Hotel breakfast of juice, toast, guava jam, scrambled eggs, cheese and coffee for just US $ 4.

Then at 8 am all aboard the van for the just over hour van trip along the dusty country road passing basic farmlets with power, satellite dishes, water drawn from a pump and stock behind crude fences. Bullocks being used and horses around. Life here would be fairly basic and simple. A rudimentary 4 class room school was passed. It is holiday time now.

Standing at 728 metres above sea level, it was only a 400 metre climb from the base 328 metres above sea level to the top of Volcan Cerro Negro.

Half way up (30 minutes) the wind really got up. In fact it felt like pins being pressed into ones skin with the fine dust blown horizontally. The decision was made to walk down into one of the craters and then up to the rim to avoid the wind as it could easily catch the board. As I wasn’t boarding, I walked along the rim. Actually it was fine as about 40 metres further along, the wind had died! It did pick up strong again towards the end. Apparently the climb out of the crater was hard with the board needing to be used like a pole to drag oneself up. 

At least I got to the very top and saw the wonderful 360 degree panoramic views plus those below into the colourful 1999 crater not that far below. Butterflies were around attracted by the sulphur still being vented. Not that strong a smell.

Briefing as what to do … if the board goes to the left use your right heel to correct it … if you want to slow down use both heels … then down they went sitting on the narrow board with that fine dust going everywhere and gradually picking up speed. 

I walked down the fine gravel … well, it was a controlled quick trot downwards. All I needed was a paddle / pole so that I could lean back a bit and ski down on my heels. I had wanted to take my big camera up and made the decision not to board down. Glad that I made this decision as I think I had just as much fun descending the 400 metres standing up on that controlled downwards slide with the fine gravel filling my shoes and the dust flying everywhere. No, I did not fall over!