My aunt Jean came to visit for a few days, and we went to the colonial city of Antigua. Antigua was once the capital of Guatemala, and in the 1700's (and as early as the 1500's) it was a booming colonial city. These days it's a beautiful relic, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with what seems to be more tourists than locals (okay, that might be an exaggeration). It's only about 45 minutes away from Guatemala City, which means it's about 3.5 hours from Xela. It rivals Xela for the top Spanish school destination in the country, but if you ask me, they can have it! Lonely Planet guidebook describes Antigua as a place with buried power lines, where stray dogs disappear mysteriously in the night. I see it as a place where you can find public trash cans, gelato, and every single touristy craft thing imaginable.
Sadly, my camera fell victim to the unpredictability of Guatemalan travel. We had trouble finding acceptable transportation, so hired a cab driver to take us from Xela to Antigua. About 45 minutes into the ride, we got pulled over by some police, only to realize later that the engine was smoking. We had to get someone ELSE to take us the rest of the way. And it was in this transfer that my camera got left behind. Fortunately, I sort of knew the first driver, and he gave my camera back to me. But sadly, we have no pictures from Antigua.
We also got to hang out at the clinic for a couple of days, where Jean even got to help out!
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