Finally we park our pick-up truck loaded with surfboards in front of the tourist information booth of the Pacaya volcano. Stef and I have been looking for this place for a while, struggling with the general scarcity of road signs in Guatemala and the uselessness of pocket-size maps in guidebooks. We asked for help a few times, only to find out that many Guatemalans don’t speak Spanish (they have local dialects derived from pre-Columbian Mayan languages). However with a bit of persistence and a lot of luck we did find the place and immediately get started with the hike – we don’t have much time if we want to avoid reaching our next destination after nightfall.
There is no marked trail but the general idea is to go up – we can see a few hikers in a distance so we trust that we are indeed on the right path. Soon the terrain becomes difficult: we are now treading on black pebble-size volcanic rocks, and for every step up our feet slide back halfway. Equipped with proper hiking shoes, we easily pass a group of unprepared tourists wearing flip-flops. Their guide gives us a look of despair. Now we feel that we are really close to the top: the incline is much steeper and we enjoy a gorgeous view on the surrounding hills… The boys’ competitive spirit kicks in and we get to the top at a brisk pace, Stef slightly ahead – I mentally blame my defeat on the unfair advantage given by his hiking sticks.
The top of the volcano is not very spectacular: a small opening letting out white fumes with a strong smell of sulfur… that’s it. I whip out the camera to take a few photos and WHAM! A thunderous sound startles us. Stef immediately crouches and puts his hands on his head while I stand here dumbfounded, not realizing that an explosion sound at the top of a volcano might mean flying rocks that eventually will fall down. WHAM! This time I crouch and protect my head as well, just in case. This time I crouch and protect my head as well, just in case. As we make our way downhill and out of harm’s way we come across the “Danger: Active Volcano” sign that would have alerted us if we saw it when we went up. Stef then realizes that the glass of his watch is cracked – probably from the shockwave.***
A few days later we are in Tikal at a hotel located right outside the ruins of the legendary Mayan city, in the heart of the Peten jungle. Over dinner we exchange travel experiences with a couple of Russians. “The Pacaya volcano?” says Ivan, “We went were there but they didn’t let us hike to the top because of the lava flow”.
Cedric, 9/03/2011
(Trip to Guatemala in 2006)
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