6-11 February 2017. This is the view from the upstairs courtyard of our guesthouse. In Antigua it’s impossible to escape the volcanoes. Not that we would want to. A clear day is a chance to savor their looming blue beauty.
Our guesthouse is about a ten-minute walk from the town centre. We have a private room and bathroom, and the use of a shared kitchen where we make breakfast and sometimes lunches for the day. We rejoice in having a toaster: we’ve just spent three months in Mexico and toast is not a thing there, so there were no toasters in the places we rented even though we could buy bread.
Most mornings we enjoy sweet conversation with a young American family: parents, a toddler, and new baby. They are in Guatemala studying Spanish and our breakfast conversation in English is a pleasure for us all. I’m determined to make friends with the shy little girl, and by the fifth day have managed to break the ice. I’m always impressed by parents travelling with young families, by their courage and vision, and by their willingness to live outside of the box.
The layout of the guesthouse is in many ways typical of the Spanish style; the street-side is not more than a wall with a metal entrance door, often big enough for a car to be driven in and enclosed behind the solid barricade. In this case the door opens to a sitting room with space for motorbike parking.
There are a couple of staircases up to our rooms on the first floor, and to the courtyard with a large lovely swing seat where I sit and swing, writing, reading, and gazing at the volcano. There’s a third entrance and staircase to the family’s private quarters, and rich décor everywhere I look.
It’s not fancy, just a home that’s comfortable enough with all we need.
We go looking for the market. It’s busy in the streets all around it. People selling fruits and vegetables from the curb, shoppers coming and going, hawkers calling out their wares, and the smells of earthy life arising all around. We walk by the market several times on Alameda de Santa Lucia Street
and on one occasion dive into the narrow alleyways of stalls selling shoes and clothing. It is always something of a disappointment to me to see the ubiquitous presence of cheap western-style clothing for sale in the markets of developing countries – tight leggings, t-shirts with banal sayings or the manufacturer’s logo, shirts and shorts and jeans and tight skirts. All of it is practical, I understand that, but none of it has any soul, none of it is grounded in tradition. So I walk quickly by, not inspired to linger, let alone to photograph.
Then one day we explore further and find the food. The rich colours and aromas of the fruits and vegetables entice me. And here I am also drawn by the age-old tradition of market day, and the camaraderie between the vendors, a community unto itself borne of decades of continuity.
I try surreptitiously to take a photo of one of the stallholders, but it’s quite dark in the market and I miss the opportunity because my camera is on the wrong settings. As I keep fiddling with the camera, she and her friends close by become aware of me and start laughing because of the attention.
Then suddenly it’s too much, and in her shyness she hides smiling behind a bunch of greens. And that’s the shot I get. We all laugh together, a sweet moment of human connection that has no need of a common language.
We really never contemplate travelling in Guatemala by the notorious Central American chicken buses. It can be a dangerous proposition whether from bandit attacks, failing mechanics, or reckless drivers lacking frontal lobes. Any one of these three things can lead to disaster. Apart from that you get nowhere quickly and these old school buses are unfailingly cramped and uncomfortable. It seems too high a price to pay for this particular experience of local colour
We travel from Mexico to San Pedro La Laguna, and from San Pedro to Antigua by private van. It’s expensive, and slow because of the narrow winding roads, but it is definitely faster and more comfortable than a chicken bus. Still I want something of the experience so we ask at a local travel agency where we can get a bus to a nearby village. We’re given the information we need and told that the journey shouldn’t be longer than about twenty minutes. That sounds just about right.
The central bus terminal in Antigua is behind the market. The buses, dozens of them, shout their bold colours to the world, labeled with their destinations, and prayers to Jesus, and other religious statements. There is little resemblance to the North American school buses that they once were.
