Greetings from Guatemala!

A view of the hills surrounding Antigua from the rooftop terrace of our first stop in Guatemala, La Casa Amarilla

El Parque Central, Antigua

     In Antigua, we stayed for three days while studying Spanish, drinking coffee, walking around the cobblestone streets, drinking coffee, eating out and practicing our Spanish, drinking coffee and, um... drinking coffee-about 5 liters in all!

Jordan with Max, a friendly Cuban gone Antiguan who sat beside us on a bench in the park and tipped us off to some good spots in town

The Guatemalan Milkman

The cathedral of Hermano Pedro, Antigua



     Antigua is a beautiful old Spanish Colonial town and the former capital of Guatemala until an earthquake devestated the city in 1773.  Much of the city´s architecture remains a shadow of what it once was, but in its own way has gained a new elegance.

The Cathedral of Santa Clara

    Now, the cobblestone streets, brightly colored houses and shops and the cathedral ruins form a perfect backdrop for rooftop Spanish lessons, coffee-filled afternoons and lazy meandering-- of which we indulged in all.

A picturesque Antiguan Calle

A splash of color amidst an old cathedral, Antigua

Antigua´s Calle de Arco

View from inside Las Ruinas del Convento y Iglesia de La Merced, Antigua

    Now, after dipping our toes into the language and culture of cosmopolitan Latin America, we are ready for jungles, beaches, Mayan ruins and all that is wild.  An overnight busride from Guatemala City has brought us to Flores and el Remate, on the shores of Lago de Peten Itza.  From here, we will venture onward to Tikal and then Belize!



Dawn over Lago de Peten Itza