On Monday I made my first solo drive with the stick shift into Antigua, spending most of the day in La Merced – an amazing 16th Century convent.

Click here for a few more photos

And yesterday was the Pacaya volcano – one of the most active in the world! It was utterly otherworldly. A climb of about 1 km straight up (I got a horse halfway up!) When we reached the top of mountain – the volcano towering above, the mist and clouds began to roll in, and it became difficult to tell the smoke from the fog. Then we actually went with our (12 year old) guide, Victor, onto the slope of the volcano – with lava flowing not more than 100 yards above. I mean flowing…slowly, but glowing and flowing. Victor actually stuck a hotdog on a stick and cooked it in a crack beneath our feet. We finally had to go back when the spot we were standing on grew too hot beneath our feet. There is no way to describe the truly awe-filled feeling of standing on a living earth! click here for the rest of the photos