The Great Traveler

We arrived at 10pm at night. Guatemala City, the largest metropolis in Central America, has a reputation as a dangerous place to be. Not wanting to take chances on waiting for a cheap shuttle, we opted for a slightly more expensive taxi to the small, but gringo populated town of Antigua. We would find a decent place to sleep for the night and then explore the city more tomorrow.

The taxi ride was only $30 along roads that compared to those in the United States. Gas stations and fast food chains lined the streets in buildings that couldn’t be more than a few years old. I was floored at what I was seeing. Was this really a country that had just ended a 35 year civil war only a decade ago? Perhaps we were only seeing the wealthy areas of the city.

The minute we arrived into Antigua, the roads changed from paved to old style cobblestone streets. It was bumpy, but interesting considering these roads were most likely hundreds of years old, constructed when Antigua was one of the most wealthy cities on earth. We shacked up at Hotel La Sin Ventura for $50. The room was clean, but small, with a very comfortable bed.

Before going to sleep, we visited the local bar underneath the hotel that was a mixture of local Guatemalans and traveling gringos. International bars are some of the best places to truly understand human nature. People do what feels natural and are less inhibited by the social restrictions of where they come from. They leave behind all idealistic notions from their homeland and are able to truly express who they are, without fear of being judged. Its quite a freeing atmosphere.

I sampled the local beer, Bravha, and watched the locals and Guatemalans dance and sing the night away. Music seems to have a powerful impact on people and dancing seems to be a favorite activity of women everywhere. The Guatemalans would cheer at the beginning of each new song, much like the Indians cheer when a famous actor makes their initial appearance in a movie.

The next day we got up and walked around the city of Antigua. Its a small city that has become a popular place to learn salsa and take Spanish classes. The city feels safe and is very friendly towards travelers. Virtually everybody in the city is somehow related to the tourist industry, directly or indirectly, so they have a vested interest to make the tourists feel welcome. As we walked around, we stopped at a travel agent. She booked us a bus to Chichicastenango tomorrow for a little shopping and then a bus to Panajachel to hang out by Lago de Atitlan for one night before returning to Antigua. Perfect. A quick trip sure, but enough for us to see everything we wanted to see. With the rest of today, we would climb an active volcano.