An amazing Guatemalan experience

It's been a week of hard Spanish good eating but most of all a huge amount of shopping!  The quote of the week comes from Amy and is..."Helen, why did I buy a frigging table runner?!"............


Our crossing from Copan Ruinas in Honduras to Antigua in Guatemala was extremely easy as we were travelling in a little tourist shuttle.  We've been told that public buses in Guatemala are not safe to use so we will be travelling on tourist shuttles throughout our whole time here.  There are lots of travel agencies in Antigua advertising various routes and it seems that wherever you want to go, there is a shuttle that will take you there!

We went straight to the school on our arrival and were greeted very warmly by a member of staff.  She called the family that we will be staying with for the two weeks while we study at the school.  They live very close to the school, only 5 minutes walk away.  Our house has 2 ladies living in it, a mother called Cornellia and her daughter called Irma.  The son (Teco) visits the house everyday and is extremely chatty!  He met us at the school with a beaming smile, warm handshake and bubbling with enthusiasm.  He said that school was for learning, but the house was for lots of practise!!  I felt so welcomed by all the family straight away.  They keep saying to us that "it's your house too!". Cornellia, the mother is one of the cutest little old ladies you could imagine!  The houses is bustling, busy and feels like a haven.

Saturday afternoon and Sunday we spent wandering around what is a stunning, beautiful city.  Antigua is a small city of cobbled streets, colourful buildings and grand churches.  Sounds a lot like Granada in Nicaragua I know, but this is even more eye catching and picturesque.  Surrounded by 3 volcanoes, every direction that you look in the city means that you have a vista of at least one of them.  Locals pass the time in the gorgeous central plaza, delicious fresh fruit is abundantly available from little men and women selling a wide variety from small wicker baskets or carts and once again there are cafes and restaurants with the delightful courtyard gardens.  This is most definitely my favourite town/city in Central America so far.

Amy and I on the main street.

We found heaps of craft markets around the city while we strolled around and all of the stalls and shops has such a wonderful array of different things that the sight was amazing to behold.  There was such a variety it made me wish that I had saved all my shopping for here!  Amy says that the likelyhood of us leaving here with the same amount of bags is not very high as we both love to shop!  This was where the shopping marathon started!

Having a break from shopping in the markets.

More markets!

After a week of intense Spanish lessons, we took a well deserved weekend away at Lago de Atitlan in the western highlands.  The lake has a dramatic backdrop of 3 volcanoes (yes, three more volcanoes!) and it's shoreline is dotted with traditional Mayan villages were the people still wear traditional Mayan clothing and the culture is incredibly strong.  The town of Panajachel was our base and we found a bustling street filled with cafes, craft stalls and travel agents.  This is where our shopping marathon continued!  Very much a tourist town, it had a magnetic charm that made us want to stay longer.

The main street in Panajachel.

Mayan women and children.

Enjoying dinner in a lovely cafe, 
with a new friend!

We took a boat trip visiting 4 of the towns around the lake on Saturday and discovered pretty villages with winding streets, cute cafes and lots of crafts to buy.  We added to our present haul from the day before very easily!  Climbing the steep cobbled streets of the towns gave a wonderful vista of the lake and sitting in the pleasant cafes with a nice fresh juice and yummy cake was a very relaxing way to spend a day!  We returned to Panajachel in the afternoon for more cafe hopping, a little more shopping and a good natter about what a lovely couple of days we had had.

The busy streets of San Pedro.

The beautiful church and garden in San Pedro.

Looking out over the dock.

On Sunday we headed to the town of Chichicastenago, famous for the enormous market that is held there twice a week.  It turned out to be a pretty jaw dropping sight as local and tourist markets intertwined down narrow, cobbled streets.  Vibrant colours of flowers, fruits, vegetables and crafts were everywhere that you looked.  The market was very overwhelming and I didn't enjoy the constant feeling of being pushed and shoved.  Our tranquil and enjoyable shopping experiences in Antigua and Panajachel were as far from the markets here as possible.  After battling our way round the markets and making a few more purchases, we retreated to the calmer environment of the Santa Tomas hotel for a cup of tea!

Flower sellers at Chichicastenago.

Colourful threads ready to be woven 
into beautiful fabrics.

We returned to Antigua in the afternoon feeling tired, a bit battered and with our bags a great deal fuller and our wallets a great deal emptier!

People who I have met throughout the years that I have travelled always tell me how amazing Guatemala is.  I´ve been in Guatemala just over a week and totally see what they mean.  So far it is my favourite country in Central America that we have visited.