Antigua (11/12/10-11/14)

A good two hours and 60 miles - one stretch of road shown on the map as paved is really dirt - gets me to the colonial city of Antigua, one of the must-sees of Guatemala. Many expats make this town their home, more than in Atitlan, I think. This is a smaller city than I imagined. You can walk pretty much the whole town in one day. And the traffic is the most well-behaved I've ever seen south of the Rio Grande. Cars will actually wait for you to cross the road. All roads are cobblestone and there are tourist and traffic cops everywhere.

the iconic Antigua photo...proof I was here

Buildings have been preserved as much as possible from colonial days and there are a number of ruins from the great earthquake of 1773 (you remember that one). Antigua is like a very neat museum filled with restaurants and bars surrounded by three beautiful volcans, one active. What a museum would be if it were fun. I like it here. And you'll meet lots of great people, like Angela from Australia, Shaun from Wales and Carla from the US and other places (currently serving drinks and good convo at the Ocelot Bar).

ruins of the Convento de la
Recoleccion

 My first room was at the older Santa Lucia 2 because it had parking and a room on a Friday. I don't recommend this place, unless you like beds with all the support of a hammock and a bathroom so small your feet are in the shower when using the toilet. But it served as a decent base to walk the town and to find another room for my last night at Las Camelias (better bed and location).

I didn't do much here but take photos, eat and drink. I can vouch for the Ocelot, Reilly's, Bagel Barn, Jardin Bavaria and Ni-Fu Ni-Fa, an Argentinian spot where you'll get a big old hunk of meat (I had bacon-wrapped filet mignon...yum). Also a small place on 2nd Calle and 7th Av. called "...de las Mixtas" (?). Whatever, it was cheap and good.



cathedral on Parque Central

this Mayan woman, Teresa, charmed me into buying
some woven thing...the baby helped