Volcanos and Queen's day!

After many attmepts I was able to pull myself away from San Pedro and head to Antigua, a larger city in Guatemala. The shuttle over here was comfortable and roomay as we weren't many people and each had out own seats! Once again someone thought I was Israeli, and I am starting to think it would just be easier to go along with it! Sababa! At home people sometimes tink I am greek or Italian but here its always Israeli.... and Israelis are all surprised I can speak Hebrew...so I tell then I grew up in the westbank...after they get over the shock I let them know I'm from Canada eh!

Happy Queen's day!! I met a girl from Holland on the shuttle who let me know it was Queens day...an excuse to wear orange and get drunk and be happy about the Queen of Holland.... we went to a party with lots of people wearing Orange, an abvious tradition for Queens day, but I did not see a single clog anywhere! (I was recognized by an Israeli who remembered me from my Hebrew reading performance at the seder!) I also learned my intuition was working as I was offered part of a friend's beer and for the first time in my life I half jokingly asked if there was anything else in it.... it turns out there was, and orange almost became only one of many colors I could have been seeing...This was the only time in as long as I could remember that I really wanted to smack someone...but since no harm was done and I am not wearing my skates (the only time I can really be violent) I let it slide....Antigua has a large market where I went crazy the other day! I got a new bag, a shirt, a sweater and sunglasses....Its about time I had a sweater with a hood! I have never travelled without a hoody and i figured i would get one here quick...well it took me 2 months! the fact that it hasn't been cold enough to need one may have influenced that!

There are lots of bootlegs around central america, in markets you can buy almost any movie, but they are all downloaded and burned to cd....nothing is official...I bought some Adidas sunglasses, but I am sure someone just added stickers and a tag to regular glasses, or I got the best deal on the planet! Aparently Scrubs sponsors the local pharmacy!!! I think you can use any image or product for your benefit around here!
The local McDonalds or (McDo (pronounced McDoe) for those in la belle province) has an eating area as sweet as the finest restaurant, this is only a part of the courtyard!

The main reason I came to Antigua, besides that I was sure I could see some playoff action (which I did) was to go to Pacaya volcano and check out the lifeblood of the planet! It was really neat.... First when you get out of the bus after a 1.5 hour ride there are tons of kids trying to sell you sticks for 5 Quetzales...less then a dollar.... these are to poke at the lava with... I somehw got an awesome stick that I thought would make a perfect walking companion for the duration of my travels....
Then we headed up the mountain, about half way.... Here the lava is not pouring out of the crater of the volcano but rather out of the ground on the side.... First we came to dry or hardened lava, which was brittle and easily breakable and often in really pretty patterns....

The lava was really flowng out of the ground and was unbearably hot! It felt kind of nice after walking up in a cool drizzle.... The ground we were walking on probably only got laid that morning or the day before.... Part of what we were walking on had cracks and you could see red hot lava just a few inches below you! It was pretty freaky.... and aparently no one gets hurt even though there is not a guardrail in site! Pretty cool.... So this is one way that lkand is made, lava comes out of the ground and hardens..... the earth is torn open and bleeding....its bolld is red too, but much thicker than ours...

Check out the flow! It moves more towards the end of the video!




I finally got some shots of the chicken buses! They are copletely repainted from their old school bus colors but the seats remain the same. There is a man called an adelante who is th ebad guy and ticket guy, he hangs out the door most of the time looking for people and is always crawling over the roof and going in and out the backdoor as often as the front... I think this is probably the wackiest job you can get in guatemala, haning off the back and roof of a bus flying down the highway!



Tonight is another Habs game, obviously I hope they win, but If they lose I wont be tempted to stay inthe city to see the next game! Soon I am off to El Salvador, and then maybe Nicuragua before going diving in Honduras.... I iss the carribean!

Cheers!

mike


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