Saturday, July 6th.
By Kelly Bonsignore
Today is our free-day, to do what we would like to in beautiful Guatemala. With a group our size, naturally we split to do a variety of options. Four of us chose to go to see the Volcano, Pacaya. We boarded transport at 6am for the 1.5 hour journey. The hike was quite a challenge, heading straight up to view the flowing lava. With a few educational, and sometimes breathtaking views, we took breaks along the way for the hour-long hike to close to the top of Pacaya. We stopped at the little shop near the top, where the owner remembered me from two years ago. He was forced to close down last year, due to the recent pyroclastic eruption at Fuego, that killed many nearby, and erratic activity from Pacaya. He expressed appreciation for the return visit. Our guide gave us plenty of time for pictures, and roasted marshmallows for us (so WE didn't have to scorch our hands and face to have the treat). The hike down was quite easy, and filled with excited discussion about the incredible experience of being so close to the heated, ever-changing landscape.
When we got back to the hotel, at about 1:30pm, I made more progress toward packing so as to move to the hotel with the Tree 4 Hope group I worked with the following week. A group of us went out to beautiful Antigua to do some shopping, enjoy the incredible views of the old city, with towering volcanos in the distance. McDonald's was actually worth the visit! 🙂
The last evening was spent with the entire group at the mountain top, at El Tenedor restaurant. It was a terrific, productive, rewarding, impactful week. The memories we created, and share with each other, and with the inspiring people of Hogar Miguel Magone, and the town of El Aguacate with forever live within us. Hasta pronto! Amor y bendiciones.
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