WE'VE all cooked marshmallows on a campfire. But toasting them in red-hot molten lava at the top of a live volcano was taking it to the extreme.
Boyfriend Ross and I were making our snack scarily near the summit of 8,200ft (2,500 metre) Volcan Pacaya in Guatemala, an active volcano in Central America. We'd been travelling for 22 days and my desk in London seemed a distant memory.
It was a gruelling two-hour climb to get there across razor- sharp rocks which were so hot the rubber soles of our shoes were melting. It was also slightly unnerving when our guide told us that the ground we were walking on was created by an eruption just two weeks before. But just as we were wondering if we should turn back, we came face to face with a bubbling river of orange lava... an incredible sight I'll never forget. Climbing a volcano was (not just literally) the high point of our trip so far. But as we were to find out, travelling also has its lows. Just two days later, in a village in Guatemala, we took a wrong turn and were confronted by two men waving a machete louis vuitton bags and demanding my camera and I gave it to them.
At first, being robbed made us question the safety of venturing off the tourist track. But we realised we'd learned a valuable lesson about safety. One of the main aims of our trip was to try new things and we decided we couldn't let the robbery take that away.
So when we passed a "motorbike for hire" sign on Nicaragua's Ometepe Island, we decided it was the perfect way to explore. After a two-minute lesson in Spanish - the gist of which was "es OK, es OK, no problema" - we set off around the island's volcanoes and beautiful lakes.
We ended the day riding along a stunning beach at sunset. But the romance vanished when we skidded on the sand and fell off, much to the amusement of the locals. We also tried surfing at San Juan Del Sur in Nicaragua.
air structure triax 91One of the toughest but most rewarding experiences of our trip was hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru. The four-day, 28- mile trek follows a route paved across the mountains by the Incas to reach their holy city in the 1400s. It cost us pounds 550 each, a significant chunk of our budget. At nights we lay frozen in our tent, despite sleeping with all our clothes on. The toilets were holes in the ground and we shared a bowl of hot water to wash with in the morning. It was tough... but the panoramic views from the top were incredible.
The second day was the hardest of all as we had to hike over the infamous Dead Woman's Pass, which reaches a breathtaking 4,200 metres. Although we woke up excited every day, after three days the steps were taking their toll and Ross's knee swelled up. Our guide wrapped it with an ancient herbal remedy- although he thankfully left out on of the usual ingredients - fresh urine. More effective was a black resin called llipta (made from llama fat and ash) which he was given to chew in some coca leaves - it numbed his whole body!
After a 4am wake-up call on the final day, we walked for three hours to the ancient Sun Gate where we caught our first glimpse of Machu Picchu. It was spectacular watching the sun slowly rise, revealing the Lost City inch by inch, and quite emotional after our four-day trek.
I didn't think that experience could be topped, but just a few days later I was taken by surprise.
We went to stay with a traditional family in the nearby village of Chinchero. They earn a living weaving llama and alpaca w
Wow gold!:
Wow gold
Wow gold