Started the ascent with Rudy at about 5pm Saturday afternoon. Over 10,000 people had climbed the volcano that day for a fundraiser against violence in homes so for the first hour we were battling the hundreds of people coming back down the mountain! After about an hour we joined up with Rudy's friends to walk the rest of the way in the dark. It took about 6 hours with a few breaks on the way. It made me chuckle (on the inside) to find a little shelter about an hour from the top selling coffee and other things. Only in Guatemala!
Arrived at the top at about 11pm and set up the tent in the crater(!!) then tried to get some rest. It was very difficult, people were yelling, it was freezing and very uncomfortable. I felt sorry for the people who weren't sleeping in tents!
Missed the sunrise but awoke to a funny scene. A donkey was eating from a pile of trash not too far from my tent. It was a beautiful day to walk around the top of the crater and to see Antigua, Chimaltenango, Guatemala City and we think, the ocean too!
I think I prefer hiking up the volcano. The 3-4 hr descent down was kind of sore on the knees. But we eventually made it down to find that where we had left the car there was now a market. So we had to wait round for an hour for the market to close down so we could drive out!
Was such a great experience! Enjoyed my first time up Volcan de Agua with Rudy - it was his 21st time! Don't think I would be that keen.
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| The view from my tent the next morning |
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| Slept in a crater! |
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| Rudy and a shell of a helicopter |
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| Done. |
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