Pacaya

2 hours from Antigua, Pacaya is one of Guatemala's three active volcanoes.
We started off in a beat-up Hiace van at 2pm and as soon as we neared the road up to Pacaya the heavens broke and a most unmerciful thunderstorm broke out (unsure at first if it was maybe the volcano errupting). The roads turned into rivers and I think the driver was using the force to navigate as there was nothing visible out the windscreen (windscreen wipers are optional in Guate).

Luckily by the time we reached the entrace to the national park the rain had subsided. Despite this the van was engulfed by 50 local kids all jostling to sell us rain macs for 5 Quetzales. I told them I was Irish so it was normal weather for me, but was met with unbelieving eyes and snotty noses. Once the mac kids were gone a second wave of kids homed in on us. These were the stick kids who tried to impress on me the importance of having a big stick whilst walking on a volcano. I declined, much to their indignation at neither having rain gear NOR a stick.

The hike up through the cloud forest was easy enough and after 90 minutes or so we came out of the forest and onto some scree. Traversing the side of a lower peak we rounded a corner and Pacaya stood before us, just like a child's drawing with a plume of smoke emitting from the crater at the summit. More impressive still was the lava river which was oozing from the side. Our jovial guide just hopped up onto the old lava rivers and marched across. Ever a believer in "the guide knows best" mantra I tagged along behind him and soon we were as close to the lava river as my eyebrows would allow without being singed off. The rest of the group followed very slowly behind us.

Some enterprising Aussies had actually brought along some sausages with them and ever a nation to "toss a shrimp on the barbie", they were soon attaching forks to the end of their walking sticks and fashioning extra long bbq equipment. Lava seems to be a fantastic replacement for charcol and within minutes we were all sharing some extremely tasty sausages.

Pictures of Pacaya here