Day 11: Back to Antigua

We had a later start this morning in order to recover from the exertion over the last couple of days. I ate pancakes with fresh fruit and honey for breakfast with cinnamon tea before beginning the journey back to Antigua and resting, in preparation for the challenging final two volcanoes. It felt like a while since I was first in Antigua, back at the beginning of my trip. Since then I've climbed 5 volcanoes, witnessed beautiful sunrises and sunsets above the clouds and stood on the roof of Central America.

The final stage of my adventure promises to be the pinnacle of the trip or as Diego described to me at breakfast "It will be the cherry of the pie!" Tomorrow we will begin the ascent of Guetemala's third highest volcano, Acatenango (3976m) followed by a partial ascent of the spectacularly active Fuego the following day. We will camp at 3500m on the shoulder between the summits for two nights where we will have a view of the volcanoes I have summited during my time in Guetemala. We have been warned that despite this being potentially the most remarkable place you can camp in the world, the main challenge in addition to the intense steepness of the climb and the altitude will be actually getting some sleep. Fuego (translated to 'where the fire is') persistently blows rocks and dense black clouds into the stratosphere and this is accompanied by large explosive sounds that mean sleep at this campsite is rare. From the previous summits I have observed the large plumes of ash extending above Fuego and the lava streams illuminating the night sky, so to be camping 300m shy of the summit seemed wreckless but strangley appealing. We are assured although camping so close to an active volcano poses obvious risks, we will be "as safe as possible" and Beanie joked if he shouts "Lava lava lava" in the middle of the night then you know to run! I was mesmorised by the prospect of witnessing this natural phenomenon and couldn't think of a better way to conclude this epic adventure.

We stopped for lunch on the way to Antigua, I had grilled chicken served with fresh salad, guacamole and spiced potato wedges with hibiscus juice which is a drink served at most places in the country. The food alone is a reason to visit Guetemala, an abundance of fresh locally grown ingredients coupled with Mexican flavour influence leads to irresistible food. Once we arrived to our hotel I spent some time organising my gear before heading out to continue my exploration of the town. I wandered through the markets, the local craft stalls and admired the colourful buildings. The town felt very safe and enjoyed an afternoon soaking in the sights. All there is to do now is fuel up, rest and make the most of a full night's sleep before the final stages of this adventure.