playing with fire

today was the big pacaya hike. we got ourselves out of bed at the ungodly hour of 6am and hung out with a couple of strays outside our hostel until a van picked us up and shuttled us off to the base of volcan pacaya--the only active volcano in guatemala that's "safe" to climb (safe, of course, being up to interpretation). after been suckered into buying a pack of marshmallows and some walking poles (aka large sticks), our group and fearless tour guide Rodolfo headed up the mountain to see some lava.

the hike wasn't long, but after a couple kilometers on a 45 degree incline on the soft, gravel-esque path, we were definitely feeling the burn. the trail was scenic at first, but once we got to the base of the lava flow the whole terrain changed from green to black. nerd alert--but it TOTALLY looked like Mount Doom a la Lord of the Rings! the guide told us that we came on the perfect day, as the volcano had just erupted. so that's what the smoke billowing out of the top meant!

hardened magma covered the ground, and those walking sticks we begrudgingly bought actually came in handy--they were quite helpful in checking which rocks were stable and which would go tumbling down the mountain. only sustaining one small cut (a blood sacrifice to the mayans), ray and i wound up on the side of pacaya next to the flowing lava. yes, if you were wondering, it was muy caliente. around 300 degrees celsius, i believe--and it only gets hotter as you get closer to the tip. and because guatemala, for better or for worse, pretty much lacks the concept of safety standards, we were able to get up close and personal with the molten hot magma. when was the last time you roasted marshmallows on top of a volcano? yeah, we did about 4 hours ago. just another day in the life.

oh yeah, we also found a snake. don't worry, it was dead.

tomorrow we part ways. ray heads to san pedro la laguna, myself to xela. there's been a bit of an issue finding transportation, so here's to hoping i make it to xela and not somewhere along the border (just kidding, mom).


until then...adios!