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Published: November 5th 2006
Senorita
A senorita at the local market chewing on something nastyMy mom and I made a last minute decision to take advantage of her teacher work days and have a short holiday to Guatemala. We have talked about traveling together for years and finally it has happened. We both were extremely excited about this trip for some of the same reasons, as well as different reasons. For me, I was excited to take mom on her own adventure. She has been living vicariously through her children’s travel adventures for the past few years; always helping with flights, with what countries are dangerous, and what souvenirs. Another factor was that while growing up, you spend tons of time with your parents - but as we grow older, we spend less and less time. This trip would be a good chance to spend some quality time together. But most importantly, I really wanted to see mom haggling with some Guatemalan lady over the price of a purse…that just seemed really funny to me.
The actual traveling to Antigua part went by without a hitch. Things could not have gone smoother. It was funny to see mom grinning like a little girl before Christmas on the plane. Also I wanted to prepare mom
The airport
Mom and I about to embark on our journey just incase things did not go smoothly, so I decided to talk about “worst case scenarios”. Here was our conversation. Me> “Mom, lets talk about the worst thing that could happen just so that we can be prepared.” Mom> “I could get brutally raped and murdered.” Me> “No silly, we could miss the bus to Antigua”. So anyways….neither of those situations happened. We got to our hotel as planned. And I have to admit, it is not to shabby. We are ½ a block from the central park (where all the action is) and we have our own bathroom with hot water. That night we got in late but managed to go out for a drink and watch some AMAZING salsa dancers…there was one move where this guy spun his chica around by holding onto her neck…and then dipped her - still only holding her neck - and then jumped over her (while she was in the dipped position) and at the same time switched hands (so now he was holding onto her neck by his other hand) it is definitely hard to described but it was pretty damn AMAZing. Haley get ready!
Today we spend the day wandering
around the city. We did a lot of window shopping (mom bought a lot of stuff...but I have to admit, it’s hard not to). We actually ended up eating a lot of street food (good for you mom) and I had one of the craziest beers that I have ever come across. I found this little street vender that was selling ceviche (seafood cooked by soaking it in lime juice), so I got one of those, and then I noticed these weird beers that everyone was drinking (so of course I had to try one of those as well). You take a normal beer, add diced onions, juice straight from a lime, and then some brown stuff that looked a lot like soy sauce (but wasn’t)…it was pretty tasty, but definitely different. I’m not sure if this would be something to bring home though.
One of the nice things about traveling with mom is that all the hagglers’ instantly go her. This gives me a chance to browse in peace, and to take tons of pics. Haley knows plenty about this old trick “Hey Haley, go over there and pretend you want to buy something so I can take
Me and a volcano
at the summit of the "dangerous hike" a picture of that old lady”.
Our big adventure for the day was a dangerous hike up to an overlook (looking over the entire city of Antigua). Not dangerous because the hike was hard, but dangerous because a lot of people get mugged. So we hid all of our money in mom’s shoes (it was a lot of money) and then hiked up the mountain without a problem….mom and I both shared a laugh about the poor ladies at the market tomorrow that are going to end up with our stinky dollars.
Tomorrow we are taking a shuttle to the famous market of Chichicasangeo (sp)...this should be an all day event. I am really looking forward to chichi. Typically tons of Guatemalans come from their small villages to the chichi market to sell their wares. It is a great chance to see traditionally dressed Guatemalans and eat local food. Antigua is a beautiful city, but it is also a hub for tourists….while there are inevitably a lot of tourists in chichi, I doubt it will take away from the craziness of a market.
Well that is all for now. As a added treat, Mom and I decided
Senora
Another lady at the market to keep separate blogs. It should be interesting for us and you to see two different takes on the same trip. Adios amigos!
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mwhaahah
Read your hotel review and then read your mother's! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo