Day 8: Volcan Chicibal

After a lovely relaxed day I felt ready to continue with another volcanic objective. After breakfast we left Lake Atitlan by boat and then drove along the Pan American highway to the city of Quetzaltenango (also known by its Mayan name of Xela). Xela sits at an altitude of 2335m, is Guatemala's second largest city and the centre of the Quiche Mayan people. The city had a beautiful cathedral and busy narrow streets lined with food and craft stalls. From Xela we travelled for another hour to Laguna Seca, where the trailhead of Volcan Chicibal is situated. The outskirts of Xela showed American influence with large corporations like McDonald's and Pizza Hut dominating the streets, far less charming than the city centre. Before beginning the hike we ate a traditional Guetemalan lunch of tortillas, black beans, onions, salsa, avocado and cheese - the food is fresh and delicious.

Sacred in Mayan beliefs the Chicibal Volcano is seen as a symbol of the power of nature and religious ceremonies and offerings made to the gods to ask for protection against natural disasters. The lagoon at its crater

is considered the centre of Mayan 'Cosmovision' and Mayan traditionalist still use altars along the lakeshore. The initial hike was steep, following a dusty track through the forest, before following a more gentle incline towards the lagoon. The ascent was not challenging and took only an hour to reach the lagoon in the crater of the volcano.

Flowers and corn adorned the lake shore, where locals had given them as offerings to the gods in return for their wishes. I understood why this place was seen as sacred. The lagoon glistened in the sunlight, whispers of cloud grazed the surface of the lake and luscious vegetation cascaded from the summit to the shore. I walked the circumference of the lake, appreciating the silence and watching the clouds descend through the crater.

From here we ascended from the crater to the summit which stands at 2858m, a challenging total of 688 steps led the way to the top. The steps were steep and uneven but had a handrail for support, I enjoyed climbing them and feeling the burning sensation in my calves. I waited at the top for the others and Diego gave me a huge grin and high five as he reached the summit, laughing at the fact that I enjoyed myself and saying "We'll wait for you if you want to do that again!" Unfortunately the cloud had descended over the lagoon meaning the view was obstructed, but we were all still happy to have reached summit number 4.

The descent was easy and quick and in no time we had returned to the base, waiting for the bus to return us to Xela for the evening. I ate snacks and chatted as Diego and Beanie played football. Today was a nice easy introduction back into hiking, but tomorrow promises to deliver a significant challenge as we attempt to reach Central America's highest summit.