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Published: July 18th 2009
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Israel
Our pot-bellied Corolla driver. Another early day… (5 a.m. to be exact)
For some reason our trip to Guatemala was scheduled the day after our arrival to El Salvador. I think Liz likes pretending she’s a drill sergeant. During the course of the first 36 hours of our trip, Jason and I departed Tampa, caught a connecting flight in Atlanta, flew to San Salvador, rode a bus 4 ½ hours to Guatemala City, and rode an additional hour to Antigua; five locations and three countries in a day and a half…not too bad.
We boarded a double-decker shuttle bus that put U.S. travel to shame. The bus was equipped with black leather lazy boy style seating, televisions, headphones, a retractable ottoman, a full service staff, and complimentary food and drinks. The locals riding the bus all appeared to be formally dressed; we wore shorts and t-shirts, typical American tourist attire. We definitely stood out. After arriving in Guatemala City, we were greeted by a pot-bellied local displaying a “Lizette Howard” sign. We all piled into his Toyota Corolla (which he drove like a Porsche Boxster) and headed to Antigua. The Guatemalan air was thick with smog, and of course the Toyota had no
A/C (apparently a prerequisite for all cars on the roads of Central America). The windshield of the Corolla seemed to bare a thousand small cracks; we let Liz ride shotgun.
Upon our journey to Antigua, I was plagued with doubt. Guatemala was unattractive, but I soon learned that Antigua was a diamond in the ruff. The city was tucked in a valley amongst three dormant volcanoes. The cobblestone roads shook the Corolla as we pulled into the rustic town. The buildings were painted in hues of red, blue, orange and yellow. A pleasant gust fanned the narrow roadways and rustled the leaves of the adorning palm trees. The surrounding landscape was deep green against a pale blue sky. The town was serene and the locals seemed happy as they bartered with tourists attempting to sell various handmade crafts, art, and jewelry. The smell and smog of Guatemala City was left in the distance, it did not infect the town.
After much debate, we decided to check in to a local bed and breakfast located in the center of town. Three online reviews of the bed & breakfast were positive, swaying our decision. The bed & breakfast was guarded
by tall looming castle-like walls and large solid wood doors. Beyond the walls was a courtyard and garden, and a quaint Spanish villa style home. We were pleasantly surprised, especially upon discovering our rooms located at the top of old wooden stained stairs. The rooms were nicely decorated. My room had access to a balcony which overlooked one of the three volcanoes. Clean sheets and a fully made bed put a huge smile on my face; I was happy not to have to hang my handy bug net.
We spent the rest of the day touring the town, visiting a central park and an old monastery, exploring ruins and dining at local restaurants and eating Guatemalan cuisine. We also bargained at local street markets (paying a $1.50 for a pen in Guatemala is just unacceptable). We intended to head back to the bed & breakfast early to get a good night’s sleep, but we got caught up jumping from restaurant to restaurant, indulging in the food, drinking local brews, and experiencing the culture. We enjoyed deep conversations (typical of our trio), and lost track of time. After we finally returned to the bed & breakfast covered in grime and
Volcan Aqua
Our Volcanic North Star! smog remnants from Guatemala City, we were shocked to discover our shower had zero water pressure. It would take about an hour to fill a Dimetapp medicine cup with the trickling ice cold water. One handful of water at a time I attempted to wash my body. Although dissatisfied with the quality of my shower, I made due, and went to bed half dirty. In the morning our water pressure returned and I took a proper shower. Downstairs a fantastic breakfast waited for us, including fresh scrambled eggs mixed with tomatoes, onions, and salsa. We did some last minute bargaining and headed back to Guatemala City, but not before providing Liz with a brief class in map reading and land navigation. I literally laid the map on the ground, pointed to Volcan Aqua (our volcanic north star) and proved to Liz that she had us headed to Argentina (we really do love you though Liz).
We had prime seats on our bus ride home (with a panoramic view). A woman attempted to snatch our seats, that we waited over an hour for, but Liz quickly rectified the situation with her shrewd Latin mind and feisty attitude. We almost died
on the roads of Guatemala a half dozen times due to reckless driving, but I was more concerned about what the gangs would do when they found my mangled body.
At home we enjoyed pizza and pilsner, and we look forward to getting to sleep in tomorrow.
We all agree that Antigua is one of the best destinations we have ever visited. Liz definitely had a great recommendation.
Stay tuned…
The Howard Family (Antigua Division).
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Abby
non-member comment
Hi
Looks like your having a fun time! love to see what the rest of the trip brings. Love, Abby (and yes it's the cow abby!)