Mexico/Guatemala Day 17 - Volcanic Eruption

At 7 o'clock in the morning, we loaded the buses again. Half an hour later, we headed to the Mexico City airport. Each of us was provided with a breakfast lunch package, which we ate during the two-hour drive.

Arriving at the airport, we had to say goodbye to Caesar and Miguel, who couldn't come to Guatemala with us.

After checking in our luggage and passing through security control, we just had to wait for our gate to be announced.

In the meantime, Starbucks was bought out since everyone wanted to get rid of their remaining pesos :)
The Interjet plane took off on time at 13:15 in bright sunshine. 90 minutes later, at 13:50 local time, we landed in Guatemala City. But there was no sunshine here. When we broke through the cloud cover, it almost seemed as if we were flying into twilight. The visibility was poor and the sunlight shone in a dark orange through the gray clouds. When we picked up our luggage, we also wondered why the airport seemed deserted except for us.

An explanation came soon. About three hours earlier, the Volcan de Fuego, the 'Volcano of Fire', erupted about 70 kilometers away from Guatemala City. The 3763m high mountain is one of the most active volcanoes in Guatemala. Several times a day, it emits large ash clouds. However, such a strong eruption like on this day only occurs about twice a year. According to media reports, this is even the worst eruption in the past years. Immediately after our arrival, the Guatemala City airport had to be closed due to the ash rain.

When we left the airport, we were picked up by two yellow school buses. They were two of those typical American school buses that you know from the movies. It was very cramped inside, but the ride in it was definitely an experience. Before we drove to Antigua and our hotel, our drivers initially took the buses to the drive-in of a McDonald's, where all the prepared takeaway bags were distributed in the bus. Equipped with provisions, we started.

The bus ride took a little longer due to the ash on the streets. The closer we got to Antigua, the thicker the layer of ash on the cars and buildings became. The 'Volcano of Fire' is only about 20 km southwest of the city. After a good two-hour drive, we reached our 'Posada del her mano Pedro' in Antigua at around 5 p.m.

The small town surrounded by volcanoes has about 35,000 inhabitants. Antigua is especially known for its buildings from the Spanish colonial period. Since 1979, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage site and is one of the main tourist attractions in Guatemala.

Once the rooms were occupied, everyone gradually gathered in the lobby. Our tour guides for the next days, Emilio and Walter, also joined us there.

At 7 p.m., we walked through the dusty streets to dinner. This was provided by the organization 'ambi' (Amor y Bienestar). Together with 'ambi', we also have a concert here in Guatemala. We were warmly welcomed and then the buffet was opened. As a grand finale, 'ambi' also organized a magician who amazed us with great card tricks. After about two hours, we made our way back and retreated to our hotel rooms to soon go to sleep.