The Most Beautiful Toilet in Guatemala

Marx said that "money degrades all the gods of man and turns them into commodities". And it isn't so much that he's wrong, I just think it doesn't dig deep enough into our nature. It isn't really money that does it, but us. Gods were always commodities, that's why we made them gods.
With that said, welcome to Lake Atitlan, one of the most beautiful toilets on earth; where God is dead, and money killed him.
Also: Sorry for the wait for this video, and the meh quality, I've been being human for a few weeks and am slowly trying to get back on the horse. Going to restart on a bi-weekly schedule so I don't overwhelm myself again. I've already filmed seasons in Azores, Jordan and Peru. Just need to finish and release them. Hope you enjoy them!
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This video was made possible thanks to our incredible Patreon subscribers: &pointer, Adam Kaufman, adam lenk, AJ, Akasha Yi, Alan Camolinga, Alex boneck, Alex Garland, Alex Papageorgiou, Alex Ross, Alex The Magical Cat, Alexander Lee, Alexander Reilly, Alf Einar Solberg, Alice LWatson, Almighty Bidoof, Amal Isaac, Ammobunny, Andrew, Andrew Beals, Andrew Larson, Anina Shaorandra, Anthony Ascencio, Aqeel Fassuhudeen, Arsalan N, Atsushi, Audrey Brown, Austin Cousineau, bajr, BattleGoat Studios, Ben Hewitson, Ben West, Benkei Paczek, Blacksun, BlobyTwo, Bob Dai, Boguslaw Smalec, Borian Brückner, Bradley Brown, Brenna and Peter, Brian ONeel, Calvin McAnarney, Carl Bodnaruk, Catherine Berry, Chien Dat Nguyen Dinh, Chris Ferguson, Christopher Perrin-Porzondek, Christopher Simpkins, Cody Belichesky, Cody Schneider, Cole Skelton, Colin Miskowitz, CollapsingHrungDisaster, Colton Creasey, Cullen McFater, Curtis Shimamoto, Daniel Sierra Matus, Daniel Tyler, Daniel Volkman, David Badilotti, David James McConnell, Douglas Danger Manley, Edward Sykes, Einar Holmedal, Elsilan, Emma, Eric Floehr, Ervin Petrisevac, Evan, f1r3w4rr10r, fabledire, fadingnebula, fatsaxman, feo, Gabe S, Ggamefreak22, Gilberto Hart, Giulian Fava, Graeme, Gregory Kintz, Hollis Davis, Igor Stavchanskiy, Ismael Enciso, J Neko, Jake Bryant, Jake Capoun, Jakob Mynster Blüdnikow, Jakob Ruder, Jan Langguth, Jan Vilhuber, jannes Dirks, Jason, Jean, Jeffery Konowal, Jeremy Impson, Jeremy Wheelis, Jesse Smith, Jessica Mayberry, Jesus Christ, joanne kokol, Joe Brown, John Cline, John Goff, Jonathan Gerry, Jonathan Lonowski, Jonathan O'Sullivan, Josh Hoppes, Joshua Clarke, Juan Coronado, Julia, Julian Fiander, Julian Fong, Justin Thomson, Karol Pilat, Kenny Coulter, Kyle Hofer, L W, Lane & Kate Seppala, larry82, Lars Hjort Christensen, Lars Sturm, Lexi, Liam Gilles, Lilith Berkana De' Anu, Lillian Mark, Lorentz, Louis Lenders, Lukas Jackowski, Mad Sumac, Marc Anderson, Martin Green, Matt, Matthew Barrett, Matthew Roche, Max Poley, Michael, Michael Abernathy, Michael Amesse, Michael Loken, Michael S, Miguel Martínez Chapa, Mike, Mike Frysinger, Mondoria, Mrburgerdon, Muncorn, MysticCobra, Nancy Reid, Nekkowe!, Nicholas Kraabel, NiordSir, NM, Noah Hawkes, Nuno Balbona Perez, Oliver Frommeier, Oliver 'Kannik' Bollmann, Ollie b, Omar A., Pablo Rodriguez, Patrick Holdsworth, Paul Estella, Peter Bjorvand, Peter Gravelle, Petr Doležal, Pjotr Bekkering, Pranav Maddula, Ricardo Machado, Rich Saber, Robert Velten, Rocky Yip, Roger L. Basler de Roca, Roger Wu, Ron Warris, Ronen Finegold, Ryan Breaker, Sabolc Jut, Sam Collins, Saul, Scott Pressman, Scotty From Marketing, Scrungii, Sean Dennis, Sean McCool, Sergi Rincon, Shawn Wang Williams, Shikyo_The_Dragon, Shivan, SilliusSodus, Simen Thoresen, smaz ruby, Space_Chickun, Sriram Govindarajan, Stephen Bourne, Steve Sick, Steve Williamson, Svein Ove Aas, Tedd, Theo Davis, Thomas Paris, Tim Barrett, Tobias B, Traxys, Ubikwitus, Ursus Canis, Varun Perumal, Vasserot, Viktor Lundell, Vitali Perchonok, wandering3ngineer, Wes Mills, Whitefang, Will Mullins, Wu Jim, Xellos, Zaratan, Zoltán Ulrich, and ZZ. We love you guys!
Thanks for watching! You're clearly one of the good ones.

