Antigua...

My Favorite Town in Latin America

Antigua is a world heritage site. That means it looks outwardly a lot the way it did in 1769. Its my favorite of all the places I've visited in Latin America. It is also one of the most popular travel destinations. Yeh...that means there will be a lot of other travelers there. You'll hear from the snobby types, usually Eurotrash, that they won't go near the place for that reason. Why so many visitors? For one it is an easy place to start your travels through the region. You avoid a lot of the hassles that occur elsewhere. After flying into Guatemala City getting there is a snap. Best way from the airport is to take either a shuttle or taxi. Both are available as you exit the arrivals terminal. BTW..just before you do so there is a bank..and ATMs for when the bank is closed. Depending on time of day...ie. Guat. City has bad rush hour traffic....takes 45 minutes to an hour to get to Antigua. Many years ago there were robberies on this road at night. Not the case since the turn of the millenium. Throw away your old guidebook.

Getting Around Town

Another of the benefits of Antigua for newbies is it's compactness. 90% of what you will want as a traveler is within 3 blocks of the central park. Since sidewalks are often crowded you will soon find yourself walking in the street. Don't worry...because of the cobblestones ....drivers have to go slow. If you have to go further afield, or are going back to your hotel after a late night at the Mono Loco or similar bar...then there are always taxis parked in front of the cathedral. Most bars and restaurants can call you one at night. A recent addition are the tuk-tuks. Noisy but cheap. Mixed opinions abound on them. They have already been banned once. If you haven't already, read my safety tips.

Studying Spanish
Thought I should post some info and ideas for those who are thinking about studying down here. The basics of this apply to all of Guatemala and most other areas of Central America.There are a great many schools and most operate on the same system. Instruction is 1on1. Any other system just isn't worth it given the low cost of individualized teaching. Typical costs are $90 a week for 4 hrs. a day. They also offer 5 and 6hr. packages. As a teacher I would personally recommend no more than 4 hrs. if you are planning to study any length of time. In an intensive system your retention is going to drop as the day wears on. Can you bargain? Not a great deal. Some schools offer discounts if you pre-book. Check their websites for periodic offers. Most folks want to study in the morning. If you are willing to take afternoon classes you can often find a discount. Which is the best school? OK...I have never studied down here...learned my Spanish..and a few other things... in the back of a chicken bus. But I've talked to lots of students. Plus on some trips I had several people with me who did study. Of course the teacher is what makes the experience...and they tend to move around. But the better known and more well established schools seem to attract the better teachers. My group was split between Ixchel and Tecun Uman. Out of 7 people all were happy with the level of instruction. One woman admitted she didn't learn much but said it was her own fault as she didn't do homework or study much outside of class. The others all felt that they had learned alot. I was with two girls...12 and 15. We put them in Ixchel based on prior research where I found out that they had experience in dealing with younger students. The girls did 6 hrs. a day for 3 weeks. Another school that has been highly recommended to me is La Union. Of all the language students there was one almost universal complaint. Those who were on home stays all complained about the food. Now...typical homestay is $60 a week. This includes 3 meals a day for 6 days a week. Sundays you are on your own. The market competition keeps prices down...but means that corners have to be cut somewhere. Everybody ended up supplementing by eating out occasionally or keeping munchies in stock. I visited seveal of the homestays and all were clean and secure..if basic. I did have one major concern and I think anyone planning on doing a homestay...especially women....should really think about this. That is the location of the homestay. All were in good neighborhoods. But several were in areas that involved walking through deserted streets at night. One woman was at a home that involved walking the last 6 blocks along dark and deserted streets. Antigua is about as safe as it gets....but even there you should exercise caution about walking alone late at night away from the center. That is just common sense. If you get to Antigua a few days before classes start find out some possible addresses of homestays from your school and take cabs there in the evening to see what the streets look like. Things can really change from day to night. Tecun Uman placed the people I knew in an area that is well traveled almost all evening. That might be a deciding factor.

What Else?

One of my favorite occupations in Antigua is to just hang out in the central park and people watch. Be warned though that if you show an interest in anything being sold by the vendors every one in the park will swarm over you. God forbid you actually buy something ...the philosophy of every Indian within 50 klicks is that if you bought one thing you must want to buy everything. The ice cream cones sold in the park are good and much cheaper than those sold at the couple of ice cream parlors nearby.

So after you have sat and relaxed, stroll around the town. Antigua was for many years the third most important city in the Spanish Empire. Had the third oldest university in the hemisphere. Third printing press. It's wealth was in part expressed through the construction of beautiful churches, convents and monasteries. Antigua is also constructed on one of the most seismically active parts of the hemisphere. This has resulted in what has been described as Darwinian architecture. The town gets largely leveled in an earthquake. Those buildings that withstood it are repaired and rebuilt. When the capital was moved to Guatemala City the wealth that paid for this rebuilding left. Like a Catherwood painting, the town was strewn with ruins of once massive churches, convents, monasteries and great houses. Since it's revival as a tourist mecca the pace of reconstruction and renovation has picked up. Many of the better restaurants and hotels are now occupying the former ruins. It takes time. The cathedral once covered a city block. Now the old nave is the main part. The rest is ruins that you can tour. In 25 years of my observations, only a few walls have been rebuilt. Give them another 100 and maybe it will be like new.

