I am hearing, smelling, and seeing the volcano, all the time.
I came to Banos de la Agua Santa on Friday. There was more activity on Saturday then there was on Friday, more activity on Sunday then there was Saturday. Now the volcano is always smoking, intermittenly but more frequently erupting in lava flows, its brimstone smell (not unpleasant-almost like the smell of incense) settles on the town, and its roar, like distant thunder is heard in the town.
I am corrected on the nature of The Black Giant. The mountain is a female. She is The Black Dragon. Tungurahua, means throat of fire. She is the most active volcano in this part of the Andes. She has a significant eruption about every 80 years. Last significant eruption was followed by three days of darkness.
Every once in a while she has a catastrophic eruption when the whole mountain becomes a bomb and she takes out the world as it is known. All who live under the volcano know she is much more dangerous - being that she is a female.
The residents of Banos suspect that this could be the once in a while when the mountain will be a bomb. But they say they will not allow the army to move them this time. They say that if the mountain will be a bomb, then whatever happens will be very quick.
When I climb the heights above the city to observe, I can't help thinking that this was the way Pompeii was. That this was the way the world was in Noah's day, just before it began raining. People do the business-as-usual, fatalistic about what is or what is not to come.
¿Quien sabe? Senor.
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