Landed in Guatemala

We are on the ground and in Antigua.  I must say this is one, if not the most beautiful place I have ever been.  The old cobblestone streets weave through the city with cars, tuk tuks, and horses rolling noisily on top. Old Spanish cathedrals and colorful buildings are found every which direction.  We arrived at Villa Esthela, a lucky find in the world in hostels. A 360 degree view of three Antiguan volcanoes awaited us on Villa Esthela's rooftop bar, along with some hammocks.  After a short walk we saw the parks that were packed full of Sunday's best.

Amanda went for a nap while I decided to explore the city deeper, and with my camera.  The sun was getting lower and created beautiful shadows.  The vibe of the city felt very kind.  People would smile or say hello as they passed.  Some of the people were in traditional outfit, not sure if a Sunday thing or everyday.  After my walk I headed back to the room.

We watched the Superbowl through our wifi, with the help of Michael's Slingbox account.  After the first half we went to Monoloco (the crazy monkey)  They had the game on and it was filled with football fans.  We soon found out that there was more Steelers fans than Packer fans, but they would shut up soon.  Bedtime after the big win.

We awoke to the sounds of birds chirping at 6:30.  We went to the rooftop to see  what was happening in the city and saw the sun splashing the mountains with colorful oranges.  Volcano Pacaya was smoking early this morning.

We had to find a new hostel today so we cruised to the other side of town and grabbed Hostel 5.
Had a meal at Cafe La Esudilla $12 for fatijas and nachos with Pepsis.  The resturant was located outside in a garden.  The food was so good and we sat next to a beautiful water fountain.

We hopped into our shuttle for the Volcano and the journey began.  Our driver was like most drivers I have seen in Central America, driving somewhat crazy.  He passed cars with the engine screaming, around corners that fell 100's of feet. But he was always friendly with the other drivers, making a few short honks to signal hello.

We arrived at our volcano adventure and were immediately greeting by dozens of children carrying walking sticks. Before we had even exited the shuttle, they came up to the windows ready to make a sale. "You want stick? Stick for walking? Stick? 5 Quetzales." We and our fellow tourists politely declined, but they were insistent. As we began our hike, some of the local adults followed us as well with horses. "You want horse? Horse, no tire." We all said no at first, but they knew better and kept following us. It was only a matter of time before someone tired and gave in. A fellow "champione" (as our guide called us) decided to pay the money for the "horse taxi".

We continued our steep hike up the volcanic rocks and soot, stopping every so often for rest or a tidbit of knowledge from our guide. We finally reached the top of the hill next to the volcano. We had an incredible view of Guatemala city below as well as the volcano Pacaya and a couple of other volcanoes. Everyone took photos in attempt to capture and bring home the amazing scenery.

We then cautiously made our way down the hill to the base of Pacaya. Our guide pointed out how hot the rocks were there. Another "guide", the one leading the tourist on the horse, set up sticks and leaves on the rocks, and they almost immediately started a fire! After that we walked over the loose volcanic rock to what looked like a hole in the ground where there was some hot lava below. Our guide provided sticks, and those
who wanted could roast marshmallows over the lava. Amanda volunteered but passed on eating them. Our last stop was to a small, HOT volcanic cavern. It felt a bit like stepping into a warm oven. After that we sat out on the side of the volcano and watched the sun disappear behind the clouds and into the night. Our guide called out, "Championes!" and we made the hike back through the dark. (Luckily Josh brought flashlights. We lit the way for ourselves as well as other tourists who had found themselves without a torch.)

Amanda after she roasted some marshmellows

We were dropped off at the central park, which meant a short hike to our hostel. Luckily our hostel had a private bathroom because we both desperately needed showers. Amanda's feet were black with volcanic soot; it had gone straight through her shoes and socks. After the showers, we relaxed with a couple of Gallo cervesas. We considered going out for a bite to eat, but someone had locked up the hostel and because we were both tired after our volcanic hike, we decided to hit the hay.

We will now be grabbing a night bus through BANDITO country.  If you never hear from us again we are being used in human trafficking.  Onward we go.  Ciao.