We thought we could try to talk to the people at the border since I had all other forms of identification and get through without a problem. However, they wouldn't accept any amount of convincing. They wanted my passport in person, not the copy. My friend Andrew wanted me to either hide behind the bags or cross a river, but I was not going to take the risk for just a few days in El Salvador. Plus, I knew my mom wouldn't be happy to read a blog post about me illegally crossing borders.
So we headed back inland to Monterrico, and thankfully had only traveled a few hours away to get to the border. We spent the night at the beach, and the next day headed to Guatemala City to make our way to el Volcan de Agua--our next big adventure that didn't require a passport.
Although the Volcan de Agua is not the highest point in Guatemala, it's a kick-in-the-butt to climb. It is more well known for the robbers that climbers find on the hike back down. Andrew and I were preparing ourselves the morning of our hike to make sure if we were robbed, it wouldn't be too much. I didn't pack my camera, and I left most of my belongings in the hostel. We were discussing how much money we should carry to offer to our potential robbers. I wanted to bring only 40 quetzales, but Andrew said he was planning on being a little nicer. He said sometimes people turn to violence when they don't receive the amount they want. "But I heard they were nice robbers!" I responded. I had heard stories of the robbers giving people back their memory cards and Q5 for the busride back to Antigua. A boy sleeping next to us woke up to tell us it was the oddest conversation he had woken up to in his life.
With our money in our money belts, we headed off to climb the monstrous Volcan de Agua and were well prepared to hand off a bit of cash for anyone that threatened our way.
The hike was a steady up-hill climb, so we took three breaks throughout our trip. Each time I could not imagine how the view could get better, but with each stop, we could see more of the surrounding towns, then cities even further, all the way up to mountain ranges hours away. Five hours later, we reached the top, sweating, exhausted and with no desire to move an inch. All we could do was refuel on the oranges and cookies we had. We were too tired and pressed for time to walk around the top to get a full view. Despite our laziness, we felt like we were at the higest point of the world. It was a perfectly clear day so we saw all around. Two volcanoes Acatenango and Fuego stood next to each other in what looked like just an arms length away from one another. With a long leap, I felt like I could almost make it to one of their peaks, if only I had enough energy. In the far background, a mountain range looked dwarfed from the distance with all the towns and villages sprawled in front, hidden in nooks of the mountains.
We wisked down the path at a brisk pace to get back in time for the last bus. Although it was much easier, I fell flat on my face three times and tripped 11 more--yes I did count. Despite the bruises and sore muscles, the climb was most definitely worth it, especially since we left with all the belongings we came with.
Andrew's Pictures of our climb:
Almost there! Walking stick in hand, we inch our way up the last half hour.
Taking a break, we were building our immune system while snacking with dirt-filled fingers.
From below, Volcan de Agua looks pretty innocuous.
