Antigua!

Monday, April 11, 2011--Chichicastenango to Antigua

Before leaving this morning, I enjoyed coffee again with the owner of my hotel. He is such an interesting conversationalist. And his home-roasted Guatemalan coffee can't be beat.

The trip was supposed to take 3 1/2 hours by bus according to my guidebook. But I got a wild bus driver and made a fast connection when I had to change buses. I was here in 2 1/2 hours. There were a couple of times, however, when everyone in the bus got on the edges of their seats to see if we were going to make a pass the driver was attempting without oncoming traffic problems. Once, I experienced another one of those times when I wondered if he could slow down fast enough and pull back behind traffic without hitting the slow-moving truck in front of us.

I'm at Chez Daniel now. It's a beautiful new complex built in old style. My room is large and has three huge black and white photographs of Guatemalan people. My bathroom is very modern with marble counter tops, a beautifully tiled tub, etc. There are skylights, a flat-panel TV, etc. This being Antigua, it's not a bad price, though, at $45 per night including breakfast. The photos shown on the website of a bedroom and a bath were taken of my room and bathroom.

After spending some time in my room on the computer, I walked to the center of town. I took my laundry and dropped it off. Then I went to a restaurant in a back room behind a small shop. It has only two long tables and only two choices on the menu. I got the choice that most people were having--a plate that included a piece of chicken, boiled potatoes, and a rice-vegetable mixture all in a bowl and floating in a dark sauce. It came with half an avocado and tortillas on the side. It was delicious and oh so filling! It came with a glass of a very sweet, yet tart, drink. I'm not sure what fruit it was.

Antigua has lived up to its reputation. It is a beautiful, sophisticated, fascinating colonial city. I can understand why people fall in love with it. I was a bit surprised by its openness. As I thought about it, I realized that I get that feeling because the cobblestone streets here are so much wider than they are in most colonial cities. Also interesting is how large many of the compounds are within the city. Most colonial towns are filled with small buildings, but here there are blocks and blocks of huge walled compounds with tall trees growing inside them and visible above the walls. Antigua has a unique feeling to it when compared with other colonial cities.

Back at the room, I read until I got sleepy. Then I napped briefly. The owner brought three professional photographers by who wanted to see the room.

For two hours in the evening, I went back out exploring. I walked up and down streets to see what I could find. The city is filled with hotels, guest houses, hostels, etc., as well as restaurants, elegant shops, schools, etc. Many young people have classes in the evenings, so the town was alive with students in uniforms. I eventually found myself at the main plaza which somewhat reminds me of Santa Fe. Tired, however, I returned to my room where I watched BBC news before posting this.