We celebrated our 1-year travel anniversary in Antigua, a city renowned for being one of the most beautiful in Central America! We strolled through its colorful and bustling streets, went on a bar-hopping adventure with our fellow travelers, and discovered some culinary gems (and there are plenty in Antigua!). However, after eight days, we had to leave the city to avoid depleting our budget on pancakes, burgers, beers, and other local delights! 😂 Yes, we indulged ourselves, but hey, one year on the road calls for a celebration! 🥂
Monday, May 08th, 2023
In less than an hour's drive from the base of Acatenango, we arrive in Antigua, the former capital of Guatemala that lost its title due to its vulnerability to earthquakes. We are exhausted and eager to find a place to settle for a few days. We choose to stay at Verdeventos. The place is clean, adorned with flowers, and has a beautiful lawn to welcome us, along with a cabin equipped with a shower and toilet. During weekends, the place hosts family gatherings and celebrations, but on weekdays, it's peaceful and quiet. In the background, the Agua volcano watches over Antigua, although it rarely emerges from the mist throughout the week.
We meet other travelers at Verdeventos whom we have encountered elsewhere on the road. Throughout the week, there are up to 10 vehicles parked there, including 4x4s, campervans, vans, expedition trucks, and regular cars. Most of them plan to stay for several weeks to take Spanish classes in town. Like us, those who have hiked Acatenango had no luck with Fuego's eruptions and are patiently waiting to see how the situation unfolds in the coming days. It's perfect, we'll wait together! 😜
Tonight, we meet up with Pavlina and Philipp, the Czech couple we climbed Acatenango with. It's their last evening in Antigua. We gather at a brewery in the city center to share a few beers together.
Tuesday, May 9th
Interestingly, this morning I can't walk anymore! 😅 So we just rest at the campsite and chat with others. However, at noon, the call of hunger is stronger than anything, and we head into town to enjoy some excellent tortas from a street stand. It's our second day in Antigua, and it's already the second time we've been there. So, I'll let you guess how many times we've eaten there in eight days! 😂 At 22 Q (2.50 €) for a large torta for two, why resist?
The problem when you meet so many travelers who have already been in Antigua for a few days is that everyone has their own restaurant recommendations. We knew that in Antigua, the temptation would be strong. The city is very touristy, and there are plenty of restaurants. So, we had told ourselves: just one restaurant! Just one. Well, let me tell you, between the recommendations from everyone, we can already confess that we didn't stick to just one restaurant in Antigua! However, tonight, our goal is clear. After sharing a few beers with fellow travelers, we head to... the pizzeria! It's our dream, our fantasy: a delicious Italian pizza. It may be expensive, but what a delight! 🤤
Wednesday, May 10th
My legs are working again, so it's time for a visit to the city of Antigua, renowned as one of the most beautiful cities in Central America. It's Mother's Day in Guatemala. The shops are decorated for the occasion, and mothers are being given bouquets of flowers as they exit the church.
We stroll through the streets of the city all day, between the Iglesia la Merced and the Arco de Santa Catalina. The central square, or zocalo, is lively and bustling. Here, like everywhere else in Guatemala, women are dressed in traditional clothing, which adds to the beauty of the place!
We then visit the San José Cathedral. It was completely destroyed twice by earthquakes, and each time it was rebuilt. When the capital was moved from Antigua to Guatemala City, it was again destroyed and never reconstructed! Now, we can admire the remains of the church, which has been preserved in its original state for years.
Next, we visit the former convent of Santa Clara, which was also partially destroyed by earthquakes.
We eat tacos at an inexpensive small restaurant and then have a huge crepe for dessert at La Luna de Miel, a creperie opened by a French person. The chocolate is overflowing from all sides, it's indulgent and very filling!
Thursday, May 11 th
It is said that the city of Antigua is home to the most beautiful Starbucks in the world. Yes, yes. We're really tempted to check it out, but more importantly, we need a good WiFi connection to work. So we spend the day there. The Starbucks is indeed very beautiful, with magnificent wall murals. However, the quality of the WiFi leaves much to be desired! PS: Who votes for Rémi to become the new Starbucks ambassador?
