Daniel_Williams

*Tica Bus El Carmen-Guatemala City*

I wasn't sure quite what to expect of Guatemala initially. I had chosen to enter via the land border of Talisman, Chiapas, Mexico--El Carmen, Guatemala. The scene was much more 3rd world-like than the Laredo-Nuevo Laredo US-Mexico border; it reminded me of a bit of my time in Africa. Getting swarmed by money changers & people wanting to "help" you with luggage and the immigration process. It was sort of unsettling but a firm "no, gracias" sufficed (it was even sort of fun in a way); nevertheless, I was glad to see familiar faces in the form of an elderly Salvadorean trio I'd gotten to know during the whole Chiapas blockade madness earlier (we were on the same bus from Puebla-Chiapas), who were taking the Tica Bus with me to Guatemala City.

While we were waiting, the elderly Salvadorean gentleman of the trio had gotten some atolito, a hot white, slightly sweet drink with oats from a woman with a thermos at the border while waiting to board the Tica Bus. I'd never had this drink before, but the elderly fellow with "Es rico! Va a darte fuerza!" and curiosity that kills cats got me trying it too. Hit the spot!

Tica Bus ordinarily picks you up in Tapachula but this time started from the border due to the Chiapas blockades. Leaving the border, the bus wound up the hill into what was almost instantly much more jungly-looking terrain than what I'd come from in Mexico. A lot of the towns near the border we passed through had makeshift looking businesses, which gave me an initial impression of Guatemala of greater poverty the Mexico.

The scenery was beautiful though, with imposing volcanoes, lush vegetation and the occasional rushing river to be seen.

*Coming up. Impressions arriving at the Tica Bus station in Guatemala City and Antigua*

Daniel_Williams

*greater poverty than Mexico*

Daniel_Williams

Arriving at the Tica Bus station in Guatemala City, the first thing I noticed was, to my surprise, a sizeable number of Europeans, Canadusans, and Australians in my midst. It seemed strange after travelling by bus in non-beachy Mexico by bus for the past few weeks to hear the majority of the bus from Guatemala City to Antigua yammering away in English. In fact, a Salvadorean 20-something and the driver were the only ones who spoke Spanish as a first language.

*Initial impression of Antigua*

I wasn't sure at first if I would like being in what seemed initially to me like foreign-tourist central. I wasn't used to seeing so many blonde-hair, blue-eyed folk or for that matter folks with African ancestry in the colonial destinations in inland Mexico. I could quickly see that Antigua would be a different sort of experience. Attractive & colonial with spectacular volcano views, I could see that from the beginning, but was it a place whose energy I would enjoy, I wondered?

Well, it turned out to be a place where the Guatemalan identity shines brighter than I had initially surmised. After a few days of activities in this storied former Guatemalan capital, I was entirely enamoured and found myself smiling as I walked the streets of Antigua. From the bags of freshly peeled and delicious mangoes I would get each day to the electric party energy on the weekends of both Guatemalans & extranjeros to the abundance of activities for history, architecture & nature lovers, I was wholly delighted with my decision to spend 5 nights in Antigua. I'm only sorry that I'm only discovering this great place for myself in my 40s.

*Activities in Antigua Upcoming*

Daniel_Williams

*Day 1. Walking tour*

My first day in Antigua, I wanted to get a sense of the history of the place. I missed the Liz Bell walking tour by about 15 minutes, but when I said I could do a tour in Spanish, tourist information said they could get me a private guide but at a higher rate. My guide (Philippe Boileau), half-Guatemalan half-French (father from Vosges) gave me a wonderful tour in as it turns out an impeccable French. I was kind of relieved the tour was in la langue de Molière because as much as enjoy using my Spanish, I did not want to miss any of the rich details of the history of Guatemala's 3rd capital (which is Antigua), capital from 1541 to the mid-18th century, when after a particularly devastating earthquake, Guatemala City became the 4th and present capital. During the tour, we went to the part of the cathedral destroyed by earthquake, the Museo de Jade, the Casa Santo Domingo and saw some beautiful European glass side by side with the Mayan art that inspired it (amongst other things).

*Day 2. Ciudad Vieja*

Only 10-15 minutes by bus from Antigua's Mercado (3 quetzales each way), I decided I wanted to see Ciudad Vieja, the 2nd capital of Guatemala (in the days when Antigua and Ciudad Vieja were capital, Guatemala extended as far south as Costa Rica), from 1527-1541. I had been moved by Philippe's story of poor Beatriz de la Cueva, wife of the apparently handsome but cruel and heartless Guatemalan governor Pedro de Alvarado. When Alvarado died due to a spooked horse, Beatriz maneuvered so that she could become governor. It was unusual to have female governors in the early days of Hispanoamerica. However, two days after she signed papers designating herself governor, the crater of the nearby Volcán de Agua filled with water, and a lahar (a flood of water & sediment) surged down the side of the volcano, devastating Ciudad Vieja and killing the beautiful Beatriz and her newborn daughter. Now, Ciudad Vieja is a sleepy town with a beautiful white church and lovely volcano views.

*Two more days in Antigua, followed by two days in the capital. What did I do?*

Daniel_Williams

Day 3 Volcán Pacaya

A week after having *seen* my first ever active volcano (Popocatépetl), I planned to *climb* my first ever active volcano, Pacaya. Through a company recommended by my hotel, Atitrans, I arranged for a minivan to pick me up at my hotel at 6 am (viewing is better in the morning due to fewer clouds and less chance of rain). And off we went, 15 of us, mostly Australians & Europeans, two Israelis and one American through the lush, tropical, mountainous Guatemalan countryside.

