On Saturday we headed to the colonial town of Antigua, which was charming. We stayed at La Porta Antigua hotel which was beautiful and right in the heart of the city. We had a wonderful tour of the city and a brief history lesson of Guatemala through the eyes of Giovanni. We had enjoyed brunch at La Condesa and then after a quick tuk tuk ride, we had a fabulous dinner at the old mission called Santa Domingo. Its' ruins were lighted by hundreds of candles and the towering walls and gardens rose around us. During dinner we were serenaded and our table was warmed by the glow of a little fire pit, since there is no heat in any of the buildings or homes. Following dinner we enjoyed a glass of rum at the House of Rum and then strolled home.
Sunday we toured and shopped more in the city. We had a beer and snacks at the Antigua Brewery in town and then left for home. Mario was our driver and we enjoyed his navigating and company.
Tuesday, Mario picked us up to drive us to Lake Aititlan. We stopped along the way for a snack and where I tried my hand at making tortillas- kind of a disaster. We arrived at Panajachel and took a very bumpy, white-capped boat ride to the village of Santiago, where we stayed at the Posada de Santiago. The hotel, itself, was charming and the food delicious. However, we stayed at a friend's house next door that the hotel passed off as theirs, which was too big, shabby and drab. The gardens there were amazing and the beds fine. We did see two mice, which they took care of quickly.
We hung around the terrace overlooking the lake on Tuesday.
Wednesday, we took a harrowing boat ride to the villages of San Juan (known for textiles) and San Marco (known for yoga, meditation and new age). We had a lot of fun shopping there. Thursday we walked into the village of Santiago where there was the shrine to Father Stan, who was killed in the 90s in a brutal civil war within the country. Twelve farmers were killed outright, and the townspeople sought refuge in the church. Father Stan died a martyr for the cause. We then headed back to Guatemala City, but due to a chicken bus (bus with nefarious ties to gangs but transporter of many people ) blocked traffic while it lay on its side for taking a corner too quickly, most likely.
Our last day on Friday, Mario picked us up and took us to the Volcano Pacaya where we hiked to the top. We roasted marshmallows in the lava heat and enjoyed a wonderful lunch at a restaurant at the bottom of the hill in the village. Friday night we had dinner at El Portal de Angel, which overlooked the city of Guatemala. We returned back to Jenni and Steve's for rum and games. It was a fine ending to a wonderful week. We left on Saturday to head back to Minnesota.