There is constant movement as buses come and go. We ask around and are told where to wait on the street for the bus to San Felipe. Still considered a separate village it is really more like an outer suburb of Antigua. People are milling around as we wait, coming and going, though it is not crowded. Don takes out the exact fare for us and replaces his wallet in a zipped pocket in his jacket. The fare is not much more than a few cents. Eventually the bus arrives. We climb aboard, and almost immediately it takes off again.
We’ve not been gone more than a few seconds when Don jumps up in alarm. His wallet is gone! Damn! We race to the front of the bus urging the driver to stop, which he does, eventually. We race back to the bus stop but of course the wallet is not there. So we flag down a tuk tuk and go back to the guesthouse. Don makes all the necessary calls to cancel credit and bank cards, and when it is done we decide that we still want to ride that darn chicken bus! We go back to the bus stop and wait some more. When the bus arrives we are both disappointed to see that it is yellow, just like the school buses. We were hoping for something more exotic, but at least we are finally on our way.
Apart from the colourful religious decoration,
I feel as if I’ve gone back to my school days and am riding the bus to school on those hard narrow tightly-packed benches, not in North America, but in Australia, though the exterior of the buses in Australia is quite different, and they are never yellow.
There’s not a lot to see in San Felipe, or perhaps closer to the truth is we don’t have much energy for exploring, so after a quick look at the yellow church
we catch the same bus back to Antigua.
Of course it’s not the same as a true long-distance chicken bus experience where the passengers are crammed in like chickens in a crate, and often enough are also travelling with live chickens, and where drivers race each other around blind curves on narrow roads, and your bags may or may not fly off the roof, but I’m happy enough with just dipping my toes in the water.
Most days walking into town along 5th Avenue North we notice the tall locked metal gates barring the way into an open space. The space is surrounded by high stone walls, all that remains of a building destroyed by earthquakes hundreds of years ago. Peering through the bars of the gates we see the Holy Week floats, or andas, that bear statues depicting the last days of Christ, the crucifixion, and the resurrection. During Easter Week, or Semana Santa these enormous floats are carried through the streets in solemn procession by hundreds of purple-robed men and black-robed women. They walk over “carpets” of flowers, taking turns to carry the statues to various churches throughout the town. It is apparently one of the world’s most spectacular religious ceremonies.
Unfortunately we are not in Antigua for Semana Santa, but walking by one day we notice the gates are open so we go inside. There are several men repairing and refreshing the statues.
We are free to wander, and are lucky to have come by at that moment. About the time we are ready to leave they lock up and once more all that’s possible is to peer through the black iron bars of the gates.
We are astonished by what we see. There must be about fifteen floats, each showing a different part of the Christ story. The biggest is eighteen metres long and requires 100 men to carry it.
One fine day we take a tour of some of the villages close by Antigua,
driving through gentle mountainous countryside.
We have a chance to explore Cuidad Vieja from the narrow streets,
to the even narrower alleyways
to the town square,
to the magnificent white church and plaza.
In San Pedro Las Huertas we are impressed by the bold colour and beautiful Baroque details of the church.
We find women doing laundry at the communal lavadero,
and, naturally, people hanging out in the town square.
We did what we could in Antigua. As I mentioned in a previous post it was painful for me to walk, and we were travel-weary – yes, that happens, even to us! But Antigua is worth seeing. It has that grounded feel of older towns built in colonial days, with it’s cobbled streets, narrow sidewalks, and unpretentious and earthy domestic architecture. The feeling is one of simpler times. There are also some grand Spanish Baroque buildings, great restaurants, and lovely people, all surrounded by spectacular scenery.
This is the final post about Guatemala.
Other posts:
Women of Guatemala – a series of vignettes
Let The Beauty Of What You Love Be What You Do*: The Tz’utuhil Maya of Guatemala
Earthquake City – Antigua, Guatemala
Next post: Either a new article about travelling the Nile River, or one about our new home, or the first post about Cuba.
All words and images by Alison Louise Armstrong unless otherwise noted
© Alison Louise Armstrong and Adventures in Wonderland – a pilgrimage of the heart, 2010-2017.