Hotels and Restaurants

Antigua has a huge selection of both in a wide range. Not a lot of Guatemalan food served...probably for the better. But if you like weird crap like tofu, this is one of the spots to get it. Fortunately, there are plenty of places that serve good food. Cheapest place to eat is the maket...though the stalls could be cleaner. Get a few blocks away from the center and you will find little comedors with the menu written in chalk. See the eating advice in the travel advice section. Even the fanciest places are cheap by US standards. I tend to gravitate to four places. Mono Loco...my favorite bar...which also serves some of the best bar food in the country. Nachos are fantastic and their brownie with ice cream screws up my diabeties. Good pizza and chicken quesidilla. Dona Luisa is a breakfast and lunch place with the emphasis on breakfast. They have a bakery downstairs with great breads. Just remember mango pie. Rainbow Reading Room...really referring to the small used book store in the front...has an eclectic menu. Tastes good and is for the most part healthy food. Local folk groups often play here at night. This is also the location of the Rainbow Travel Agency. Plus they have internet..though a bit slow. Go across the street to Tostaduria Antigua for fantastic coffee. Run by Tony Ryal...Antigua's poet laureate. Werner's...run by an Austrian...is near the market across the street from the Casa Santa Lucia #4...my favorite hotel. Werner's signature dish is schnitzal...massive amount of food. During the day sit up on the roof...watch your head at the top of the stairs. Hotels....every thing from dorms to converted monasteries and convents. Not as cheap as other parts of the country but you can still find a bed for under $10. Most cheap places have no way to contact them for reservations..or even when they have a phone or email reservations are dicy. But if your first choice is full there will be another within a short distance. On a typical trip I'm through Antigua several times so when I leave I reserve with my hotel for my return.

Easter Week

Antigua has one of the most spectacular celebrations in Latin America. The culmination of the week are the street processions...biggest being on Good Friday. Each neighborhood stays up all night making alfombras...carpets...out of pineneedles, flower petals and colored sawdust for the procession to walk over..destroying it. This is a once in a lifetime event. The world shows up...so making a hotel reservation a year in advance isn't unknown. Room rates rise and most places require at least a 4 night booking. The town is packed and every pickpocket in Guat. shows up. Most other activities come to a halt. But it is worth it.

Shopping

You need to know what to buy in Antigua and what to by elsewhere. Couple of items that don't really count as handicrafts. One is jade jewerlery. There are several high end shops that sell excellent and expensive pieces. You can watch them being made. Custom orders are done very fast. You won't find this anywhere else. Few shops also sell very well made leather goods...mainly purses and bags. A bag that sells for $150 in a department store at home might go for $30. These are two items where very little bargaining is done unless you buy several pieces. There is a handicrafts market over by the bus station. Not a lot of high end stuff and the prices are lower in Pana. But if it's your last day before going to the airport if you bargain well you only pay a dollar or two more. If you want some high end textiles...particularly huipiles....then go to Nimpo't. Huipiles BTW are the overblouses worn by Mayan women. Each village has it's own style...and the styles evolve over the generations. Antique huipiles can sell for hundreds if not thousands of dollars overseas. Twenty five or thirty years ago you could pick them up for a few dollars. BTW...the cheap huipiles dyed brown in Chichi are not antique. Nimpo't is worth a visit...almost like a museum. Certainly, if you want a good huipile this is the place to get it. The owner has spent years developing a relationship with master weavers. Doubtful you would get many of them to sell to you even if you could find them in their remote villages.

If you aren't flying out of the country and hence can't shop duty free then Antigua is a good place to buy Zacapan rum and Cuban cigars.

Weather

Guatemala's climate is nice year round and makes travel possible at any time. The rainy season is generally from May to November. Climate variations are due to altitude, but it is generally hot throughout the country. The north has a hot, tropical climate with maximum rainfall between May and September. The coastal regions and north east are hot, with a dry (November to April) and rainy season, with temperatures averaging 68°F (20°C). The highlands, including Guatemala City and Antigua, have a pleasant climate with less rainfall than the coast, and cold temperatures at night. You can expect Lake Atitlan to be quite similar. Xela and the northern highlands several degrees cooler. I get a lot of questions asking if it is worth going during the summer due to the extreme rain. Yes. Many tropical climates follow a similare pattern. In Antigua the heaviest rain will be from 4pm to 6pm. Western civilization, in the process of bringing it's benefits to the fuzzie wuzzies invented the cocktail hour. On some days it can rain longer. At least the rain tends to be warm so with a good poncho much can still be accomplished.