[@RareEarthSeries]

You make these videos happen, even when I'm slow about releasing (sorry!). Thank you all so much: www.patreon.com/rareearth

[@FulloutPostal]

*water treatment also, bipolar?

[@SoniComi]

Missed you man!

[@nataliewilliams9741]

This is the Puzzle 🧩 of our time. How do we begin to remediate the harm we have always done, albeit on a smaller scale in our distant past? Perhaps, since we've scaled up in terms of population, this could also mean there are more of us to do regular toilet 🚽🪠 duty. Thanks for the thought provoking video! I think humankind just needs to get its priorities straight.

[@lennartberk6392]

nice post-credit-scene

[@GuntherRommel]

If you released it all rapidly it wouldn't be rare anymore. You're just giving us what we want even when we don't know it.

[@jpe1]

I live on the shore of a small lake, it’s been in my family for generations, and today I was out in the lake cleaning up milfoil (an invasive species that appeared 3 years ago, likely because of climate change; looks a lot like the “algae” in this video) and I was feeling pretty down about the work, since it seems quite futile and pointless. I’m taking a short break and saw notification of this video, and wow, what an amazing morale boost! Evan’s words, and especially seeing the dude in a wetsuit doing the same thing as me, really inspired me to not give up, to keep making the effort to clean up the mess. I don’t mean just about the milfoil, but to keep working to clean up *all* the messes, wherever and however I best can.

[@GenkiTheEthical]

Ah yes, the mystically vague "climate change" brought a plant that is commonly used in fish tanks to invade your lake. Do you also have guns that load and shoot all of their own volition? I am sure the milfoil TOTALLY didn't come from some dimwit dumping it into the lake.

[@Akkodha-]

Keep it up 👏

[@jpe1]

@@GenkiTheEthical I own all the land surrounding the lake, I can’t imagine a mechanism by which people brought it into the lake (perhaps you are imagining a clandestine operation by which camouflaged operatives brought it in during the dead of night while I slept unawares?) but that is irrelevant, prior to about 2010 the milfoil would not have survived even if it had been introduced, the winters here are too cold, it’s only now with the much warmer temperatures that the milfoil is able to survive the winter and spread. (120 years ago, when my great-great uncle was harvesting ice from the lake, it would freeze 16” to 18” thick every winter; when I was a child it would freeze 12” to 14”, enough to drive on; this past winter the ice never got over 8” thick, barely enough for ice fishing, and the ice broke up in late February instead of lasting until late March or even early April as it used to)

[@jpe1]

@@GenkiTheEthical as an FYI, the species here is not Myriophyllum aquaticum, but rather Myriophyllum spicatum.

