Marshmallows on a volcano

Arriving in Antigua was like we had just travelled to another universe. However, leaving LA on a flight with mostly Guatemalans felt as if we had already arrived in said universe. I was placed next to Maria, who insisted I fill out her customs documentation as soon as she sat down. She was born in 1936, as I discovered in her passport that was shoved under my nose. She spoke to me every 30 minutes of our 4 hour overnight flight to Guatemala City. The few Spanish lessons I completed on Duolingo while riding the Gautrain seemed insufficient to understand the intricacies of what my neighbour was so fervently discussing with me. Luckily, a "SI' every now and then seemed to satisfy her. 

Tip 1 for Central America: Learn Spanish

When we were descending she stretched from the aisle seat across me and another woman to open the window and proceeded to use my glasses placed in front of me to take a better look of the view. As soon as the plane landed, Maria was up and away- shoving and pushing her way through the crowd of people that stood in front of her. We realised once eventually out, that she was rushing for her "much needed" wheel-chair.

Through customs and straight to baggage pick-up, to find Jono's back-pack right in view. Little did we know that Jono's backpack was the cause of the entire conveyor belt stopping because the strap had got caught in the machine. This caused a great deal of commotion as policemen, cleaners and other airport staff were called to inspect said problemo... It was decided that it would be dealt with once all bags were removed and so was hoisted off the conveyer belt and onto the middle island as we watched from a distance. Luckily we knew it wasn't going anywhere. Sometimes you sits and think, and sometimes you just sits and watch your bag. :) Eventually with strategic pulling and some brute force Jono managed to pull it out.

Tip 2 for Central America: Ensure all straps of backpack are securely tied

In a low suspension minibus we were whisked away to Antigua - a beautiful cobble-stoned ancient city that was named the capital of the Spanish colony of Guatemala (that included most of Central America and some of Mexico) in 1543. This was up until the 18th century, when it was decided that the earthquakes posed too much of a threat after having destroyed huge portions of the city and so the capital was moved to Guatemala City. With a very Spanish charm, beautiful ancient churches and ruins surrounded by lush green covered volcanoes, this has been one of my favourite places so far!

Checked into a great hostel called El Hostal we then decided to wander around the city - passing the churches, the little parque central, getting lost in the calles and avenues, we eventually stopped in a coffee shop to eat some breakfast and drink some coffee. More wandering and a huge afternoon thundershower we had a great evening at Sky Cafe with a bucket of 6 different Guatemalan beers and then some dinner at Angie Angie, we headed to bed. 

TIP 3 for Central America: Make sure you like beans- all dishes include beans!

Wandered around the city in the morning exploring a beautiful church, grounds and museum. In the museum were the crutches of people who were crippled and then were healed were left as a memory of Saint Pedro (the first Central American sainted by papal bull) and his work he did. We then stocked up on supplies including a rain poncho for Jono, an umbrella, granola bars and sunblock.

At 2pm, the fully-loaded mini-bus arrived and we were whisked away again along the cobbled streets to the base of the volcano we were to climb. The hike up Volcan Pacaya was a slow and steady ascent. In 2010, the volcano erupted destroying 3,000 houses and leaving a very evident black trail all the way down the mountain-side. A very eerie black and white image emerged with the cumulus clouds hanging over the parched land. Our guide began collecting little sticks while the wild horses grazed what remained of vegetation on the mountainside. Sulphuric fumes hanging in the air at the summit and we climbed the volcanic talus (technically tuff, I think) to where our guide squatted over a vent and pulled out a bag of marshmallows.

Tip 5 for Central America: Carry extra marshmallows - you may have the opportunity to braai them over some lava on a volcano. 

And just like that - we were braaing marshmallows! The trick however, is to ensure you don't braai your shoes too. As expected, the rain came down in buckets in the middle of our braai-away-from-home! Since we were well-prepared we donned our ponchos and covered the backpack with the sneaky rain-protector I had found the night before! 

TIP 6 for Central America: Bring good-quality, water-proof hiking shoes

Above the crest of our braai spot, we have a magnificent view of Lago de Atitlan. For the next 2 hours we squelched through the rain and had to manoeuvre over muddy rocks with a remarkable lack of consternation - because our feet were dry! It was marvellous!

At one point, Jono pointed out that the lush vegetation was the perfect setting to explore the ambiguity of being met by guerrillas or gorillas and not knowing which we had encountered. A ridiculously fast drive home followed the descent, and a good night’s sleep was had by all. 

CITY RECAP: Antigua

Highlights: Ancient church ruins, beers at Sky Café, volcano braai, hiking in the rain and being over-prepared for it.

Lowlights: Losing Jono’s NY cap in the bus and realising the reality of 3^rd world customer service

People: Reserved, but polite and friendly and eager to teach you Spanish

Oddities: Charming cobble-stone calles, restaurants and shops that were all hidden by large embellished wooden doors

Jono & Jo’s totally objective and no-way subjective rating scale: 3 mouthfuls of braaied sugary goodness

Reminds us of: Nothing we’ve ever experienced

Distance travelled by foot: Probably about 6km.