Sunshine

A young girl walks home from school hand in hand with her mother.

The strong sunlight intensifies the city's bright colors and it's historic architecture.


The colorful sky forms a backdrop for chimneys.

My shadow makes the early morning walk to language class.

Temple to Clean Clothes

This structure, like many others through Guatemala, were built as communal laundry facilities, with numerous wash tubs for women to use.
This one in Antigua is no longer used but most others still function.

Happy Travelers

Vicky and Mikey are friends from Vancouver, British Columbia, who are backpacking through Central and South America.
They're dining on a pancake lunch cooked by Mikey at the hostel and tomorrow will head to Honduras on their way south.
We've been roommates for two weeks so I'll miss their good humor.

Spanish Class

 People from around the world come to Antigua to learn Spanish. Class consists of one student sitting with one teacher talking together for several hours a day. After one or two weeks, a student can begin simple conversation and after three or four weeks will feel confident in the language.
Ana, at right, taught my daughter, Ariel, two years ago.

   

School Director Mario Castellanos holds a tray of cookies to celebrate a student's birthday. Tecun Uman is my favorite school and I return at times to refresh and improve my grammar.

http://www.tecunumanschool.com/

Students and teachers gather outside during a study break.

 

These are two teachers who have taught me over the years. Lily is working on her new tablet as Rosa looks on.

Aura is my current teacher. 

Don't Touch the Baby

A man considers buying a used typewriter in the crowded Antigua market while a small child sleeps on a table among various items for sale.

Menú Translator Needed

Even with a dictionary, some menu items don't translate. There's no way to know what you're ordering.
What would a foreigner make of the terms, Southern fried, cheese steak, thousand islands, torpedo, grinder, etc?

The Old Fashioned Way

If you wanted to scrape paint from a concrete wall, you could use a machine to sandblast it in a few hours. But if you are in Guatemala, the preferred method is to hire six laborers to do it in two weeks. And, the men cost less than the machine.

Breakfast From a Pickup

I buy a breakfast from this family each morning at 7:30 before going to language class. The sanitary conditions are not ideal but I've learned that food sold from the same location each day has to be safe to guarantee repeat customers. And, the food is custom made to order, flavorful and inexpensive. 

The Top

Clouds thin just enough to show the top of Volcan Pacaya.

Seemingly Scary and Dangerous

 This wall with a doorway near my hostal doesn't appear very inviting but the change is dramatic once inside.



A beautiful, spotlessly clean hotel and courtyard exists as if by magic on the opposite side.

Lunch

 A pretty bowl of soup comes with three nicely decorated tacos for 20 quetzales (US $2.80) in a little comedor with attentive service.

The Juice Man

Orange juice fresh squeezed to order for ten Quetzales (US $1.40) is my mid-morning snack.

Two Kinds Tourists

 A tour guide directs the gaze of a group of tourists that just got off their bus in front of La Merced Church.



Backpackers retrieve their packs from the roof of a van.

 

My Home

 This is the hostel in which I'm currently staying in Antigua, unsurprisingly called Hostal Antigua.
I stayed here last February as well and like it because it's small and quiet, and the staff is friendly, as are the other backpackers / guests. 

Not Much to Look At.... But Delicious

I walked past House of Soups (La Casa de las Sopas) a few times before stopping in and ordering a thick stew (caldo).
WOW.
Best food I've had in Guatemala, I thought to myself. I went back the next night, accompanied by another traveler. After two bites, he said, "Best food I've had in Guatemala."

Food in Mexico and Guatemala, is almost always bland, prepared without hot spices. The customer is always given a selection of spicy additions, just as US diners are given ketchup and mayonnaise.

Here,  salt, cilantro, limes, green spicy sauce (liquid fire), tomatoes, onions, are offered.

The family SUV

Only three on this motorcycle but four or five is not uncommon.
Two wheels are the most usual method of private transportation and the number of motorcycles parked on Antigua streets far outnumber cars.

 

Bicycles are also popular with all ages.



Interiors of houses are usually pristine despite appearance of the outside walls.

Everything that could go wrong.... DID

3:50 AM and Carson is waiting for the 4 o'clock shuttle to the airport.
Lack of sleep caused by nightmares of him missing the start of the new semester has made him grumpy.
The van arrives and the driver looks at the ticket, ushering us in while loading the backpack on top.
My question about the time to the airport reveals that we're headed for Honduras. We got on the wrong van.

 

7:30 AM After a lot of shouting by me, and hysterics by Carson, the driver (sort of) acknowledges that he didn't really read our ticket and has taken us so far from the airport that Carson will not be able to board his flight home. Carson realizes his nightmare is coming true.

Instead of being in the center of the map, we're toward the right, approaching a country we hadn't planned to visit.
A bus and then a taxi bring us to the airport where all flights are filled, except for one available seat to Boston.
12:48 PM After buying a new air ticket with 3 minutes to spare, Carson is on his way.
End of nightmare.

Volcán de Agua

From anywhere in Antigua, Volcán de Agua can be seen hovering nearby, even when the top is covered by clouds.

The Real Carson

CAUTION : A very hyper teenager shows his frantic side while contemplating his return from a month of privilege in Mexico and Guatemala to the rigors of having to read books required for his college education.
It probably won't make sense but it could be a valuable lesson learning about the teen mind.

Destroyed by Earthquakes, Antigua Lives On

Antigua was the first capital of Guatemala until the city was devastated by earthquakes in 1717 and 1773.
Ornate cathedrals, convents and churches were constructed in the following centuries, as were many palatial residences, but most were once again destroyed in 1997 by another powerful earthquake and remain in their ruined condition. 

La Merced Church survives in the city.

El Arco de Santa Catalina is a city landmark. Viewed from the opposite direction, Volcan de Agua is visible.