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Two Days in Guatemala
A short trip down to Guatemala hiking volcanoes and walking the cobbled stone streets of Antigua. Previous reports: A Weekend in Austin, Texas Exploring Ukraine - Kiev, Chernobyl Nuclear Powerplant and Pripyat A Short Trip to Panama City, Panama A Week in the Caucasus: Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia A Landscape Photography Trip to Oregon A Trip to Nigeria A Trip to the Grand Canyon and Sedona A Trip to the Azores. One Week in India: Mumbai, Amritsar, Agra/Taj Mahal, Jaipur and Delhi CX and EY J A Snowstorm in Tokyo and Volcanoes in the Philippines New Year’s in Seoul, South Korea Delta A350 Suite Keeping it Domestic: Grand Teton National Park 9 Days in Asia: Taipei, Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and Shanghai Two Weeks in South Africa and Namibia: Joburg, Cape Town, Sossusvlei and Kruger ¡Bienvenido a Cuba! |
Guatemala had long been on my list of places to visit, and being so close to Florida, you would think it wouldn't have taken me so many years to cross off. The issue was that Guatemala required at least two full days. With the Delta flights timed the way they are, it would require a 3 day weekend for me to visit. Every time one of those weekends arose, I would end up in Europe or deep South America. Well, Europe and South America were all full so it was time for Guatemala over MLK weekend. Day 1 Like every trip it seems, the trip started with an early release from work and straight to the airport to head up to Atlanta. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...34/M/map-M.gifhttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif The Boeing 757-200 taking us down to Guatemala City this evening. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_8868-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif After an uneventful 4 hour flight in Comfort +, welcome to Guatemala City! At this point, it was roughly 10PM, so we requested the Uber to take us out to Antigua. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_8869-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif We ended up making the drive in just under an hour considering the lack of traffic at that time of the night. ***Remember this*** <foreshadowing> https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...Capture-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif We checked into the Hotel Casa Cristina just before 11:00PM local time. Not bad for ~$25 USD/night. No AC needed as temperatures were rather comfortable overnight due to Antigua's elevation. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_8874-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif Day 2 Hotel Casa Cristina the next morning. The property was located very centrally and down a very quiet side street. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_8880-X2.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif I had planned on waking up for sunrise, but when my alarm went off I checked out the weather and saw completely overcast clouds. Back to bed... Luckily the clouds had all cleared out by about 9:00AM. Stunning view from our hotel's roof. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_8875-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif The plan for today was to walk around and just explore some of the sights of Antigua before our 1PM pickup for our sunset volcano hike. We started off with a short five-minute walk to the Santa Catalina Arch. If you've ever seen a picture of Antigua, it was probably of this arch. Unfortunately, our schedule didn't afford me any good picture opportunities of the arch, so I'll just have to live with this midday backlit photo. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_8884-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif Some of the buildings in Antigua reminded me a bit of Havana with their level of decay and historic appearance. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_8890-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif A coffee to keep me awake. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_8896-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif Before it got too hot, we decided to hike to the top of Cerro de la Cruz, which took a short 10-minutes. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_8913-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif Cerro de la Cruz (Hill of the Cross) offers a great view of Antigua. The landscape is dominated by Volcán de Agua, towering 12,340 feet above sea level. It hasn't erupted for tens of thousands of years, but that's not the case for other nearby volcanoes. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_8914-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif Where 'Cerro de la Cruz' gets its name. Antigua, the entire city, has been deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_8917-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif Chicken Busses are popular throughout Latin America, including Guatemala. Having started life off as a school bus in the US, many have made their way down here to be decorated and operated throughout the region. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_8926-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif Chicken bus. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_8937-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif Rincón Típico became a quick favorite for us in Antigua for cheap and delicious Guatemalan food. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_8965-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif A plate of wood fire grilled chicken, a salad, potatoes and a Coke running ~$3 USD. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_8964-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif Motorbikes. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_8966-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif At least this place has a sense of humor. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_8968-X2.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif The next stop was Antigua's largest market. Outside there are mostly souvenir stores, but inside seems to cater completely to locals. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_8972-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif Inside the market. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_8980-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif Dried chilis. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_8983-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif A busy market. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_8992-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif Vegetables. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_8995-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif Meat. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_8999-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif Fish. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_9004-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif Vegetables. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_9007-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif After an hour or so in this van, we arrived at the trailhead for our sunset volcano hike. The weather was looking pretty abysmal at this point, but the guide assured us it would clear up at the top. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_9010-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif We were a group of 15. Roughly 3-4 sprung for the horses to walk them up the mountain initially. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_9013-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif The hike up wouldn't have been too strenuous at sea level, but at ~9K feet ASL, it gets to you. The hike took about 90 minutes to complete. About half the participants were on a horse half way up. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_9025-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif Still cloudy but at least the sun is visible. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_9029-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif Finally! I'm proud I made it and oh, what a view. