Chicken buses are cool
Loading Map
Antigua,
Guatemala
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Antigua was dark and uninviting when we finally arrived. We had no real idea where to go but we had picked a place that sounded ok from the guidebook. When we arrived it looked a little strange but we went in. The women who ran the place spoke no english and clearly had no brain either. She had some strange idea that if we came back in a couple of hours someone might miraculously check out at 9pm. And in a fit of madness we went along with her. As she indicated she had eyes so we entrusted all our possessions to a crazy mad women with no brain and eyes!!!!!!
Then reality hit and i had a ssttrroopp......... we should actually find a bed which existed rather than an imaginary one invented by a brain dead women.
We passed by another hostel.... a semi normal one that had signs, beds and a women who actually was interested in giving us a room. Looked semi normal and was the same price so we tried to sneak back in and get our bags but the mad women was watching so we ug ug uged and ran away. Then ventured out to get some food. Found a cute little italian place and had a much needed beer and some extremely greasy pizza before calling it a day.
Day 1 - Time to explore.
Woke up to find the hostel as dead as the night before. Whilst food hunting weŽd seen ine weŽd heard about and it was rocking so decided weŽd move there after breakkie. The free brekkie was rubbish so went to a cafe and had lots of eggs and beans..yummy!!!!
Then we had to plan for the week....... so much to do here so little time!!!!!! Decided the indiginous market was the thing to do the next day so booked it and then started to wander. Antigua is such a cool place to wander, loads of monstrous church ruins, cute colonial buildings and loads of cool window shopping. Add to that the numerous bars, cafes and restaurants it almost like being home. Except they dont have ale (gayO tastes like shit) or mushy peas (refried beans look like shit).
After wandering i decided to go check out some posh hotel i`d read about. Casa santa domingo is the ruins of an old monestry that has been turned into a luxery hotel complete with tropical gardens, parrots and ancient ruins. An amazing place to wander around and one to add to the growing list of places to come back to. Of the 78 places we`ve been to so far theres gotta be thousands left for another day, add to that my new found ambition to see every country on the planet before i die and i better find a way to keep this retirement up and fast.
We had coffee in a groovy little french place, really good stuff....i love guatemalan coffee, hadnt ocured to me back home i could get guatemalan coffee in guatemala...wot a dumb arse. Then had the hard task of seeing the night through with yummy hostel burgers and plenty of beer. Then everyone headed out but the prospect of 8 more beers, more than i`ve had since leaving home, meant an early night for me. I`m getting old you know..........
Day 2 - Indiginous markets
Today neil had a crazy idea...that as usual involved getting up early...why is it all Neils idea involve early mornings?
Got a bus bout 7am to some place being a C, where they have a huge indiginous market!
Was quite a drive....but a cool drive too...right up in the mountains somewhere...where we got to see loads of indeginous towns along the way. Reached the town...was crazy...with narrow streets and buses and trucks everywhere! When the bus could finally find a parking space...well the side of some road to be exact...they don`t have actual parking spaces! We were let loose on the market!
It was monstrous...and probably the biggest and most colourful we have seen. There were millions of stalls selling everything you could imagine made of the most amazing coloured fabrics! We love the stuff....unfortunately we cant carry much of it home....but man are we gonna try! We wandered for ages...it was really busy....loads of locals milling around...the women all in there local dress...they all carry stuff on their heads too...which is fun to watch! And when i say stuff i mean like whole farms, or the entire content of their stalls! Its crazy. There were people selling everything....some from fancy shops....some from carts and barrows, some from the floor....it seems anything goes...if you have anything to sell...all be it a few moldy tomatoes or a couple of live chickens you can sell it here!
Came across the cemetery at the bottom of the hill....it was amazing...not like anything we have ever seen before....the graves are all above ground and brightly painted and they were still decorated with flowers and stuff from the recent day of the dead celbrations...it was a sight to see. Then we headed to the church....which was suposed to be amass with flowers. It was certainly the place to be! Everyone was hanging out on the steps...selling their wares..mainly flowers. There was a strange fire going at the bottom, which seemed to be being used as an incense lighter or something....it smelt like it anyway. Went in the church...was very simple...not like other catholic churches we had been in, and was covered in flower petals and candles....
