Blogs from Antigua, Capital Region, Guatemala, Central America Caribbean - page 90

Well I have arrived in Guatemala. I arrived in Guatemala city yesterday around noon, I caught the first shuttle bus I saw at the airport and headed directly to Antigua. I love Antigua...it's a small town about 30000 people but with lots of cool sites. It's full of old Spanish colonial ruins. Churches that date back 500 years ago in ruins. Some still intact but a lot of them have been destroyed by the constant bombardment of earthquakes the area has had over the last 300 years. The town is situated in a valley surrounded by huge volcanoes, that makes for great views. The people here are pretty warm but I am really frustrated with trying to talk to them. I really wish I had taken Spanish lessons before I came. There are however a lot ... read more

Yes, I know, always been full of it...but now full of espanol...hey, this is an ordinary keyboard...@ is where it should be but no n with the bizzo!...so greetings from Antigua, the city in Guatemalam not the other one...where were we?..Lake Atitlan the huge caldera of the old volcano..320 m deep, stayed at Panajachel on the shores...lots of touristas, shop/stalls all the color of the Mayan textiles, carvings, bags, bits and bobs,,you know... Early in the morning watching a older gringo guy sipping his morning coffee, lips pursing in expectation even before his cup left the saucer...eyes sort of glazed over, gazing blankly out at the street scene...wondering what to do with another day in Panajachel.... Don't fret gentle blogfollowers if you can't find some of these destinations....we also have difficulty finding them sometimes!...just get a ... read more

Antigua is a small town surrounded by volcanoes (one of them Guate's only active one!) and mountains scattered witn Maya villages. Life goes on slowly in Antigua, Maya women come down from the hills early in the morning to say a quick prayer in the yellow church by the plaza before heading for a long day at the market, and we creep out of our room (that's the one with the huge mouldy patch on the roof) and head to one of Antiguas many laid back cafes to start the day with a traditional breakfast: eggs, fried platains, black beans and hot tortillas!! The only bad thing here was the hords of gringos luring around every corner in the parks, shops, cafes, language schools...so Mayan dialects weren´t the only ones ringing in our ears!!...maybe not the ... read more

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

Well, right now as I write this I am back in Antigua where I started - I didn't do the 3 day trek and I still haven't climbed a bloody volcanoe, not that I think it'll change me as a person. The main reason for this inactivity is that for the last 10 days I've had a stomach bug that just wouldn't let go of me. I thought, like I would back in Britain, that give it a day or two and I could ride it out - but no I certainly couldn't out here... The bugs are a lot more determined to f**k your life up! And they did with lots of headaches, nausea and a constant (almost affectionate) bond with the toilet. Thankfully, the worst of it is well over and I am ... read more