PISSED OFF IN ANTIGUA!

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Yes people, I was robbed! Assholes! Right in front of the San Fransisco cathedral where the Semana Santa procession was taking off...right in front of Jesus bearing the cross. And they say they love Jesus, yet they pickpocket a poor innocent traveller. Hypocrits! Did I mention how pissed off I am? Luckily I divided my credit cards and left all my precious possession in a safety deposit box, so all they took was my beloved elephant wallet I got in Thailand 10 years ago (cry), my Visa debit card and 800 Quetzales (60 quid) I had just taken out to last me the week. ASSHOLES!! I went straight to the phone and cancelled my card then filled out a police report. On the way I slipped on a slippery (like ice) cobble stone, did a back flip and landed straight on my ass and hurt my hand. A kind police man helped me up. Again, shall I mention how pissed off I am? Is it because it´s the 13th today? I should have known this day would suck when I woke up to 2 HUMUNGOUS cockroaches the size of elephants (I swear!) hanging out in my shower. After a couple of screams and dizzying flashbacks to my year of living with cockroaches in Montreal, I managed to kill one but watched the other scurry under my bed. Assholes!

I was planning on writing a lovely account of this breathtakingly beautiful town but sod that: it sucks.

OK, it doesn´t really. The Easter processions are amazing, the town is surrounded by 3 gorgeous volcanoes, it has a huge history and seems to be a melting pot of Central American culture, the buildings and cobbled-stoned streets are beautiful, and the bars are even funkier than in London! The Mayan women walk around in traditional costume. I´m trying to be discreet with my photographs as I don´t want to point my camera in their faces, which can be dangerous in Guatemala as many believe the camera is capturing their souls (I´d like to capture the soul of the little asshole who stole my money).

OK I´ve just had a Margarita to calm down so I´ll recount my trip here: I left Copan in Honduras (which I´ll write about next) yesterday afternoon and took a shuttle (ie rickety old van CRAMMED with people) for the 6 hour journey to Antigua. At the Guatemalan border I got chatting to a cool American girl called Beth who is travelling Central America on her own for the second time this year and has been to Antigua before. So when we got here we immediately headed for a funky restaurant she knew called Rainbow where we treated ourselves to a good meal and good red wine. Well deserved after the long journey where there were many roadside accidents causing crazy traffic jams for most of the way. Compared to calm Costa Rica, Guatemalans are CRAZY drivers (much like my experience of India). There are countless crosses with flowers along the highways due to the high number of fatalities. Why don´t people learn? I almost jumped on my driver a number of times as he was tailgating like you wouldn´t believe and beeping everything in sight to make way for us. Asshole. I guess I´m still pissed off so I´ll write about Copan now and try to submit some photos. I´m in Antigua til Monday (4 more days), after which I´m off to Costa Rica to meet Lorna and the turtles (yay!), so hopefully I´ll calm down by then and be able to say nice things about this place. By the way thanks for all your comments!! Love reading them!

Forgot to mention that I had just read an email from James Jones saying his Visa had been swiped in Miami where he was killing time waiting for his London flight. Then it happened to me here...weird... we´re like so connected.

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Photos

Me at San Fransisco Church ruins
Ruined by earthquakes. Volcano Agua in background.

Beth in a local shop buying water.
Why the bars??? Hm....

Cloister and Volcano Agua
The picture every tourist in Antigua has!

Parque Central
Main square in Antigua with cathedral and volcano looming over

Comments

[calvin]

that was bad luck
I would be rapant with rage too. I would try and justify it by telling myself i was still lucky to be able to visit this place, the scum bag who took your money and card probably will be stuck in that place wondering where his next victim will come -quel horreur ! Hopefully you are not destitute and have the other source of funds available, I think I would prefer being robbed in guatemala than in london. and the poll tax used to rob me every month there too. keep on truckin anne

[Anne]

Thanks Calvin!
Thanks for your sympathy! You´re right about the poll tax thinly disguised as Council Tax. London sucks. At least I wasn´t mugged or held at gunpoint eh?

[richard]

sweetie
my dear dear anne- i am so sorry to hear about your robbery- also sorry i haven't added a comment before but i only just found out that i could do that. so am so sorry about it all- but just think it could have been worse cause you are still lovley anne with four limbs and a camera to steal childrens souls. antigua looks soooo pretty. i really wish i was there. x x

[Dave]

Sorry to hear
Sorry to hear about the robbery. You mention pickpocket, does that mean this was not a violent crime? I've been the the US Embassy in Guatemala website and they report about 6 violent crimes a month. It looks kind of scary there. Even in broad daylight there are crazy things that happen. Consider yourself lucky I guess!