I have been here 7 years but I never, never, ever get tired of seeing these amazing volcanoes that surround us! When you pass through a very rainy period and you can´t see them their reappearance is all the more breathtakingly spectacular. ……..a maravilla no less ………..! You cannot beat a volcanic silhouette when it comes to inspired photography.
Pacaya has recently been dumping ash on the city and made global headlines. The last major eruption was Santiaguito out the side of Santa Maria near Xela (Quetzaltenango). These volcanoes I have not visited yet but I have a few photos to share of the others. All three pregnancies the tour operators kept giving me flyers to climb Pacaya ……. ahorita non hombre. But we must do it soon!!
SO with this in mind, I have been reaching into the archives for some of my best volcano photos. I would like to thank Mr John Hampson (known as Papa Grande to my boys) for a lot of these wonderful images.
The three volcanoes that surround us are called Agua, Fuego, and Acotenango and there is a little nub on Fuego which looks like a baby on the way. Until my little girl was born we were all named after the volcanoes which made our morning walk with the two boy toddlers and the dog a little bit more entertaining. Agua, the big one was Papa, my first born was the active fiery fuego, always farting, Mummy and the little one were Aco and bump. Now that I have another littler one we will have to tell her that the volcanoes are all her family protecting her ……… or something like that so she doesn´t feel left out.
Beautiful Fuego with authentic Guatemala wires hanging
When we go for weekends to Lake Atitlan we have some more beautiful volcanoes to ogle at. In fact there are 33 volcanoes in Guatemala which for a country this size is very impressive.
I have some sweet and curious nieces and nephews in London who every time they see me never fail to be incredulous that people like us actually live on volcanoes. Their questions seem quite understandable for people that come from an island that has seen no volcanic action for a few hundred thousand years or more.
Fuego puffing
But Auntie why did people go and live there?
Because that is where they have always lived.
But why don´t they move now?
Because they are used to living with the volcanoes and they like them.
Really ……….. they say with their big English eyes aghast and puzzled. I´ll wait a few years before I explain to them why volcanoes seem so harmless in Guatemala compared to racial repression, civil war, genocide, gendercide, gangs, narcos and one of the highest murder rates in the western hemisphere.
Ahhh our dear friends the volcanoes they don´t really bother us!!!
My husband has told me that he will follow me anywhere but he must come back and die with his volcanoes! Maybe my children will feel the same.
