Fergusons on the loose....: Real Live Volcanoes...

I cannot remember a time when I have been so filthy, so tired, and so sore...we only just hiked a whole volcano, through ash and lava rocks, and dodged falling fire boulders coming straight from the earth's core!

So there wasn't spewing lava like I wanted there to be, but it was still pretty incredible, I mean we were on a volcano! The rocks are so hot that you can roast marshmallows

and the soles of my shoes melted, leaving me to smell like burning rubber the rest of the afternoon. And there really were red glowing boulders falling from above that definitely sent a wave of panic through the crowd. It was amazing, but not for the faint-hearted! (Of course you can rent a horse for $15 to take you mostly to the top...but that's cheating!)

I honestly had no idea that we were getting ourselves into such an intense afternoon. I assumed an Embassy-sponsored trip for adults and kids would be a leisurely stroll up a hill that maybe a little steam came out of. I think 15 minutes into the trek I thought I was going to pass out and die! Not only were we going straight up, to elevations I don't think I have ever been in my life, but every step we took up, we slid 3 steps back through the lava gravel.

Thank goodness for our trusty walking sticks sold to us by the cutest little Guatemalan kids I have ever seen!

Also, hours later and a shower later I am still trying to get all the black lava dust off of me.

I am a little dramatic, it's not like we were climbing Everest -- it was however absolutely incredible and I cannot believe that we live by a real, fire-spewing volcano! At times I sort of felt like I was on Mars...

but then you look down and see the tropical jungle were you began. Unbelievable and I hope next time we do it there will actually be little lava flows! Are you ready to come visit us?!?!? We are totally dragging you up here...but maybe on a pony!

A few more pics from our adventure: