October 09, 2014
Volcano "Fuego" blowing smoke
... I had booked myself for a hike up an (active) vocano the previous day. Really just to kill time.
The pannier still hadn't arrived, and here it was already Monday. I wasn't too happy about that. After several phone calls with AdventureMoto, it was determined, that the box apparently had been mislabeled instead for 1-3 day shipping, for 5-10 day shipping. BIG difference. In both, time and money. That meant, I had really no idea, when the part would get here.
Anyways, I decided, I would hang around Antigua for a couple of more days, and if the pannier still wouldn't get to me, to do the cheap fix, tie the box to the rack and keep on riding.
Hiking up the lava fields
After what seemed, an hourlong van ride full with travelers, we stopped at the foot of volcano Pacaya. Pacaya last had erupted in May of 2014, and I was still seeing smoke coming from the now hardened lava.
Volcano Pacaya last erupted in May 2014...
River of rocks...
The ascent, not to the top of the actual vocano, that would've been too dangerous, was about a 45 minute hike. We stopped at the outer edge of the lava field, and I could feel the heat rising from below the rocks. The cool thing was, our guide had brought along a bag of marshmallows, which we roasted on a stick over the hot rocks. Those things actually got toasty and tasted good. I could've easily cook lunch over the heat. That's how hot the lava still was.
Roasting marshmallows...
The view from up there was just amazing. I could see another large volcano in the distance "blow smoke". All below, the valley looked fertile and green. The sun was out, the sky blue...a picture perfect morning hike...that let me take my mind off the stupid box for a couple of hours.
Breathtaking....