Day 19: Antigua Guatemala

First off, here is a lovely video from Semuc Champey of the oldest little girl asking me if she could take my picture. As she held the camera up to her face, she couldn't figure out how to get me more into the frame, and so she got down on one knee. Just too cute.

We had 2 horrible bus experiences in a row, so this time we decided to upgrade. For 250Q we would take this big tour bus back to Antigua.

We got on at 9PM and would arrive in Antigua by 7AM. The seats were so comfortable, and I was able to sleep for a majority of the ride. Definitely worth it. 

Antigua, which mean ancient in Spanish, is old. Construction started on The Cathedral of Saint James (below) in 1545. I was particularly surprised when the band in the front door was doing their rendition of "Like a Prayer" with 2 drums and a flute. They never went to the chorus, but rather played through the verse about 40 times. 

I do acknowledge the idea that it could be some other song with the same tempo and melody, but I'm pretty sure they were channeling the spiritual side of the divine diva Madonna. 

Being a more popular tourists town, rooms were more expensive. There were a lot of options though, and Onvisa has 40Q beds, and so we went with that ($5). There is a super annoying parrot here, and the room feels dingy. 

The skylight makes you feel a bit grody. 

This old Spanish colonial town was the capitol for central America for a long time. Beautiful buildings from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries are sprinkled throughout the town.

Being a tourists hub, prices are higher. Based on a recommendation from the internet, we found Cafe D'Marta which had really good deals on breakfast. This is also the first place we've found that does multiple cups of coffee included with the meal. This comes highly recommended! 

The Capataz from the menu for 40Q

There is also a Mcdonads, Burger King, Wendy's, Duncan Donuts, and Office Depot. The following picture was taken in McDonalds. I guess you could say, "They aren't CLOWNING around"

Chips aHoy Mcflurray with Carmel.

The market in Antigua is huge.

There was a giant collection of hats from Colorado.I loved them all, and was REALLY close to buying the Denver Nuggets hat.

I then found this hat. Love. 5Q ($0.60)

A guy tried to sell us this puppy for $6.

Unlike a puppy, I actually needed a watch. My phone died on day 3 of the trip, so I was wondering around without any grasp of time. This is a bit of a romantic notion, "I am not bound by time, but rather by the spirit of the earth beneath my feat and in my heart and bowels," but for practical purposes I needed a way to tell time. This Casio watch was 35Q, and I feel fairly confident I couldn't have brought the price any lower. 

When the guy was trying to sell it to me, he kept saying, "It's Casio! It has a stopwatch!" I haven't worn a watch since my Marvin the Martian watch I had as a kid, so I was quite excited by the stopwatch feature. So I immediately ran back to the bathroom at McDonald's and set a record on the toilet. 7.75 seconds. Mom would be so proud. Mom, please confirm this in the comments.

Back to the market I bought a "Empanada de Leche", and this milk filled pastry was amazing. Many of my close friends know I am in love with empanadas from taco bell back home, but this baby was half the price, twice the size, and way more delicious. (5Q - $.60)

Trying new fruits.

I applaud these woman for so dutifully lactating for years on end. You service hasn't gone unnoticed. 

They harvest coffee here in Antigua, and there are a million cafe's to prove it. There are also a few strange benches dedicated to the wonderful bean.

A nice park.

Another nice park.

Back at the market, looking for action figures.

Next up is doing a 2 day hike up a volcano! I will see lava!