[@acquisitium]

god bless you man. if we all do a tiny part this earth is clean in no time.

[@lillianmark7002]

It always makes me happy to hear someone point out the fact that while none of us have a choice in creating the problem, we should still choose to fix the problem.

[@mikecrews2713]

Good point 👍

[@wannabehistorian371]

Reminds me of the people who are all “But the corporations!” when it comes to pollution.

[@jeremyhndy]

One of the most consistently high quality storytellers on KZbin strikes again.

[@whatevr99]

And when the world needed him the most, he returned.

[@curiousfirely]

The 'Rare Earth' signal was seen from afar, and he came back to us!

[@Matt_from_Florida]

You are correct. I am here. Thanks for noticing.

[@misanthropyunhinged]

great man myth

[@Ebani]

@@Matt_from_Florida Wdym, he was obviously talking about me

[@SaunterVaguelyDown]

At first I thought you were talking Jesus and was like 'did you even watch the video'? 🤣

[@hungrymusicwolf]

This video needs to be watched everywhere. Especially the part where a guy decides to scuba dive every weekend to clean up, just because it has to be done. He indeed is the solution, and so are we all. But only if we decide to.

[@meisteremm]

Jesus Christ, this one REALLY resonates with me. I am from Milwaukee and I came to this city in 1993, just before the Cryptosporidium outbreak that made 400,000+ sick and killed at least 69 people (a nurse that I spoke to years later who had also worked back then said that the total death toll was higher than reported.) Yeah, I caught the bug and became very ill. The cause was ineffective sewage treatment at the Howard Avenue filtration plant, so basically we were all poisoned by our own shit. I took a tour of the filtration center on the Northside of town as an adult and the tour guide told us that the big issue was the use of Chlorine, which was not so effective against Cryptosporidium, instead of Ozone disinfection, which kills the Protozoa. So yeah, I could tell you some things about what happens when water treatment systems break down. Awesome to see you back, Evan, and I generally appreciate the perspective you offer.

[@jlnrdeep]

Doomerism without a solution is a fool's errand, and for that i salute that most of your videos have a positive outlook even in the worst of the situations, while at the same time not avoiding talking of hard topics.

[@KlaxontheImpailr]

Exactly!

[@brandon0981]

Except the nihilism is overwhelming and the cliche of "humans are the killers of everything" is overdone. I wish he'd cut that old act out, maybe he'd grow his audience more and make a bigger impact.

[@RareEarthSeries]

@@brandon0981 that's neither nihilism nor the statement I made

[@xp8969]

@@brandon0981 you have 9 subs and less than 3,000 views, he has 1,000,000 subs and more than 160,000,000 views, your 💩🤡 comment is hysterically out of touch with reality kid 😂☠️😂

[@brandon0981]

@@xp8969 the fact that you think someone's subs means anything shows your immaturity. I put a video up of an interview for a friend. Jesus your generation is trash

[@wolvernight206x8]

