Sorry for the little break in the posts... Christmas and all. Anyway, After a few days in Pana we headed back to Antigua, intending to hike another volcano or two and another bike ride. We planned to take a direct chicken bus to Antigua, but after waiting at the side of the road for an hour or so we found out that the direct bus had broken down and our options were to get dropped off on the side of the road at Cuatro Caminos (four corners) and wait for another bus to come along or to sign up for a direct shuttle that left 2 hours later. We were tired of waiting by the side of the road - and hungry! - so we opted for the shuttle and chilled out instead. The shuttle trip to Antigua was pleasantly uneventful.
When we got to Antigua we splurged a bit and headed of to Las Palmas for dinner (great food)... and lucked out completely because there was a really good blues/reggae guitarist. We ended up ordering dessert and an after-dinner drink just so we could hang out to hear the end of the set.
The next morning we had a leisurely breakfast and decided to wander down to OX tours to see what they were offering (we already had an idea of many of the other places). They have a Ridgeback named Xela there!! Way cool. Anyway, OX specializes in longer over-night hikes of the volcanoes in the area and are just starting to get into bike tours. It turned out that we showed up just in time to sign up for a night hike of Pacaya, one of the active volcanoes in the area (OX is the only tour company running this one), and we also signed up for a hike/bike/swim tour with them the next day. We rushed back to our hotel, pulled all of our stuff out of our packs and repacked with just the essentials for over-night... then grabbed a small snack on our way back to OX.
Turns out it was a big Canadian trip. There were six people on the tour: me, Tom, and Amanda from Calgary, Sarah from Victoria, Stacey from Stittsville, ON... then Jerome from Germany... and our guide Steve from Denmark.
Below is the profile of the hike, starting with the ascent to the ridge we camped on, then the descent/ascent/descent/ascent to the lava and back (not at the top of the volcano, but felt like it at times as we hiked in the dark), and then back to the trailhead.
On our way up to the camp-site we passed a couple of the big lava flows... this was the end of the 1980 flow (and our guide Steve) that was a few minutes walk from our camp.
Setting up camp meant removing a lot of poop. There are horses that come up here regularly to give rides to the tourists who can't make the hike... and as we found out cows. When we got back to our camp after hiking up to the lava our tents were surrounded by cows.
The view of Pacaya from our camp... as the light started to fade you could see a continuous orange glow from the top as it was erupting.
Most of us used head-lamps, but Tom opted for moon-light hiking (there was an awesome full moon! ... thankfully since many of our head-lamps lost power before we got back). The hike started off along an easy ridgeline (where we took sunrise photos the next morning), then scree-skiing (yes in the dark). As we got to the bottom of the scree the last of the day tourists were leaving so it was just the seven of us on the volcano. The hike up to the lava was longer than expected, along sharp, jagged, rubble.
In places there were these nice flow textures and levees from older flows. It was neat because as we hiked over this stuff you could feel the blast of heat and hear the crinkle of rocks and lava moving in the distance.
Glowering magma underneath the rocks we walked over:
Glowering magma underneath the rocks we walked over:
I LOVE HOT MAGMA!!
Stacey dared Steve to poke the stick with magma... it was pretty darn scalding.
This is Stacey... for her 30th birthday she decided to hike an active volcano! I totally would have done that last year if I had thought about it... but still in my 30th year =o).
After watching Steve to make sure it was okay Stacey also poked the lava...
Roasting marshmallows (we chose smaller cracks of lava so we could stand there long enough)... nothing quite as satisfying as lava-roasted marshmallows.
We got back to camp around mid-night, ate some curry, and sang happy birthday to Stacey before crawling into our sleeping bags for a few hours. Neither of our sleeping bags were quite rated warm enough for the temperatures so it was a shivery four hours of quasi-sleep before we woke up at 4 am to watch the sunrise over the volcano. We bundled into all of our clothing and hiked up to the top of the ridge over-looking the lava field where we had bagels with cream cheese and coffee (or, in my case, on of Tom's cough candies in hot water since there weren't any caffeine-free options... so need to start traveling with my own tea!). It was a pretty foggy morning but we did manage to get a few shots between the fog banks.
We got back to camp around mid-night, ate some curry, and sang happy birthday to Stacey before crawling into our sleeping bags for a few hours. Neither of our sleeping bags were quite rated warm enough for the temperatures so it was a shivery four hours of quasi-sleep before we woke up at 4 am to watch the sunrise over the volcano. We bundled into all of our clothing and hiked up to the top of the ridge over-looking the lava field where we had bagels with cream cheese and coffee (or, in my case, on of Tom's cough candies in hot water since there weren't any caffeine-free options... so need to start traveling with my own tea!). It was a pretty foggy morning but we did manage to get a few shots between the fog banks.
