Vacation: Part III (Antigua and Active Volcanoes)

Antigua was the last town we visited in Guatemala. What a lovely city, and what a change of pace/scenery from the rest of our trip. We got there via cross-country bus (see pic above) from Puerto Barrios, via Guatemala City (which we virtually bypassed as it seemed dirty, crowded, and a bit dangerous). Antigua, near the western highlands, is nestled among 3 volcanoes and (I'm not a very beachy person) provided my mountain fix for the trip. It is very European in feel. It also houses multiple Spanish language schools, so there was a large number of students, as well as tourists, around. If is famous for jade, including a lovely shade of lavender, with lots of jade shops. We also stayed at a lovely hotel, which was much needed in terms of comfort. We did a lot of relaxing, eating and chilling at cafes, but also did some hiking. Here are some pics!

Hotel Museo Uxlabil

Merced church.

This city goes nuts during Semana Santa, or Holy Week, when roses cover the cobblestone streets and festivities abound! Jugo from a street standRuins at Colegio of San Jeronimo


Yummy foods...


Avocados Rellenos and nachos!

We're glad we're still alive

Antigua is surrounded by a couple of active volcanoes which you can actually hike. The last major eruption on this one, Pacaya, was in around 2000. But there are little eruptions and smoke/steam are spewed every day! Nevertheless, being adventurous, we joined a group of other tourists to hike up Pacaya one day...

(From left to right: Fuego and Agua)

Some very tricky terrain of volcanic rock we traversed:

Feeding el caballo, named Caramelo, en route

Near the top, where you could see hot lava beneath the brittle crust!

Pyro (this was Shomir's favorite part of the trip!)

Roasting marshmallows on the hot rock. It was like a sauna up there!!

A little smoke and steam (why does he look so gleeful??!)

When part of the nearby crust collapsed, I was anxious to head out of there. You can really tell from the distance on this pic, but my face apparently expresses my concern. Even Shomir said he was a bit scared... but then stuck around for another 20 minutes poking the crust. Yikes!!

The erupting volcanoes we saw on our exit: (Fuego on the left)..

Pacaya, which we were on...

(the guide said that the afternoon trip would take the back route up the volcano to avoid the smoke and direction of spewing...) Nice....

In any case, we're alive!!!!

We're also back in the states, California even, after a trip to Boston.

Next post: Good times in the Patriot State (+Halloween).

I am very bummed to have to go back to work to start Night Float tonight.

Why can't vacation last forever....