It was something between silly and stupid when I decided to do the vulcano trekking after released from hospital just a week ago. But hey, I wasn’t thinking. 🤷🏼♀️😅 I wish I would have been thinking clearly when they told you can rent a horse to take you up. I didn’t have the money with me, but Juan had and I’m pretty sure he would have loned to me. 😁 I’m in such way lucky, that I have been trekking so much, that I don’t have any need to prove anything -there is only the minor thing: sometimes I don’t think. 🤦🏼♀️
Juan... I don’t know how it happend, but in hostel I was telling him (almost in extase) about the vulcano trekking. He haven’t heard about it before -or atleast not been told with such inner fire. (Remember that I had carried this disappointment of missed active vulcano trekking already a week and now had had courage to arrange everything again with quite extra money for recheduling my flights etc.) Juan had been so kind, that he had showed me everything that there was to see in Guatemala City (which meant we had been already walking some 15 km together) so maybe it was only natural, that we continued 16 km together in higher altitudes. Anyhow, now I felt totally comfortable to use his money for my horse -if I just would have thought that in time. 😆 But it wasn’t a one-way-road -I also felt totally responsible whether he had drinken enough and whether he had enough snacks and warm chlothes... 😅
Have to say 1000 m elevation in 4.5 hours as convalescent was not a picnic. I have done the same elevation before even in higher altitudes, but when being healthy and well acclimatised. It was all worth it when I first time heard the eruption. It sounded like a thunder. And when that sound was finally combined to the smoke and flying stones... Well, stones is maybe an understatement. Your eyes could hardly separate the people half way getting there, but you could clearly see the stones that were spit by the vulcano, even though it was double that far. 😱The views were spectacular and beatiful, as long as you didn’t mind the vulcanic dust that tried to get into your each and every hole... 😳😬🙄
Even though I was the one suggesting us to do the vulcano trekking, Juan quite easily took the control of arrangements, as he is fluent in Spanish. It was funny how I suddenly considered him as a local, although he is absolutely pure Yankee, even though his heritage is half Mexican half El Salvador. But in Northern El Salvador, from where his father is from, the Mayan heritage is strong. They are the tall ones with green eyes, the same types that often were rulers in Guatemala’s and Mexico’s Mayan cities. And Juan has that Mayan look. As a summary, I’m pretty sure he is a descendant of some deceased Mayan King, although his father hasn’t revealed it to him yet. Yes, I know, sounds like a teenage girl’s novel. 😃 But I allow that to myself. 😌 The slightly negative site of this was that I totally lost any talent I ever had to manage my staff in Spanish and just followed him smiling. Easy travelling. 👌🏻😃
Our campsite on vulcano Acatenango had very nice views facing vulcano Fuego and when the evening came, the sunset was one of the most beautiful ones and vulcano Fuego had one more surprice for us. In darkness we could see the burning red lava, which was totally amazing. So as the night came we were having our dinner at the campfire -and of course having hot chocolate and grilled marshmallows as dessert.
As always in high altitudes, the night was cold. I even saw tiny snow flakes at the night time. I anyhow managed almost not freezing when sleeping in our tents, but as the sleeping bags were prepared just for summer temperatures I had some extra on me. Certainly starting from silk bodice, merino wool long sleeves underwear with merino wool socks and boxers. Then in upperbody silk knitting, hoodie and guilted jacket and wrapping my lower body with my trusted Burberry pashmina wool scatf (which works really well also as blanket in flights). And then having inside sleeping bag one blanket folded under me and one on me. I say it was a process to get out to pee and see those snow flakes. 😅
The next day we were all so impressed, that on our way down the time was just flying. We were all amazed and so happy what we have experienced. The way down though had also its challenges. There was quite a much vulcanic loose soil in the path and some made the way down sliding, some running. But I must said there you saw the difference of proper hiking shoes. I was so happy mine gripped even to the loose soil and let me just walk firm and safely my way down. Got to love those shoes! 🥾❤️
And to the who are now worried: I recovered from the total uncapabability to use Spanish when our paths with the descendant of Mayan Ruler separated. I haven’t have change to rechallenge, so I actually can’t accuse him for sure about my symptoms. But I hope to get my rechallenge next summer when travelling to California. Until then I would say only my symptoms were (most) probably related. 😄
Now I’m already on my way to Panama where I have decided to pamper myself a bit. It will include luxorious hotel with Spa and Gym and probably also massage, yoga, etc. 😌
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