i decided 1 day before i left hawaii to come to guatemala. why? because there was one place i really wanted to climb, see, and experience. that place is a live volcano situated on one of the highest mountains in central america. 4000 meters. so flying into guatemala city was exciting. i didn’t know what to expect, what to find, or even where to stay. figure those small things out later like i always do. anyway, arrived at the airport at 6:30am.

i get a shuttle from the airport to antigua. bypassed guatemala city because i heard there is a lot of crime, murder, drugs, and bad things. in fact. 97% of murders go unsolved. not my kind of city. but driving through it was interesting.

my drivers kid and wife was in the car too. big huge eyes!

it’s advised not to walk alone down streets at night.

cool things you see on the road. anyway, reach antigua and check into a hostel at 8am. the owner says “hey, do you want to hike Acatenango Volcano? i said, yes, that’s what i’m here for. then she says “there is a 9am shuttle coming here to take you to the mountain.” i’m still jet lagged, lack of sleep, and not thinking too well. so i said “OK, i’m going!”

1 hour later, i get in the bus. meet the other hikers, talk story, and think to myself “is this a good decision? i mean, i just got off the plane from hawaii to lax to guatemala. i slept a total of 2 hours last night? i’m tired? i’m not 100% at all.

but hey, you know me right? if you don’t go, you won’t know! so i go. i borrow a sleeping bag, tent, mat, and buy 6 liters of water. they provided a small bag of lunch, dinner, and breakfast. when we pulled up, the mountain looked much higher than i thought. 8 hours hike up rugged terrain, wild animals, bandits, and other crazy things.

i’m totally unprepared physically, mentally, and without the proper gear. i’m feeling tired but there is no time to sleep. the others are fully prepared, and fully experienced. i was the beginner.

6 long ass hours later, i make it pretty far up. it starts to get cold, my head starts hurting because of the altitude, and i’m in such bad shape. my bag weighed over 25 kilos and i brought things i shouldn’t have. lack of thinking again.
anyway, this turned out to be the most challenging experience in my whole life. i challenged my mind, body, and soul. none of the other hikers or guides could believe that i just arrived in the morning. neither could i. now i’m sitting at my hostel pretty drained. we spend 24 hours up on the mountain and it was even crazier coming down. slipping and sliding with my sketchers sneakers. i fell head over heals over 10 times and am lucky i didn’t get hurt. i’m alive, i’m safe, and i’m never going to do something so stupid ever again in my life! next time, can somebody please stop me! haha.

I’m on top of Central America!
The biggest challenge of my life!!!!
I did it!!!

gosh, jumping on a plane these days feels like i’m just jumping in my car. pretty much mastered the system of getting on or getting stuck. what ever happens, you just have to take a deep breath and tell yourself “everything happens for a reason.” but once the airplane takes off, i get a great sense of relief. and a lot of excitement.

hawaii is so beautiful, especially when there are waves. i can just keep looking and looking. so amazing.

ate a teriyaki salmon bowl on my flight. the one i bought from whole foods. travelers be aware: if you travel on a domestic flight, don’t expect food. they don’t serve food unless you pay for it. so grab a bento or something before you head to the airport. it’s a hassle, but you won’t regret it.

opened up my new Hawaii Skin Diver magazine on the flight. just kept on looking page by page daydreaming. in my skin diving career, i’ve never speared a big tuna before. that’s why i get so infatuated with this elusive fish!

soon my day will come. i’m in no rush. if it happens, it happens. if it won’t happen doesn’t exist in my mind. it will happen and when it does, just one more thing to cross off my bucket list.
yesterday after i told a friend i just decided to go travel, he said “don’t you get scared of traveling alone?” the answer to that is no. but i use to get scared 22 years ago. i remember traveling in taipei in a really scary district on my first ever solo backpacking trip. back then had no internet, no cell phones, no nothing. i just jumped on a flight with no reservations for a hotel or no idea where to go. i caught a local bus from the airport to the city and walked around looking for a hotel. it was so scary and i swear i felt ghosts in my room. no, i don’t believe in ghosts, but i swear there were ghosts in my room. somebody was turning on and off the tv and lights. i couldn’t sleep and i will never forget that long lonely night. now that was scary.