La Antigua, Guatemala Pt 2-Pacaya

friday morning, our first full day in antigua, we met with a group of about 20 (other wedding guests from out of town) to take a bus to the nearby volcano "pacaya". we drove for about an hour to get to the start of the volcano's summit.

the parking lot was filled with locals who were offering horses to the tourists. they called them "taxis". and these guys were AGGRESSIVE with their offers. they would look for the most out-of-shape gringos in the crowd and stalk us the entire way up the mountain. the elevation is pretty high up here, around 7,000ft above sea level. so my weak virginia lungs needed to take frequent breaks. every time i would stop a young man on a horse would appear at my side saying "taxi? you look like you need a taxi.....". they underestimated my stubbornness. and i'm happy to say i made it up the volcano horse-free!

there were also small children crowded around the bus offering walking sticks as people got off. probably a dozen kids, under the age of 12. all chanting "stick? stick?" as we walked towards the trail.

here's the map of our trek. 2.8 kilometers doesn't seem so far. and it's not SUPER steep. but it is uphill. and that air gets pretty thin pretty quickly. so it took our group about an hour and a half to get to the top.

the vegetation is lush and the soil is dark. pacaya is an active volcano, it's last eruption was just last year. you can still see remnants of the ash as you walk along.

stopping at one of the overlooks for a photo op!

it was rather misty that day, but we lucked out and had a few breaks in the clouds to get pictures of the scenery.

there are expansive stretches of lava fields. dark and crumbling rocks with vents of steam coming through. at this point you have to be careful of where you step. the lava rocks give out under the feet easily. it's like walking through aquarium gravel. and some of those spots are definitely hot enough to burn you if you fall into them.

the vents are so hot, you can roast a marshmallow in them!

snacking on an ooey gooey marshmallow toasted in the steam vent of a lava field on the side of an active volcano. that moment? totally makes the hike worth it!

this side of the volcano is completely devoid of vegetation. it is an eerily beautiful and alien landscape. i will never know how our guide knew where he was going. there are no landmarks and the mist was rolling in pretty thick. but he marched us through the loose rock and took us on a little detour to show us something new.

this is the start of a lava tube, a sort of cave that is formed when lava flows slowly underground. this one has been cool for centuries, but the cave remains!

this was taken inside the lava tube looking up. 

it was an amazing hike, full of wonderful sights and experiences. we got back to antigua tired, sore and HUNGRY. we ended our afternoon with the most amazing black bean soup and quesadillas at a little restaurant called "cafe sky". they have a rooftop deck that offers a beautiful panoramic view of the city and it's surrounding hills. a fantastic way to end a fantastic day!