Today was definitely an adventure, although one that I hadn't really counted on. We took off today to climb the volcano. The volcano on our island is the smaller of the two, and dormant, Maderas. I hadn't counted on it being such an arduous trip, and I didn't pack very much food. We headed out at about eight o' clock and got back at about four thirty.

On the way up we saw (and heard) monkeys and birds. We saw some incredible views of the island and of the other volcano from about halfway up. The journey was quite arduous, consisting of us climbing rocks, tree roots and mudslides for about four hours on the way up. My shoes and the bottom of my pants were completely encrusted in mud within a couple of hours. We finally made it to the peak, and then began our descent into the crater, which consisted of climbing down a sheer drop, holding onto a rope that our guides had set up (pretty much the only service that they provided).

Arriving at the crater lake, I must admit being a bit disappointed. The lake itself was not that impressive, and it was not geothermal, so almost no one wanted to take a swim. However, it was pretty cool to be standing on the inside of a volcano's crater and looking out on the crater rim from the inside. My companions had brought very little food, so we split a bag of oats that I had carried up, as well as bumming a can of tuna off of other hikers. The oats really hit the spot and I did not have to deal with hunger pangs after that.

The way back was, in some ways, more painful, but also quite fun. It was tiring (and, frankly, dangerous) to go downhill as we were, with constant fear of slipping and tumbling down the rocks below. I eventually lost all dignity, slipping and having my pants completely covered in mud, but, at that point I didn't care. I didn't care because I was in a state of euphoria, talking to a man from Quebec, in French. It was the first real conversation that I had ever had with a native French speaker, and it went really well. We talked about Quebec separation, the history of the English language and the relationship of different languages... In French. I was pretty stoked.

Anyway, I got back, finally, completely exhausted and muddy, and convinced that I had done enough for one day. I have spent this evening thus far eating dinner, having a couple of beers and speaking in French with the Francophones here at the hostel I'm at. I'm suprising myself at how well I am able to communicate. They have to take it very easy on me and have patience, but I'm actually able to communicate myself, and that's really thrilling. I'm more convinced than ever that I would do well spending a half year or a year in France or Quebec, after which time, I have no doubt, I would speak fluently.