The ride was a delight and as we came to the rim of the volcano, the view was incredible. This crater is apparently the second largest in the world and is about 15 by 20 km. Wisps of steam were rising from it, and although there has been no serious eruption for many years, we were told that there are frequent minor ones. It was many hundreds of feet to the bottom, which was almost entirely covered in black ash – all that you needed to realise that it was still seriously hot down there. In due course, we dismounted and wandered through a desert of volcanic rubble. The colours were lovely, with oranges, ochres, reds and browns mingling with the blackened, scorched rock. High up we stood, looking across the end of the island over green land to the blue sea. As we stood and gazed in the hot sun, it was all very beautiful. We sat and ate our picnic lunches before walking back to our horses.