Marshmallows

A “must-do” activity in Antigua, Guatemala is to hike up a volcano. There are four volcanoes near Antigua. Volcan Fuego is the most active and it still spews ash plumes high into the air. As we drove into Antigua, we could see the smoke and ash.

Volcan de Fuego

Tour operators offer hiking trips to observe the eruption of Fuego, however, tourists cannot hike the Fuego volcano itself because it is active, but they can hike Acatenango, which is close to Fuego. From Acatenango, they get a great view of the volcanic activity on Fuego. The hike takes two days and each hiker brings his own camping gear and food. On the second day, the hikers depart camp at 3 am to reach the peak at sunrise. After watching the sunrise and volcanic activity up close, the next three hours are a difficult descent.

Reviews of this 2-day hike are all over the map but most consider it to be a difficult hike. Some hikers don’t make it to the top, others have said it is the most difficult hike they have ever done. Some hikers report spectacular views of the Fuego volcano while others were disappointed. It would make quite an adventure but, nevertheless, we passed on this one. We decided to leave the climb to the young backpackers who are 40 years younger and more fit than we are.

We signed up to climb the smaller Pacaya Volcano 

Pacaya is considered to be quite small with a height of 8,373 ft. It is the most popular volcano to hike in Guatemala due to its attainable height which requires only a half-day of climbing two miles up to the cone where hikers walk on hardened, granulated (sand-like) lava. The hike is considered to be easy/moderate, but some people say it’s difficult while others say it’s easy.

At 6 a.m. we boarded a van with 11 other hikers. After an hour drive around mountain curves, we arrived at the park entrance, paid the entrance fee, and started walking uphill. We found the hike to be steep and others in our group (even young backpackers) found it to be difficult. Luckily, we took multiple rest stops along the way.

A few hikers knew from the beginning that they couldn’t manage the climb and requested a horse immediately. For those who might get tired along the way, the guides brought horses along with us in case someone needed help to make it to the top.

At the peak, there are acres of volcanic rock and lots of areas are hot and steamy. Our guide brought marshmallows to roast over the hot volcanic rocks. It was the thing to do. We enjoyed the marshmallows and should have brought graham crackers and chocolate bars. Other guides opt to cook a pizza on the volcanic rock. They assemble a makeshift oven out of the rock and wait quite a while for the pizza to cook. It would be well worth the wait.

After taking pictures at the peak and snacking, we descended along a less strenuous trail. This trail was much wider, and the slope was less steep, with fewer obstructions. We passed by groups of people on horseback ascending to the top. We wondered why we didn’t take this easier trail up the mountain. The two different trails may explain why some reviewers thought the hike was easy while others said it was moderate to difficult.

We enjoyed the experience of climbing the volcano and we especially enjoyed descending and finishing the challenging hike. A beer and bed rest were our plans for the rest of the day.

Jade

Over the course of our travels, we have taken classes to cook local food, make chocolate, weave, make Panama hats, and make guitars. Now we can add jewelry making to the list. At a jade museum, store, and factory in the heart of Antigua, we designed and made jewelry.

All about Jade

Guatemalan jade is a rare gem that comes in assorted colors. The jade was prevalent in the ancient Mesoamerican culture; however, the Mayan people hid their sources from the Spanish conquistadores and the jade locations were lost for 500 years. The Spanish only valued gold and did not search for jade. However, the Spanish explorers reported that Mayan people worshipped a sacred gemstone, one that would later be called jade.

Americans Jay and Mary Lou Ridinger rediscovered jade in 1974 when they found an outcrop of Jadeon rock along the Motagua River.

There is a wide variety of jadeite colors from light mint to saturated dark green. Jade also comes in white, creamy yellow, blue, and lavender. Mayan Foliage is a rare green-and-white mottled color and the rarest of all is the bright, translucent Imperial jade.

There is no underground mining of Guatemalan jade. Hunting for jade is arduous and jade boulders are hard to identify because their surface is covered with a rind similar to the bark of a tree. Distinguishing jade in the field is done by pounding the rocks with a 10-pound sledgehammer and a unique ringing sound identifies the jade. The workers heat the jade boulders and then throw water on them to create cracks. Finally, they use jackhammers to remove jade ‘lenses’ from the boulders.

Carving our Piece of Jade

At Casa del Jade in Antigua, we created our own piece of jewelry out of raw jade. First, we watched artists create fine jewelry, and then we went to a small workshop to do the same work ourselves.

We worked for about 2 hours learning the history and the distinct types and colors of jade. We then donned our work attire: an apron, safety glasses, and ear protection.

The first step in the process was selecting the piece of raw jade from the selection of colors and sizes. We then chose a shape for our finished piece.

We used a saw to cut the shape of the jade. After cutting, we ground the surface to smooth the shape and used four levels of grit to polish the stone.

After the surface was glossy and smooth, we assembled our works of art and showed them off. It was a fun experience and helped us appreciate the work of the skilled jade artisans.

Onward travels

After a week of climbing volcanoes, making jewelry, eating good food, and exploring ruins we are moving on to high altitude Lake Atitlan.  Instead of walking or taking tuk tuks around the city, we will board boats to cross the lake and visit lakeside pueblos.  We are looking forward to the quiet and nature of life along the lake which guidebooks describe as the most beautiful mountain lake in the world.  We can’t wait to see it and find out if we agree.