Whilst we could have spent several days just wandering the streets of beautiful Antigua (see here) we thought it about time we climbed atop one of the other local landmarks - a real active volcano! Central America is home to an arc of 1500km consisting of a series of volcanoes; some dormant, some extinct, some smoking and some spewing.
So whilst we've been lucky enough to climb one or two in NZ we were excited about scaling the dizzy heights of Pacaya - one of the most active of Guatemala's volcanic field, and the first of what's likely to be a few on this trip.
We decided to do the guided hike in the afternoon - with evening light promising to be beautiful from the top. Here's a few shots of a great afternoon!
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| Views about halfway up - a crater lake (not quite the size of Taupo!) |
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| More views from halfway - checking out the other volcanoes and a town in the valley |
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| The big one and the little one (with the even bigger one in the background) |
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| We were followed on our hike by a couple of the local strays - reminders of India again! |
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| A very handsome husband, trying not to melt his feet on the hot rocks beneath... |
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| ...As they really are hot enough to toast marshmallows! |
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| Matt found the perfect hot hole |
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| Looking out to the beauty of Guatemala |
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| Magic! |
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| 'This is how much fun I'm having!' |
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| A break in the clouds |
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| Moody skies |
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| Trooping back down - pretty dusty! |
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| The biggest fountain in Guatemala, apparently |
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| Volcanoes and architecture together = Guatemala in a nutshell |
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| We loved those cobbled streets |
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| The central park at lunchtime - people watching a plenty! |
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