There are volcanos here, we think!

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We couldn't visit Guatemala and not visit Antigua. Antigua is the main gringo hang out in Guatemala where many people choose to study spanish. It is a lovely colonial town, reminded us a bit of Paraty in Brazil. It does however kind of make you forget that you are in Guatemala as it is so different (and more affluent) from the rest of the country. Antigua is surrounded by volcanos, you may have seen the famous picture of an archway with a volcano looming in the background. Unfortunately you won't see that photo here, as when we were there there was a strange haze/mist everywhere obscuring the view. We still don't know wether to believe the photos!

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While in Antigua, we partied in the numerous gringo bars, some offering films to watch while you eat/drink, shopped in the market, caught up on some sport and checked out the sights. We also went on another volcano tour to see some lava up close at Pacaya.

The tour was pretty standard, offered by all the travel agencies in Antigua. Take a minibus for an hour and a half to the volcano and then trek for a couple of hours up the volcano to the lava. It was pretty impressive I must add, although we had to get pretty close to the lava to see it as the mist was here too. Our guide demonstrated how hot the lava was (as if we didn't know!) by sticking a stick into it. The stick caught fire immediately. It was hot up there, and the rocks very sharp. After prodding the lava and watching numerous tourists lighting cigarettes and toasting marshmallows on the lava we headed back down, in the dark, to the bus to get back to Antigua. A good cheap tour, although if you can, go when it is clear!

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And off to Honduras for our next adventure...