Arriving in Pacaya, Escuintla about an hour and a bit after leaving Antigua, Sacatepequez, we were given the option of hiking or going up the volcano by horse. I wanted the exercise, so opted to hike. The locals pull the horses as you walk and they were especially eyeing me, an older member of the group, as I was sweating, checking my pulse and breathing heavily at times. These horse-pulling fellows were budding entrepreneurs "más cómodo andando con caballo", "Muñeca (the horse's name) is waiting for you!", "muy empinado! Very, very steep!" They were actually quite entertaining during the moderately challenging hour and a half climb. The views of the volcanoes Agua & Fuego as well as the surrounding hills & valleys were stunning.

I however made it to the end point, which was a good bit below the volcano crater. Here, there was the famous Lava Store, an oddly-located business which specialized in jewelry made from lava stones. It was kind of eerie for me to see the turmoil of the planet Earth for the first time ever in the form of rocks and smoke being belched out of the mouth of the volcano. Near the store, our guide took us to a hot spot of 50-odd degree Celsius solidified magma, where he roasted some marshmallows for us to eat and some of the Australians cooked their dobladas. Unquestionably an amazing moment in my life amidst a alien-looking world of dark cooled magma adjacent greenery and a smoky volcano top.

*Day 4 Tortilla cooking school*

I hadn't really planned this last day, but decided after reading positive opinions on Trip Advisor that I would like to learn something about Guatemalan cooking. Off I went and luckily they had space for me in the morning session.

Here I learned how to make the national dish pepian, rellenitos (fried plantain with a bean & chocolate filling), an ensalada con remolacha and a carrot/rice side. Not only the experience educational and everything delicious, the most fun part was hanging out with the delightful staff of la Tortilla. Everardo the sous chef was hilarious, singing songs as he worked with the equally funny Mayan head chef teasing Everardo for his singing and disorganization. A wonderful way to spend a day with terrific people!

*Final words on Antigua to come & 2 days in Guatemala City*

hopefulist

I'm enjoying this - thanks!

Daniel_Williams

*Guatemala City*

Thanks to all the press about Guatemala City being a dangerous place, my palms were sweating as my taxi took me from the popular tourist destination of Antigua to the capital.
Were it not for my desire to see the Museo Popol Vuh, I doubt I would have chosen to even visit the Guatemala City, which is commonly referred to as Guate.

Well, I'm glad Popol Vuh brought me and feel sort of ridiculous given the hype that initially I was scared to leave the Howard Johnson inn where I was staying in the Zona 9. I'm not sure whether it was the modern buildings, the children in their neatly pressed school uniforms & sweaters going about their business or the stylish women sipping their lattes in a chicly-designed Starbucks whose washroom did not require a key, but after awhile my fear broke and I felt quite comfortable walking around the Zona 9 and 10, enough that I took the sleek green TransMetro for 1 quetzal into the Zona 1.

Word of advice: I would recommend not taking the TransMetro during rush hour. While in other cities, passengers on a crowded metro wagon step onto the platform to allow other passengers to exit, in Guate, one had to jostle one's way out of the metro car as no one would budge, even saying "con permiso" and "perdón!" several times. Bizarre. Also, be careful crossing a street as cars turning seem to think they had right of way even if the light was in your favour and you were in a crosswalk. I followed the lead of one woman whose strategy seemed to be wait for a good moment, looking all ways and then run!

The Catedral Metropolitana and Palacio Gobierno near the TransMetro stop Parque Centenario were quite stately adjacent a large central square. Although there were carts here selling "Granizadas", I felt that the central plaza would benefit from the presence of entertainers and possibly more vegetation to give shade, as well as some dining options overlooking the space. It's a pleasant plaza in many ways with great potential but I felt as a visitor, there was little to hold me there other than to look around the cathedral. There were a good number more abandoned storefronts on the adjacent streets than what I'd seen in the Mexican colonial cities, however it is my hope that with the seeming growing prosperity of the city as it moves further away from its rough period in the late 20th century, that these stores will start getting filled more bringing an upbeat ambience to the in many ways quite handsome Zona 1.

The Museo Popol Vuh and the neighbouring Museo Ixchel de Traje Indígena for 50 quetzales were smaller than I'd imagined but were great places to learn about Mayan culture, past and present. The museums I would definitely recommend as an excuse if you need one to bring you to the Guatemalan capital.

Daniel_Williams

Thanks hopefullist for enjoying! I find writing a trip report with an I-phone I'm not as good at catching syntax errors, but I'm glad it was at least readable to one person . Happy travels this year! Daniel

AnaBelen

My trip to Guatemala is in a little over two weeks, so I am delighted to read your report. I am crazy busy wrapping up the end of summer school and I leave for Guate the day after I finish grading exams and get the grades posted. I am not sure what I was thinking when I picked the dates.

I have my hotels and travel between sites (Tikal, San Pedro laguna, and Antigua) sorted out, but I have not had time to arrange activities. I am going to have to do that once I arrive. From your report, I have added tortilla making in Antigua. I love the idea of the hike up the volcano, but I am not sure. Although I am pretty fit, I live at sea level and I am guessing everyone else will be 10-20 years younger than I am. We'll see.

Thanks again for the great report!

Daniel_Williams

Ana--If you're worried the climb up Pacaya might be too much, a few members of the group went up by horse--they asked 100 quetzales per horse. The experience & the views were definitely worthwhile. Only reason I didn't give in to a horse was I really wanted the exercise!

I'm so happy I've inspired you to consider La Tortilla cooking school--it was such a nice way to meet people! Thanks for reading! Best wishes, Daniel