Grand Tulip Innkal Futura Hotel Guatemala City

... removed the 2nd hour that I had been charged. OK good service! <br><br>@0900 I took the shuttle bus to the airport and checked in my luggage directly in front of where I got off the bus - outside the terminal. It seems to be a regular thing that they have these check-in booths outside and slipped the guy 5 $ upon his "I will take of your luggage for you". I just convinced myself that since everybody else was doing it, so could I.<br><br>Had plenty ...

... right on the lake. Here we had to change bus yet again for the drive into Antigua. We were exhausted at this stage. We´d been travelling for twelve hours and it was another hour and a bit into Antigua. We had no accomodation arranged but there were two American girls on the shuttle with us and they were staying in the Black Cat inn so we decided for ease that we´d just crash there too. It´d save us having to wander the streets of an unknown town, tired ...

Antigua is known for its active Volcano Pacaya, tourists flock here to roast marshmallows over the lava and melt the soles of their brand new running shoes off. Unfortunately this was not my purpose for visiting the town. I needed to get Wesley back up to 100% mechanical shape. For anyone who has been to Spain this town is very similar, cobble street roads, and buildings still standing since 1543.  This was the original capital of Guatemala until an earthquake took it to ruins ...

... Total: 3 (Dorada Draft)<br><br>After dinner we head over to Pana Rock Cafe, a very obvious knock-off (incuding logo) of Hard Rock Cafe. We order several buckets of beer @ about $15 per 8 beers. We´re happy with this deal but find out the next day this can be found for as little as $5 per 6. On our way out the Thriller video starts playing. We stay until the end and pay our respects.<br><br>Number of times Hotel ...

... It is a small but the collection of artifacts and furniture is in very good conditions and all the information is very detailed. We really liked it. <br><br>Close to the museum there is the building of the police, which is basically a newly built castle. Unfortunately it's closed on Saturdays.... any other day it remains opened. There were a couple of other churches and the we got back to the cathedral. We took us about 4 hours to complete ...

... to do in Antigua on Sunday other than attend mass. Fodder's guidebook also agreed. <br><br>AROUND THE TOWN (APR 19) <br><br>My plan for Sunday was to ride the infamous Guatemalan "chicken bus" to the famous Sunday market at ChiChicastenago (more details on this trip in a future entry). Walking up Alameda Santa Lucia towards the bus terminal, I stopped to admire the church of Santa Lucia and the Landivar Monument. Rafael Landivar was a Jesuit ...

... went out to explore the water ways. It was so beautiful and unspoilt. Just lots of indigenous people fishing from their home-made dug out canoes. However, a double kayak is like having someone tell you how to drive. It was awful. We argued the whole way as I thought Paul couldn´t steer , and then I didn´t actually have enough muscle power to steer. The dutch bloke stayed mysteriously 100´s ...

Well we finally made it after months of planning, at around 1pm( local time) we touched down in Guatemala City. Immigration went smoothly, from the plane touching down to us walking outside the airport it took no longer than 20 mins. After weaving through tons of shuttle bus &amp; taxi driver operators we were finally able to get outside the airport facility where we discussed our options. Originally the plan was to take a bus to Antigua but ...

... and went out to find some dinner. The city is absolutely charming and I found it very appealing. Colonial architecture, cobblestone streets, Mayans in indigenous clothing, excellent restaurants...what's not to love? Unfortunately, the hostel turned out to be incredibly noisy. The usual concrete echo that people seem to be unaware of - you can hear every squeak and whisper - and ...

... coinciding with a small festival of traditional dancing of Guatemala. Both were pretty awesome. The protest seemed to be made of mostly leftists giving off a surprisingly militant vibe. Here's a couple pictures: Next we went to San Francisco Marroquin University and the Ixchel Museum on the grounds of the university. The museum contained exhibits relating to Mayan dress and Mayan culture. Honestly, not great: I didn't learn a lot, nor was I ...