I love the lady hiding her face behind the herbs. I know just how she feels! You apt looks so comfy and of course I have the talavera all over The Holler. The thing that blew me away the most about Antigua and Guatemala were the hand embroidered textiles. They are framed and hanging high up in my living room. Guatemala is amazing and you captured it.
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Thanks Cindy. Oh the textiles and embroidery there are so beautiful! I did buy a skirt and will eventually get things sorted so I can wear it. I have friends who also have gorgeous embroidered blouses hanging on the walls. Definitely works of art.
Alison
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Really loved this post. And I love that motorbike sitting like a guest of honour in the living room!
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Thanks Tracey. Oh yes, I love the motorbike in the living room too. I think it’s not that uncommon!
Alison
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Oh my God. Alison thank you for the belly laugh from the woman hiding behind the parsley. Love those yellow churches. I am glad you got your chicken run bus. So did Don drop his wallet? Louise
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Chuckle. You’re welcome. It was a very sweet moment. I too love the yellow churches – so vibrant! Don’s wallet was picked right out of his pocket without him knowing by someone seriously skilled at their “job”.
Alison
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seriously skilled…scary.
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I’ve just found your post – I love your photos! They give a great view into Guatemalan life. Thank you.
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Thank you so much David. It’s my pleasure to share our travels to all these wonderful countries. I’m endlessly curious about all the different ways people do life. Certainly Guatemala was no exception.
Alison
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Ooh what a beautiful view from your guesthouse! We too loved the fruit and veg market in Antigua ~ it’s a particularly good one. We did take the chicken buses and it was totally fine, but am in agreement with you that it takes a bit more stamina than a private van.
The Semana Santa preparations are very reminiscent of Nicaragua, although a tad more elaborate here, to be sure.
Lovely post on a beautiful city!
Peta
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Thanks so much Peta. We definitely didn’t have the stamina for a long chicken bus ride, but the short one was fun. I think there are elaborate Semana Santa celebrations in several different places in Latin America. We were in San Miguel de Allende for Semana Santa one year and it was a big deal, but nothing like the pictures I’ve seen of the celebrations in Antigua.
Alison
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A poet once said,”A thing of beauty is a joy forever”. Your photographs capture the joys soaked in the Latin architecture,nature and life in a once colonized land.Thanks for sharing them with us.They certainly make my heart feel light.
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Thank you so much. What a lovely compliment. Delighted to be able to lighten your heart!
Alison
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There is magic in your photos. What a wonderful photo-journey. I am so impressed by your ability to push on, through pain and stolen wallets !
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Oh thanks Susan! The photography helps me to push on. When I’m surrounded by interesting things, and I’m looking to capture it and get the best shot, it distracts me enough so that I forget about the pain. As for the stolen wallet – it was upsetting at first but then we just dealt with it.
Alison
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Your pictures are beautiful. Cazzie and I are toying with the idea of moving to Antigua to study spanish just as the young family from the United States were doing. We lived in Nicaragua for 6 months in 2015 and loved every minute. Also…we loved the chicken buses! I highly recommend you keep trying them. We never lost any bags or were a part of any races, and always had fantastic experiences with locals and other travelers alike. Happy travels. 🙂
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Thank you so much Caren. I can really recommend Antigua. It’s a very sweet town. We’re no longer in the area so no more chicken buses for us!
Happy travels to you too.
Alison
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Alison there are very few blog posts of this length that I soak in every word. That includes my own! You have a magical way of story telling and making me feel as though I am living the experience with you. So much so I almost had a heart attack at Hubby’s wallet loss. Those are challenging situations to say the least. Your photos as always are Nat. George quality. The hiding-behind-herbs one had me grinning ear to ear. Love the wildly painted chicken buses too.
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Thank you so much Sue. It is the best compliment! Oh yeah, the wallet loss freaked us out when we first discovered it was gone. So shocking! But then we just dealt with it of course, and carried on. Hiding-behind-the-herbs was such a fun moment!
