Days 10-11 Pacaya and Lake Atitlan

---

Pacaya

Lake Atitlan

Today I had booked a trip to climb the Pacaya volcano, which I’d learned was the best one to climb in Central America. It was 2,300 metres high and erupted in 2010 which blew away a large chunk off the top. We got dropped off 2 thirds up the mountain and had to climb 700 metres to near the top. Unfortunately we were not permitted to climb to the top as it was still active and as a result didn’t get to see the molten lava which to me was kinda the point. Nethertheless we did get some great views from the top especially when the sun set and with perfect timing one of the other volcanoes we could see from the top gave a small eruption which was cool.Near the top there was a vent from which some of the heat from the volcano was escaping and the guide brought out some marshmellows which he cooked in the vent which we all shared – yum yum.

On the way back from the volcano it was dark and I had one of the scariest journeys ever, the driver was crazy overtaking on the outside and the inside and at one point he had to swerve so hard to miss an oncoming car that the minivan skidded!. Even on the cobbled streets of Antigua with speedbumps he was overtaking all the time. I needed a drink by the time I got back in town and promptly had one!!!

The next day I was off to see Lake Atitlan one of the most beautiful places in the world said the brochure, it’s a freshwater lake ringed by volcanoes and is indeed a sight to behold! I was visiting the lake in a day trip but thought it would take less than the 2 ½ hours it took to get there. A total of 5 hours travelling on top of the god knows how many hours Ive already spent on buses was a bit much. However the lake was amazing, as soon as I arrived I was bombarded with requests for private boat rides to the nearby towns that ring the lake but as I always do I had a wander round to see what was what and ended up getting a public bus to Santiago for £2.50. Santiago was a bit of a dump and not somewhere where you should be after dark but it enabled me to get some good pics of the volcanoes from the boat.

The journey home was another hair raising trip but we managed to get back to Antigua in one piece.

---