Antigua, Guatemala

Antigua is about 40 K out of Guatemala City, but it took us about 2 hours to get here. My travelling companion, Fran, arrived at the Guatemala Airport from Mexico City and we had arranged for a driver to pick us both up and take us to our hostel in Antigua.

Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, was the capital of Guatemala from 1543 to 1773, until three devastating earthquakes in the 1700s destroyed much of the city and it was decided to move the capital to Guatemala City. Many of the ruins still remain and make for interesting exploring.

On our way over to explore the ruins of La Recoleccion, we passed the place to go to if you're looking for hardwood firewood or charcoal. Back behind the front sellers was a huge stockpile of wood and charcoal.

Seeing all of the charcoal reminded me of a woman that I saw in Guatemala City. She was set up just off the sidewalk with a metal shopping cart. A tiny hibachi was balanced on the upper basket of the cart and she was cooking some meat for the meal that she was selling. In the main part of the shopping cart were the supplies that she needed - I didn't get a good look as I walked by and I didn't want to turn around and stare.

We only have one day to explore Antigua as tomorrow we will be travelling to Lake Atitlan, where we'll stay for a month. (Yay! I get to stay in one place for a while!) Antigua is mainly a tourist town with cobblestone streets, several large cathedrals and lovely plazas. As we were going through the Museum of Art, I managed to get a photo of the main plaza with the large Jacaranda trees from the second story balcony of the museum.

Antigua is a charming town with lots of restaurants and coffee shops and opportunities to buy Mayan crafts. I could spend a couple of more days here, just wandering the streets and exploring the ruins but tomorrow we're on to our next adventure!