Pacaya Volcano

Yesterday we gave our brains a rest from all our Spanish studies and decided to make our bodies work instead. We took a little shuttle to a local, active volcano called Pacaya. Apparently there was a problem with the road the shuttle usually travels by, so we were forced to take a bumpy back road. We traveled through a little town called Santa María de Jesus, then passed by miles and miles of nothing but coffee and corn fields, and finally came out via Pelín.

When we made it to the base of the volcano we are surrounded by a group of little kids, all trying to sell us bastones (walking sticks). It broke our hearts trying to decide which kid to buy from, but we had a lot of fun asking them their names and ages. We finally decided to buy two sticks from the oldest girl, a 12 year old named Flor de María.

And then the climb began. 3 miles straight up! It was tough, but we made it to the top, WITHOUT the aid of the local "taxis" (horses) whose owners followed behind us and heckled us. ¿Chica Rubia, no quieres un taxi? ¡Muy barrato!

At the top we were rewarded with a beautiful view of active lava. We got close enough to enjoy God's splendor and the warmth of the firey streams....but stayed back far enough to be safe. It was an awesome adventure. Today we are feeling a little sore, but excited to share about Pacaya with you.

All our love to everyone back home. We miss you!