Antigua, Guatemala

Antigua is a pretty town. I took one picture of it. It wasn´t even a very good picture. In fact, it's a terrible picture, Crap. But I feel obliged to post it. Anyway, here you go:
I spent one full day in Antigua. The morning was dedicated to the market, buying what my Uton dormmate friends affectionately called "goo"...all of the handicraft crap that I had been eyeing this whole time but haven't put forth the effort to buy (and then lug around). The afternoon I climbed a volcano, and this volcano broke my heart.

Before I left, I had been joking telling people that the reason I was coming on this trip was to poke some lava. The only thing is, I wasn't joking. That was pretty much my sole intention in coming back down here. A lot of my friends I met in South America had pictures of themselves and a stream of flowing lava. I need that picture. The volcano that has this phenomenal lava flow is named Pacaya. And it no longer has a lava flow. Noooooooooo!!!! It erupted last May, and apparently got all of its lava flowing tendencies out of its system. So sad... It was still pretty, the guide still set some branches on fire by placing them over a hot hot vent, and I roasted a marshmallow on the ground. But seriously? No lava???

We got stuck in a traffic jam on the way out there for about an hour. A landslide had covered the road, but crews cleared it quicker than one might think imaginable. Of course, seemingly out of no where, ice cream peddlers show up as if summoned from on high. Anyway, the hike is supposed to take an hour 45 minutes or so. We had some time to make up. We went straight up the mountain. As our guide kept yelling, "subimos la playa!!" (literally, we climb the beach!). Pretty accurate, as we ignored the switchbacked road that went up and took the small, vertical tracts of sand that cut off the switchbacks. It took us less than an hour. Sunset was beautiful. Walking down in the dark...not as beautiful.