Refusing Complacency: Antigua

Since we had missed the chicken bus to Antigua our only option was a shuttle. Shuttles abound in Guatemala to aid the foreign traveler in traversing the country without having to use public transportation. We don’t mind shuttles; they are usually quicker, just not as cheap. We made it to Antigua around 7pm; it was only about 3 hours from the lake. We had met a guy in Xela who told us about a hostel in Antigua ran by his friend Abel, called Umma Gumma (as in the Pink Floyd album). The listing in the book sounded pretty cool. We happened to arrive in Antigua only two blocks away from the hostel, lucky us! It was busy, three floors of rooms. We checked into a room for the three of us. They had computers, TV, and a desk at the front with tons and tons of Guatemalan info. Our first night was spent finding the square and checking out the town. Antigua is supposed to be a cultural highlight. It’s one of the oldest cities in Central America. Antigua actually means “antique” in Spanish. There were convents all over town, most in ruins, but they were still beautiful. The volcanoes surrounding Antigua are huge. We tried to book a trip to hike to see lava, but it was too dangerous, they ceased allowing people near it. Antigua has a huge artesian market. You can get all kinds of jewelry making supplies, gifts, handcrafts and souvenirs. Jason stocked up on so much stuff; I can’t wait to see what he makes with all of it!

The next day we decided to explore Antigua! We were anticipating lots of history, lots of travelers, and lots of fun. There are many convents and churches in Antigua. The city was founded by the Spanish in the 1500’s and has been bustling ever since. Most historical sites lie in ruins. Because of the many active volcanoes around Antigua, earthquakes are frequent. None of the ruins had any kind of markers or historical info, not even a name. The jumbled stones just sit there, mostly unnoticed. Most central squares we had been to were busy, filled with Indians in traditional dress selling handcrafts and traveling hippies with jewelry laid out on blankets waiting to be sold or admired. But, Antigua was different. There seems to have been a recent push by government to clear out this kind of business. They are trying to metropolize Antigua. Most of the travelers we saw were older, retirement age, traveling in tours with guides. We also never really found anything to do in Antigua. It was pretty boring. If you visit Guatemala, don’t plan on staying in Antigua for long. It is disappointing.

Our third day in Antigua was Thanksgiving. We had heard about hot springs not too far away so we grabbed a tuk-tuk out to the site. The pool was pretty pitiful and not really hot. By the time we left there was no one around. We hiked out to the main road, waited at the bus stop and caught a chicken bus back to town for dinner! There were a few restaurants in town offering an American Thanksgiving feast. They were all severely over-priced, around $15US. We finally settled on one of the cheaper places. We had some wine and anxiously awaited our feast. We knew they must be bringing out a ton of food, because they were charging so much! Our plates arrived and we were dumbfounded. The salad was literally one piece of lettuce, one slice of red pepper, and one slice of eggplant. The potatoes were bland and about three spoonfuls. The three meager pieces of turkey were drowned in brown gravy. We were extremely disappointed. We were hungrier after we were done than before we even started! We decided we must fulfill the purpose of thanksgiving, so we went on to a circus restaurant and finished the night with plates of appetizers and desserts! We had a hilarious good time!

Jason’s main goal for Guatemala was clothes and jewelry shopping. Since he had about maxed out his budget on those he decided he should probably head back to Mexico. Antigua was a lot more expensive than we had anticipated, and because of bus schedules we were stuck there for an extra day. Jason left around noon on Friday, and Jay and I spent the afternoon in the main park. An Andean flute band had set up next to the fountain playing traditional South American tunes and Beatles covers while we ate our lunch of fried chicken. Guatemalans LOVE chicken. Even in the smallest of towns there was usually some sort of fried chicken restaurant with the silliest cartoon chicken mascot. The biggest chain is Pollo Campero. It was pretty tasty in the square that day.

The next day our shuttle to Lanquin (Lan-KEEN) was scheduled to arrive a little after 8am. It was supposed to be a long 7 hour drive to one of the remotest areas of Guatemala. Jay and Oscar waited outside while I ran two blocks to the market to grab breakfast and drinks for the long drive. There was a beautiful bakery on the outer edge of the market. I got chocolate muffins, kiwi and strawberry tarts, breakfast bread and juices for about 25Q ($3). Jay and I got the front row to ourselves in the shuttle. It was a long drive, but mainly through protected forests, so it was beautiful! Next stop: Lanquin, Semuc Champey, and one of our scariest moments!