ANTIGUA - GUATEMALA

16th - 20th May 2011

My three new best friends in Guatemala

Well, I managed to bluff my way through the border crossing without filling in forms or paying anything. I suspect the Mexicans didn't care and the Guatemalans saw a stupid gringo who couldn't speak Español and it looked like a lot of extra work and much argument, so they just stamped my passport and brusquely waved me on.
I hadn't realised that the north-west end of Guatemala was so mountainous. Another gripping, toe-curling bus ride ensued through pine covered mountains and volcanos. The highest of these peaks is at 14,000ft. The zig-zag roads were in quite good nick despite having been carved into cliff faces vertical both upwards and down. Impressive engineering. Some of the countryside looked a bit like Switzerland in summer, green fields, towering mountains and forest, much to my amazement. I was informed that the country has a total of 33 volcanos of which 5 are active, one of which hangs over the town of Antigua-Guatemala. For some reason people like to climb them.

Left: Just to remind you what the Guatemalan flag looks like. The centre design consists of crossed rifles over a document ( the document of independence ) with a Quetzal ( a green long-tailed bird which is the national emblem and after which the currency is named ) resting on some laurel leaves.

We arrived in Antigua at 7.30pm ( local ) and I found I had made another 'time' error. I wondered why the pick-up was 1 hour late in San Christobal. Nobody explained that Guatemalan clocks are put back 1 hour ( behind Mexican ) for summer time! Lucky it isn't the other way round. Theoretically the time should go forward as one travels east! Not here it doesn't.
I organised my travel through a local ( Guatemalan ) company called 'Adrenalina Tours' ( not, I hasten to add, due to the hairy driving, but because they used to do adventure tours ) run by a most helpful Belgian chap called Patrick Vercoutere. He has lived in Antigua for over 20 years. I met him on arrival and he kindly found me a nearby and comfortable and cheap hotel; El Hermano Pedro. He is a useful contact should you ever be passing this way.

Left: The bedrooms, behind much foliage, in the Hermano Pedro. It was not actually necessary to use a machete to get into one's room and I didn't look too carefully to see what other living creatures took up residence here.
Antigua-Guatemala is the old capital city. It collapsed ( several times ) due to earthquakes so they moved the capital to Guatemala City, about 30 miles north-east. It is at about 5000ft and therefore not too hot and is overlooked by an active, but relatively friendly, volcano. El Fuego, which blows steam and ash into the sky on a fairly regular ( daily ) basis.

Right: Antiguan chariot. All the streets and squares are cobbled and often fairly roughly so. Walking on these can be uncomfortable so a ride in one of these jalopies would be a bone-shaking experience.

Talking of transport, the local public buses are called 'chicken buses'. They are of the psychedelically hued, noisy and smoke belching variety which light up like Christmas trees at night. They are so named not because people carry their chickens and livestock in them ( although they do ), but because of their manic drivers who 'play chicken' with oncoming vehicles. They are cheap, but not for the faint-hearted. 

 

Left: One end of the central Plaza which, as always, has a Cathedral at the other. Somewhat similar in lay-out to San Christobal de Las Casas although a bigger, more sprawling, town and less immaculate but it has carefully maintained it's low-rise Spanish colonial architecture, many times rebuilt. The area specialises in selling Jade. As with the Amber in San Christobal, I suspect a lot of it is fake. I don't know what the test is to prove it is genuine. 

Right: The garden in the middle of this square does not have a bandstand. It has a curious fountain instead. It was switched off while I was there but, when on, water spouts from the breasts of the four ladies around the base. I forget what or who they symbolise. Mothercare? Make your own deduction.

There are many gringo foreigners based in the town from USA, all over Europe, Australia; everywhere in fact. Lots of students learning Spanish on 'total immersion' courses spent, from what I could see, totally immersed in the local pubs. Also people who have chosen to work here, visitors who liked the place and just stayed, voluntary aid workers and, of course, several tourists. There is certainly an attraction for many people who prefer a less stressed and rule-bound existence. My local, for three nights, became the 'Ocelot' bar. This is the first Welsh bar I have come across outside Wales. It does good pub nosh too, with a European style menu. It is owned and run by a most amusing chap from Bridgend called Sean ( no, he's not Oirish ) who has been in the town for 8 years or so. He said he preferred the place, unsurprisingly, to Bridgend ( less fights ). The barmaids, Paula from Alaska and Camilla from Sweden, were great fun and the clientele consisted of people like Ben, ex-Shrewsbury School, who is doing admin for voluntary aid groups, Richard, a Texan, involved with some US 'department' or other and the redoubtable Brendan ( who does have an Irish accent ), from Michigan, who used to lecture economics and statistics in a university in Beijing and now writes a column for some far-eastern newspapers. He also sets and comperes the popular weekly Pub Quiz which is, apparently, not to be missed.