Environmental awareness has really helped in preserving the lake. However, it is indeed up to all of us to take part in it. If you’re planning on visiting the lake (and you definitely should) here are a couple of things you can do to help: 1. When washing dishes, try to wipe down your plate with a napkin or something of the kind. That way you can remove excess grease that can then filter out into the lake. 2. Unless the house/hotel in which you’re staying is connected to a water treatment plant (and unless your the pipes can take it), don’t flush any dirty toilet paper into the toilet. I know it sucks, but the paper may easily return to the water. 3. Do NOT throw any unused liquids, be they cleaners or something of the sort, out into the grass if they won’t be used anymore. Again, they’ll probably filter into the lake eventually. 4. Pick up after yourself, and try to bring all of your trash along (if you can) back to the city or elsewhere. The disposal situation probably won’t be the best there either, but it’s at least saving the lake from a little bit of trash. 5. Don’t be afraid to swim in the lake! Seriously, if you can avoid swimming around the big towns and find a clean spot, you should be perfectly fine. I’ve swam there all my life and I’ve never gotten sick. The water is naturally clean and cool, and it is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Don’t swallow any water (which is a given in any lake) and you should be perfectly fine. The country can use tourists, and besides the experience is one of a kind. Generations of Guatemalans have swam in this lake, rich or poor, maya or mestizo, however you want to spin it and in whatever context, it is sacred in the hearts of so many of us. The situation in Atitlan is incredibly worrying, particularly when you look at the state of one of the other lakes in the country, Amatitlan. It’s barely a couple of kilometers away from the city and for as far as I can remember it has a green hue. Not out of algae, but out of a thick slurry of stench and sewage. My father and his friends used to swim and water ski in the lake. He once told me you could see rocks meters down in Atitlan because of how clear the water was, and you can still see that if you go off farther away from the towns and avoid the algae. A lot is being done over here to clean it up and avoid the tragedy of Amatitlan from repeating itself, but it comes down to everyone who visits the lake to do their part.

[@rosssmith8481]

Guatemala isn't really a place that is safe to go to.

[@wolvernight206x8]

@@rosssmith8481 have you been?

[@rosssmith8481]

@@wolvernight206x8 My country has travel advisories for Guatemala: Avoid non-essential travel to the following areas due to very high levels of violent crime: Within Guatemala City: Zone 3 Zone 18 Zone 19 Zone 21 Municipalities: Amatitlán Chinautla Escuintla San José del Golfo San Raymundo Villa Nueva Departments: Chiquimula Jutiapa Zacapa Highways: RN-7E CA-11 CA-12 CA-13 PET-13. Basically, Don go unless you have a machine gun.

[@wolvernight206x8]

@@rosssmith8481 you have listed 3 departments, a couple of municipalities, a couple of areas of the capital city, and a couple of highways. Or at least, what I’m assuming is the U.S. travel advisory list has for you, since you’ve never been here. I wouldn’t recommend that someone “bring a machine gun” if they want to visit Chicago. I wouldn’t say that they should visit the south side, nor suggest that St. Louis would be a great place to start your U.S. road-trip, nor a hike through West-Virginian coal mines. Every city has slums with violent crime. The situation in areas of Guatemala is unfortunate yes, as is in many countries around the globe. That doesn’t mean that there are many other areas that are perfectly safe, particularly the tourist heavy ones (since the country benefits from them being kept clean). The people here are nice, many parts of the city are beautiful, and as long as you’re even slightly street smart you can avoid a lot of uncomfortable situations. I’ve never been robbed in my life, and I live here. I don’t carry a “machine gun.” I wouldn’t expect you to know that if you’re basing this off of your country’s “travel advisories.”

[@rosssmith8481]

@@wolvernight206x8 I wouldn't travel to the USA, unless I had 2 machine guns.

[@robbinhartman4361]

It makes me so very sad to see that has happened to this Lake! I visited it several times in the 1980’s and the water was crystal clear. It was one of my favorite places on Earth. Hope it’s not too late to reverse the damage.

[@mikebyrne62]

Hey, it's Guatemala, the whole country is beyond saving. 100% corrupt authorities, uneducated people. Just be happy you got to see it before the final flush.

[@Armyjay]

Yes, i’m similarly upset, angry even. I travelled to and stayed there for a while in 1992 & again in 1994. It wasn’t an easy place to get to, which preserved its unique beauty. Sometimes i hate our species.

[@wolvernight206x8]

It’s not! The lake is still quite clean; realistically, unless you’re staying near one of the towns you’ll only occasionally see some algae. Its still in need of help though, no one wants it to become Amatitlan.

[@edmourgagnon1504]

I went swimming in it in 2008. Then again a year later... Darn... I had human poo floating all around me...