Since half a sandwich filled with a tomato and a few herbs costs a fortune at Starbucks, we skipped lunch. As a result, we're starving! No worries, we head to Pappy's, where we more than make up for it 😅
Friday, May 12th
We had decided that on a particularly clear morning, we would wake up early to hike up Cerro de la Cruz. So when Rémi shook me awake at 6:30 a.m., I knew it was the day. The weather was beautiful and warm, and the Agua volcano had finally emerged from the clouds! It only took us a 10-minute climb to reach the top of the hill overlooking Antigua. By the time we reached the top, clouds had already gathered at the summit of Agua 😑 But we could still catch a glimpse of the Acatenango summit between the clouds!
On passe l’après-midi au camping, puis on retourne en ville le soir, mais pas tout seul ! À 13 voyageurs, nous partons goûter la bière locale. D’abord un premier bar. Puis un deuxième, où on grignote aussi quelques tacos. Puis un troisième… Puis un quatrième ! On rentre ensemble au camping et bonne nouvelle : tout le monde arrive à reconnaître son véhicule ! 😂
Saturday, May 13th
After several days of resistance, we give in and go back to the creperie to have a crepe and an ice cream sundae! We tried to stay strong, but guess who insisted the most? 😅
To digest all that sugar, we go for a walk to the market. There's a market here every day! We go every other day to buy fruits and vegetables (well, lately we haven't been cooking much in the Jeep!). It's a real labyrinth, and what a cacophony! The artisan market is also enormous. We get approached from all sides, and we end up giving in and buying a locally-made tote bag. We started with 3 tote bags from Montreal, and now we have none left (most of them disappeared in Mexican laundries)! We're determined not to lose this one!
No crazy plans for tonight. We stay at the campsite and spend the evening with Jeff and Julie, the bikers we met in Belize, then saw again in Tikal, and again in Atitlán, and so on... You get the idea! It's raining, as it often does in the evenings in Antigua, so we take shelter under the awning for an evening of homemade fries.
Sunday, May 14th
Another beautiful day at the campsite! There are always a lot of people around, so we chat here and there. We can feel that the time to leave is approaching. Antigua is great, but we can't stay here indefinitely, right? Our budget wouldn't hold up with all these restaurants! Every morning, we check social media and volcano monitoring websites. But nothing, the Fuego is still dormant. We're starting to lose hope. The level of activity of the volcano is always at the center of our discussions among travelers. We're all waiting for... something! Who wants to go? Who plans to go back? When? How? In short, we wait, we speculate, we hope.
Monday, May 15th
It's been a week since we arrived in Antigua. And it's been a year since we hit the road! 🥳 Exactly one year ago, we left Montreal to embark on our journey through the Americas. How far we've come since then! What a collection of memories! Happiness! Encounters! Adventures! To think that it's been a year since we gave up all comforts and started living in a Jeep. A Jeep! What an adventure 😅 What freedom! Well, the road to Ushuaia is still long! Let's get back on track. The campsite has cleared out a bit. For us, the big departure will be tomorrow. It's a rainy day, and we spend it once again at Starbucks, working. In the evening, we join our friends at the campsite. For our last night, we decide to go back to Pappy's for dinner. This time, it's Rémi who insists! We're all hungry, but we wait for 20 minutes for the rain to calm down. Tonight, there's a downpour in Antigua.
We spend our final evening enjoying fries and a huge burger at Pappy's, toasting to our travel anniversary with our friends. It's our last festive meal in Antigua. Tomorrow, we finally hit the road again, heading towards the third and final active volcano in Guatemala: Pacaya.
3 commentaires
Je viens d’avoir un moment pour voir où vous en étiez de votre périple ; trop ravie pour vous voir de fêter les un an de votre voyage , belle performance et que d’aventures et de découvertes
Profitez bien de la vie , de voyages , de surprises diverses et variées
Bises lezignannaises
Denise
Quelques jours de bringue çà fait du bien !!!
Bisous.
Mamie
Très belle cette ville… Bon anniversaire des 1 an et bonne continuation pour de nouvelles aventures tout aussi extraordinaires.
Bisous