Alison
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Do we get to vote on the next post topic? Of Nile, current apartment, or Cuba I vote for current apartment – because I know Nile and Cuba will come along in their own sweet time too! Must admit to some curiosity as to where the two of you have “landed.”
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Chuckle chuckle chuckle. Well I might just heed your wish. I need to see what I can conjure up in the next week or so. I’m a bit anxious to get started on Cuba – it was such a long time ago now so I want to get to it before I have no memories left! And it was such an amazing time!
Alison
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First of all, no toast for three months?!?! I might die. Toast is my favorite food in the world (I have it twice a day without fail), and my kids tease me every time I even say the word toast. That was clearly not the salient point of your post, however, so I will continue by saying that I can’t believe the churches that even those small outlying villages have. I should know that; they take their Catholicism pretty seriously in those parts, but I am still always amazed at the size and ornateness of a small village church in Central and South America.
Loved your chicken bus story (well, maybe not the wallet part, which you certainly seemed to take in stride …) and wonder if I would take one if I spent some time there. I had a few options in Nicaragua, but I’m a backseat driver at the best of times and think I might be too much of a control freak to really enjoy much longer than your 20 minutes. Greens lady and all the produce shots were your usual market photography par excellence. Sorry to see Guatemala be finished here, but I am waiting eagerly for Cuba!
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Thanks Lexie. There was a month in an apartment in Playa del Carmen where we went out and bought out own toaster and then left it there when we moved on.
I was amazed by the churches too – the grandeur, and the bright yellow colour – even in small towns.
We just had to at least try a chicken bus ride. We had to get inside of one and see what it was like, but after being driven in India, after dark, I wasn’t anxious to be terrified again 🙂
Greens lady was so much fun!
And I too am awaiting eagerly for Cuba.
Alison
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As always, your photos set the mood, Alison and take me back in just moments to the 6 months we spent in Guatemala (mostly Antigua) and our travels around the country. We loved the market and arrived a couple of times in the very early morning to watch the sellers set up their wares for the day. Loved seeing the piglets leashed together, the crates of chickens, the produce and the mannequins wearing skinny jeans and gaudy underwear. 🙂 I’m so sorry to hear Don’s wallet was stolen. We were thankful that we never had anything stolen (in Guatemala anyway!) but we did arrive home after the Good Friday procession during Semana Santa to find Richard’s cargo pants had several slash marks (from a razor knife) around the pockets, some 3-4 inches long. Luckily, we never carried much with us and nothing was stolen but it was a little closer to his manhood than he was comfortable with! Anita
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Thanks Anita. It must have been quite wonderful to have just settled in in Antigua for a few months. We did that in San Miguel, but unfortunately I was not very mobile while we were there. The market early morning sounds fabulous! Those slashes in Richard’s pants! Scary! Presumably he didn’t even notice until you got home – those guys are seriously skilled at their “job”, but at least they were not successful with their attempt to get Richard’s wallet – or anything more precious 🙂
Alison
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I love all the ornate churches. Each one unique as they are here in Spain. A lovely stop for you in spite of suffering from pain and losing a wallet. I have always wanted to experience a chicken bus at least once! Glad you did it.
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Oh the churches are wonderful – so ornate, and so much variety. I’m glad we did the chicken bus too. At least we got to see inside one!
Alison
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These pictures are so beautiful!
https://lysbethchristina.com
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Thank you so much Lysbeth!
Alison
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What a beautiful post! It gives such a real slice of life and conveys the atmosphere… I love those ornate churches, and the women at the vegetable market.
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Thank you so much Dee. There are so many amazing churches in Latin America. Every town seems to have a unique one. It was a lot of fun with the women at the market – they were so sweet. I always like to go to the markets because you’re guaranteed an authentic slice of local culture there.