[@edmourgagnon1504]

@@wolvernight206x8 Go swimming in it... You will float in human poo...

[@AllPileup]

"live in a toilet that we were too lazy to flush" is basically the summary of modern human civilization

[@wenderis]

I'm from the island in the middle of Lake Toba and we're also suffering the similar problems. More than 1000 tons or millions of fish died in 2016 because of depletion of oxygen in the water. Yes, it's a flowing lake and 10 times bigger than Atitlan but everything else is almost similar (volcanic lake, sit in some altitude, both beautiful and touristy). We can learn a lot from each others mistake.

[@rangotastic]

This was very touching and quite poetically told. The ideas expressed within the story have brought thoughts I had in the past back to me and will now pursue these thoughts again. Thank you for that. This channel was recommended to me a while ago and I subscribed. Todays was the first I watched. I will stay.

[@GuGus963]

That was beautiful thank you. When you said the usual "this is rare earth" in the end, I got goosebumps. Man you have a way to speak and tell stories and involve people that is so strong. I went to Atitlan in 2017, even went in the lake (in a hot springs spot)... Little did I know it was polluted.

[@Tohardtomakeachannel]

You sir have earned a follow. Incredible narration and storytelling. Thank you for shedding a light on issues like this. Can't wait to dive through your other videos

[@naanamora3282]

Yaaaahy! The joy of seeing another episode. Thanks soooo much

[@stephenlea5302]

Thank you, truly. My wife and myself needed this.10,000 thank yous for this. Also, greetings from Taiwan

[@LEFT4BASS]

As usual, Evan is the king of attention-grabbing titles. Excited to watch this.

[@KillingDeadThings]

I always find your videos really interesting and informative. Your style and delivery are great and you make all your content a pleasure to watch.

[@tararatraktor1297]

I am so glad you still upload, please never stop! You're my favourite Channel ever

[@daveellis9339]

I've missed you. Such well scripted and worthwhile videos are in as short supply as people willing to make the changes. I hope it gets cleaned up too.

[@byronfast]

great video, love your content!!! thanks for focusing on this small country I live in.

[@caidynwastaken]

Totally forgot about this channel, glad you're back!

[@alaindellepiane2827]

The best videos on KZbin are back 😄 Thank you as always, Evan

[@zvidanyatvetski8081]

Thank you for this channel, your hard work inspires me so much.

[@matthews.707]

Rare Earth guy, I have seen some impressive journal videos but yours are totally at a different level! TY for sharing!

[@JB-pj1ey]

OMG I’VE MISSED RARE EARTH SO MUCH!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️ THANK YOU!!!

[@nevar108]

I have missed your critical perspectives... You might not always be right, but you sure do try to be and it is appreciated.

[@Wylf]

Heck yeah, new Rare Earth! Thanks Evan and crew, you made my weekend.

[@Wendyhunt770]

Great informational video. As a Guatemalan I hope that we can save our beautiful lake

[@2Links]

Glad to see your stuff back!

[@lexer_]

Surprisingly positive. I love these videos but I always dread the depressing mood they inevitably bring with them. But this wasn't so bad!

[@nobody8717]

Waste isn't a prerequisite for progress. But it is a prerequisite for laziness.

[@vanhasydan4754]

I appreciate your blunt, direct speech and that you call things as they are. Because of this i have come to respect your work.

[@alexp.4270]

Every Rare Earth video is worth my time. Thank you.

[@patriciajackson6711]

Mr. Rare Earth, I just happened across 1 of your videos today for the 1st time. WOW, is all I can say at this moment. This particular video makes me think of how the "Powers That Be" have totally screwed up Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades. I've enjoyed 3 of your videos, so far, and just subscribed. My adult daughter lives with me, and, I've told her about your videos. She asked me to send it to her (she just got home from work and hasn't seen that I already DID send it to her). And, I'm going to share it with some of our Christian friends. You have a good voice, you're well read, you are good at this, you're smart, and, I can't wait to watch more of your videos. TYSVM for what you're doing !!!

