Guatemala - a Parents' Perspective Part 2
Trip Start
Feb 10, 2008
1
16
29
Trip End
Aug 06, 2008
Antigua,
Guatemala
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Having met Elliot at the airport ( or vice versa ) we travelled to Antigua in a mini bus in the pouring rain. I was already beginning to think we may not survive 2 weeks of this weather but in fact we hardly had any rain after that. Elliot was busy relating all his stories from the previous weeks & the hours journey passed quite quickly although the driving was somewhat erratic. It was great to be somewhere different in the World though & could see why Elliot was having a great time.
We felt guilty at having checked in to our 'luxurious' $150 per night room, so paid for Elliot to stay in a 'luxurious' $21 per night room, with his own shower! Boy did he make the most of it. Considering his typical room on the trip cost between $1 and $5, he was thoroughly spoilt.
Anniversary dinner
The following day was our 30th wedding anniversary so we all had dinner together ( yes, and Elliot ) in the hotel. Elliot was the only one who actually enjoyed his meal. Boy can he put some food away.!Being a footie fan, I had sadly set the DVD recorder for the Champions League final on the Wednesday, but was not too concerned in seeing it as I support neither team. However, Elliot mentioned that he was keen to watch it & we discovered it was being shown in 'The Red Bar' in Antigua from 12.45 local time ( being 7 hrs behind UK ). After we had visited the coffee plantation, we dashed off to the bar which of course was packed out with people of every nationality, including 'mancunians' from the US & Sweden! Having ordered our beers ( water for Elliot ) & Guacamole ( yum ) we settled down to watch the 2nd half. Karen finished her drink & left to peruse the town as she 'hates' football with a passion. Even if Spurs had been playing, she would not have stayed! Over 2 hours later we emerged in the sunshine to see Karen sitting on the wall having a few stories to tell of some strange local customs being played out in the cathedral square. I will leave it to the reader's imagination. This was the first time we had tasted the local Guacamole & boy was it good, although not the best we were to taste during our time there. Karen mentioned a little later that the football was also being shown at Cafe 2000 where the inducement to watch was provided by scantily clad local waitresses. I'm pretty sure she knew this BEFORE & was her revenge for us watching.
One of the disappointing things about Guatemala, is that most of the good coffee is reserved for export, so it was difficult in some places to get a decent cup. I normally drink espresso, but in most of the places we stayed in or eat in, the coffee was the poor relation. Having said that, however, there was a coffee bar in Antigua that Karen swore did the best Cappuccino she had ever tasted & certainly better than Starbucks or Nero's. Needless to say we supped a few in there whilst watching the world go by.
We had all discussed doing a Volcano climb & one day Elliot bumped in to a German guy he had met & trekked with. he suggested we should climb Pacaya, just outside of Antigua & that it was best done in the evening whilst the sun was going down. As it was still active, the glows of the lava against the setting sun was a sight to behold, so we agreed we would do the climb the following week when we returned from the Lakes.
The volcano hike
When the time came, Karen decided against it, as she was unsure of being able to complete it & did not wish to embarrass herself or anyone else. She had climbed Mt.Sinai in Egypt a few years ago, so knew she was perfectly capable, but had suffered a broken ankle last summer & still felt some discomfort. So Elliot & I booked the climb for the Wednesday afternoon & were to be collected from our respective hotels. When the mini bus arrived to collect me there was no sign of Elliot & the bus was full with American's & one Australian backpackers. Having asked where my son was, I was told not to worry as all the buses would meet up @ the Volcano. He was right of course, but this did not stop me from thinking what I would do if he was not there. When we got out of the transport, we were all assailed by guys on horsebacks, offering us a 'taxi' to the top. Having discussed this beforehand, we puffed out our chests & said we would use our own two feet. I did notice that I was being followed most of the way up by a few horseman, convinced I would be dying & requesting they save me. The other 'assailants' were a group of local children selling walking sticks for 5 quetzal ( 35p ) for the climb. Elliot bought one for me obviously thinking I was going to need one, but the one he bought was quite thin & spindly so did not really benefit me. Halfway up I thought 'Why am I doing this?', but it was all worthwhile once we got to the actual Volcano surface. Scrambling over the jagged rocks to see the lava flows was pretty exciting, especially when the guide ( small, skinny lady ) kept putting her stick inside the volcano surface to catch fire & then waving it at everyone. Then the drama happened.
Mad volcano guide
The wound!
Elliot put his foot through the surface of the rock & hurriedly pulled it out again, covered in blood. Fatherly instinct took over & I ushered him of the rocks muttering ' you need to get it cleaned quickly'. A few of the young Americans offered medical support ( band-aids & wet wipes ) & once off the rocks it looked worse that it was. In fact it was just a series of scratches, but @ the time it looked terminal.
Flowing, glowing lava
It was getting cold & dark by the time we got back down to the village, but when we were nearly at the bottom, the kids all came running up to us requesting we gave them back the sticks they had 'sold' us. Although a few of the climbers kept them as souvenirs, most gave them back, so in fact it's a rental service they provide. Pretty clever really.
Frida
The best Guacamole we tasted was in Frida's bar in Antigua. The bar was a shrine to the famous Mexican painter & we kicked off most evenings there, drinking Margaritas', beer & 'licuados' ( Elliot's detox fruit smoothies ) & playing Shithead. Elliot had taught us this card game in the first week, but Karen & I had some difficulty in learning the rules for some strange reason. This made the games quite memorable & we played it at every opportunity, despite getting confused with the 7 & 8 rule. Needless to say Elliot was not the biggest shithead, this was reserved for Karen who was the SH 30 times overall, followed by me with 26 & ET with 19. Well I hope I have given you readers a little taster from my side & trust Elliot will now take up the mantle once again as he is a much better writer than I am. Should you all have some spare change you can throw his way I am sure it will be appreciated, & who knows, when he returns home he may buy you all a licuado, his new drink of choice!