Alison
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perhaps someday i shall see
the beautiful streets filled with
colorful people and their veggies,
churches, riding on old school buses.
makes me happy knowing that you
both went there and came back with
this inspired travelogue for me and others.
i’m reminded to keep the wallet secured
to the body 🙂
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Thank you David. Happy you enjoyed
this little adventure to another land
Beautiful streets and beautiful people
and buses that made me smile.
Ah wallets! We must be ever so careful
lest we be victims to very very clever
pocket pickers!
Alison ❤
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Oh those peppers, Alison. I could feel the heat. And the shy woman. What fun. As for Don losing his wallet. It sounded like he was so careful, as I know he was. But the pickpockets can be close to lighting fast. Looking at the floats, I never quite get the gore tied up with so much catholic iconography, but I always love the churches. Great post, as always. –Curt
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Thanks Curt. I don’t get the gore either though it is prevalent throughout Latin America. It was explained to me once, but I’ve forgotten what the reason was. Maybe something like being scared good. Yeah, those pickpockets are seriously skilled. It truly amazes me how they did it, but obviously someone saw him take his wallet out so they knew it was there.
Alison
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It seems more present in Catholic theology than Protestant. And I am sure you are right about the scare factor. Kind of like Hell.
We had a band of kids hit us on a train in Rome. Fortunately we realized what they were up to. –Curt
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Wow! Lots of gorgeous pictures (as always,) but my favorite this time is that gorgeous yellow church in San Pedro Las Huertas. Stunning!
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Thanks Felicity. That church is amazing! Such brilliant colour. It’s one of my favourites too.
Alison
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Cuidad Velha looks a wonderfully peaceful place, Alison, and I love your opening shot of the volcano. 🙂 🙂
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Thanks Jo. All the villages seemed very peaceful. In Cuidad Vieja we saw the kids getting out from school and all the parents there to meet them. It was very sweet.
Alison
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Thank you so much for your photos and travel log. I feel like I’ve been somewhere else. Lovely.
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Thank *you* for your wonderful compliment. It’s my great pleasure to share about the places we’ve been. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Alison
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Sounds like an amazing place!!! Thanks for posting. It gives me a destination spot to think about. What amazing views. I’ve been just above Venezuela in St. Lucia but never Central or South America.
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Yes it is pretty amazing. We really enjoyed Guatemala. It’s the only Central American country we’ve been to, but I’ve heard really good things about Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Also we spent 6 months in South America – again amazing!
Alison
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Great post and photos from a town that left a great impression on us. The photo of the lady hiding behind the greens is priceless, and I’m drawn to the lavadero photos (missed this in our wanderings).
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Thanks so much Caroline. That was such a sweet moment in the market when she held that bunch of greens in front of her face.
Apparently there are lavaderos in several (many?) of the villages. I wish I’d gotten to see this one in Tanque la Unión:
http://1dumitraqui.blogspot.ca/2006/07/
Alison
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Oops, the lavadero is called the Tanque La Union, and apparently it’s in Antigua! Can’t believe I missed it. It should be on those “must see” lists!
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Amazing how exotic and beautiful the Antigua version of a “laundromat” can be. Almost makes me want to do laundry…not such a bad place to hang out with the ladies. That photo of Tanque La Union is gorgeous. Thanks for sending this along Alison.
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Your guesthouse in Antigua looked amazing–like a cross between a bed and breakfast and a cultural museum. I could probably wander around in there for hours the first day. And I loved pulling the motorcycle into the living room!
As always the pictures inspire and grace the day. When I read about Don’s wallet my heart sank. Such a horrible, sucking feeling in the abdomen. Our company did some work in Guatemala once–I never worked on that project–but we were told in Guatemala City to be sure our cell phones were off as some of the banditos locate them by signal and mug you for them.