[@pkillboredom]

Watched already on Nebula (didn't realize you were on there too!), great vid as always!

[@ben-ty9jo]

It's amazing how many videos this channel has that have turned places in the world into metaphors that have genuinely profoundly impacted me

[@arunthattadath]

it is always a pleasure to receive notification from this channel😀

[@medoubella]

Glad you're back!

[@sizanogreen9900]

Looking forward to the Azores! Great content as always

[@elchinomutante]

Im from Guatemala and i love atitlan ... is so sad this ...

[@nomms]

Glad to see you back again!

[@NZKiwi87]

This was SO good! Great job 👍👍👍

[@evilferris]

1,000,000 subs! Congrats!

[@pizzapunk85]

I'm so glad you're back

[@joseserra6615]

Uhh going to Azores! Super curious about the next videos! Amazing as usual

[@cool677plusmaa]

Missed these videos so much, I’ve rewatched a hundred times lol

[@CarthagoMike]

Amazing video as always!

[@yesthatsam]

Yay!!! You’re back! This is a very good day!

[@hemeraldhappy7166]

I born in that beautiful land, I migrate in 1978, I never return, the sadness of the war follow me for decades, and now I found you video, I CRY, because It use to be a crystal clear lake that invite you to swim for hours every day, very unfortunately we never had governments that have interest in this DIAMOND, is just to have the systems up date and invite the residents to follow the rules, but IGNORANCE AND LACK OF CARE AND INTEREST, make this happen, I love the way you explain it. Thank you very much. you have a new subscriber.

[@lifewuzonceezr]

Trying really hard to continue listening but you are speaking words of my childhood. It is like knowing where a leak is but being one of few trying to not just stop it but warn others that a leak becomes a flood

[@xero256]

Thank you for sharing. I am looking forward to the next video you submit to the masses. You raise some very valid points. Something that we can all learn from. That's the fun part about it. If we all do a little, we can achieve a lot. Yes, some will do more, and that will help. However, we all need to start.

[@chriscw3487]

great to see you back

[@trilliansavard]

SO glad you are back =)

[@porterhouse5502]

so nice to see you back..

[@happyundertaker6255]

Oh, i missed the beautifully packaged existential dread you provide so well.

[@HiyuMarten]

Aaaa missed this! Amazing and poignant video as always

[@johnmarano5430]

Rare Earth, you sound & look great, keep up the good work.

[@alexwolfe9895]

was a kid in Atitlan in 1972, maybe four boats, the rest dugout canoes, you could walk from one end of panahachel to the other in about 3 minutes, and that was the big town on the lake. Santiago was tiny, no hotel, maybe one store, no paved roads around the lake, one restaraunt in pana; la 'hamburguesa" no road to san lucas, just a big canoe to get there. the lake I knew, no longer exists, well it does, but the traditional village life seems to have disappeared. sigh. I'm scared to go back, cause I probably won' be abl to stop crying.

[@b.griffin317]

Why hello again Evan. A Rare Earth classic. "Change begins with you." How true.

[@niezbo]

I miss you man! Great story!

[@mickeybailey1108]

Thank you for this video. I have been spending time every year for 17 years at Lake Atitlan. I saw that first algea bloom. And I have listened to the younger generation become educated about the problems we have in our little slice of paradise. As I build in one of the villages I have become aware of a couple of proposed projects to confront the sewage. I hope to install compost toilets. There are people who care at the lake but there is no help from the government, to say the least. The problem with the farmers is horrible. It is as if they have no idea their crop and the poisons they dump on their bounty have any affect. Even though they are pumping out of the lake where the algea is the worst. Thinking of the good of the lake in a country where people are starving is a hard thing to accomplish. But there has been progress.

[@patrickday4206]

People should form there own groups to collectively work together to make sewage treatment places like engineered wetlands cheap and always cheaper than when the government gets involved

[@kerriadereth]

@@patrickday4206 NGOs never have the monetary or political clout to actually do these kinds of projects at scales that matter, unfortunately.

