Traveling the Beautiful Gateway of Guatemala
The thing I love about being single is that I am unabashedly selfish — and that includes traveling whenever I want, wherever I want. My next destination? Guatemala. I had done little research (ok, zero) other than the fact that 1) there are direct flights from LAX and 2) flights were reasonably priced even when booking this trip 4 weeks in advance. Plus, my Spanish skills needed a tune-up.
Boy, did I pick the right place to travel. Highlights:
- Colonial architecture in Antigua- The “old city” housed the most charming homes, and I walked for hours across cobblestone streets looking at the beautiful gates that guarded each property.
- Zooming from pueblo to pueblo by boat around Lake Atitlán- Each pueblo around the lake has its own charm and personality, and you can visit all the pueblos by motorboat. The rides on the glistening lake surrounded by imposing volcanoes were such a treat. I stayed in San Marcos, the hippie dippie pueblo where you can do sunrise yoga (and not shave your legs :P )
- Experiencing the Mayan culture- Guatemala is one of the few places that a gringa like me can still travel to and witness the vivid Mayan culture that’s steeped in the towns. The Chichicastenango market offered a rainbow tapestry of all the crafts, textiles and food that was distinctly Mayan vs. Central American — Mmm, like fresh homemade tortilla-like corncakes.
Antigua, the Old Town of Guatemala
Get lost and marvel at the architecture, 5 stars
Antigua is a small 8x8 grid, with avenues going north-south, and streets running east-west, so you can’t really get lost (and that’s coming from someone with a pretty poor sense of direction.) Pick any street and let your eyes linger on the postcard-perfect gates and colonial architecture.
The equivalent of zoning ordinances in Guatemala limits homeowners to paint their homes in one of six colors, preserving Antigua’s charm. The bougainvillea (little pinkish-red flowers) atop the gates frame the doors and give the buildings the perfect spattering of color.
I walked the length of the town down 5th Avenue to hit up Caoba Farms, a communal garden + restaurant which boasts organic everything, including vegan pizza. This Californian felt right at home B) Unfortunately, Caoba Farms was closed due to the holiday, but the cashier recommended a neighboring farm-to-table restaurant, which had delicious food. My first meal was a Guatemalan quesadilla, which one-upped its Mexican cousin in every aspect: the tortilla was thicker and crunchier, but still couldn’t contain the oozing, greasy Oaxacan cheese and mountain of tasty, marinated bell peppers. Nomz, bring this to America!!
ATV Tour of Antigua, 4 stars
With a full belly, I mozied around town figuring out what to do, and stopped upon a tourist-y looking stall. If I’ve learned anything from traveling developing countries, it’s — Never book tours in advance! Companies sell tours for a third of the price of what you pay in advance online. I went on a four-hour ATV tour for only $50, a fraction of the price of what online sites like Viator quote you.
And then you get to meet lovely families and be the 9th wheel. Chris and Susan were a lovely couple with two boys from Half Moon Bay, but quit the rat race to move to Sayulito, Mexico #livingthedream. Jon, the dad of the other family was taking a 9-week Spanish language course for a mere $260. (Antigua is a mecca for those wanting to learn Spanish, and there seems to be a school on every third block.)
And, of course, ATV-ing itself gave a phenomenal tour of the town, with 3 different stops: an eco-lodge atop one volcano, Cerro de la Cruz (the hill of the cross), and a beautiful farm plus restaurant on another volcano. The views just got better and better, with volcanoes (some active!) as far as the eye could see.
Volcano Pacaya, 4 stars
I still couldn’t get enough of volcanoes, so I decided to go on a sunrise hike up Volcano Pacaya to view… more volcanoes!
The night before, I needed to grab some fuel for the morning hike. I walked into a bakery near my hotel, but I didn’t have enough change. The man in front of me turned around and generously offered to pay for my chocolate muffin. He wanted to ensure that I was enjoying myself in Antigua. The people in Guatemala are so damn nice.
So I started my hike off to a good start with my free muffin. The calories were necessary, as the hike was no cakewalk. Riding up horseback is also always an option for those less physically inclined (no judging.)
At the top of the volcano, we were rewarded with marshmallows that we could “roast” in one of the steam holes to get a nice dose of sugar at 8am in the morning.
