We still had a few more days before we were due back in Antigua, but the weekends crowds had ruined the relaxing atmosphere of the beach side towns. It had only been a few days, but we already craved the cool tranquility of the mountains.
The day dawned clear and cool. We awoke to clear skies above our camp spot at the foot of the volcano. We could now tick: ☑ Watch one volcano erupt from the summit of another off our list. Ok. Technically there was no actual list. But if there were. That one would now have a big tick beside it.
A little over a week after our first miserable failure. We were back, climbing Volcán Acatenango… again.
Your birthday excursion up a volcano didn’t go quite according to plan? You can’t really be too disappointed when one of the first things you see when you roll back in to town is a lady selling assorted pastries out of the back of her car.
Shivering, huddling in the tent as the nylon fabric buffets aggressively in the wind. Nibbling on a slice of cold, plastic-tasting faux cheese. Waiting for the icy rain to subside. Not exactly how I envisaged passing my birthday.
Antigua, much like Oaxaca became a place that kept drawing us back like a magnet. Partly because we were awaiting respectable weather for climbing the nearby volcanic peak of Acatenango. Mostly because there was a lot of really tasty food.
There’s nothing like a freshly roasted campfire marshmallow. But does it taste any better if it has been cooked in the heat radiating from the depths of the liquid interior of the earth itself? This seems like a question that needs to be investigated further.
Laziness had prevented us exploring the flooded, bat poo encrusted Grutas de Lanquín. Yet, the sheer number of Guatemala’s limestone caves made it difficult to leave without exploring at least one cave. Also, we still had some unfinished business with cave tubing.
It had only been a few short weeks since our last cross-Guatemala road trip. Luckily, there was still plenty of Guatemala to see.
Close to the famous Tikal ruins in Guatemala lie the lesser-known Mayan site of Yaxhá. Despite being only 30km as the quetzal flies from its famous neighbour, the drive is a little longer. As a result far fewer tourists make the journey to explore these amazing ruins.