Two Perspectives: Antigua, Guatemala

Written by Kyle and Bessie about Guatemala. Feelin' amused
Kyle_amused

So, Bessie and I are going to try something different that we can hopefully do from various places around the world.  We are both going to write our impressions of Antigua without reading what the other has to say, so that we can get a sort of He Said / She Said view of a place.  It will be interesting to see how a place looks through different eyes...  Anyway, here is my perspective first:


Antigua is, like the name implies, old.  There are a lot of old buildings (mostly churches) that are in various states of repair.  Basically the history goes something like this: capital, rich city then earthquake, then rebuild, then earthquake, then rebuild again.  I keep thinking that someday there will be another earthquake that will start the cycle all over again.  I guess that is the drawback to living in a place with awesome scenery.


When I say the scenery is awesome, I actually mean it: it is worthy of awe.  I´ve always been a mountain person more than a beach person (the ocean is big and scary and full of things that would like to hurt me), so antigua and its surrounding volcanos suit me just fine.


I wish it were a little easier to see the surrounding scenery sometimes, but there are so many freaking walls and narrow streets that most of the time, all I am seeing are brightly colored walls. 

Antigua7


Don´t get me wrong, I like the look but it makes me a little claustrophobic sometimes.  Speaking of the streets, they are all made of cobblestone, which look nice, but I sometimes felt sorry for the guys biking down them.  I can´t imagine their male parts feel very nice after a day of smashing them against the bike seat.

The people here are extremely friendly and non-judgemental.  If I lived in a heavily touristed place such as Antigua, I would probably get sick of all the gringos coming in and taking pictures of every stupid church, but they really seem to go about their lives as if we were any other people.  They have also been very helpful and patient with my gringo Spanish and make every attempt to speak slowly and correct me if I pronounce things wrong.

I think my favorite thing about the people (mostly amongst the younger crowd) is the propensity for making out in public places.  It´s not that sweet, first kiss kind of making out, it´s the "tonsil hockey" / groping kind of making out that is usally done in a parents´ basement (not that I ever did that or anything...I was always good!)  Sometimes it´s even done in a courtyard in front of a church!  Very nice.

Overall my favorite part was this fountain:

Nice fountain


I´m sure it has some sort of significance, but my sophmoric sense of humor finds it really funny. 

Two Perspectives: Antigua, Guatemala

Written by Kyle and Bessie about Guatemala. Feelin' amused
Bessie_amused

Antigua to me is a charming, Spanish-colonial town with cobble-stoned streets and bright colorful buildings.  Nestled in the center of three towering volcanoes/ mountains other large hills, nature surrounds this small city.  It was the Spanish capital of Guatemala until an earthquake in 1779 did some major damage and they moved everything to the current capital, Guatemala City. 

Antigua9    Iglesia de San Francisco


What remains are re-awakened versions of the earlier Spanish days, friendly people, and many foreigners that come here for a preserved antiquated place full of Spanish language schools and modern westernized conveniences.  Oh, and there are about 23 churches in this small city - nearly all of which were destroyed in thge earthquakes hundreds of year ago.  The churches are partially rehabbed and partially left for tourists to climb.

Some of my favorite things:

The natives & handicrafts:
I am so in love with the colorful creations of the mayan women. They make headscarves, clothes, tablecoverings, you name it from their brightly colored woven goodness.  Women walk around town with their traditional clothing, heading to the store, selling tortillas & beans, or other handicrafts.  Not only the mayan partake in wearing this beautiful cloth, it´s integrated into all ways of life, mayan and non-mayan women alike use this fabric as window coverings, placemats and as baby-carrying devices (photos to come).
Antigua82  Market in Antigua  Market in Antigua  Antigua15

The charm:
With cobblestoned streets and brightly colored buildings every direction you look, it´s impossible not to be transported to another time and warmed inside and out.  Tripping on stones, not so charming, but I´ve even seen locals do it, so I don´t feel so ridiculous.  We spent a decent amount of time sitting in Parque Central (Central Park) taking in the sun and culture.  Highlights of Parque Central include watching pubescent teens divided in separate factions that would occasionally come together with explosions of giggles; large brown eyed toddlers running toward the fountains to by chance get a feel for the flowing water; and enjoying the spanish architecture while the warm sun beats down, ice cream cone in hand.
Antigua87   Antigua53   Catedral de Santiago

Hospitality:
We´re staying in a simple hostel, La Casa de Don Ismael, $22/day that has 7 rooms and 3 shared hot water baths.  A man Luis runs the show and he and his 3 daughters and a young granddaughter all appear to live in one of the 7 rooms.  They´re available every time we pass through the common area ready to cook breakfast, open the door for us, or eager to help us get to a tourist spot.  As in most of Central America, the plumbing system can´t handle toilet paper, so it goes in the basket next to the toilet.  I do not exaggerate that each time I have gone into the bathroom (3-5 times/day), the waste basket is empty and the toilet paper is perfectly folded into a triangle pocket with a small fan hanging out of it.  Each night, about 15 candles are lit throughout the common areas to light walkways.  It´s partially to save electricity, but it adds a warm homey feel.  Also, as in most places, there isn´t a speck of dirt on the floors anywhere.  Cleanliness is next to godliness.  These are small touches, but they shows people take pride in their work and our proud of sharing their homes with others.

¿Habla español?
The spanish here is clean and crisp and wonderful to understand.  No wonder there are so many english schools.  Usted (a formal way to say you) prevails over the more casual tú form.  I´m eager to discover as we travel more of Guatemala if the easy to understand spanish is because I´m a gringa, or if it´s the norm.  I suppose I´m a bit surprised because there´s a large indigenous population here and it´s very close to Mexico, so I figured it would have a few more twists and turns.

 
Less favorite things:

Crazy sounds:
Now back home living on Clark Street in Chicago, each night we´d hear "Bus 22 Clark St.  Run 1742" and I grew pretty accostomed to that.  Down here the noises are nutty as well, but in a different way that´s not just about Antigua but I´m sure will abound in most towns we stay.

     - cats running across the tin roof.  Now these aren´t hot tin roofs, but at night, the neighbors cats hiss and play and run across our roof, little nails scratching and paws pawing.  The dogs join in as well, and boy, they bark like a chorus of wild animals that when one starts, the rest respond, and whatever it is, it´s controversial, because it carries on.  And on.  And on.

     - honking.  cars here, well driving here, walking here, it´s all a bit chaotic.  Stop signs are generally a suggestion.  Traffic is fairly predictable, but I´ve watched cops watch actionless as cars go the wrong way down one way streets, and cars all but stop at stop signs.  All the while cars are honking, motorcyclists blow whistles, and well, the pedestrians hollar.  Watching it all during rush hour is much preferred versus participating. 

Noteworthy:
On the last day of the month, the bank is a popular place to visit.  Why?  Payday.  Not only banks, but the Western Union (money from the US?) across from Parque Central had a line that will probably keep me from complaining about having to wait for anything for a long time.  I had to take 4 pictures to fit it all, and they´re blurry because night was falling and I didn´t want to use a flash.  I felt like a wierd enough gringa taking pictures.  It was a long line.
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