Richard's jaunt

Wednesday, January 05, 2005

Leaving San Pedro

There was a long standing in joke that no can leave San Pedro. People turned around, left jobs in Antigua to return. Four of us eventually decided to make a break for it. All was fine until we stepped off the bus and M painfully twisted her ankle.

She rested and I took the opportunity to walk up the active volcano of Payaca. The scenery was stunning, barren twisted rock, clouds racing straight into the mountain. Spiraling up into contorted patterns, mixing in with the steam rising from the ground. Digging my feet into the cinder cone to make progress up to the mouth of the volcano was hard work, bit like walking up the down escalator. The wind was howling at the top, makeing it icy cold. Great plums of hot sulpherous gases would make us gag as we waited for the cloud to pass.

As it dissipated it revealed a cauldron of red, black and green rocks, from its centre rose a black tower spurted out great orange gobs of molten lava. I clawed out a chunk from the rim to take back. It was so cold I picked up handfuls of hot dirt to keep my hands warm.

Coming back down was hilarious. Just bounded down the side of the mountain, feet blasting huge plumes of ash into the wind. Skidding down in big arcs as if snowboarding, doing turns and setting off mini avalanches. Was nt so funny when I emptied my walking shoes. I had slashed straight through the sole of the shoe on one of the larger pieces of lava, bit of a close call. Carefully walked the rest of the way down in the twilight with the sun sinking behind the mountain.

Getting back to back to Antigua I learnt the news that my friend had gone to hospital and was told she had seriously hurt her ankle. No walking for two weeks, except she was due to be in Costa Rica next week.

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