Antigua, Guatemala - My First Re-Impressions

So I´m on the road again. Or to paraphrase one of my favorite guys, ¨Once again I feel under my heels the ribs of Rocinante.¨ I´ve created a blog for the first time to keep those of you who are intrested on how the travels go. Feel free to post questions or comments via the comments link at the bottom of each article. You can also sign up to get an e-mail each time a post a new article via the ¨follow this blog¨link on the right hand side of the page.

My travels once again start in Antigua, Guatemala. My plan for this trip is to spend a month or so here in Antigua studying Spanish before heading up to Mexico to visit a couple of friends and then hopefully make my way to Cuba. The plans as always are tentative and I won´t even guess at how many times they may change before it´s all said and done.

One of my first trips on my own started in Antigua as well. In 2003 I did largely the same thing. Spent about a month here learning Spanish but then rather than going north to Mexico I spent the next five months working my south to Panama before heading home.

It´s interesting being back after having been away for five years. I can perceive some small differences but it´s largely the same place I was before. Cobblestone streets lined with old Spanish colonial architecture. Everything in varying states of repair. You can judge the success of a home owner or business by the appearance of the house or storefront. Even and brightly painted walls, with bougainvillea draping over the top and a sturdy wooden door will be juxtaposed next to a bland white wall full of cracks with bricks showing through where the mortar has fallen off. Every so often you may stumble across the remnants of an old church crumbling to the ground, some of which you´re allowed to wander through the ruble while others are boarded and barred to keep out the public.

The town is bustling with tourists of all shapes and sizes. You may see two girls walking down the street with backpacks that would appear to weigh more than they do. Or it may be a group of middle-aged to elderly tourists, who must be European (no explanation needed) being lead by a short Guatemalan guide. The women wearing something obviously Guatemalan and the men with cameras hanging from straps around their necks and wearing the classic ¨safari¨ style vest with the pockets stuffed full of who knows what.

There´s plenty of locals shuffling around as well in the daily hustle of life. Taxi drivers in their three wheeled ¨tuk-tuk¨style taxi´s, colorfully dressed Mayan women (who come up to about my waist) selling even brighter colored crafts and fabrics, or folks just relaxing in the parque central on a sunny Sunday afternoon while some guy preaches his bible to anyone who will listen, and everyone who won´t.

Despite Guatemala´s reputation and history of the opposite the town has a quite peaceful and tranquil vibe to it. However, at least the fear of crime is clearly evident in the shot gun bearing bank guards and AK-47 wielding police officers.

On the whole I think I like Antigua just as much as the first time. It´s got it´s ups and downs (loads of tourists) but it´s a city that´s alive, and I like that.