the candle in out hands 😬. I didn’t know about this part and was a bit worried to hang on this rob after getting my surgery to remove the lymphnodes under my arm. This after also hanging with my arm up in the back of this truck on this bumpy road. But i didn’t get any problems with my arm, i even think that this things are maybe good exercise again to lift my arm.

Because my imunesystem is a bit weak i was fighting against the cold in the water in the caves, a lot. It looked like i was the only one freezing 😃. So to be honest i was trilling so much that it was hard to enjoy but ok it was part of the adventure and i came out well 😉. After that we went enjoyong the parc. First we hikked to this viewingpoint the hike included a lot of stairs and it was very hot but it was ok to me. I realy feel enthousiast when i am hikking, i think it is realy my passion. After we went down to enjoy the natural pools. I was with a nice group of people and it was a lovely day. Another day that gived me so much energy.

i also like to talk a bit with the staff mostly when i stay somewhere, this time i talked with a boy working their, i was standing on the sink, in the nature outside, my little travel toiletbag was hanging on the door of the toilet next to me. The boy was cleaning while i was brusing my teeth and he looked at my toiletbag and sayed that this little bag is very nice. He described how it has a hook to hang it somewhere, a little mirror and you can fold it open to put your showerstuf. I always use it like it is ‘normal’ to have it and never looked at it and appriciate how convenient it is. But he is right it is very easy and nice to have it. People here sometimes make me apriciate things so much more.

Another boy at the reception was writing my foodorder down, he looked on the bord with the menu how to write the words and the amount on his paper. I felt a bit sad that this boy, that looked around 20years old didn’t know how to write ‘pollo con arroz et verduras’. At moments like that i have the need to take time to practice with him for example.

Also it made me realise how spoiled we are with our education in Europe.

another lovely girl working in the hostel

I stayed another day in that hostel to enjoy the beautiful nature around and to go tubing in the river, sadly enough the water was a bit low and the guy who took us their had to say the whole way in the river’ watch your ass’ because we touched the rocks sometimes. But it was still relaxing. This days gaved me so much energy that i feel really good for the moment. I am still falling asleep very early in the eveneing and all the busrides i do i fall asleep immidiatly but i always got so much out of my days.

I have this stomachproblem again and luckely i still have some pils that i take against this. But at some point i will need to stop taking them. I will do that back in Belgium. Also 2 of my toenails are infected again, i always have problems with them growing in my skin after i lost them, during chemotherapie. I will also solve this problem back in Belgium 😃, it will be busy and i will be only there shortly as i have a flight to Ecuador one week after being back again. I don’t want to adapt anymore to much back in Belgium and want to continue doing what i want, what gives me energy. But i have to admit that i do look forward to see my friends and family back to say goodbye.

I am spending my last days in the city here, i could add maybe one more location in my schedule to visit around but i don’t like to rush and i prefer taking my time so i decided to stay around here. Their is this one hike on a vulcano, that i would have just enough time for here, it takes 2 days. But i know that i have to start things slowely again so i hold myself in and didn’t do it. Also with my toenails now it would be painfull.

Instead i met this guy trough a hangout on couchsurfing, we didn’t know that we also stayed in the same hostel 😃. I did the little hike to a ‘mirrador’ again, to have some movement and for the rest we just hanged out, and talked. It was fun. Today is my last full day here , we went taking an amazing good breakfast and after i just looked for a hotel and asked if i could pay them a little to use their swimmingpool to relax. A perfect ending of my Guatamalatrip.

The more i speak with the people and we arrive on the subject that i have cancer, i realise that i am really doing what is the best to me. Maybe not from the medical point of view but from the total package , i am so happy to be ‘Valérie’ again and not not only feel like a sick person anymore. I am learning and discovering so much again. Like i am a very curiuous person, this is something that realy makes me feel good. I am so less tired than i feel in Belgium, maybe this is all in my head or something but anyway i love having energy. When i have energy i feel happy. So i think this is the best medicin of all. Also people start giving me more and more energy again. People are just lovely again , here to in Guatamala , like in all places i go.

I can’t wait to take my next plain again to come this direction. This will be an amazing feeling, this ticket one way, having my time again to discover what live will bring me more 😁