And taking these tours facilitated meeting new friends! I met fellow hikers, like Olivia, who became my trip companion for the day. The hike really worked up an appetite so we stopped at La Cuevita de Los Urquizú, the little cave, after our hike. Diners order up front from the dozens of Mayan stews brewing in earthy pots, and we got to select two big sides plus steaming tortillas with our meal…Scrumdidlyumptious. We ate in the back patio, but little did we know there was also rooftop dining. Next time!
After we stuffed ourselves, Olivia even invited me to her mom and friend’s beautiful home in Antigua. We lazily lounged on the rooftop with a bottle of white wine, and I wanted to reach up and swat the puffs of clouds dawdling across the sky. We then visited the Antigua Brewing Co. to drink — what else — IPAs!! I couldn’t decide what I enjoyed more — the view of the hundreds of rooftops hosting Guatemalans soaking in the mild nighttime air or the hoppy craft beer… ya, craft beer wins every time.
We then ate at Meson Panza Verde, one of the faaaahnciest restaurants in Antigua, which still only set me back $30. I had the delicious squid ink pasta, but the gem of the meal was the Costa Rican singer, Maf É Tulà, performing live on stage. Her silky jazz voice (and the local beer) simultaneously lulled me to sleep and kept my whole body pulsing with the rhythm and beats of her songs. For a night cap, we went to a bar, where there was more live music! Even in the tiny bar, aptly named The Snug, an expat from Oregon was crooning his heart out.
Chichicastenango
Chichicastenango Market, 5 stars
The next day I headed to the Chichicastenango market, which is only open on Tuesdays and Thursdays, thus bustling with throngs of folks doing their weekly shopping. The open-air market showcased a brilliant rainbow of Guatemalan clothes and chotchkies. I immediately fell in love with the Mayan women’s traditional dresses and skirts — they actually wear the clothes they’re selling, it’s not a gimmick-y outfit. Sure, I probably paid 4x as much as I should have, but $20 for a cheerfully bright skirt was worth it. Plus I bargained down the price from $40, so I was very proud of my Spanish haggling skills.
Sprinkled among the stalls were all sorts of food vendors selling everything from plated meals to fruity gelato popsicles. I paid $2 (or 15 quetzales) for a yummy meal of fried chicken, rice and tortillas. As souvenirs, I came home with a Mayan wall carving, a pot holder for the sis, and a bookmark for the current book I was reading.
The book I chose to read on the trip could not have been more serendipitous. I was reading The Bean Trees, which chronicles a female protagonist longing to get out of the midwest. Along her roadtrip, she befriends a Guatemalan refugee couple as well as a whole cast of characters. (Thanks for the rec, Cami!)
Lake Atitlán
San Marcos La Laguna, 5 stars
What a magical place. Of all the pueblos around Lake Atitlán, San Marcos has the reputation for its spirituality and zen-like atmosphere. I thought I’d give it a shot, and was very happy with the pueblo that I chose. I stayed in my own little cottage at the Hotel Posada Encantado (Enchanted Inn), and enjoyed lazily reading in the hammock in the garden throughout my stay. It took me all of a few minutes to detach and unplug for the rest of my time there.
But my first agenda item when I landed? Seeking out a massage. All around the island, the massages were by no means cheap, still roughly $40 for 60 minutes. But I was desperate to #treatyoself. I inquired into this place called The Smile Center that looked like a cross between the Garden of Eden and a Montessori playground. Plants inter-tangled all along the walls, and hand-painted wooden signs with numerous smiley faces dotted the garden.
Out popped Dennis, a 69-year-old French-Canadian man who looked like the wise garden-keeper in some generic movie. All the female masseuses were busy, so it was only him. He was the owner and had been in San Marcos for a decade so I trusted his massage knowledge. Dennis was a miracle worker with his 60minute massage — not because he kneaded the crap out of my knots, but because he was able to connect with me emotionally. Sprinkled into the massage was an attempt at “emotional healing through spiritual conversation.” In my head I was screaming, “hush Dennis!” But he was too nice, so I played along while he worked on my knots. Eventually, he did penetrate my happy-go-lucky persona and connected with me emotionally, chatting about very personal topics that made me spill my guts to him.
After the massage, I stopped at a small food stand for dinner to buy some granola/flax seed/coconut “nourishing” balls and scarfed them down. Still hungry. So I went to another stand for a veggie burrito and chatted with the owner and his two small children for a while. The dude looked like a Guatemalan Peter Pettigrew :\ but he and his family were quite friendly and invited me into their own personal kitchen. The remainder of the trip, I ran into his small 10-year-old son a few times (the town really is quite tiny). The boy was a hustler — always trying to sell me another veggie burrito.
