La Villa Serena Antigua Guatemala

... it drops you off at the foot. We then proceeded to climb for 1800km. It was a. extremely tiring, b. really steep, c. so dangerous climing on actual brittle lava (it breaks away easily), c. really, really, really hard and tiring. The locals have horses following you up all the way in case you wimp out and want a ride. No-one in our group did but to be honest I only didn't because I felt sorry for the horses (animal ...

... the other, while trying to avoid being knocked unconscious and preventing my balls from dipping in the bowl full of urine, as there was no light, no-one could find the flush!<br><br>Still, it was all worth it once i arrived here. I met some drunk English guys within an hour of being here and had a beer with them (at 9am!). I met Esther at the aeropuerto and we went out last night for dinner and a catch up. Today we ...

... the border for about 3 hours whilst the driver slept in the luggage compartment, his feet sticking out in mid air, and everyone on the bus either slept on the side of the road or in their non reclining seats. Al, Jules and I sat outside wondering when we were going to leave and then decided to head into the bus for some sleep. Wrong choice. the aisles were full of people lying sleeping and one particular person got a nasty shock when I accidently stood on his head. We ...

... family of ten. <br><br>We spend our days exploring the city &#8211; I have picked up a stinking cold so can only manage a few hours before a sit down and a cup of hot chocolate is required. We visit La Recoleccion, one ruined church (from the earthquake) where we pay $3 each to clamber across the ruins and climb up rubble (British health and safety would never allow this). We eat and drink in the central square. We visit the Museo Casa del Tejido (a ...

... can decide to come out! Obviously we were standing on old dry lava so why would now not be a good time for a fresh batch to pop out?! This made Milli quickly get away from the fresh lava and opt to hang near the guide &#8211; though what she could do if things exploded is not certain&#8230;I&#8217;m thinking nothing&#8230;<br><br>We walked back, my legs TIRED and quite jellyish&#8230;crankiness set in and it was so good to get back in the car and sit. Shane tried to sell his walking ...

... done with the lava fun. Others got a little closer, roasted marshmellows, and their skin. There is no way that something like that would fly in Canada, groups of hikers scaling sharp lava rock to stand feet away from a moving stream of lava. I think they think that if we´re crazy enough to do it then they´ll be crazy enough to let us! It was an exhausting day but once we got back we toped it off with a crazy night out and went to bed close to 5am ...

... told that there is no place in Guatemala as expensive as Antigua. So we were expecting it. <br><br>After lunch we decided to go see several churches that were nearby. Specially the main one, right next to the central park. Unfortunately the day was cloudy so we couldn't see the volcano on the first day. Antigua is pretty much a valley surrounded by 3 volcanoes, the water, the fire and the acatenango volcano. Being the water volcano the most ...

... dishes, you can visit the beautiful and very interesting site of an antigüeño photographer , Rudi Giron: http://antiguadailyphoto.com. Simply type the name of the dish or food in the Search field and here you are! That was it for cooked meals. What about fruits and vegetables from here? 3 types of all succulent mangoes, bananas roses (found in Xela, but not in Antigua, snif), normal bananas (same as at home, but so much ...

... is ugly, exactly as described by anyone I know who's ever been there. By night, beautiful with the lights strung across the hills and valleys. Christ and a huge Coca-Cola sign sit atop the highest mountain, beaming down as if competing deities. Two days later, the car and driver showed up on time and we were off to Lempira and the Lenca highlands to visit the opal mining regions...strictly 4x4 roads, unless you had a burro. The mines were small ...

... helpful and polite. A very poor country with more than half the population living in poverty. The official national minimum wage is only $130 per month and not everyone is lucky enough to get that. Many generations of families live together out of necessity in small, single room concrete block homes. Word has it that there is no middle class, only a ruling class and an exploited class. Only ...