Volcano climbing in Antigua before the tour
I arrived in Antigua 2 days before the tour started, and decided to get straight into my adventure! So, I booked a volcano climb. My travel agent had advised me to fly into Guatemala a few days before the tour started so I could have some additional time to appreciate this beautiful world heritage site. And, I’d heard all about active volcanos in Central America and really wanted to climb one!! Antigua was one place I knew I could do this on my trip. The reception staff at my hotel helped me book the volcano climb once I’d arrived. After contemplating getting up at 6am with jetlag and torrential rain the evening before, I thought I’d risk it. And I woke to blue sunny skies and the promise of adventure ahead!
The next morning, a minivan picked me up. I met all the other crazy people who had gotten up early! The van deposited us amongst the lush vegetation and to start with, it appeared like a flat, easy walk – that is, until I came out of the jungle and saw the volcano towering over me! I thought, ‘S%&#, I have to walk over THAT!’
I could relay the whole climb minute-by-minute, but suffice to say it was challenging, yet rewarding! As we got closer to the top it felt like we were scrambling thorough the volcanic scree – it felt like 2 steps up, 3 steps back. But eventually we got to the top, and we were lucky enough to be able to stand on the edge and catch glimpses of the volcanos crater in between clouds of sulphuric acid burning our nostrils. Luckily I had remembered to take a hanky to cover my nose – anyone else contemplating this climb, I highly recommend this! A couple of people didn’t actually make it to the top, but the scenery surrounding the volcano, which I finally remembered to take in on the way down, still made the walk very worthwhile.
Exhausted as we were, I’d made a bunch of friends this day, so we all went out for salsa lessons into a touristy bar full of locals who weren’t shy about asking us to dance! And I’m not sure if it was their training or the amount of local beverages I’d consumed, but I appeared to be an expert salsa dancer by the end of the evening – at least to myself!
Antigua has some fabulous cafes and restaurants, and I found this gorgeous little courtyard where I had the best coffee and cake I had ever had in my travels all over the world – and yes I ate this for breakfast! This gave me energy to hit the local markets, where the shopping is just scary. I didn’t bother with the city tour as I found Antigua a myriad of alleys, arcades and everything else to explore on my own.
I’d met some of my fellow passengers before the tour started, but at the pre-departure meeting I really got into tour mode and realised I had a bunch of like-minded people to spend the next three weeks with. I met my roommate who was an English vet, she was the same age and we hit it off immediately, realising we will have a great time together over the next three weeks!
I arrived in Antigua 2 days before the tour started, and decided to get straight into my adventure! So, I booked a volcano climb. My travel agent had advised me to fly into Guatemala a few days before the tour started so I could have some additional time to appreciate this beautiful world heritage site. And, I’d heard all about active volcanos in Central America and really wanted to climb one!! Antigua was one place I knew I could do this on my trip. The reception staff at my hotel helped me book the volcano climb once I’d arrived. After contemplating getting up at 6am with jetlag and torrential rain the evening before, I thought I’d risk it. And I woke to blue sunny skies and the promise of adventure ahead!
The next morning, a minivan picked me up. I met all the other crazy people who had gotten up early! The van deposited us amongst the lush vegetation and to start with, it appeared like a flat, easy walk – that is, until I came out of the jungle and saw the volcano towering over me! I thought, ‘S%&#, I have to walk over THAT!’
I could relay the whole climb minute-by-minute, but suffice to say it was challenging, yet rewarding! As we got closer to the top it felt like we were scrambling thorough the volcanic scree – it felt like 2 steps up, 3 steps back. But eventually we got to the top, and we were lucky enough to be able to stand on the edge and catch glimpses of the volcanos crater in between clouds of sulphuric acid burning our nostrils. Luckily I had remembered to take a hanky to cover my nose – anyone else contemplating this climb, I highly recommend this! A couple of people didn’t actually make it to the top, but the scenery surrounding the volcano, which I finally remembered to take in on the way down, still made the walk very worthwhile.
Exhausted as we were, I’d made a bunch of friends this day, so we all went out for salsa lessons into a touristy bar full of locals who weren’t shy about asking us to dance! And I’m not sure if it was their training or the amount of local beverages I’d consumed, but I appeared to be an expert salsa dancer by the end of the evening – at least to myself!
Antigua has some fabulous cafes and restaurants, and I found this gorgeous little courtyard where I had the best coffee and cake I had ever had in my travels all over the world – and yes I ate this for breakfast! This gave me energy to hit the local markets, where the shopping is just scary. I didn’t bother with the city tour as I found Antigua a myriad of alleys, arcades and everything else to explore on my own.
I’d met some of my fellow passengers before the tour started, but at the pre-departure meeting I really got into tour mode and realised I had a bunch of like-minded people to spend the next three weeks with. I met my roommate who was an English vet, she was the same age and we hit it off immediately, realising we will have a great time together over the next three weeks!
posted by Tucan traveller | 4:53 PM
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