Horseback Riding and Pizza Cooked IN a Volcano

After our epic day in Tikal, watching the sunset, we were up early @ 4:45 for airport transport to Flores > back to GC where we had so many issues with car rental (Thrifty scam renting out cars that showed online but weren’t on lot, was only rental place not actually in the airport; had to shop around with our bags in tow for a deal on cars — Simon almost ended up with a Kia Sportage had I not intervened ) 

Got the truck, went to a McDonald’s in the mall, drove to Amatitlan, got lost a bunch (Apple maps doesn’t even know where we are & Google maps tried to repeatedly send our truck across the only footbridge across the entire LAKE) but finally got to town only to realize we didn’t have time to go to the hotel before horseback riding.

So we rejigged our map to set a course for the horses & arrived in San Vincent’s Pacaya Park - after a road closure and some more wrong turns, 45 mins late of course—our romantic sunset ride for 2 was actually us + our guide… + we’re not sure if it was our guide or a girl who rides and wanted a free trip on our dime who brought her boyfriend? (Either way, VERY ANNOYING—translated 2 sentences for Simon & sang off-key campfire songs the rest of the way) + the guides kids to walk all the horses up AND down the mountain (in the dark, with supplies!

Once at the top it was a km foot hike on lava rock to get to the pizza which I was NOT prepared for. Thank god I brought extra jackets or I would’ve died from exposure. Also was not the romantic bachelor date of my dreams with 150 tourists literally sitting 25 feet from our pillowed setup and watching us …

Pizza Pacaya

Awkward having the 3? Guides stand there holding a headlamp for us to see while we sat on the blanket and had our romance moment then took the leftover pizza we ordered… (so unprofessional & unprepared). He led us all back with 1 light from his phone. Dangerous!!

Got back to the horses & I swear if I didn’t know better I’d say the little shits we’re trying to keep Simon & me apart the entire ride. That we booked. Together. 

Saw fuego erupt near the end and some stars, as well as the moon coming out at the very end which was cool on horseback. Wish we were together tho. 

When we got back they sent us some pics and it was ALL OF THEM 😂😂😂 with us in the background lmao (get pics from Simon)

Later we were stopped to figure out directions to the hotel (another saga)

And some lady banged on our truck & hopped in the back—mumbling about San vincente in Spanish so that’s how we picked up our first hitchhiker/made our first chicken bus - when she got out she wished us good health, wealth and blessed our future children and was off into the night. Fuego then erupted for a final time. 

Got to the hotel and I had peticchial hemorrhaging around my eyes from the altitude changes and never felt pain like that in my life. Scary stuff. Couldn’t do anything except drop bags in a complete daze and pass out for the night.