Antigua, Guatemala
All I can say is WHAT A DAY! We had been warned that this was
a strenuous tour but I don’t think any of us, except Harold and LaReda who have
been there, knew what to expect. I will condense the 9 hours into a few minutes
for all of our sakes.
First view of Guatemala was lots of volcanoes! It is a country
filled with volcanoes. There are at least 5 active. One, the fire volcano, has
steam coming out of it all the time. So after we oohed and awed over the view
of all the volcanoes we settled into our 1.5 hour bus ride.
Our tour operator was very educated (one Master’s and another
one he is working on) and filled us in on everything we should know and learn
about Guatemala. He mixed humor with information and the one thing he said was
that the tour company said that he should not mention the poverty that
accompanies this 3rd world country. He told them that then he would
have to pull all of the drapes & windows on the motor coach closed since
the tourists had eyes and could see the poverty! He was right. A very, very
poor people for sure.
Our first stop was the Mayan Music Museum. It was filled with
instruments that had been used in Mayan festivals and celebrations. Now I am
not going to go into all the history that was told to us; I couldn’t do it
service. Suffice it to say that our guide, Edgar, was very, very, very
knowledgeable about the Mayan people and history.
Alongside the museum was a coffee plantation and how coffee
beans came into being. Guatemala has some of the best coffee in the world. Of
course we heard that in Columbia and Costa Rica too! Not being a coffee drinker
I opted out with a cold Diet Coke (thank you LaReda and Harold).
We then drove a few more minutes to Antigua and the bus left
us for the next 5 hours. We were warned not to buy anything from any of the
street vendors, do not stop to talk to them, do not bring out our wallets, do
not carry our backpacks on our backs, hug our purses, and follow our guide and
do as he asks us to do! Well now that just made me feel really special.
The streets are so cobbled. It isn’t the smooth rounded
cobblestones of Europe but the hard, jagged & very uneven cobblestones. It
was so hard to walk on (of course I did not bring tennis shoes) that most of
the time I was looking down and hugging my purse. We were to walk in a straight
line on very narrow sidewalks that went up and down. Every minute (and I mean
every minute literally) we were approached by someone wanting to sell us
something for a dollar. “Lady, lady don’t you want this pretty necklace? Lady,
lady please buy my stuff? Lady, lady why don’t you look at my stuff?”
I was near tears for having to tell them no. These are poor,
poor people that I could have easily given my money to and yet I was told not
to. I wanted to tell them “I was told not to-I would if I could!” It breaks my heart to see the people working
so hard, trying to earn just one dollar and yet there was nothing I could do to
change their situation.
We walked blocks and blocks on very rough surfaces and
sidewalks to see churches, monasteries, convents and every step we took, every
corner we crossed we were approached by people who just wanted to sell us one
thing! I was mad at our tour operator for not letting us do what by nature we
are inclined to do and for making us stand outside while he went on and on
about a church and God and Jesus Christ while the people just came up to us and
begged us for money. At least remove us from their presence if we can’t help
them out! Don’t make us stand there listening to you go on and on all the while
we are being approached by them. I was miserable to say the least. I feel a
sermon coming on for sure!
Finally we walked farther (we had been walking for over 2.5
hours with no breaks) and went for lunch at Santo Domingo (a beautiful convent
now converted to a hotel) and ate tortillas, guacamole, black beans, rice,
chicken, steak, plantains and flan. It was delicious.
Then we walked to the Jade Museum to see how Guatemala makes
and produces jade. A waste of 30 minutes for sure. Like I care about jade. I
wish I could have gone back to the square where so many vendors were selling
their wares and bought one dollar from each of them!
Another 1.5 hour bus ride and we returned to the dock at 5:00
PM. There was so much shopping there so I rid myself of any extra cash I had
and got back on the ship at 5:40—a full 5 minutes before the gangplank went up!
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