Letters from Gladys are geography-themed standalone crosswords. Each puzzle has five thematic answers, which are places, sights or landmarks in or around a certain location (in this case, a chain of mountains). Each thematic answer is notable enough to have its own article in the English Wikipedia, although not necessarily under the same name that is used here. The goal is to fill the grid, identify the thematic answers and guess the name of Gladys’s destination, which is not indicated in the grid.
Dear Puzzling,
I have once again visited several tropical islands, but it’s by no means an ordinary sun-and-sea vacation this time. I have specifically taken an interest in volcanoes. The ones I have seen on this trip tend to dominate the landscape and offer some rather contrasting environments compared to the surrounding areas. Apparently they are also in a pretty unusual formation, geologically speaking. Can you guess where I am?
Wish you were here!
Love, Gladys.
Across
1. Cooks entertaining women athletes (8)
5/35. What, a Magritte painting is not about amazing drop & iconic peak? (4,2,8)
10. Old, Old Dominion's counterparts to 1 across? (3)
11. Organisation headquartered in Manhattan: Agent was offended by being not included in portrayal (13)
13. Type of business in which people can sell shares of body parts to comedian Louis and other associated people (5,5,7)
14. Music for dancing mazurka not entirely boycotted by king (5)
16. Decorated soldier essentially unseated leader in decline (3,2)
17. More than one saying "Yes, finally!" after this horror film hit the theatres in 2004 (4)
20. Bohemian flower enthusiast listing biological and environmental tips (4)
21. Measures against cyber attack extremely efficacious (5)
22. Ski with detainees to see someone from the Southern Alps? (4)
25. Festive cockatoo's tail trimmed (4)
26. Its regular use can prevent health issues such as gingivitis and fluorine deficiency (5)
28. OPEC utilises downtown headquarters? That's better (5)
29. Man pursued by fake monster – he is caught by stray elastic band (8,9)
32. To intensify love in romance, order revealing top (5,8)
33. Style of music that's dryly humorous according to the audience (3)
34. Poor man's symbol painted on Russian tanks rates badly in the West (6)
35. (See 5 across)
Down
1. Who's produced woollen sweater for trained horse? (4,6)
2. Backers to order CIA HQ to feed Second Gulf War combatant, perhaps (5)
3. Peak of UK autonomy stripped in rebellion (5,3)
4. Film, starring Bruce Willis, that's about Euro sailor running to the north, given new classification (7)
6. First convict's starting to break out, with second in tow, getting outdoor views of the Siberian winter? (9)
7. Give overweight Poles possibly endless dish made out of potatoes in public (8)
8. Ancient port, after losing northern entrance, is not very revolutionary (5)
9. Current Nordic epic given happy ending instead of its original one (4)
12. Revolutionary intellectual property legislation one old book displays (it is highly prominent) (4,2,3,4)
15. A wild thing that's almost completely shameless, with feet raised above head (5)
18. Part of a person's body is buried inside temple (5)
19. Gladys is seen, with sociable stranger following, closer to Bishop Peak (4,6)
21. Conclusion for one rebellious party (9)
23. Couple's being cut by Argentine blades (8)
24. "Aim at his head!" – Russian special police surrounding one of the Germans (4,2,2)
27. Mark told to get help (7)
29. Scoring using headers? That is associated with Mohamed Salah's sport (4)
30. Violet from Auvergne's picked up (5)
31. Techies from Texas initially invited to cross Golden Gate (5)
