Step on a crack...

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So you know when you were a kid and you played that game where you had to stay on only one color tile on the floor (or stay on the cracks) and if you landed on the wrong color you got burned in the hot lava? Well, we played that game for real today!

We didn´t even have time for deja vu because the shuttle actually arrived 15 minutes early this morning. Our driver Nixon let us sit up front to avoid as much nausea as possible. We were trekking up the volcano by 7:30am being led by Irving, our lunatic, multi-talented guide. The hike was fine, Arantxa didn´t even whine, all was well. A little over an hour later we were looking at flowing lava. Let us explain ¨flowing¨ to you. It actually moves, crackling along as it engulfs everything in its path. (Watch the movie if your connection allows - the sound you hear is actually the lava! The color is tinted red - don´t know why that happened.)

After scrambling down a hill of razor-sharp lava rock we were close enough to feel some heat. We had no idea what we were in for! At this point we were pretty proud of ourselves--thinking that we´d had our lava experience. Oh no! Irving proceeds to ask for volunteers to get close enough to touch lava with their walking sticks. Who´s the first lunatic to volunteer? You guessed it - Shalea! (Clearly, the woman has a death wish...) So in goes her stick, flames engulf it, and she´s just as happy as can be. (Lunatic.) She was however afraid that she had singed off her expensive new eyebrows. Arantxa also joined in the fun smiling ear to ear like a devious little elf. Think the lava adventure is over? Think again!

At this point Irving had left us and was beckoning us to follow him. We made him come back and get us. He led us sprinting across what appeared to be solid but hot rock. When we turned around, to see what we´d just come across, we saw that we´d been walking on the thin covering over red hot flowing lava. Turns out that the sprinting was so that the rock wouldn´t crack underneath our feet and so our shoes wouldn´t melt. (Scary as hell, but so much fun!)

We spent some time watching the lava flow around us and searching for it in the cracks we were stepping over before sprinting back with extremely hot feet, but otherwise unscathed. We headed back down the volcano stopping along the way to rescue a newborn foal that Irving then carried down the volcano. (No, we do not make this up just to entertain you.)

Back in Antigua we spent hours climbing around in the ruins of several dilapidated convents and churches. We´ve decided that we clearly can´t get enough of Antigua.

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Photos

The full perspective
We had the mountain all to ourselves while we were on it actually!

Gardens like this are all over Antigua
In hotels, restaurants, stores, museums, etc., etc.

Comments

[Shannon]

LAVA!!!... HOT LAVA.....
Even though you don't have a scar to show for it, I'm still wowed by your lava experience. Well done!

[Myrna]

You ladies are phenomenal! Thanks for the great pictures. Enjoy the rest of the trip and be safe! Myrna