Monterrico

Yesterday, we went to the beach. It was absolutely stunning. We were told that this beach is packed on the weekends but yesterday we had it all almost completely to ourselves. It was perfect beach weather. The sand is black, the sky was blue. The surf was very strong but we enjoyed walking on the beach and getting wet. We hadnt realized how spoiled we had been with the climate in Antigua. Here, we are at a high elevation and even for the few hours a day that it is "hot" its really not very hot and when its not hot, its the perfect cool and dry. At the beach it was very hot and humid. I got eaten by mosquitos for the first time in weeks which I am really not enjoying today. I had forgotten how hot and humid it can get....not to rub it in for all you folks that are still experiencing winter. Its a reminder that you are experiencing what you dream about in August when you are sweating and scratching mosquito bites. But I'm not complaining...the pictures say it all.

Tomorrow, we will climb Volcan Pacaya. Its an active volcano and at the top we will see real lava flows. We are all pretty nervous since we have heard many reports about how the climb is 2 miles straight up and once you finish that you get to the real hard part...the lava fields. The lava hardens into rough, rocky patches that are difficult to walk on and will cut your legs. If you stand on the wrong spot, you can melt your shoes. Tons of people make the trek everyday so we know it cant be that bad. We have also heard that you can take horses up through the 2 mile hike part so that you are fresh when you get to the lava fields and have decided that we have nothing to prove to anyone and will probably opt for the horses right from the start. Everyone think about us and pray that we dont melt our shoes and that we all make it all the way up to see the lava.