Trip Report 10 days in Antigua, Guatemala
 

I've done my trip report in a link because there are so many pictures integrated into the narrative. You can click here...http://AVerySeniorYearAbroad.com/Cha...d=283&size=big.

You'll find comments about my hotel, home stay, language schools, food, sites (wow), some amazing Lenten processions, and more. I'm very interested to know if this style of trip report is interesting or 'Just Too Much'. Happy Travels!

I love your trip report. All of the photos are just wonderful. I just went to Guatemala in Feb. and your photos are bringing it all back. Thanks for taking the time to share.

Great job!! I've visited Antigua 3 or 4 times but have not studied there. I'm heading out in July with a group in tow (a week of study in Antigua, a week in San Pedro La Laguna Atitlán, an overnighter to Chichi in between and Tikal/Flores after).

I didn't see the name of the school you chose, and could you tell us how/why you chose it and more about activities/impressions/progress, etc.?

Thanks again for sharing with us!

PS I loved opening your travelogue and seeing Casa Cristina in the very 1st frame - my favorite hotel in Antigua. I'll be spending my 1st 2 nights in that place on my upcoming trip, too, in the days before my group arrives.

Hi hopefulist - I chose Acadamia Colonial because a friend recommended it. It was fine. On the downside it was noisy in the study courtyard. On the upside it was a fresh, clean place. It's a small school meaning intimate but not so much on group activities although they did have them (cooking, walking tour, etc.).

During the course of my stay I stopped by many other schools and they mostly all looked very fine too. I think it's hard to go wrong. I heard from my teacher and others that all the schools draw from the same teacher pool.

I'd recommend you get into an email correspondence with the places you are interested in and see which place feels the best for you.

It's a great trip report. Your pictures are great- so colorful and they show such feeling. I really like the format.

Thanks for sharing!

My plans are set for this summer. We're studying a week each at the Academia Antigüeña for a week and the Cooperativa School in San Pedro La Laguna for a week. I'm always looking for reviews and recommendations, though. Can't wait!

Thank you for a wonderful trip report. I am going with hopefulist in July and your pictures and report have me all excited.

Hi, Carla - Our school and all/most of the homestays will be in the neighborhood of her hotel and the big yellow church (La Merced). :-)

ClarPenn, what a delight to read your travelogue! Hilarious! I can see you packed your sense of humor along in your suitcase... and your pictures. Wow! Antigua is just a riot of color during a festival it seems. You have totally captured the mood of Antigua with your format.

Pining now for Casa Cristina - stayed there last year for a couple of nights and the long hallway at the entrance brought back memories. I wonder if the same night watchman is there? Must return one day.

I really liked your candid comments, especially how you walked right to the next town. Statements like that are important because they give confidence to other solo female travellers.

Thank you so much for sharing :)

Oops ClarePenn, I had your name wrong. Lo siento...

Hi rivet - thanks for noticing as my ambition in doing these travelogues is to encourage other women (especially my 'senior' compadres) to take heart, buy a guidebook, buy a ticket, it'll be great.

So very true.

Last year, in Honduras I met 2 senior ladies in their early 80's who were doing exactly that - bought the ticket and the book. Unfortunately they were booking their travel in between chemo appointments and one was forced to wear a wig in the heat of Honduras. But what a trooper she was!

Their main interest was the ruins and in Copan they bought a book, refused a guide and explored on their own for days. They were a sweet pair and had "travelling" down to a science as they had found their way to China 4 times, Egypt, India twice and lots in between. They were extremely careful of what they ate, came with a large supply of cheese strings, dried fruit and bought crackers once they arrived.

Running out of time, was one of their comments.

Twice at our posada, the stay-at-home husbands called to make sure things were ok.

We took the same bus from Copan to Antigua and not long into the trip out came the crosswords, clipped from the newspaper and folded into a backpack - making use of every minute.

rivet - A wonderful and unusual travel story. Thanks for sharing it!

What camera did you use, please say a simple one as your pics were incredible.

Well... landineen, my camera is a nasty honkin' digital slr (Nikon d200 with the 18-200 lens) which is a crazy commitment to lug around the world, but I'm hooked.

Fascinating blog, great pictures, weel done! You make Guatemala look beautiful. Looking forward to my trip next year more than ever now. Thanks for posting.

Wonderful report and incredible photos. We were in Antigua last summer. What a beautiful place! It's really breathtaking. Do you have reports and photos on other parts of the country? You'd love Chicastenango and Atitlan, or at least I'd love to see your photos of those places. Thanks for the link.

Hi santamonica (heeey, I live in Santa Monica, CA - might we be neighbors?). Oh yeah, I got a TON of them including a nice hit of Chichicastenango and Atitlan. You can click on this:

www.AVerySeniorYearAbroad.com

I don't know if the link is going to work in this reply box - if not try copy-paste, and then you can see in the thumbnails what-all there is and click away. Your first click on the front page will take you to a thumbnail view of the story you selected. If you want the pictures 'big' click in the upper right corner on the 'click HERE and all the pictures will get big'. Chichi is in the chapter with Lake Atitlan.

Will you let me know what you think of the navigation on the site? I just did this format and am curious if people can use it and if they even like it. Thanks!

The format is wonderful, Clare. I especially enjoyed your Copán photos, having spent a total of more than a month there over the last few years. Ixbalanque is very near and dear to my heart - I consider the directors Kathy and Amadea very special friends of mine. My favorite teacher there is Yessenia. Do you remember the name of your host family? How did that work out? One more Copán note: there are live bats inside the museum temple - good fun (so it's not empty after all. :o)

Sorry I didn't know you were heading to San Pedro La Laguna or I would have recommended the Cooperativa school there. My friend and I both had wonderful, interactive host families and the teachers are all experienced and wonderful. It's one of the places we're heading in July.

Maximón moves from place to place. When I was in Santiago Atitlán in 2007 he was in a small, dark room in a home alongside a huge glass coffin with a Jesus mannequin - pretty creepy. Lots of rum flowing and cigarettes lit that day. I'll take a peak at the current site this summer.

Did you get to see the produce market inside the huge commercial building when you were in Chichi? It was a highlight for me.

Thanks again for sharing! Your photos are making me more and more excited about my upcoming trip. :D