Er, Houston...

The alarm bells should be ringing loud and clear in the offices of Guatemala's government. The country's best asset (sorry all you Mayans out there, but I reckon it even beats Semuc Champey, let alone Tikal) is turning brown and smelly. And when I say smelly, I'm talking dog poo smelly!

This is a fairly recent problem, but its a monstrosity of a problem and its happening to Lake Atitlan, some four hours west of Guatemala city. The problem may have been brewing for some time - or at least it smells that way! The lake is about 50 km in circumference and is surrounded by a breathtaking mix of tiny villages dwarfed by beautiful volcanos, creating some of the best views I have ever seen.

But compare the lake to a large bowl of water, like when you fill a kitchen sink. After you wash your dishes, the water is no longer clear. That may not be a scientifically correct analogy, but according to the local gringo ex-pats living in San Pedro, the lake is being used for all sorts of things it really shouldn't. We heard a few explanations; the (real) locals wash their clothes in it, thereby rinsing detergent phosphates into the lake. One town was ordered to clean its drainage system, so decided to use vast quantities of bleach which ended up where? Yep, the lake. And, probably worst of all, raw sewage is being pumped into it. Mmm, fancy a swim? Each village is supposed to have its own foul water treatment system, but some apparently don't. One bar owner even told us that Guatemala city's sewage ends up in here. Perhaps that one's a little far fetched!

Whatever the cause for the problem, it needs sorting fast. Tourist numbers have already dropped and the villagers are beginning to struggle. Even nearby Antigua are telling people not to visit, which seems a pretty self-destructive thing to do. Many people visit Antigua on the way to the lake.

The brown colour that has appeared is in fact a type of blue-green algae. Thankfully its not actual sewage, but the algae has 'bloomed' and risen to the surface and worse than how it looks, it is toxic. And, if you value your health, that means no swimming, kayaking or plain jumping into the lake, something that us gringos like to do a lot of.

In all seriousness, if nothing is done to change the situation (I'm hoping the lake can be cured), the ex-pats will probably leave. But they can go somewhere else.  The real losers in this situation would be the local inhabitants of Lake Atitlan. It really is a truly beautiful place  - and I'll show it in a better light in my next blog - it just needs some TLC.