It's been a few days since we arrived to Antigua on the night bus from Flores. The journey itself probably deserves a separate blog space, but I prefer to keep it short and not remind myself too much of it! As I mentioned before, we are both used to the "freestyle" of the bus drivers in Bosnia, but I would call the Guatemalan version of relaxed safety rules a "kamikaze style"! The buses are also old and never seem to be what they show you in the travel agency. We arrived to Guatemala City almost an hour earlier (enough said) and then ended up in a taxi rather then a colectivo (shuttle) organised by the travel agency. Being driven through Guate during the rush hour is a perfect antidote to a strong coffee to keep you awake after a sleepless night. Ok, I think I've been going on about this for too long already - on to Antigua now.
The town is in the highlands surrounded by the hills and 3 volcanoes and the climate is very different, feeling drier and cooler than the North. Volcan de Agua dominates the town because of its proximity and is absolutely impressive, however it is often partly concealed by clouds or some kind of misty/foggy air. It last erupted in the 16th century, so should be OK for the duration of our stay!
The town itself looks very European, with an easy to navigate grid pattern and the Spanish baroque architectural style. There are quite a few landmarks that were destroyed in an earthquake, still kept around town as ruins. Otherwise, lots of beautiful churches and of course markets and shops. We thought we'd reduce our costs here, but we've been overspending buying various trinkets for our family and friends. The food is also not cheap in the restaurants or cafes, with few exceptions. There is a big market with abundance of fresh and cheap fruit and veg, but we'd need the cooking facilities to enjoy those. We discovered a little cafeteria also popular with locals that serves cheap sandwiches and breakfasts to go. One of the more popular options is the chicken chow mein filling (very unusual, but Chinese food has really found its way here in Central America). We tried it with some avocado and it was the most satisfying sandwich so far! They also sell a doughnut-like food filled with puréed black beans and a banana (very frequently seen breakfast combination). I tried it, but didn't like the texture rather than the taste. Surely, we have very much enjoyed the Guatemalan coffee and the cocoa drinks (hot chocolate, cocoa tea) - we went to the chocolate museum...I didn't want to leave!
The town seems small enough to see in one day on foot, but everyday new sights and interesting places pop up and it's so easy to be drawn into various tours and activities here.
We have decided to forego the hike to active Pacaya volcano and we are going to visit a coffee farm in the nearby foothills for Volcan de Agua instead. We will take the chicken bus to there as it is a short ride, so that will be another new experience :)