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_9048-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif Volcanoes were visible in all directions. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_9055-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif After a few minutes at the summit, we headed down into the lava rock field. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_9079-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif A little gimmicky but still cool to be able to roast marshmallows in the ground. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_9103-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif They were more cooked than they look. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_9111-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif Not paying attention, I ended up having to sprint back to the top to get the sunset pictures I wanted of the volcanoes. This was the sun just prior to me reaching the top. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_9142-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif Volcán de Pacaya is the dominating volcano in view from here and has been constantly erupting since the 1960s. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_9182-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif We were told that active lava flow is only visible about 50% of the time. It was quite mesmerizing, especially considering we were close enough to hear it. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_9215-X2.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif Looking back the other way, (right) Volcán de Agua is the one most visible from Antigua. Volcán de Fuego (left - smoking) recently erupted in June 2018, killing at least 190 people, making it Guatemala's deadliest eruption since 1929. Ashfall caused the Guatemala City La Aurora International Airport to be closed for 2 days. A reminder of just how powerful these things are. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_9204-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif After a tiring hike and a one hour ride back into town, it was time for dinner. We started off with some chorizo queso. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_9220-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif Not as cheap as lunch, but still, an excellent burrito. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_9223-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif Day 3 Another cloudy sunrise meant we finally got out of the room around 10AM. On the way to brunch, this small shop caught my eye. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_9234-X2.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif Brunch https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_9231-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif Cobbled stone streets of Antigua. The plan for the day was to walk around and hit the main attractions and explore. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_9241-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif New and old. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_9247-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif We took a 20-minute Uber ride to San Juan del Obispo, south of Antigua, to get some in-house made chocolate. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_9256-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif The establishment was small, but they were informative and the chocolate was excellent. https://photos.smugmug.com/Two-days-...MG_9263-XL.jpghttps://mdtravelphoto.smugmug.com/img/spacer.gif |
Great pictures and clear weather! I went in April 2010 and did the volcano hike but we were in rain/mist at the summit and couldn't see anything! I rode the horse up and there was a lightning strike a few hundred yards off the trail and spooked my horse.
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The volcano trek looks pretty cool, some amazing views of the lava. Can't go wrong with roasted marshmallows too:D
We were driving to Copán after Antigua and even though it was a Saturday we had to leave at 5am sharp to beat the city traffic:eek:! |
Sweet TR, Really enjoyed it and has made me think of adding Guatemala on my list.
How was communication there? I speak Spanish...but need practice. |
awesome TR - makes me want to add it to my bucket list - Cambodia and BKK i have done - SR is amazing - allow plenty of time for all the temples - including the outlying ones -
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Again, a great read from you with some amazing photos!!
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Luckily being standby, we were able to just go on the later flight to ATL but that meant sitting around for ~6 more hours. We could've gone into town for lunch or something, but being frustrated, we just hung out in the lounge instead. |
Doubt there was a bus bombing in GUA, although it's violent it's not that violent.
I was there when Volcan del Fuego erupted in 2018. I had flown in our 182. We were allowed to depart a day later while the jets were grounded. Pretty memorable. |
Originally Posted by hauteboy
(Post 30867149)
Great pictures and clear weather! I went in April 2010 and did the volcano hike but we were in rain/mist at the summit and couldn't see anything! I rode the horse up and there was a lightning strike a few hundred yards off the trail and spooked my horse.
Originally Posted by DanielW
(Post 30868040)
The volcano trek looks pretty cool, some amazing views of the lava. Can't go wrong with roasted marshmallows too:D
We were driving to Copán after Antigua and even though it was a Saturday we had to leave at 5am sharp to beat the city traffic:eek:!
Originally Posted by CRNA
(Post 30868129)
Sweet TR, Really enjoyed it and has made me think of adding Guatemala on my list.
How was communication there? I speak Spanish...but need practice. |
Originally Posted by adampenrith
(Post 30868987)
awesome TR - makes me want to add it to my bucket list - Cambodia and BKK i have done - SR is amazing - allow plenty of time for all the temples - including the outlying ones -
Originally Posted by roadwarrier
(Post 30873032)
Again, a great read from you with some amazing photos!!
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. At least a positive result of flying standby, I have a friend who had to try get out of JNB for four days, before she could leave!!!!!
Originally Posted by Redwood839
(Post 30873251)
Doubt there was a bus bombing in GUA, although it's violent it's not that violent.
I was there when Volcan del Fuego erupted in 2018. I had flown in our 182. We were allowed to depart a day later while the jets were grounded. Pretty memorable. Not saying it was the direct cause, but it was the only news article we could find online that day. The driver said it wasn't normal, so figured something had to have happened. I definitely am not trying to paint GUA as dangerous, mainly due to me never having spent any actual time in the city (other than in traffic), but I generally find danger greatly overblown when traveling. I can imagine that's a memory you'll carry on for a very long time. Very sad what happened, but at least they were able to get the airport opened quickly to get aid in. |
Great report and photos. My best friend lived in Antigua for several years and I unfortunately never made it down to visit him there. Looks like you had a great time! Sorry about to hear about your trip home, but as you said, those things can happen sometimes.
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Originally Posted by ChiefNWA
(Post 30873432)
The trek was indeed fantastic! How did you like Copan? I've heard great things from a co-worker from Guatemala and my limited research online. Just didn't fit into the schedule this time.
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This may have been the bombing, luckily no one killed, some missing fingers for the bomber though :D.
https://www.efe.com/efe/english/life...000263-3874090 |
what a wonderful trip..... its looks wonderful
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