Day 33 - On Our Way to Antigua

Early to rise this morning to catch our 7:15 am bus ride to Guatemala City. We arrived at the Pullmantur bus depot with plenty of time to grab a little breakfast for the kids before boarding the bus. This was a first class bus ride and bettered what would had been offered in economy on our flights down to Panama. Our seats were very spacious and there was even a support that pulled out to support your legs; luxury! Also included was wifi, a soft drink service, food service and movies. Wow.

I sat next to a man that was originally from Guatemala and shared his love of his country with me. He was on his way to reconnect with his wife and kids and other family members after a tragic accident claimed the lives of his parents. Truly a sad story and I shared our relation with the subject with the passing of our young friend Josh Thompson. We talked about many things important in our lives like our family and our children. He was one of the nicest people I met on the trip so far.

Unfortunately the wifi didn't last the entire trip and once inside the border of Guatemala the Internet seized. We arrived in Guatemala just before noon with everyone thoroughly enjoying the bus trip. We arranged for our bags to be stowed at the Holiday Inn where we arrived and also a taxi to take us to the Tikal Futura mall and pick us up from the mall in a couple of hours.

First off this mall trumps malls we have in Calgary! It was large and constructed with state of the art design. The best name brand shops were all located there and we were able to find a reasonable replacement camera for Tegan in one of the Electronic stores. We also decided to go get something before heading back for our bags.  The restaurant we chose housed a giant aquarium with sharks, rays, eels and many other varieties of fish. It was a definite attraction and the kids loved viewing the fish inside.

After lunch Correen had a quick look for Santa and I made a phone call to our Taxi driver and he said he had been driving around looking for us. I had to chase down Correen and get everyone outside to meet the driver. 5 minutes later we were back in the taxi and heading for the Holiday Inn. I went inside to grab the bags and after about 10 minutes waiting for them to be brought out we were on our way for Antigua. Our driver was a very friendly older gentleman who we shared conversation in Spanish on our return to Guatemala after 10 years and we commented on how different it was now. Our ride down into the valley where Antigua rests brought back memories of the area. Things in the old town looked as though they had not changed in the last 10 or 100 years. That is what Antigua is famous for and it was good to see it again.

With my iPad providing the address for the hotel we navigated the streets and had to ask for assistance on the location a couple of times before finding it. The hotel was located on a corner lot. The front desk was located near the restaurant and then the rooms located around a couple of courtyards, one with a fountain. Our room was located near the fountain and away from the street. It was pleasantly quiet and secluded here. I think there was around 20 rooms over 2 floors, the construction was primarily in brick and the arrangement of flowers and plants in the courtyards created a postcard ready scenery.

We settled into our room for a little spell and then went for a walk towards the Parque Centro about a 15 minute walk through the cobblestone streets. There was plenty happening in and around the Parque and we began our reeducation with the city by walking down the streets and dotting in and out of shops. The difference today was that the Mayan girls now know English and utter verbal abuse if you don't purchase a trinket of theirs. That kind of behaviour was a little distasteful and created a tension between me and the vendors. They no longer required the respect of a stranger. We grabbed some pricey gelato for the kids and I, then we walked down to one of Antigua's cathedral. On the cathedral's grounds, food vendors were selling a variety of local foods and street performers works the crowds with juggling and comedic antics.

Tegan saw a lady on the street that did a type of hair braiding with ribbons and Tegan asked how much to do here entire head and the cost was about $30. Tegan said she would return the next day to have her hair done with our approval. The kids had their photo taken with one of the Santas in the Parque and then we went back to the hotel to have dinner in the restaurant of our hotel. We watched some TV and called it a night.