Antigua Antigua

¡Buenas tardes de Antigua, Guatemala! I hope that each of you is well and enjoying the sunshine that I wouldn´t mind right now. (You can thank the rain for this first entry.)

I had originally planned to do an overnight trip to Volcán Acatenango. It rises 13,900 feet, just southwest of this city, next to Volcán de Fuego. Antigua is surrounded by green hills and volcanoes, which makes for some scenic backdrops when wandering the streets. I wanted to climb one of these peaks during my stay, but unfriendly weather and resulting landslides compromised the route. The other available trips are not terribly expensive, but they fail to summit and make you spend more time driving to the trailhead than actually climbing. So, I have decided to wait, write, and try my luck around Lago de Atitlán, my next destination, which also happens to be in the vicinity of some impressive volcanoes. A ver lo que pasa.

I arrived in Antigua exhausted emotionally and physically, not really prepared to start exploring Guatemala. (Just in case you were thinking about flying via Mexicana anytime soon, don´t do it. Business isn´t exactly coming along swimmingly for them). However, thanks to my nice hostel, encouragement from loved ones, and the people I have met I have begun to emerge from my funk. While reading in the courtyard my first evening here, I met a woman named Melissa who had just finished two years in Panamá with the Peace Corps. She was awaiting six friends, some of whom had just finished the same stint as her, and some of whom were from Western Washington. This Peace Corps crew had been giving presentations throughout Central America on nutrition and healthy living. Did I mention that they are making that trek via bicycle? Yikes.

I met this crew the next morning over fresh papayas and pineapple, along with two other ladies named Mari and Nora. They both recently earned their Masters and decided to celebrate by taking on Central America together. I found out that they just happened to have grown up with one of the Peace Corps-ers in Anacortes. Plus, Mari lives in Greenwood, Seattle. Small world, eh?

Antigua is compact and colorful, with every street made of cobblestones. On most sidewalks you will see infant-adorned, Mayan women hawking wares, and around most corners you will find a looming, aging cathedral. The city definitely has that colonial-town-turned-tourist-attraction feel with hundreds of tienditas and travel agencies under red tile roofs and a crowded mercado stuffed to bursting.

I explored a good deal of this with Mari and Nora, and though the sights were cool it was the conversations with these two that I most enjoyed. I got to hear about their academic endeavors, be encouraged in my own, and listen and share about the complex and vital natures of our communities and relationships. I´m looking forward to continuing those talks back in the states. That evening I joined el grupo entero plus Kieren (who just earned his Ph.D. in molecular biology at Oxford…again, yikes) for an enjoyable dinner at Café la Escudilla, and then a loud game of Taboo back at the courtyard. It was good to be in the company of cool people all day. I hope that it happens again before too much longer.