In search of lava!

We left Xela on Wednesday, after 6 days of living with Monica and family. Her daughter Karen came home from hospital with her new baby the night before we left. It was a shame that she hadn't been there more of the time as she's about my age and I reckon she'd have had good banter - my Spanish teacher Carolina was telling me about how, when Karen was pregnant, she was chatting to a student who was living with them at the time and saying "I just want to have sex one last time before the baby starts to show!" (She's not with the baby's Dad.) Apparently Monica was in tears.

So, we'd said our goodbyes on Tuesday - I was sad to leave the school as it's been really good and my teacher was really cool. Like all students of Sakribal, we left our mark:

The Sakribal wall of fame

For some reason we'd decided it would be a good idea to climb a volcano, the morning before leaving Xela. Even though we'd heard that a tour group there had been relieved of their cameras, phones and money at gunpoint just a few days earlier... I know, sounds silly/stupid but the views from the top are supposedly incredible, with an optimal viewpoint of regular eruptions at the adjacent Santoguito volcano!

Sunrise from the base of Santa Maria

So at 5:30am, with nothing of value except our small camera, we were outside McDonalds in the Parque Central and after four hours of non stop upward walking/climbing we were at the summit of Volcan Santa Maria, elevation 3770m.

Santa Maria! And some rubbish... Sadly quite Guatemalan

Boy, it was tough. I haven't done any climbing or exercise generally in some time and with the altitude, the higher up we got the harder it got. Being the slowest walker is such a false economy! As the slowest walker, Ciaran and the guide had to stop and wait for me every 5 minutes or and as soon as I got there we would set off again. To be fair, they did wait for me to have a rest a few times but I would have really liked all the breaks they got! At least now I know that I *shouldn't* get ill when we do Machu Picchu, as I've now hiked to a higher altitude!

Altitude is a killer! You take a two minute break and feel normal again for about 10 seconds, before breathing becomes hard and your legs feel like lead. It was worth it, however, as the views at the top are incredible (and it's much easier on the way down). Santa Maria is perfectly cone-shaped so you get an amazing panorama at the top. We could see over to the border of Mexico, and the volcanoes around Antigua. Fuego was erupting as we watched.

We could also see all of Quetzaltenango and the surrounding pueblos. But, as luck should have it, on the other side, where sits Volcanic Santoguito, there was cloud all around, below us. So we couldn't see it! We did see one eruption, where the smoke from the eruption burst through the cloud, and it was very cool but we're still in search of the elusive lava!

No Santoguito!

Smoke from the eruption of Santoguito

When we got back to Xela, there was time for a very quick adios with our host family. I was actually quite sad to leave!

Our host family in Xela. Monica, her son Walter, granddaughter Luna and Bambina the chihuahua!

And now... Vamos a Semuc Champey!