Antigua

Antigua is a charming, cobblestone'd and picturesque tourist town just outside of Guatemala City. Many cabs will take you from the airport in the city to Antigua. When we left Cleveland early that March morning, we were bundled up against the cold. When we arrived at the airport, it was sweltering and we were glad we left our down coats behind! The cab ride from the airport took us up into the mountains, where the temperatures were moderate and breezy- perfect everyday, really. We found a lovely hotel and enjoyed the views (above) from our little balcony. Many chic boutiques, bustling restaurants and bars lined the streets, which were generally thronged with natives and turistas alike.






Here are a few of the sights around the city. We checked out the local market on an afternoon walk. Refrigeration is not a big deal in Guatemala. There were large slabs of raw meat hanging by the dozen out in the open at various stalls and even eggs were, well, on their own. Below is a typical street scene with a sign advertising tourist junkets to active volcanoes, a street beggar, women in resplendent traditional dress shopping and a mini-skirted tourist. Have you noticed the colors on the buildings? Color was used with abandon here- bright blue buildings were cheek-to-cheek with mustard, orange and mint green buildings. For those of you who have emotional reactions to color like I do, it was a visual party, a riotous delight.

Above, beautiful evening light in Antigua. The distinctive cone-shaped mountain in the background is shrouded by clouds.

We spent one afternoon riding rented mountain bikes with a swashbuckling guide, Juan. Juan took us to parts outside of Antigua that we could have seen no other way. We rode through alternating dry and lush fields on single track paths from village to village. It was the dry season in Guatemala, so the paths were cushioned with a soft, fine, thick powdery dust. It made for comfortable riding, but we all ate plenty of dirt that day. Some of the small villages we visited were served only by these paths which suited bicycles, pedestrians and horses only! NO cars, no trucks, no chicken buses! There was plenty of traffic of this sort; we saw Mayans of all ages and sizes carry staggering loads of wood tied onto their backs with twine. And indeed, the smell of wood smoke was ever present in Guatemala. Scrabbling for wood to carry home and burn for cooking fuel was a full time occupation for most of the villagers. We rode through fields of a variety of produce from poinsettias and carnations to leeks. Below is a picture of a field of blue-green leeks right behind a dusty fallow field. Below that is an interesting looking, though unidentified field.

Below is a picture of our trail.
This is one of the larger towns we rode through. Stray dogs were everywhere in Guatemala.
This is a creative sign for a bicycle repair shop, whose services, thankfully, we did not need that day!
This is one of the regular roads on which we bicycled. It was a pretty lane flanking a rocky brook bordered by tall, stately cedars that doubled as the town's garbage dump.


Are you wondering what Chicken buses are? They are ubiquitous in Guatemala, they are the primary mode of transportation other than walking. They are unmistakable- expertly painted in bright, hot colors in flashy patterns and sport a dazzling amount of chrome!