The birthday trip to call ‘crazy’

I gulped a bottle of water and pushed on. As soon as I spotted the glow of molten lava peeping out from the charred slope, my misgivings melted away. Reenergized, I raced to the edge of the lava flow. There were no guardrails preventing you from tumbling in, no park rangers telling you to stand back, not even a sign with the ground rules - precautions that would abound in the States.

So I crept closer. Close enough to feel the heat singe the hairs on the back of my neck. Close enough to roast marshmallows for a satisfying treat of s’mores.

Cooking the puffs of sugary fluff atop Pacaya has become so popular among foreigners that the locals sell big bags of marshmallows alongside brightly colored woven souvenirs at outdoor market stalls in Antigua, the town where Gran Jaguar Tours picked us up for the 31-mile drive to the volcano. Our tour guide, Arturo Rogue, half-joked that the real reason he carries a machete is so he can whittle our wooden walking sticks into marshmallow skewers - which he was kind enough to do.

“This is the most adventurous, dangerous, crazy thing I’ve done in my life,’’ I marveled to the seven others - all 20-something Americans - on my tour. And the thrill cost me only $12.25: $6.75 for the bus tour, $4.90 for the park admission, 30 cents for the marshmallows, and 30 cents for the walking stick. No wonder we found dozens of other tourists crowding around the creeping lava stream, including a guy roasting a pineapple on his stick.

I figured this would be the highlight of my two-week vacation in Guatemala and Belize, even though it was only the fourth day. I was wrong. The Central American countries’ lush assortment of natural playgrounds continuously surprised me with goosebump-raising experiences.

Two of my best girlfriends, Amy Cheng and Gina Kim, traveled with me to celebrate my 30th birthday, a milestone many of my pals eyed with trepidation. I had yearned for a touchstone to mark my progress along the journey of life.