So where did I leave off? Oh yes cooking in Suchitoto. The afternoon and evening was also fun - we hired a boat and went out bird watching. 3 free loading do gooders ( although it seemed to me did very little) also joined us, and a fun Canadian guy called Scott. Fun afternoon, and we ended the day drinking beer and avoiding tequila shots in El Necio bar.
Philippa and I rolled into our palace of a hotel at midnight promising to get up at 6 to see sunrise.
Friday dawns - sunrise is briefly observed - and then we head out with a local tour guide on a full day walking up El Salvador's highest active volcano, and then cooling off on it's largest freshwater lake - lago de coatepeque.
The trek starts well - we meet up with 6 other tourists - and none of them look like the uber fit type's. Joy. Our police escort starts at a swift pace. Game on. Lonely planet has already told me that Santa Anna erupted in 2005 killing 2 and evacuating thousands. It also told me that the views from the barren and windy summit are spectacular. Time to find out but at my own pace. Turns out the trek is completely fine going up - and the views from the top are sensational. An emerald green boiling hot sulphur lake appears at the bottom of the crater. Amazing views of the dormant Volcan Izalco, blue skies and lago de coatepeque surround us. Hartley is back in the trekking game. What a difference having a 10kg backpack makes.
Feeling pretty smug at this stage it's time to go down. Simple. Well it would be for most people - but I go all wobbly when sheer drops are involved. As luck would have it - our main police guide quickly spots the weak link, and keen to keep his tourist mortality rates down he pretty much accompanies me the whole way down. Any point a steep drop occurs Gabriel's hand and body appears at my side. It's very welcome. Sod being tough - I'm quite getting into this being helpless.
At the bottom Gabriel says to me ' Mission accomplished Gemma'
Couldn't have put it better myself
X
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