Active

Another week deep in Antigua. Here´s some background on the ground around me.

city + volcan
Originally uploaded by endtimes

This is Antigua as seen from Cerro del Cruz ("Hill of the Cross"), a small park on a hill to the north overlooking the city and the monster Volcàn de Agua to the south, which has come out from hiding behind its clouds. Agua is inactive except as a navigational beacon and subject of innumerable street artists´painted views of the town.

yellow / sun
Originally uploaded by endtimes

This area´s main claims to fame are volcanoes and churches, old colonial missions such as this one, La Merced. This one is particularly lovely and yellow, part of the same complex as the previously mentioned arco amarillo. La Merced is located a block away from my Spanish school so I have the privilege of viewing it in the early morning and afternoon every day on my way to and from class.

Pacaya
Originally uploaded by endtimes

And here is Pacaya, another volcano near Antigua/Guatemala City, but one that is quite active (view here its steaming top). I hiked up here yesterday with a small group of new friends, wasn´t too arduous and definitely worth it when we got to the bank of the lava river. I poked the beast with my walking stick, which became instantly aflame, I was expecting something viscous but it actually feels quite solid, being liquid rock. It didn´t get too mad and wasn´t moving nearly fast enough to overtake my escape on the sharp pumice rockscape but even getting near enough to shake a stick at the flow nearly singed the hair off my face. Pacaya´s revenge.

This week in my Spanish class I talked about human evolution, extraterrestrials, Maya archaeology and seismic activity with my teacher. In the future I will discuss some of these things with you (specifically the Maya and what I´ll be doing in relation to them in the coming months), but for now my life is sun and lava so that´s what´s hot at the moment. I plan to dedicate myself to Spanish for the proceeding week, taking a personal "language pledge" that will preclude me from speaking any English in an effort to dial in my reacquired skills. So until then,

Hasta domingo pròximo
-Josh