[@patrickday4206]

@@kerriadereth I don't know what ngo's are but I've witnessed my entire life everybody waits for the government to fix things they always wait until things are really bad and then it costs 10 times what a community board volunteers and donations would cost to get something accomplished. Most of the time it simply takes someone starting a nonprofit getting local sewer experts help and talking with local authorities on plans to start something it might take 10 years but some things are worth it and you never know eventually you might find yourself in a city planing position.

[@DAndyLord]

God I've missed your videos. Thank you for posting.

[@njung1990able]

ayy you are back We missed you ❤️

[@acquisitium]

as usual. what a fantastic video!

[@idbhai]

We need to protect this guy..

[@gremlin7665]

Instead of relying solely on him we should follow in his example

[@DJ-vh2lf]

Finally more great content

[@ithacacomments4811]

Our Lake Cayuga, in the Southerntier of New York State, had cottages and homes and boats that dumped their sewage into the lake when I was born in 1950. That was the norm for hundreds of years. Not a big issue until the city's population grew. More and more homes and cottages were built. No sanitation laws or regulations were in place. One summer ...when I was five years old, I suffered from a severe skin infection after playing in a sprinkler that sprayed water sourced from the polluted lake. Major cleanup was implemented over the years. Cottages and homes along the shores were required to have city sewer or septic systems. For years, sludge still accumulated at one end of the fifty mile long lake. No swimming was allowed. 70+ years later, the water is more pristine but suffers from invasive species and algae blooms. Fortunately, our city water comes from nearby mountain streams for the most part but our lake is a backup during drought. Cornell University uses the deep lake waters for cooling their buildings on campus. Water is an abundant resource in New York State.....a very precious and easily misused resource. I pray that our area will always have residents that are willing to work hard to keep our natural resources pristine.

[@Benagiser]

Great to hear you again.

[@iLikeGreenTea]

Just subscribed. wow. Thank you for sharing. I did enjoy watching your video and appreciate you providing background of the Xocomil and the cultural traditions. Your delivery also kept me captivated. So,I used to live here many years ago and at that time, while I still knew that there was runoff, waste, and sediment flow into the lake, I went kayaking and swimming because it looked clean. I did not really think much about the gross contents of the lake. True, when the rainy season came, the runoff in the streets (and subsequently, the lake) was disgusting. And then there would be algae blooms frequently too. The family I stayed with knew very well that the lake was sick and therre was a doomed future for Atitlán because of the lack of governmental actions and solutions. So, while I also reflect upon my time the lake as a beautiful experience -- oh wow the sunsets too!!-- I also knew the reality was the lake truly was an "endpoint" as you said, and the garbage just ended there. The very first time I visited in 2006 I went swimming and hung out at some volcanic-powered aguas termales within the lake - the water, as I remember it, was crystal clear. For this video, I really do wish the pronunciation of Atitlán were correct. Chat with people around there to hear how the last A is the accented (not the middle i) Alsoooooo... I swore that when I saw the title of your video, I was going to come across a very different toilet, which *I* deemed the most beautiful toilet in Guatemala. It is an incredibly thoughtful array of plants and flowers in a spacious outdoor toilet stall at the edge of a macadamia nut farm. It even had good toilet paper and hand towels! . I enjoyed that toilet very much. :-)

[@twofishes8846]

Love your "show and tell" expose's! Well done. 5:17 into this flick remember, it's located in a volcanic caldera. Mother Earth has a recycle system built in. Enjoy it while it lasts.

[@gordybishop2375]

World in a nut shell. Thank you.

