Joe's World Backpacking Trip Stories and pics from my travels.

Finally, I got to climb an active volcano.  The last one I tried to climb had Mai Mai rebels living on it.  This one was free of rebels and corrupt officials.  One of the most interesting landscapes once I got to the top.  Incredibly strong wind that would almost knock you off balance as you were walking, thick clouds blowing through at ground level.  The landscape near the inside of the crater was stark, with the thick cloud cover all you saw were the volcanic rock formations maybe 50 meters away wherever you were walking and then it was a complete white out beyond that.  Black volcanic rock piles, and lava hardened in midstream like a frozen river of rock.  Then as you got closer to the active lava, you would feel heat coming through the fissures of rock, and you could look down and inbetween your feet you could see bright red rock, or flowing lava running deep underneath the rock you were standing on.  The lava flowed at the surface close to the crater.  You had to hop over a couple rocks and fissures here and there and take care not to fall in, then you could get close, well, pretty close to the lava.  I ended up being able to make my way close enough to poke a lava river with a stick.  I almost burnt my face off, and almost tripped into a couple fissures but I made it.  Champion.  Oh also, tons of tourists.