Volcán Pacaya

I finally got to climb Volcán Pacaya, an active volcano that last erupted two years ago, which is so recent that the lava hasn't finished cooling and only the top layer is rock. Underneath, and not particularly far underneath, it is still molten and incredibly hot. Fortunately, thanks to a total absence of safety regulations in Guatemala, tourists are allowed to climb up and even roast marshmellows if they like in the crevices through which the lava is still accessible.

It felt like a scene out of the Lord of the Rings. Fog covered the summit and the alien landscape was made all the more surreal by the sharp contrast between the freezing mountain wind and the at times overpowering heat of the lava. I had met up with a few Spaniards in the bus on the way over and I could've sworn we were questing together. I even nicknamed a stray dog we spotted Golem. He was wet and shivering when we first saw him but he came with us to the summit and warmed up quickly against the black volcanic rock.

The number one sweetest part was discovering that if you spit on hot lava, it evaporates before landing. However, being that close long enough to aim through the solid rock to the liquid is quite a feat. If you rush yourself and miss, it evaporates on contact with the solid part, which is not nearly as epic. The fully cooled rock was pretty dope too; it had a strange, brittle texture and a lot of it broke easily. In places it retained the shape of a viscous but flowing liquid, layered like thick molasses.