Blogs from Capital Region, Guatemala, Central America Caribbean - page 114

I´m here in Antigua finally a day late after the airline saw fit to send me my luggage. I had to fuss a bit but I got it last night and hauled out this morning in a shuttle here. OH, MY GOD! THIS PLACE IS BEAUTIFUL! Antigua is a colonial town in the central highlands of Guatemala. There are cobblestone streets, colonial style churches some of wich were destroyed by earthquakes a couple of hundred years ago. There is a strong presence of tradionally dressed Mayan women selling things... and for good reason, is crawling with the backpacking tourists. Still, the tourists surprisingly don´t ruin things here. I saw Guatemalan tourists as well. The climate is almost perfect with a little sunshine and warmth in the morning, and when that gets almost uncomfortable things cool off ... read more

We drove to Antigua without any problems. The "interamericanica" in Guatemala is much like the mexican pacific highway, but with fewer animals and fewer topes, which are called "tumulos" (tombs) here. There are, however, a huge amount of people and busses and pick-up trucks packed with people on the road. The busses here are very old american school busses painted in all colors one can think of. Some are just yellow. The people are really interesting. Few of the locals seem to speak Spanish as a native language. There are all kinds of mayan dilects. Obviously for me they sound the same. The natives here, especially teh women, dress in traditional costumes like in Bolivia, it´s really beautiful. The nature is also amazing. I lost count of how many volcanoes we drove by. I´m leaving by ... read more

Remember I mentioned in the first entry that I didn't want to travel with Iberian airlines again? Well, it came back to haunt me (with a vengeance). The first flight was fine from London to Madrid. Now, on the second from Madrid to Guatemala I managed to get a great seat with stacks of legroom near the exit. It was about 2 hours into the flight, I had my legs stretched out, shoes off and totally relaxed and chuffed with myself for bagging such a great seat with no-one sat next to me. They had just served the meal and I was busy tucking into it. A hostess started to come around with the drinks trolley (you know the ones, the big heavy metal lumps that hurt when they bang into your arm or ankle), ... read more

Greetings again, this time from Antigua, Guatemala! Actually right now I'm in Guatemala City, somewhere which def wasn't on my itinerary. Am trying to sort out flights and the sheer incompetence of a particular Spanish airline has driven me to desperation, hence having to hang around in one of the world's most dangerous cities while they eat their lunch and prob take a little nap... ggrrrr!!! Anyway, onto nicer things... Since my last post have been doing some serious relaxing. If the Galapagos was Paradise on Earth, then Vilcabamba in the South of Ecuador must surely be the garden of Eden! Mountains, cloud forest, lush green valleys, hummingbirds, more butterflies than you could shake a net at and stunning, stunning views. Spent much of my time admiring it all from the comfort of my own personal ... read more

Double-Duty: Spanish school and Semana Santa in Antigua in the same week! The Academia de Espanol de Sevilla set us up in a house where I was never sure how many people were permanent residents. Eduardo and Camilla, a lovely older couple in their early sixties were the heads of the household. They'd been having kids from the school stay with them for about three years and you could tell they were accustomed. They spoke slowly and clearly, making sure you understood what was going on. Their daughter Carolina was often around with her two children Maria and Diana, who were just as used to the constant rotation of guests. Brothers and uncles were also constantly stopping by. The daily routine for most of the week was up for breakfast with Eduardo at 7h30, off to ... read more