[@psykys]

Hey there, I visit the lake every year and despite the fact that are areas where issue is pretty bad and little to no effort is done to get right, like Panajachel. There are a few other villages where the quality of the water is way better and you can swim without problems and won't get health issues after you do, at all. If you want to visit as a responsable tourist, you should at least find if the place where you are staying has the right sewage system in place. There are many that do. Don't recall if you mentioned that the second biggest contributor aside of the poor sewage are agrochems that are washed from the mountains to the lake every year. If you'd like to find more about how to help on the recovery of the lake, I'd suggest you look for "Amigos del Lago"

[@theyrekrnations8990]

In Akron Ohio the river was so polluted that it caught on fire in the 70's I believe. Yes the water was on fire!

[@petrepiscoi]

yeeey, new content! Thanks! And a nice one!

[@tonic2123]

Missed your videos!

[@Geeksmithing]

Welcome back my friend.

[@artmonkey4047]

I always enjoy your pesamistic optimism

[@cabbage0dusk]

Depressing... but amazing! As always! Thank you.

[@kuul2k]

amazing as usual!

[@bovo698]

Great as always

[@teacherchil]

eye-opening thanks for producing that

[@freyrimorales4743]

I came here almost everyday ❤ Xocomil was amazing !

[@th-fb1nl]

Keep uploading bro you are awsome

[@cherier152]

STUNNING! How sad for the people that don't know what they don't know. So few people really give a bleep. I wish I could be optimistic about change but they're hell bent on destroying everything that's beautiful and pure.

[@RobExNihilo]

I didn't mind when Evan had me crying about rocks all the time, but I don't know how to feel now crying about shit.

[@lionkingreydelaselva1847]

This beautiful lake needs everyone's help to keep it clean! Este hermoso lago necesita de todos los residentes y turistas para mantenerlo limpio.

[@Niallokk]

La verdad

[@larryfelder4404]

A similar large lake near Orlando Florids. Lake Apopka. A dead lake they brought back to life. A good lesson.

[@ottodidakt3069]

Evan you are a master nailer indeed, you sure know how to hit 'em !

[@elonchan4883]

Hey no rush, but what’s the timetable on the Peru stuff? I saw your posts on Instagram a while back and got really excited. My girlfriend is from Peru and your videos have always helped me widen my perspective!

[@RareEarthSeries]

Idk, getting there as fast as I can Maybe 10 videos from now, give or take?

[@davidbelen7199]

I used to go every year when I was lil. It was always one of our stops on our way to Masatenangi its mad cool out there I used to love the boat rides. I didn't know it was dirty Reminds me of how the Ganges river in India is being polluted despite how much people love it it's been a. while since I've been out there.

[@callhunter34]

From 10:30 on that really spoke to me. Having lived in Florida most of my life and watched fish kill after fish kill, Red tide after blue green algae bloom. But there isn’t enough people to go clean it up. Ya we got native algae here but every single summer on parts of our coast and inland waters there is algae that gives you chemical burns for touching the water.

[@rod9829]

Guess who's back, back again

[@wesleygay8918]

Tell your friends!

[@blackhaulmike]

This ended up on beatifully uplifting note!

[@JS-jh4cy]

That a nice shitter no plumbing and no pumping problem

[@MK-zo3zk]

The laws prohibit sewage water to flow into the Lake and septic systems are required, but what slips through the cracks? I was on San Juan this past Sunday and was blown away at the droves of people entering the town. Over tourism can be a problem but the people depend on tourism for survival. Creative thinking can bring solutions but who will take the initiative? I love Guatemala and especially Lake Attitlan. Hoping for a visionary with funds to bring solutions.

[@djchromatix4640]

My favorite title of a clip in all of KZbin history

[@LEFT4BASS]

Evan has consistently made gems of titles like this.

[@nathanway803]

so good. well done

[@spitfirered]

Thank You Rare Earth, What Sad Truth, I kinda of Understand Both Sides, People Have To Work, But Have No Knowledge What To Do, Even Though They See The Lake And Know It's Polluted, The Government Needs To Do For This Country And That Itself Is A Hard Pill To Swallow, Nice To See you Again!