Create your Trip Journal [click here]December is the perfect time to visit Guatemala! It seemed that every day there was a celebration, a festival, or at least beautiful decorations to see! Our first evening in Antigua we strolled around and passed nativity scenes, parades, a children's choir, and musicians performing with huge, manned puppets (gigantes) in the town square.
Today we rode to Chichicastenengo, a town with one of the largest local markets and some truly beautiful churches. Our guide Hugo was wonderful, and really took time to point out local customs and highlights of the market. Everything was so colorful! After some shopping, we rode down a VERY windy road about 1.5 hours to go to Lake Atitlan. We stopped for lunch near the lake and then took a boat across the lake to our hotel.
The lake is AMAZING! Truly deserving of consideration as a wonder of the world. It is about 26 kilometers across and may be up to 400 ft. deep in places. It is surrounded by volcanos that reach to the clouds. Today we visited a local Mayan family, and walked around a village by the lake. There we saw Maximon, a local deity, shopped, ate some wonderful food, and then relaxed by the lake. Our hotel, Posada de Santiago, which is really a collection of adorable bungalows, is really cool and has a wonderful, laid-back atmosphere.
This day was incredible! We woke up at Posada de Santiago, has breakfast, then took the boat back across Lake Atitlan to Panajachel on the other side. Then we drove back to Antigua, stopping first to tour a working coffee plantation. This was such a beautiful place, and fascinating- I had no idea how coffee was cultivated. We also stocked up on coffee beans to take to people back home- many of whom reported it was the best they have had! Back in Antigua, we ate lunch (chile rellenos!) then caught a chicken bus (!) to a neighboring village that was the site of Day 1 of a two-day festival. The chicken bus ride was a highlight of the trip- but I dont think I would want to ride one on the windy country roads we had taken earlier. Bumping along the cobblestones was enough for me! The village, Ciudad Vieja, was hosting the annual festival honoring the Virgin de Concepcion, and featured vendors and one of the coolest and most creative parades I have ever seen. There were also street dancers and lots of music.
After the parade, we took a Tuk-tuk back to Antigua in time to witness yet another local custom that takes place in December:the burning of a devil on a street in Antigua! This apparently helps rid the people and home of Antigua of evil- and also makes quite a show!
We met Hugo in the morning for a brief walking tour of Antigua, a Unesco World Heritage site. We then drove to the Pacaya volcano and hiked as near the top as allowed with a local guide. The landscape was incredible- it really looked more like you'd picture the moon to look than anything on Earth! The ground was covered in volcanic ash (really more like small pebbles) and there were pockets in the ground emitting steam. There were trees, but very little undergrowth due to a large eruption earlier in the year.
Back in Antigua, we did some shopping, more eating, and then went to bed early. The next day we had to get up really early to get to Tikal--
Its actually hard to describe Tikal- it is massive, ancient, beautiful, and mysterious. We walked around it all day looking at ruins, watching wildlife (monkeys and birds and one bat!) and felt like we could have spent days more. Of course, only a fraction of the city is even unearthed- and much probably never will be. Once again, our weather was perfect, and nearly bug-free because of going in December. The park was also not crowded at all, so we took as long as we wanted climbing the ruins and taking pictures.
Today we rode back to almost the entrance of Tikal and did a canopy tour (zip-lining). This was so much fun, a little scary, and definitely gave a new perspective on the rainforest. Then we spent some time looking around Flores, which was just on the other side of the lake from our hotel.
In the afternoon, we flew back to Guatemala City and spent the night there before heading back to North Carolina the next day.
Today was travel day, arriving back in N. Carolina just in time for the first big snow of the season...we wanted to turn right around and head back to Guatemala!
