El Salvador | Guatemala

Day 13 : Antigua, Guatemala

 

Ok, new lesson learned on Brian and Marisha´s travel adventures. Do not try and fit 3 weeks travel into 2. The 1 week in Mexico did not count for us due the sedintary nature of it all. Vacation yes, travel, no. So, to us, this is the usual trip. Planned the exact way we usually do -  in 3 weeks (with 2 to work with). We are so tired and have been on the move non-stop. Guatemala is not a stress free place to travel. It can be a very dangerous place and it is hard when you only speak 3 months worth of self-tought Spanish.  Still though, to our own props...doing quite well.  The good thing is, we covered all the hard places first... leaving the last part of the trip to all the cleaner, relaxier, and  beautifulier parts of Guatemala. Nothing like diving into the trenches (El Salvador) to really make you appreciate the quality spots. The past few days we have really been able to unwind and enjoy this trip so much more. Being in High alert takes a toll...  has also been a little sick since last week.

Antigua is a breath taking (Guatemala standards) city just far enough away from Guatemala City to make you feel you are in a completely different country. Kind of like Council Bluffs, IA and Omaha. Or Wiggle town and Plattaburgh. Or Aurora and Denver....you get the picture except add some guns and chickens and stuff.

 

The glorious view from our room - well sometimes if you wing-it, this is what you may end up with.
A continuation of our room tour night one. Our bathroom. Lovin' the blue.
But its actually much better, and it even had TV and cable for night time. Digging the castle vibe.
Hahahaahah...ok not a whole lot of time to find a room first night. Sweet jaguar bed spread though (yaguar to you!)
Decided to try our luck again day 2 for a different place to sleep. The lobby wasn't looking all the promising.
It even has a little roof top deck/lounge.

Antigua is a colonial city they have fought to keep as prestine to its original state as possible while at the same time adding McDonalds, Subway and as much western influence as possible. You walk past original buildings, hundreds of years old. Some with local artisans selling everything from hand made wraught iron, textiles and pottery to ones that surprise you as soon as you enter through the gate. Hip bars, resturaunts and boutique stores. Massive elaborate courtyards filled with flowers and gardens are the biggest treat.

We hit the town to do some exploring. What town looks like on some of the side streets.
A better look at the Daily market.
Some ladies just working away.
Fruit stand. These things are on almost every corner. Too bad we ate super crappy instead. Fruit? What's that?
Antigua is sweet. Everything looks like this! We stumbled upon a street market where the locals sell handicrafts in front of the amazing old building.
Ladies at the Daily Market.
Bri buying one of my favorite skeletons in honor of our Day of the Dead wedding.
The fruit cart.
Now we're talking ....booze and candy!

We have settled right into Antigua. Learingng the layout of the city in hours. The food here is amazing and the prices a little higher, but a welcome change to previous cities.

Antigua man, taking a stroll in front of a wee coffee/pastry shop.
Yes - they call me Mishita aroud here....and yes, they do love me!
Well, we just dont see enough off this do we?
A little lunch stop with some unplanned free entertainment.
A local woman with her son. People are so awesome to let us take pictues of them.... and he got some stickers....
The roads....
Finally a real coffee shop! Gimme gimme Guatemalan coffee
Stickering the kids, always stickering the kids. Its my favorite part.
The Catholic church in the plaza.
Man, that damn street food. Meats stews, soups and deliciousness. Too much!
More stickers for the kiddos.
Inside of the church on a random afternoon

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *