Antigua

We began our second week with Courtney, Josh and Althea by taking a Monday morning public shuttle ride up the steep ascent out of San Marcos to visit the ancient city of Antigua located near Guatemala City. It was a three-hour drive. This was the beginning of Easter Week, so schools were closed for spring break. Easter is Guatemala’s biggest celebration of the year, and the city was full of visitors and vendors.
Antigua is probably the city with the richest history in Central America and was once the third most important Spanish colony in the Americas. Its setting is majestic, nestled between three huge volcanoes: Agua, Fuego and Acatenango. We were awed by the farming that took place straight up the mountains and across deep valleys. The farms were marked out in different geometric shapes. Men leading horses with huge packs of vegetables, wood, and other items for the market slowly trudged up the mountain road and down the steep descents. The women had large bundles of merchandise in baskets, metal tubs, and/or bamboo baskets on their heads. The houses varied from concrete, to wood, and/or stone. Many had thatched roofs, while other roofs were tiled or were flat with corrugated steel. With strikingly clear visibility we could see great distances. Many roadside markets were busy setting up booths and displaying their wares. Our driver was adept at getting through the maze of curves, buses, motorcycles and pick up trucks. He dropped us and the other passengers in the big main square, which is a restful, shady, city park surrounded by picturesque, historic buildings with majestic arches. It felt like we were back in Italy or perhaps Barcelona. Hotel Aurora was just two blocks away, so toting our luggage was without difficulty. Six-year old Althea, a travel pro, was always eager to carry or pull her share of the load. She is fun to be with.

We passed several vendors and walked through forbidding black iron gates into the quaint, luxurious old hotel. A lovely, open-air garden with colored marble inlayed walkways surrounded a quadrangle of 20 charming rooms. Huge doors with old fashioned keys and crowned with transoms opened into each room. Big, steel barred windows graced the street, but at night, heavy shutters could be closed and locked from inside. The thick wooden shutters muffled the street noise. The gigantic entrance gate to the Aurora was locked at night, and we felt quite safe. There were no phones or TV’s in the room. A tastefully decorated hotel lounge with high ceilings contained a library, TV, computer (free Wi-Fi), and elegant comfortable furniture. A lovely working fountain in the middle of the immense garden added a special splash of class. Althea and another little girl found the fountain quite inviting. A large variety of gorgeous flowering bushes and plants were everywhere. Humming birds dropped in from on high to sip the nectar and darted from flower to flower. Contrast this with the lady (see photo below) washing her clothes by hand at the public laundry.

Each morning we were formally served a sumptuous continental breakfast at tables with white cloths. The food choices in Antigua were plentiful and every meal was delicious. We had lunch in a garden one day and supper on a roof top another. One tour with only Althea found us in a carriage pulled by a gaunt, tired looking horse. Althea could talk to the friendly driver in Spanish and relayed our questions. Jerry eagerly took many pictures, and Althea loved the ride. The driver stopped for each photo; the cobblestone streets precluded photography on the go. This would be the best city for testing anti-shake cameras.

We kept in contact with Josh and Courtney via cell phones. One could easily get lost in the underground maze of vendors. The high-end retail stores contrasted with the congested city marketplace provided fabulous and unique shopping experiences. Long daily lines at all of the banks, accompanied by armed guards, made us thankful for our U.S. monetary system.

We made time the last night to play some bridge with Courtney and Josh. They were both quick learners, Josh could not get enough of the game during our two-week stay with them. Althea preferred playing 3-13.