Volcano Boarding

After a quick breakfast of cereal, Jan and I set off to BigFoot Hostels for our volcano boarding. We arrived and soon heard a loud voice yelling out that we were leaving in 15 minutes. I was not sure this level of enthusiasm was healthy at this hour! After some important information, such as needing a bandanna whcih they luckily sold for just over $1, we were loaded, like cattle, onto the  back of an open bus. Three rows of benches were set up in the back and I was lucky enough to gnab the seat at the front. And even though we were told to duck when we saw trees, we didn't catch any in the head! On our way to the volcano, we passed a circus. I'm not sure that anyone I know has seen a South American circus, And I'm not sure I'd want to. There was a truck trailer with about 6 lions, possoibly a tiger, and leopard....all together in one open area.

Sad to see the animals agitated and actually going after each other a bit. 

There were some interesting sights along the way...part of why I love travelling!

Then we arrived at the base of Cerro Negro. The area was beautiful. We paid a small $5 US to get into the park and then we were driven a bit further before being given orange bags with jumpsuits to carry up to the top and boards. For  an extra $5US, there were locals who would carry your boards, the 1 hour trek up...I would have paid much more than that! The trek was long and hot. Walking through volcanic rock was difficult, like walking uphill in a beach with dense sand. It was all smiles at the beginning though!

This is what we'll be sliding down!

A panoramic for you!

The crater of the volcano

We finally reached the top at 12:30. By this point, I was sweaty, tired, hungry, and thirsty (we didn't bring our bags up with us). And we were about to sit on a piece of wood and rocket down the side of the volcano. Did I mention that I had to sign a waiver that it's not the tour's fault if I die? What was I thinking?

We made it!

I was so scared and dug me heels in the whole way down....but it was also really fun! I can't believe I did it! 

The free mohitos afterwards were pretty worth it as well! Since we were flying down the side of a volcano at 32 km/hr (one girl was 82km/hr) we had volcanic dust everywhere! As I sit here now, I'm listening to rain pouring down and am enjoying the cool breeze blowing through the courtyard of my hostel. I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring, but I'll be sure to keep you updated!