Pacaya & Tikal

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I haven't updated for a while so thought it was time for a new entry about what I've been up to! A few weeks ago I climbed Volcan Pacaya, which is close to Antigua and rises to an elevation of 2,552 metres (8,373 ft). After being dormant for a century, it erupted violently in 1965 and has been erupting continuously since then. The last major eruption was the one that peaked on May 27, 2010, causing ash to rain down in Guatemala City, Antigua and Escuintla...it was on our News.

The route up the volcano only took about 2 hours to climb and wasn't particularly difficult except for the heat - some people in the group were complaining about the altitude, but after hiking in the Andes it wasn't noticeable to me! The landscape of grey volcanic rock was beautiful but extremely desolate. My favourite part was toasting marshmallows over a crack in the volcano, I got a bit overexcited at this point and got a bit too close, roasting all the hairs on one arm! We then went into a steam hole where beams of sunlight broke through creating an amazing effect, but the heat quickly became unbearable! I was tired and very dusty by the time we got to the bottom, but pleased with having climbed the volcano.

Two weeks ago I went for an even bigger adventure which was a trip to Tikal, one of the largest and most impressive Maya pyramid sites in Central America. It's located in rural Northeast Guatemala, and there are lots of pyramids spread across a large Maya city in the jungle. It's an 8 hour bus trip from Antigua, so quite a journey. I bought the cheapest ticket there I could, and was taken by shuttle to dangerous Guatemala City at 4.00am. I was rather worried when I arrived to find a virtually deserted bus station, with no other tourists in the waiting room and a Pullman bus waiting to take us to Flores. However, the journey went past quickly and without incident, except that the locals all seemed to know when we were making a stop and how long for while I had to ask the driver - and when he says we're stopping for 5 mins, it means 5 mins, none of the faffing that Westerners like to do over going to the toilet and buying drinks and snacks - the Guatemalans do it all in 5 mins while I was left as the last person running back to the bus!

Once we had arrived and I'd taken a taxi to the pretty island town of Flores, I found a bed in a very clean hostel for only 30 quetzales (about £2.50), and after walking round the island I went to dinner with a nice Swiss guy and American girl. The next morning I got up early for the shuttle trip to Tikal. A guide showed us around for the first half an hour, then we were on our own. Tikal is really impressive, the way it is hidden in the jungle makes you feel as though you are discovering each ruin for the first time, and so quiet! As Guatemala's number one tourist attraction I expected it to be packed, but although in the main plaza it did get slightly busy in the middle of the day, at the smaller ruins I was often alone. If it wasn't for the intense heat I could have explored all day, but I gave up, sweaty and exhausted, at 3.00! I took the shuttle back to Flores and begged to take a shower in my hostel even though I wasn't staying there that night, then cheekily relaxed in the rooftop terrace hammocks until it was time to take the overnight bus back to the city. This one was considerably more comfortable - apart from being forced to use the bus toilet as there were no stops, and there were 2 sick people on the bus...

Back in Antigua, I have finished my Spanish lessons so am looking for a volunteer project to do, which will hopefully mean I keep on improving my Spanish. This week is Semana Santa, and apparently Antigua 'is famous for its vibrant, elaborate religious festivities during the Antigua Semana Santa, or Holy Week, leading up to Easter. Thousands of national and international visitors crowd the cobblestoned streets to watch the costumed processions, reenactments of the crucifixion, and other ceremonies - so should be a great sight to see!

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