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Published: October 6th 2013
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Street vendor in village garb
One of the smiliest women we met all holiday. Today was one of those dull travel days that you wish you didn't need since it wastes good day time. The plan was an early flight from Flores to Guatemala followed by a drive to Antigua. Probably the one highlight was that we would get to go through Guatemala City - a city we had been warned by multiple folks to avoid. A brief recap of conversations regarding Guatemala City.
Conversation 1: Oh yes, I visited it many years ago back in 70s. Wonderful place. Visited with my then-boyfriend. So what happened to your then-boyfriend. Oh, he was kidnapped. Really? Yes ... hmm ... I wonder what happened to him. Really? Your then-boyfriend was kidnapped and you don't know what happened to him? Oh, of course I do. He was released or escaped or something. I dunno, it was a long time ago.
Conversation 2: Oh yes, we visited Guatemala City quite a bit because my folks were missionaries in the highlands. Is it dangerous? Oh... not too bad. But I heard people get car jacked and held up at gunpoint regularly. Oh, yes, that does happen. But you get used to it. We lived there for 20 years,
and probably lost money at least once a year. But handle it calmly and hand over your stuff and you will be fine.
Hence, the family was instructed in very firm terms to (a) keep our windows up, (b) don't stare at anybody, (c) stick spare credit cards in bra, socks, and anywhere else in preparation to getting robbed.
So we were slightly disappointed when driving through Guatemala City that it was kind of normal. Come on Guatemala Tourism board - at least have a few gruff looking guys standing at intersections looking mean just for the sake of tourists! My poor credit card got foot and sock sweat all over it for nothing. Of course, we probably had a fairly biased view here since majority of the time was one the highway and main roads.
The drive to Antigua was uneventful and the scenery was nice but nothing wonderful. The entry into Antigua on the other hand was much nicer. Antigua is one of Guatemala's most visited cities because of its well preserved colonial look and feel. Its also surrounded by multiple rocky volcanoes that give it a very dramatic skyline. Every corner is a photo
opportunity, and every street looks like it would have had some interesting story ... or at least some attraction for the loose-pursed tourist at least.
We arrived early afternoon to our guest house in Antigua, Le De Bernal. A beautifully restored house that gives you that fake colonial feel that makes you feel like you've chosen the perfect base for your stay in Antigua. Highly recommended (and no I don't get paid for writing that).
Our afternoon was spent getting oriented in the city and walking the streets planning our strategy for the next few days. Truth be told there aren't a lot of destinations in Antigua, but rather its a city to be walked and explored. Visually stunning, we were stopping at every corner much to the chagrin of my photo-weary wife to snap 'just one last shot'.
Most memorable things we saw that day (but not the most memorable of Antigua). Top of the list for the wife was really awesome deep fried bananas (see photo). Second was the smiling ladies dressed in 'village'-garb, or what was at least sold to us as native attire in exchange for some photo opportunities and a chance to
make a quick 'would you like one for your friends back home' proposition. These ladies sat street-side selling all kinds of trinkets (mostly made-in-china junk), but had the most friendly smiles. However the stand out was just the average pastel colored street and worn out buildings. Despite their crumbling facades, every detail of those colorful buildings was quaint and photogenic and to this day when we think of Antigua, we remember the colored streets.
We ended the day at a local street fair specializing in food. Stall after stall of local Guatemalan treats, we bought them all and squatted in the parks with the locals scoffing them down. My favorite was the various charcoal-broiled beef options - apparently a local specialty and something many a tourist will look back on with fond memories. There were also all kinds of fried goodies including the wife's favourite deep fried bananas. Suffice to say we came back to that same fair for the next few days ... so good!
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