Day 10: Antigua, Guatemala

We arrived in Port Quetzal, Guatemala, but there isn’t much there!  The closest touristy town is Antigua which is about 2 hours by bus!  While I did book an excursion with the cruise ship, it is called Antigua On You Own.  I am super thrilled that once we arrive in Antigua then we will have time to do whatever we want.  Of course, it sounds great but it was a long process to get to the On Your Own part.

• 830am get off cruise ship
• 9am load bus at Port Quetzal for 2 hour trip
• 11am arrive outside Antigua; transfer from big bus to small bus
• 1145am On Our Own starts
• 3pm meet at designated pick-up point
• 345pm take small bus to big bus
• 415pm big bus departs for ship
• 528pm arrive at Port Quetzal
• 530pm cruise ship All Aboard time

So, this is exactly why you take a cruise shore excursion because they wait on you.  Of the 6 buses on this tour, we were bus 2 so there were 4 buses that arrived after the All Aboard time . . . anyway so how was my day?  It was fabulous except we spent more time traveling and waiting than actually in Antigua, Guatemala.  BUT this town really surprised me and it was exactly what I needed today. 

The cruise excursion was basically transportation.  However, we did have an excellent guide to give us a “tour” on the drive.  It was a very scenic drive through the Guatemalan country side with super lush landscapes, villages, and of course road construction.  It was long . . . like very long but at least it was very beautiful and the bus was air conditioned.  One thing that I did not think about was we would be going from 0 elevation to around 5,500 elevation so we were reminded to take it slow and drink plenty of water.  Some interesting facts about Guatemala:

• 3 technetronic plates
• Guatemala is in The Ring of Fire
• 3 active volcanos
• 1976 there was an 8.0 earthquake
• 22,000 people died
• 5th highest producer of sugar cane
• Antigua has 25 churches in 1 sq mile

It is very hazy due to burning of sugar cane and the volcano is smoking!

Antigua is a UNESCO World Heritage city.  The cobblestone streets, colonial architecture, brightly colored buildings, beautiful churches; it was just a great city to wander around and hopefully not get lost.  I will say the cobblestone streets were rough and did have to mind my step and pay attention because they were a bit dangerous and uneven at times.  Thankfully the city seemed compact.  The bus tour guide told us his city was basically a 10 block by 10 block area.  I had planned ahead and had a list of places to visit so once we were turned on our own; I was off in the opposite direction of the other people. 

My first stop was the Iglesia de San Francisco el Grande (San Francisco Church).  It is a significant landmark and pilgrimage site, particularly for its association with Santo Hermano Pedro.  He was the first canonized saint of Central America and is buried here. The church complex, included ruins, a museum, and the Monastery of San Francisco.  It was worth the $5 to walk around and explore; no one else was there. 

 

With my handy dandy map, I headed to Central Park for a short break because it was super hot.  

I did not stay long because the vendors were everywhere!  Did a walk by the Cathedral.

I saw a kid selling nuts so figured some protein would be good.  I don’t speak Spanish . . . I really, really need to learn.  I basically pulled out two $1 bills and said I want $2 worth of nuts.  He just looked at me but then gave me a bag of cashews and macadamia nuts.  Of course, I felt bad that I might have not given him enough money, but he didn't ask for more.  

A big tourist attraction is the Arch of Santa Catalina.  I think most people take photos from the other side but if you look back the view is better with Volcán de Agua (Agua Volcano) in the center.  You have to always turn around and look behind you!  It is funny that depending on where you stand and the angle of the photo the volcano looks vastly different in size. 

 

Then I just wandered around a bit before making my way to Iglesia de la Merced (La Merced Church).  Either is was closed at that time or there was some secret entrance that wasn’t the obvious door in the front so I just enjoyed from the outside.  Honestly, I have never heard of a church being closed, but I did notice signs at some saying tourist/visitors were not allowed during mass. 

I had seen what was on my list and then just wandered and backtracked and relaxed.  I picked up a mango paleta (popsicle) from a vendor and it was good on this hot humid day!  I sat off to the side at Central Park hoping to not attract any vendors which did last for a bit.  It was nearing time to return to our meeting point to begin the journey back to the ship.  While I had a plan for my day, I should have had a better plan with more places to visit.  The city was more compact that I expected and if I had known of other places I probably could have seen more.  I was happy with what I did see and do but next time will over prepare.  I never felt unsafe walking around by myself. 

Our return meeting point was a jade jewelry workshop, so typical of a cruise ship.  I walked around and watched them working diligently on their projects.

As you read earlier, it was a lot of less then organized people waiting for a small bus to go to the big bus.  There was a lot of wasted time just standing around but sometimes that happens, I guess.  We arrived back to the port two minutes before the all aboard time but I wasn’t worried.  Back on board and off to eat!