Oct
29
2010
Copan and Volcano
Author: KristiWe got to the bus station to grab the bus to Copan. Little did we know what adventures this bus ride would have in store for us. While we were in the jungle it had rained heavily every night, making the roads very unstable. I was looking out the window at the gorgeous lightening storm that was in effect when one of the lightning bolts struck a tree right outside my window. It made an extremely loud cracking sound and sparks went flying, absolutely amazing. Further down the road we came to a stop, an awfully long stop. I looked at the window and saw buses and other vehicles turning around. Turns out there had been a mudslide that was now blocking the road. It was starting to look like we’d have to spend the night on the bus, and none of us had eaten. So, in the dark rainy night we ventured to a corner store and bought an exceptionally nutritious dinner. Jalapeno chips, hot dog buns, cheese, cookies and mini sausages of only God knows what kind of meat (I did not partake in eating the sausages).
Finally the bus made some movement and we were on our way again, some workers had cleared the path making it so we could continue on our way. Once in Copan at one o’clock in the morning, in the pouring rain, we tried to find a place to sleep. Most hostels we tried were full, but we managed to find one. The next day we changed locations to another hostel and decided to book a horseback riding tour. The horses looked more like donkeys and the tour guide only spoke Spanish. I don’t know what came over me that day but I was in the giggliest of moods. Watching Rich’s loco horse jerking him around and him freaking out was bringing tears of laughter to my eyes. Then looking to the other side and seeing Imran leaned back and talking to his horse like they had been mates for life, I was hysterical. I chatted with the tour guide who was babbling away and I was merely smiling and nodding understanding only a few words per sentence. By the end of the tour we had all gotten very comfortable on our horses and we were racing and cutting each other off (yes, I was still laughing).
Rich and I woke up early one morning to climb, the recently erupted, volcano Pacaya. We managed to get a great group and an insane guide, who suited us just fine. Once we hiked the hard part we were running and sliding down hills of loose volcanic gravel down to the volcano’s crater. We walked across hot coals to a large hole in the ground exposing glowing red hot lava. We took the marshmallows we had bought earlier and threw a couple in and watched them catch fire before even hitting the lava. Once we had all taken a few pictures we made our way back in a cloud of steam from the heat of the sharp lava rocks beneath our feet. We made a quick stop to roast some marshmallows on the rocks and our guide just used the rocks to light his cigarette. The way down was much faster than the way up, we all charged through the gravel and slid down the side of the volcano until we reached the bottom. We all stopped before getting into the bus to empty our shoes. Little piles of gravel formed from what had accumulated in our shoes.