Many others too, but this might give you a feel for the eclectic mix of people one tends, or at least I tended, to meet in Antigua.

Right: Welsh Sean and Alaskan Paula ( behind the bar ) in the Ocelot. If you can't read it, the inscription above the left door reads '..The way to titillate an ocelot... is to oscillate it's tit a lot'!

Another extraordinary and most amusing character I met here was Alexander Ferrar, originally from Nassau, Bahamas, then Florida. He is a professional artist ( paintings, very clever ), he is a published author, he owns a tiny, but exquisite, restaurant ( excellent wine and food ) in the town plus an 'exotic' ice-cream shop ( you know, things like 'Wasabi and Mango' flavour etc. ). He has a wonderfully cynical view on life! Obviously a most talented, and busy, young man. His website is 'www.alexferrar.com' You might find his 'product' entertaining; I certainly did. (  athough perhaps not the wasabi ice-cream ). 

Left: Most of the restaurants and cafes were set around a courtyard inside the buildings off the streets. There were many very smart and good ones too. There was also a lot of poverty on display at street level. Quite a lot of, mostly disabled, beggars, children selling chewing-gum and loads of ethnic women selling colourful Mayan shawls and knitwear. The most common form of street sale was the `Shoe-Shine' at 5 Quetsales per shine. Lots of young boys did this, and the locals made much use of the service ( 2 Quetsales for a local ). Sadly my shoes are beyond shining.

Right: A day out to Panajachel on the shore of Lake Atitlan ( see left ) was decided upon. It is about 70 miles west of Antigua in some spectacular forested and mountainous countryside. Back down the road to Mexico in fact. In our minibus ( after an American geologist got off to go hiking! ) there were only two English speakers, me and a Thai policelady from Bangkok called Peatpram who was on R&R while working with the UN in Haiti. She was great fun and we 'teamed up' for the day. Neither of us had a clue as to where to go so we bumbled around this picturesque village, ate and drank and resisted the scores of hawkers selling things, and boat trips on the decidedly choppy lake. It is the low tourist season so there were always many more sellers than buyers. In the minibus on the way back to Antigua were a  recently married couple from Wimbledon who had just completed an 'all-night-climb' of some volcano. Very romantic. Also Claudia, a lady travelling alone from New Orleans ( with a house in Mexico ). We got together for a drink, in the Ocelot, afterwards. What a sociable day out.

Right: Something that looked suspiciously like a 'tuk-tuk' in Panajachel. There were lots of them; the local type of tourist taxi, as per Bangkok. They didn't sound quite like authentic tuk-tuks but they must have made Peatpram feel a bit homesick.

There was a very smart and expensive golf course just outside the town ( right ) called La Reunion . I wandered in and, although not a golfist, was mighty impressed. It is in the lee of El Baul volcano and was very up and down hill, if you ask me. Lots of those motorised golf-buggy things for the 'infirm' or lazy though, and 'chalets' for wealthy guests plus elegant dining, swimming pools, hot and cold running slave-girls and servants to polish your club and balls etc.

I was reminded by many ex-pats in the Ocelot that Guatemala is, especially out in the countryside, a pretty lawless place and infested by a lot of the drug gangs that also plague Mexico. Quite a lot of murders occur and the police/army seem incapable of sorting it out ( corruption is rife, one suspects ). Nearly all of it involves the gangs or those what cross them, and perhaps a few innocents who may get caught in the crossfire. There is also great legal weath generated by the coffee 'fincas'. On the other hand there is also grinding poverty and lack of jobs which encourages robbery and street crime. Despite all that, I met so many people ( ex-pats ) who really like living and working here. My impression, after all of four days, is that it is a great place and, if you are not stupid, pretty safe really ( apart from the chicken buses maybe ). A little untamed perhaps, nothing wrong with that, and the people are genuinely friendly and welcoming.

So, onwards onwards.......to El Salvador for a brief stop-over.