but from the smoke in the air to the ashes that blanket the streets, the effects of the volcano are impossible to escape. does it sting your eyes? yes. reporter: yes shopkeeper gabriel amendolra tells me. that s why i wear my glasses. the eruption is also interrupting tourism and tarnishing what islanders called their yellow gold. the country s economy relies heavily on banana plantations like this. some are getting scorched by the lava. others are getting covered with layers of volcanic ash. still, volcanologist nemesio perez says with the lava flowing slowly, there s been one big victory. so far, four weeks and a half. reporter: and he says, for those who watch from afar fa,, s a chance to watch form middable