Decided we were hungry...couldnŽt find any nice market food...so ended up in some touristy cafe. Tried a local looking place first, but had no idea what to order, as there was no menu. They tried to explain in spanish...kinda got it but it was all to scary so we left!! Had spag bol...just for a change!! Was quite good...not cheap though.
Then went to do some actual shopping. Couldn`t afford much....but managed to pick up a cool bit of fabric...a scarf i think...but we gonna hang it on the wall....neil got a colourful wallet and we got some handmade bracelets. We got the bracelets stupidly cheap...some young girl was trying to flog them to us while we had lunch...in US dollars at a stupid price...the more i said No, the lower she dropped the price! They are crazy when it comes to battering.
Had more time to waste...so wandered some more....went to a really dodgy toilet that cost me like 1Q...it was in an alleyway...smelt like a toilet....and had a bowl and concrete vat filled with water to wash your hands in!! Wayhey, this is Guatemala!
Then it was back on the bus....a non eventful journey back if a little too speedy....then we were back.
Had food in the hostel cause we were starving...and then er....i cant remember!! All the days in Anigua seem to have rolled into one!!!!
Sure we must have drunk some beer and maybe a few cuba libras and probably wandered the streets as seemed to like doing.
Scary day
Today sounded just like any other day.........we got up, had breakkie and then wasted away the morning writing this rubbish!!!! Only today wasnt a normal day, it was a bloody insane one cos today we were gonna go explore an active volcano......like you do.
So shortly after lunch we boarded our luxery chicken bus which was actually the same old shitty usa school bus only they hadnt even bothered to paint this one. Then after several hours in the only traffic jam i`ve encounted in the so called third world we get to the volcano. That is after passing many people selling random stuff like light bulbs and hair nets in the strret...like i`ll need that whehn the damn thing erupts!!!!
Once there we met with our tour guides and the armed police who would prevent us being blungeoned to death, i wondered wot they`d do if we all burnt alive!! Well we started with a very steep climb as it got dark, in the twilight we had several cool views of guatemala city and the mountain lakes below. As it got dark we needed our tourches to see the way. There was a cool breeze in the air and it was very misty. Every so often our tour guides would stop for us to regroup as it was pitch black!!!!!! We finally reached the fence marking the edge of the safe unrestricted park of the park. Our guides with torches lit the way for us.... either through the hole in the security fencing or along the edge of a sheer drop to get round it. He seemed to find it amusing to highlight the ridculous drop with his torch as we passed.
Then the fun really began, as we started to make our way over the volcano cone! We had to descend down screer like slopes of volcanic rock on to slabs of rock suspended over molten rock. The heat was intense as we scrambled on towards the red glow in the sky. It was complete madnesas to scramble over huge boulders of volcanic rock that crumbled and slide beneath our burning shoes, you could smell the rubber in the air. As we scrambled we passed many large openings and cracks beneath our feet where the burning glow of molten rock could be seen. We finally made it to our final scramble up and the view was breathtaking, you could see the lava flowing right out of the crator and winding its way down the slope meters from where we were standing. The way back was as difficult as the way up but when we got off the cone we were rewarded with a spirt from the volcano illuminating the night sky and silloetting the volcano.....amazing. Well we all escaped with no injury except me who in my eagerness to reach safe ground once again managed to spear myself on a tree trunk leaving a deep bleeding gash in my chest......(well not quite but it bloody hurt and looks gruesome)
Well after that we were so tired we had another early night.
Day wotever and wotever and wotever..................
The next few days were just well earned chill out days...spent drinking coffee....eating ice cream....yummy food including chinese and amazing pasta...drinking too many cubra libras and wasting valuable hours and quetazles on the internet. Very enjoyable! Its a hard life this travelling lark!!
Except for the last day...when Amy nearly died!! Well actually i think that is a slight exaggeration...but still i did feel like i was gonna at one point!! Too put it simply i git ill. Now we really canŽt complain.....its the first time i have been ill....and only the second time either of us has been ill. But let me tell you its not pleasant!! Spent the day either in bed or in the toilet! Nearly died around 3pm....then recovered enough to manage to drink a whole can of coke and watch a cool movie in Cafe 2000 that evening.
And for the record i also managed to avoid pooing in my pants....like someone else i could mention!
