In the interest of time, and to save Alex's creative energy for our next destination, I (Emily) am going to write a quick blog on our last two Guatemalan destinations.

Antigua, known as Guatemala´s 'tourism showpiece' is a colonial-style city which has survived a series of tragedies over the years (natural disasters, wars) and, as such, stands as a pretty amazing relic of history, and testament to the city's resilience.

In our brief stay in Antigua, we passed the daytime by wandering the cobblestone streets, admiring the historical buildings, and enjoying a few Guatemalan taste-tests (a chocolate factory would have to be my favourite!). It seemed that around every corner, and even within some buildings, there were ancient ruins, tastefully incorporated into the city´s otherwise-livable state. We explored the ruins of an old convent and a couple of pretty churches, and found ourselves some nice coffee to sip in the city´s central park.

Feeling very cosmopolitan one evening, we had a delicious French meal accompanied by Spanish wine in a gorgeous tiny side-street restaurant called Hectors. All-in-all, we had a brief but enjoyable taste of a fascinating and very pretty city.