Antigua and Volcan Picaya

Wednesday June 21/ Thursday June 22, 2006
Antigua, Sacatepéquez Guatemala

Well, my crappy old camera that I brought on my trip is telling me that the flash card with fotos of Volcan Picaya is full, but it can't find any photos. So again, I'll have to see what I can salvage for you all later. I hope I can retrieve them at a later date though because they are truly unreal. I took a 6am tour, we drove til about 8am, and we hiked up the volcano from 8:30 to 10am. We spent about an hour at the top and came back down and back to antigua.

The volcano is amazing. You can get within about 10 feet of the lava which is literally rising up out of the earth and forming a river which is flowing down the mountain. Steam and sulfur vents are everywhere and threaten to singe the leg (or head) hair of anyone who dares come too close. My guide actually had the guts to push a stick into the lava repeatedly, right up close. It was so hot!

Back in Antigua I had a blast at the hostel. Again I met someone there I knew from before, a Canadian guy who I had departed Utila with a month before. We're in touch and I may see him in El Salvador. Antigua was great but overly touristed so after 2 days and 3 nights, I got up Friday at 8am and took a shuttle direct to Monterrico.