And I really liked the gentleman in the black and tan shirt, in the foreground of the last picture. I think I’ve met that guy in so many places. That knowing appraisal of the moment. That sense of understanding perfectly what is happening, and being mildly amused by it… I love that! There must be a gene for that look in the human genome somewhere…
Peace
Michael
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Thank you so much Michael. The guesthouse like many in Latin America was filled with decorative pieces and memorabilia. It’s such a different aesthetic than I’m used to (which tends towards uncluttered and elegant). Everything is on display – for instance the ten decorative candles on the coffee table. It is just as you say, a cultural museum. Fascinating while at the same time I want to remove half the stuff and rearrange the pictures on the walls into a more cohesive whole (like I tried to do in the house in San Miguel de Allende). Oh and the motorbikes are quite common too, and cars. I actually think this front room set up as a sitting room is not the norm for a regular house in Latin America. Certainly we went into one in San Miguel where the equivalent front room was the parking garage for the car.
Our stomachs sank when we realised the wallet was gone too! But in the end it was more an inconvenience than anything. We never carry much cash when we’re out and about.
I had to go back and really look at the man in the black and tan shirt! My eyes had always been drawn to the bright red shirt and the twinkling smile next to him. I too love the look on his face – as if he knows the secret of the universe and it’s highly amusing. Sweet.
Alison
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A fitting finale to your Gautemala series Alison. That mustard painted church is glorious. And I love the colourful chicken buses. Pity about the wallet, but glad you didn’t let it spoil your day.
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Thanks so much Madhu. I also loved that church – so vibrant, and the colourful chicken buses. Ah the wallet! In the end it was not more than an inconvenience. We don’t ever carry huge amounts of cash with us. Guatemala was such a sweet interlude.
Alison
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I loved Antigua Alison. It is such a beautiful place. I have really enjoyed your posts in this series. I love all your brilliant photography and storytelling!
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Thanks so much Nicole. We enjoyed Antigua too, and our time in San Pedro. It was so good to finally get to Guatemala.
Alison
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Lovely Churches of a bygone era. I love the gorgeous architecture. Quite funny that the vendors were quite shy to pose for a photograph. It’s a pity that the place has pickpockets. Although you have not mentioned your emotions in being pickpocketed, I can feel your frustations. A lovely writeup with awesome photographs. Wish you had payed a visit to an erstwhile Portuguese colony called Goa on the west coast of India.. my fast disappearing home.. lost to greed and corruption.
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Thank you so much Neofito. We definitely were frustrated about the pickpocket, especially when we first realised it. It was momentarily scary and shocking. Once we realised that it could all be dealt with we calmed down quickly enough. Apart from the pickpockets Antigua and surroundings are lovely, with much to see.
I’ve long heard of Goa and would love to visit one day. I’m sure there must be something of the grace of the old times still left there.
Alison
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Once again you have captured the culture of Antigua through your lovely photos. So sorry to hear that Don lost his wallet. It is always a hassle to lose a wallet in your own country, much less when you are abroad. Thanks so much for sharing the beauty of Guatemala. You have given us much to think about.
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Thanks LuAnn. Arrrgh the wallet! So shocking since Don had absolutely no idea that it had even happened until it was way too late. That pickpocket was seriously good at his “job”. We never carry much cash, and always carry a spare credit card, so in the end it was nothing more than an inconvenience, but still we’re were stunned at the time. Guatemala has much to offer, and is definitely worth a visit despite the pickpockets.
Alison
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Terry came very close to getting his wallet stolen while we were on the train in Italy. Three young girls surrounded him before he knew what was happening.
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These photos bring back some great memories for me. I spent about 4 months in Antigua and Lake Atitlan way back in 2003 learning Spanish. I really love the color in your shots.
I love the photo of the lady hiding behind the greens – classic!
Ah the chicken buses. I got crammed in a few of those but luckily only for short-ish rides.
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Thanks Jeff. It must have been good to spend more extended time there. We only had 5 days in San Pedro and 5 in Antigua. Still it was enough to get a good feel for the place, especially in San Pedro where we stayed with a local. I’m glad I at least got to experience the inside of a chicken bus, even if it was just a local bus within Antigua.
Alison
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