Today we climbed the Pacaya Volcano. The shuttle picked us up at 6am from our house. We rode in the shuttle for more than an hour. We were the only Americans in the group. Some people were from Mexico, Australia, and other places. When we got to Pacaya, the air was very chilly. Everyone else in the group had worn shorts except for me. On the way there, I thought maybe I’d made a mistake, but when we arrived, I was glad that I had on long pants and hiking boots. The tour cost 70Q and the entrance price was 50Q. We stopped at a little shop, and I went to the bathroom (0/5 on the good bathroom scale). I bought marshmallows at the shop because we forgot to buy them in Antigua. There were men following us leading horses. They called out, “Taxi, taxi!” There was a lot of fog as we climbed up. We couldn’t see the view from the lookout point or the lake in the old crater. However, when we arrived at the volcano, the fog began to disappear. It was creepy-looking with black volcanic rock beneath the swirling mist. It looked like something from outer space. We talked with a guy from Mexico as we hiked. We came to the crack in the earth where you can roast marshmallows. The heat was intense as we leaned over the crack and roasted our colorful marshmallows on a stick. We shared with the other people around us. A dog followed us and wanted to eat the marshmallows, too. While we were standing around the crack, another volcano (Fuego) made some eruptions. I took pictures, but they aren’t as impressive as it was in real life. Apparently, it erupts about every 20 minutes. After that, we went over to the cave. We had to wait for another group to come out and then our group went in. When Pacaya erupted last May, this cave was created by the lava. We entered into the cave and were amazed by the heat inside! We chatted with the Mexican guy, Geraldo, and his mom. She gave us the unusual compliment that she thought we were Europeans because we spoke Spanish so well and usually Americans say that they speak Spanish, but their Spanish is horrible. She is a doctor and works in Cleveland, Ohio, which is where I was born. It felt so nice down in the cave. When we left, we felt cold because of the contrast. We hiked back by a different route and we saw where the journalist died last year during the eruptions, trying to get photos. We got back in the shuttle and drove back. The way back seemed longer and most people tried to sleep. Elvira had given us pineapple cereal bars and we ate cranberries, also.
When we arrived back home, we showered and then it was time for lunch. We had hamburgers (without buns), salad of lettuce, tomato, and avocado, pasta, and a crepe with crema and blueberry jelly. In the afternoon, we signed up for a shuttle ride to Lanquin the next day for 150Q and we went to the market where we bought a few souvenirs. Then we had our last dance class. I danced with Carmen and we took some pictures. I went to the internet café after that. For dinner, we ate black bean soup with corn chips on top of the soup, tamales with flowers and chicarrones inside, bread, and fried plantains. We talked for a while after dinner and then Elliott (Elvira and Enrique’s son) and his wife arrived, but they only stayed for a half hour. At 8:30, we walked together to Pena de Sol Latino, a favorite restaurant of Jenny and Amber. Sharon, Lara, Alex, Larry, Dorothy, Elvira, Enrique, Lauren, Amber, and I went. Amber, Lauren, and I bought desserts for everyone—hot brownies with ice cream, blackberry pie with ice cream, chocolate mousse, and pineapple flambé. We shared the desserts, just like a big family. The restaurant has a live band that plays fun music using interesting instruments. They kept taking breaks every time I got ready to take a picture. I think Lauren got some, though. I collected everyone’s email address and we talked and took some pictures. We headed back to the house around 10:30. We went to the house with E&E and paid them. Elvira gave us bracelets from Guatemala. We packed our stuff and went to bed at 1:15. I had more work to do to pack up my stuff since I had to decide what I was going to leave in Antigua. Amber just had to pack everything up.
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