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The walk to La Gloria

Tuesday, July 4, 2006 | 1 comment

Read the previous part of this blog entry in: The volcano.

While walking down the volcanic slope, eyes on the ground most of the time because the many small stones made it very easy to fall, I looked in the distance and saw a beautiful huge rainbow and fell. Lucky just flat on the ground, also because I managed to grab Esme's arm (and hurting her). You really don't want to fall down a short distance with cactuses growing everywhere and many other plants with leaves ending in very sharp points or having branches covered with sharp thorns.

A rainbow near La Gloria.
A rainbow near La Gloria.

The rainbow moved closer and closer to where we were standing on the volcanic slope. I joked to Esme that they were bringing the pot of gold straigth to us. The rainbow came closer and got thinner and thinner and then was gone and shortly after we felt some raindrops in our face.

Yucca trees. In the distance, La Gloria.
Yucca trees. In the distance, La Gloria.

We got down from the volcanic slope without further accidents, although we both came close to falling several times. We walked in almost a straight line towards the road to La Gloria, admiring the many yucca trees growing on the lava field.

Yucca trees against a blue sky.
Yucca trees against a blue sky.

I kept looking under stones while we walked down, and now and then found a scorpion hiding. Under one stone I found the cast off skin of a scorpion (exuvia).

Scorpion, probably Vaejovis species.
Scorpion, probably Vaejovis species.

The sun was setting, and the low light made the spines of small groups of cactuses light up very nice, so I took some photos.

Cactuses.
Cactuses.

We kept walking in the general direction of the road to La Gloria, now and then crossing crop fields amongst the yucca trees, cactuses and other plants.

Yucca trees.
Yucca trees.

Suddenly Esme saw a rabbit running away. I was too late to spot the animal. Shortly after we came upon what looked like a sea of cactuses (nopales, Opuntia species), and then I as well spotted a rabbit running away between the cactuses, and this time Esme was too late to see the animal. Esme and I walked between the nopales hoping to see more rabbits, but we didn't see any.

A sea of cactuses (Opuntia species).
A sea of cactuses (Opuntia species).

After quite some time we arrived at the dirt road going to La Gloria. The sun started to go under and it got more and more dark. Finally we arrived in La Gloria only to hear that we just had missed the last bus.

Sun set. In the distance Las Derrumbadas.
Sun set. In the distance Las Derrumbadas.

Esme and I discussed the situation and she guessed that a taxi back to Perote would be around 200 pesos (about 18 USD). But we also heard that there were no taxis. Luckily the girl we were talking to could give us directions to someone who might be willing to bring us to Perote by car. So we walked to his house, and asked. And he was willing to take us for 200 pesos, so Esme had made a good guess. And after a trip through a very dark landscape via Tlalconteno we arrived back in Perote and we got on the bus back to Xalapa just about 10 minutes later.

Also today

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