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Published: January 2nd 2008
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So I made it safely from San Salvador to Guatemala City. The bus ride was surprisingly short and I arrived just after 10:30 AM. I was asking a taxi driver how much it would be to get to Antigua, and he wanted what amounted to $25, which was a ridiculous fee. Luckily, at that time a fellow Canadian traveller, Tamara, interjected and said we could catch a bus to Antigua. Somehow we manage to catch 3 buses and make it to Antigua by 12:30, for just over a dollar.
Antigua is by far the most beautiful city I've been to yet. It's narrow cobblestone streets give the city a quaint feeling, and almost all the streets are lined with interesting shops and cafes. Using a recommendation from one of Tamara's friends and a little help from the lonely planet map and some other travellers, we managed to find a small, yet clean and inviting, little hostel. It's called the Yellow House and is only a few blocks away from the hustle and bustle of the main street.
After settling into the hostel, and obligatorily checking our emails, we began to wander around the city. We walked down the main
pedestrians only street, checked out the central park, and wandered into the hustle and bustle of the local market. Meanwhile, the streets were in the process of being transformed for the evenings festivities. Stages were being erected at all the intersections along the main road, and on the road in front of the central park a larger stage, decorated with Pepsi advertising, was being assembled. It looked like there was going to be a party happening later on.
At around 6:00 we headed back to central park ready to get our drink on. We picked up some large cans of beer and headed to the stage to drink while soundcheck was going on. A few bands came on and played one song before leaving, while the event staff were still working on the stage, trying to get the lighting system in place. And before long it was dark, and 8:00, and the party was about to get underway. The area around and infront of the stage started to get more and more packed as the six hosts took to the stage and started cheerfully talking in spanish. People working for Pepsi wormed through the crowd handing out paper crowns
very much like the Burger King crowns. They said something to the effect of "Hug your neighbour, 2008". I put it on and hugged the guy who gave it to me. The rest of the evening went by in a whirlwind. Bands took to the stage, everyone was dancing, fireworks were going off in all directions, everyone was having a great time. Periodically, Tamara or I would force our way out of the crowd in search of more beer and a bathroom. There were thousands of people gathered in a huge radius around central park, and there was nothing in the way of bathrooms. One time I just wandered into a building and said "Bano", and was pointed towards the bathroom. Another time I trekked all the way back to the hostel. The worst part was trying to get back to our position at the front of the stage. People were packed, body to body, and I felt a little rude shoving my way through them. The bands were generally good, mostly rock music, but my favorite of the evening was a hip-hop/electronic act. They had to guys rapping, and then 2 others backing them with guitars, and another guy
working the music with his computer and a mixer. They were really good, and later on that evening we would run into them on the street and get a chance to shake their hands, and find out their name.
In between bands, there were a few odd festivities. At one point a group of 20 or so girls ranging from the age of 7 to 20 gathered on the stage. The crowd then had to boo them off until there was only one remaining. And later on their was the same thing, but with couples. Though, if booed off they had a chance to redeem themselves by kissing each other. This brought up a few odd situations. One couple was actually a guy with his brothers boyfriend. And from the crowd his brother warned him not to do it. Another couple was a pair of cousins. They also refused to kiss and were booed off. In the end I think there was a tie.
At somepoint during the evening, Tamara met a local couple who were dancing beside us. And in her limited spanish she made quick friends of them and before long we were sharing beer. When it came time we all counted down the new year together. The stage erupted in pyrotechnics and fireworks went off in all directions. We all hugged each other, said happy new years, and cheered wildly. A new band came on, and the music continued. During their set, one of the evenings highlights occurred, they started playing Sweet Child of Mine by Guns'N'Roses. Just the fact that I knew the song made it an awesome moment. Shortly after the music started to wind down and they said they were going to play one more song. So we started to Salsa. Though I use that term very lightly. Tamara danced with the guy from the other couple, and I with Lily, his girlfriend. And in both cases, they were the ones who were leading. It was 5 minutes of embarrassing dancing, and laughing as Lily made me twirl. After the celebrations died down the four of went out for pizza. Some point during the pizza evening I noticed it was 2:00 and I shouted out a Happy New Years to Vancouver. After dinner we wandered back down the main road in the direction of our hostel. We then somehow found ourselves in a bar, where I ordered shots of Tequila. That was a mistake, and I didn't think I would survive it. But I did, and at around 3:30 I fell into bed.
It was one hell of an evening, and one I won't soon forget.
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