Volcanoes and Kayaks...again...!

Hello!

Sorry for the late blog post.  It has been awhile since I have had decent internet access.  I have done a lot since I wrote last time in Panama so I will get right down to it.  This post is about my cruise through the Panama Canal BEFORE my Mom came (don't worry I will write about all of those adventures as soon as I get home!) Pictures won't have captions and I will re-organize it later, but I don't have much time so please forgive any typos! 

After Panama, we stopped in Guatemala and I finally got to do a tour that I have tried to sign up for three times already.  It was a volcano hike and I was very excited to get outside and do some real hiking.  I had the best time and enjoyed some stunning viewpoints of the countryside.  It started off with a bus ride out there that was about 45 min. long, but it went by fast as our guide, Eric, told us LOTS and LOTS of information about the city of Puerto Quetzal and the country of Guatemala in general.

When we started the hike, it was quite cold.  The higher we went, the colder it got.  I was glad I brought a pair of pants that I could wear over my shorts as well as a pullover.  I started off the hike wearing it all.  Being Calgarian, I always know to dress in layers.

At the beginning of the hike, there were kids selling walking sticks that, of course, I was too cheap to rent.  Also, I have never found a walking stick useful.  However, nearly all of the guests rented them for $1 a piece (yes, I am THAT cheap).  Some even grabbed 2! I’m sorry, but how would that be more helpful?  Anyway, I noticed that most people ended up just carrying most of the way rather than actually using them.

It wasn’t long before I went into camp counselor mode.  Eric told me there was a woman with asthma so I was keeping an eye on her while also making sure that people were taking breaks and drinking enough water (I don’t know how many times I shouted “Hydrate Early and Often!”).  I also took on the role that Debra Odegard usually takes on.  It wasn’t long until I was telling people to get in line at viewpoints and shouting “I’m the official photographer”.  I think people appreciated having someone there to take their picture (not everyone is as skilled at selfies as I am).

I should also mention that there were about 15 horses following us up the hill.  The riders (some as young as 9) would keep shouting “taxi, taxi!” hoping that one of the guests would give up and ride a horse the rest of the way (for the price of $30).  I am pleased to report that every single tourist managed to do the hike on their own (of course there were still verbal complaints the whole time, but I’ve learned to expect that from at least 40% of all cruisers. Weaklings.)

Eric would stop the group every once in awhile and give us more information about the vegetation around us, animals that lived in the area, history of the volcano etc. which was great and again, the views were stunning.  Eventually we made it to the halfway point and took a little break.  At this point I had taken off my pullover because I was sweating while walking, but it got REALLY cold once I stopped and the wind was blowing really hard.  We were going to be going up even further so I was LITERALLY about to put it on when I heard this girl (a little older than me) complaining about how cold she was.  She just kept going ON and ON about how they should’ve told her to bring something warmer (which, I must mention, it DID say on the shore excursion ticket) and I just couldn’t take it anymore so I offered her my sweater just to shut her up.  What I hated most was that she is there saying “No, it’s ok...” when I know that she is freezing and just wants me to INSIST that she takes it.  I kept saying “No really I have pants on, I will be fine” and it wasn’t until her mother said “Take the sweater!” that she finally gave in.

The rest of the hike was great-it was more difficult coming down because of all the shale, falling rocks, and steep hills.  A woman slipped and declared that she had broken her wrist (lie) and didn’t know if she could walk anymore (lie).  Again, camp counselor Annika came out.  We cleaned up her cut on her ankle and I told her she would be fine, but if she really felt she had hurt herself she should go to the medical centre on the ship once we got back.  OH NO, that wasn’t enough.  She was CONVINCED she broke her wrist so she insisted we make a splint using a water bottle (I’m sorry, what?) and would NOT stop talking about it for the rest of the journey.  Honestly, I don’t know how many times I just wanted to tell her to suck it up.   

One of the coolest parts of the hike was when we were in the crater of the volcano and roasted marshmallows using one of the natural heat vents (called a chimney).  It was very cool and I enjoyed a few of the marshmallows before we finished the hike.  My feet hurt at the end, and I was covered in dust/dirt but it was a wonderful, exhausting day and I enjoyed it a lot.  Here are a few shots from my adventure!

In Cabo, I went kayaking and snorkeling.  It was great!  I was partnered with a guy named Bill from Atlanta.  He was supposed to be in a kayak with his wife, but she was a little nervous so she went with the guide, and Bill became my partner!  He was quite the conversationalist, and we talked A LOT.

We went to “Lover’s Beach” (not just me and Bill, but the whole group.  Obviously) and I took some GREAT selfies.  I was happy there were lots of rocks/boulders to set my camera on.  Everyone was looking at me with strange faces, yet nobody volunteered to just TAKE my picture for me.  Go figure. 

I also went snorkeling, even though I hate fish (and I hate fish because I am scared of them.  NBD).  I saw lots of interesting fish and enjoyed myself, other than when someone’s flipper would touch my body and I immediately thought it was a school of fish attacking me with their scaly, slippery bodies.  This happened multiple times.  It’s fine.

Our guide, Luis, was great.  My favourite thing about him was that he was constantly asking me to take pictures of him.  I would be taking pictures of the scenery and then, I would notice that Luis was posing thinking that I was actually taking a picture of him

Bill and I loving life!

Luis and I

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Anyway, it was a wonderful day filled with sand, sunshine, and the sea!

My next blog post will be about my time spent with Mumsie and Gwen.  We are having a great time, but I don’t think I will have any decent internet access before I return home so you may have to wait awhile to hear about our adventures!  Better late than never, though, I suppose!

Hope you are all doing well!

Love,

A