Ash, Sticks. And Marshmallows!

I rolled down the window as we approached the little town at the base of the volcano to find some young kids running along side the van holding bundles of sticks. One of them looks right at me and asks in perfect English without an accent, “STICK!?” By the time we parked, we were bombarded by a group of twenty or so of these little salesmen between the ages of 6 and 9, roughly. I ended up buying a “walking stick” from the one that claimed to be the youngest. It was only a dollar and it’s hard to turn down a cute a little kid. It makes me think how much trouble I could get into if a kid ever tried to sell me a car or something. You just don’t want to tell them no! The hike up Vulcan Pacaya was pretty steep at parts but wasn’t too challenging. Our tour guide was very friendly and showed us various plants as we hiked up including the plant that Tequila comes from and a tree that has bright orange bark when you cut into it. The higher we climbed the less dense the flora became. Eventually we found ourselves in a place that can only be described as a wasteland. Nothing but dirt and rock littered the ground and the cloud cover was so thick it felt as though we could never find our way out. The highlight of the hike had to be “skiing” down park of a hill on top of the mountain. It consisted of ash and tiny rocks and you could basically ski down it in your shoes. Picking all the little rocks out of my boots wasn’t fun but still totally worth the rush! I took a rock home with me that formed from la lava flow the day I flew into Guatemal (which happened to be two days prior) Just enough time to cool! :-) At the top we roasted marshmallows on the fiery-hot rocks and watched as lava flowed down the peak. Spectacular site! Wish I had brought a Hershey’s Bar and some graham crackers though. Who doesn’t love smores!? Being up there was peaceful in a sense. Near the top it was like being on another planet, away from life, soil, plants, animals. We were amidst a landscape that only reflected shades of grey. The smoldering lava seemed to glow a deep bright orange I had never seen before as it intruded upon the grey canvas. My shoes lost a little grip at the top seeing as how parts of the rubber had begun melting off, just from walking on the rocks up there! The hike back down was after sunset and I think I must have tripped on a dozen tree roots, but I made it down safely just in time to find out my stick was only a rental as the kids began collecting them back from their customers.

Likes: Ash-skiing, lava watching, my corky tour guide

Dislikes: tree roots, melted shoes, and lack of graham crackers :-p

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Part of trip: Costa Rica and its Rich Coast

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