Sarah and Amanda waiting for the sunrise:
Early morning Pacaya (the sign is warning that you're on an active volcano and could be hurt):
Old lava tubes in the lava field... I tried to get a better shot but by the time the sun was high enough to get decent light the fog had rolled in.
The group: Me, Tom, Sarah, Amanda, Stacey, Jerome, and Steve
This dog followed us up to camp then wandered off with other tourists while we were setting up camp... but we met her sleeping at the top by the lava to keep warm. She followed us back down and we found her the next morning curled up under our tent flap. She was in extremely rough shape, but very sweet.
This is the geothermal plant that supplies much of the electricity in the area... although most people still use wood for cooking.
After we got down we headed back to Antigua and grabbed breakfast together... then Tom and I hustled back to our hotel, switched into riding gear and headed out the door for the bike ride we had signed up for... gluttons for punishment or what! We weren't really feeling up to it at first, but after we got on our bikes we got a bit refreshed... and fortunately it was fairly easy.
The ride started off fairly promising with some minor free-riding in front of this old church (notice the dog in the bottom left that came out barking at Tom and then ran away).
Then we headed up to a park or conservation area on the edge of Antigua:
Once at the park we wandered up a steep trail, mostly consisting of steep stair-cases and well-groomed trails:
After hiking for a while we came out onto a road, hopped into a truck that was waiting for us, and drove up a dirt road as far as we could make it in the truck... then we ripped down the dirt road until we reached this scenic cabin that you can apparently rent for something like $50 a night (includes a hot tub). We stopped off for lunch here then continued down the road... something like 600 or so metres of elevation gain.
After hiking for a while we came out onto a road, hopped into a truck that was waiting for us, and drove up a dirt road as far as we could make it in the truck... then we ripped down the dirt road until we reached this scenic cabin that you can apparently rent for something like $50 a night (includes a hot tub). We stopped off for lunch here then continued down the road... something like 600 or so metres of elevation gain.
This cool, fresh-water pool was at the base of the trail... only one of us opted to hop in because the water temperature was kind of cold and this happened to be one of the few overcast, temperate days... We did, however, enjoy a couple of big beers...mmm.
The next day we went back to Old Town Outfitters and signed up for another bike ride that afternoon, this one is known as the "volcano ride". This one was rated as advanced, but had a comfortable amount of technical stuff. I rode about 90% of the trail, mostly due to accidentally careening off some rocks with my pedals and sliding out on some soft sand transitions. We had the same guide as last time, Pancho. The trip started off with a shuttle to get us out of Antigua, then we rode along the side of the volcano, then back to the shop.
Due to some poor planning it turned out that this ride was on laundry day and we accidentally put all of our gear in the wash. Fortunately we still had a pair of shorts each and we bought souvenir jerseys for the ride. Here we are with Pancho modeling them!
... then the next day back to the beach for a few days of surfing! This was a super easy trip for us... except for having to leave at 4:30 a.m. We were the only people on the shuttle so got to stretch out and have a nap... super smooth when we got to the border... and arrived at the beach by 9am! Way quicker than the original route to Guatemala.
... then the next day back to the beach for a few days of surfing! This was a super easy trip for us... except for having to leave at 4:30 a.m. We were the only people on the shuttle so got to stretch out and have a nap... super smooth when we got to the border... and arrived at the beach by 9am! Way quicker than the original route to Guatemala.
The place we originally stayed (La Samba) was packed, but there was room next door at Jose's new addition called Eco del Mar. The price was about double, $25/night, but well worth it!
... perfect for making tomato and avocado sandwiches for lunches!
This was by far the sweetest bed on the whole trip... super comfy new mattress... REAL pillows, not foam chunks or a solid block.
... and a tv...
... and a little kitchen!
... and a little kitchen!
Anyway... once we got settled we had a nap and then went out to rent a couple of surfboards. The waves were a bit big for me so I gave up on the 2nd day. Tom continued to take a beating... umm... persevered... but at least the beach was relaxing!
mmm... and good seafood...
mmm... and good seafood...
Around 4pm on Dec. 11 we left the beach. This time it only took us 30 min to get to the airport because the river had subsided enough that we could cross it where the bridge been destroyed during the hurricane. We got into L.A., where we only got a few hours of sleep at a nearby hotel, then back to a cold welcome in Calgary. From +30 C to -40 C with the windchill... brr. At least we had a warm welcome from B. who picked us up from the airport with puffy jackets.
