00:09The Pakaia Volcano was an amazing sight to see.
00:13If you are not well conditioned, like me, you can try and hike as much as you can and then
00:18take a horse up some of the way.
00:21I have to tell you though, that I felt very sorry for the horse but realized that this is the
00:26way of life for the people who live there, and this is a way of making a living.
00:31I would recommend as other people have, to wear hiking shoes and pay for one of the hiking sticks that
00:37the young boys have at the bottom of the volcano.
00:40When you get to the top, the lava rocks become very sharp.
00:44Also be aware that temperatures change and so even though you may have started and you didn't feel very cold,
00:51you need to bring layers because there's a part that may get very windy and cold.
00:56Some people could not continue hiking because they were not appropriately dressed.
01:01I did enjoy the spa and though I am not quite sure the water was coming from mineral springs, it
01:08didn't matter, it was relaxing.
01:10There was only a small problem leaving the spa.
01:13I think the transportation is set up by the people from the spa because the person who brought us to
01:19the spa was waiting for us, but they wouldn't let us go in that van.
01:23The spa personnel quickly moved us from our van to another waiting van full of people, some locals and tourists
01:30that seemed to be picked up for free from Antigua, to use the spa services.
01:35We were crowded, and the shuffling of the vans was not pleasant.
01:39Other than that the trip was wonderful.
01:42What a great day.
01:44Picked up from my hotel and taken to the foot of Volcano Pacaya.
01:49Tour guide met us from the bus and stayed with us for the hike up and back, despite a diverse
01:54group.
01:55There was a mismatch in the group which meant some of the faster walkers had to wait for others, but
02:01after some of the slower walkers were coaxed on to horses we were able to make up the pace.
02:06We had the perfect weather, warm with a breeze and fantastic views, first of Volcano Agua and the Pacaya.
02:14Bought a couple of lava souvenirs and then came down, back on the bus and dropped at the Coilal Thermal
02:20Spa which was much needed after the dusty walk.
02:23Spa was great and the staff had fun making us go hot and cold on the thermal circuit.
02:29Some tips, take water, comfy supportive shoes, good trainers are okay, but nothing less, and a swimsuit for the spa,
02:38towels are provided.
02:40Despite thinking we'd paid up front, we all got charged 100 getzals, cash only, to enter the national park.
02:49Not enough to lower the star rating, but it would have been good to know this up front.
02:55Also, be prepared for a bit of confusion at the spa lunch, they had to be reminded that we were
03:01part of the prepaid tour and some Spanish would be useful.
03:05We walked, rode horse, switched back to walking, carried babies on horseback, and everything in between.
03:13The horse guides were convenient and flexible.
03:17Marshmallows roasted on hot lava rock awaited us on top.
03:21And the picnic lunch was unexpectedly delicious and a beautiful way to chill out on top of the volcano with
03:28our family on New Year's Eve.
03:30Our tour guide, Juan Jesus or JJ as we fondly called him, was the most phenomenal guide we could have
03:37asked for.
03:38We had a group of 24 relatives ranging from age 8 months old to 74 years old.
03:45JJ seamlessly coordinated all of us with patience, grace, humor and kindness.
03:52He was always available by text or phone call.
03:55Never rushed us or refused to help.
03:58He was thoughtful and always attended to our needs.
04:02More than anything, he became like a friend or a part of our family.
04:07I highly recommend JJ and Kim Kim Travel for making our Guatemalan getaway a perfect experience.
04:13We'll be able to help him take away the THOMASAN Myers order to赴 fiveта one year쇠.
04:14Jewell you get hit on a set of different programs on the peoples' hijos here with us.
04:14We're the best SpaceX as we thought of last as we did.
04:14We got to get started on a 좋아 PMoric AMLY tomorrow.
04:14You
