J Dailey
El Volcan de Fuego
Shot this in a small town 18 km from the volcano, in Suchitlan, Mexico, near Colima. A year later I would sleep "en las faldas" of Fuego and hike to within 3 km of its cone.
For safety purposes, the Mexican government has evacuated many people who live near the mountain, though some small pueblitos of people exist.
The night before I hiked the volcano a few years back, I stayed in a humble "hotel" that was simply an outcropping of rooms rented mainly to volcano thrill seekers. Upon arriving after a long, semi-arduous, 12-hour journey by bus, I inquired about food.
"Well, there's an lady down the hill about a kilometer," the man said in Spanish, his face more weathered than his 75 or so years.
"I don't know her name, but she'll cook a good meal for you. Just ask in the streets for the woman that cooks."
And so I did. Not twenty minutes later, after inquiring with a handful of locals in the rain-slicked, volcanic-rock streets, I found 'la senora que cocina' -- "the woman that cooks."
She invited me in to her outdoor kitchen and offered me a seat. It was cool and misty, but a rustic wood-burning stove warmed the space. We chatted for ten minutes or so about life as she prepared a warm meal of fresh tortillas, a heaping portion of fresh veggies and a pile refried beans.
The next morning, at 6 a.m., the elderly man who rented me a room for the night came to my door and knocked.
"Son, time to get up," he said in Spanish.
And then the trip up the volcano began.
What a great trip. My hope is to return to "Fuego" soon (but it can't happen soon enough).
A link to a webcam showing the volcano: www.ucol.mx/volcan/imagen.htm
El Volcan de Fuego
Shot this in a small town 18 km from the volcano, in Suchitlan, Mexico, near Colima. A year later I would sleep "en las faldas" of Fuego and hike to within 3 km of its cone.
For safety purposes, the Mexican government has evacuated many people who live near the mountain, though some small pueblitos of people exist.
The night before I hiked the volcano a few years back, I stayed in a humble "hotel" that was simply an outcropping of rooms rented mainly to volcano thrill seekers. Upon arriving after a long, semi-arduous, 12-hour journey by bus, I inquired about food.
"Well, there's an lady down the hill about a kilometer," the man said in Spanish, his face more weathered than his 75 or so years.
"I don't know her name, but she'll cook a good meal for you. Just ask in the streets for the woman that cooks."
And so I did. Not twenty minutes later, after inquiring with a handful of locals in the rain-slicked, volcanic-rock streets, I found 'la senora que cocina' -- "the woman that cooks."
She invited me in to her outdoor kitchen and offered me a seat. It was cool and misty, but a rustic wood-burning stove warmed the space. We chatted for ten minutes or so about life as she prepared a warm meal of fresh tortillas, a heaping portion of fresh veggies and a pile refried beans.
The next morning, at 6 a.m., the elderly man who rented me a room for the night came to my door and knocked.
"Son, time to get up," he said in Spanish.
And then the trip up the volcano began.
What a great trip. My hope is to return to "Fuego" soon (but it can't happen soon enough).
A link to a webcam showing the volcano: www.ucol.mx/volcan/imagen.htm