I had no plans for the following day, so I stumbled across a tour guide stand, and asked about the paragliding tour. The employee told me I would have to return the next morning to see if the winds were mild enough to go paragliding. So I retired back to my cabin and read for a bit outside in the hammock, a truly blissful night.
San Pedro La Laguna, 4 stars
The next morning, in true Guatemalan fashion, the employee was an hour late (I tried not to be furious with him, but also wanted to stand my ground.) The winds were too strong for paragliding, Fernando said, and I wasn’t fool-hardy enough to argue with him. After all, I’m no expert weather-woman. So he offered a tour all around San Pedro for only $60, which would include a hike up Indian Nose (9,300 feet), plus a tour of a chocolate and coffee farm and a medicinal plantation. Worked for me!
Before the hike I went for breakfast at Moonfish Cafe. Over a delicious breakfast burrito, I was reading the op-ed pages of Prensa Libre, Guatemala’s newspaper. One author wrote about the tragedy of so many Guatemalan migrants, fighting for a better life and to gain citizenship in a country that doesn’t want them. A few months ago, over 200 Guatemalans attempted to make the horrifically dangerous trek across the border and just disappeared. I was grateful then, I am grateful now to be an American citizen, and this wonderful privilege is never lost on me.
Feeling satiated, grateful, and empowered, I was ready to hike up Indian Nose, which was pretty intense, but worth the climb. Fernando, my tour guide, and I first had to travel the back of a pickup truck all the way up the mountain to San Pedro. Seat belts were wishful thinking, and the ride was so bumpy it was more comfortable to stand than to sit in the truck bed. One slightly overzealous turn on the narrow dirt roads, and we would have careened off the side of the mountain. Thankfully, the only casualty I suffered was sore hands from gripping the car frame for dear life. We bid farewell to the truck (thank goodness) and began the incredibly steep ascent up Indian Nose. The trek was pretty tough, but the soaring views of the entire sparkling lake surrounded by imposing volcanoes were worth it. I swear, the sky is prettier in Guatemala. I felt like I was on top of the world, and that the sky was within reach of my short little arms.
Throughout the hike, Fernando and I started getting philosophical. (Yes, I can still be a chatty Cathy even in español.) I learned that a Mayan dialect is actually his primary language, not Spanish, and thus he often faces discrimination throughout Latin America because of his Mayan heritage. Except when he travels to Mexico, he says he can pass as Mexican. He said he’s not religious, but believes in four things: fire, water, earth, and air. And he says those four elements exist everywhere. Race only defines the way we look, and serves as a way to divide people. Hear hear, Fernando!
I learned that all of Fernando’s seven siblings were married, and he was looking for a lady friend as well. (Nice try, Fernando, but his compliments of “china bonita” were not working on me ;) ) But his 7-day work week left little time to find a girlfriend. His day had begun at 3AM leading volcano hikes and ended around 6:30pm with my chocolate, textile and coffee tours. As we were chatting, I couldn’t help but love that Fernando defies the stereotypes of “lazy” Latin Americans harbored by so many people here in the States…
The descent was very tricky, with loose footholds the entire way down. So when we finally reached the bottom of the volcano, I was rewarded with chocolate and coffee. The family-owned farms offered free tours with the expectation that you would buy something. Not meaning to be rude, I, of course, purchased chocolates of all (alcohol) varieties as souvenirs. I also bought an espresso for Fernando and me, plus a big bag of coffee for the parentals. I was already hopped up on enough caffeine, so I passed on buying any teas.
The tour was only supposed to be 3 hours, but 6 hours later, I decided it was time to head back to San Marcos. We hailed a little tuk tuk that came with a 14-year-old driver and his buddy. Driving age is most certainly not a thing in Guatemala.
Cerro Tzukinil, 5 stars
This place is a beautiful natural reserve that is well worth the 5 quetzales to enter. It runs up and down the mountainside for about ¾ of a mile, with multiple paths that are lined with various flora. There are ledges carved out that offer benches or places to soak up the sun’s rays and take-in gorgeous views of the vast lake and volcanoes. Towards the bottom of the mountain are shallow inlets you can climb down to go for a dip.
For the thrill-seekers, Cerro Tzukinil alternatively offers a “trampolín” to enter the water. Sarah and Bob were a lovely couple who also wanted to take the plunge, and even offered to snap a photo of me. Once they made the offer, I had to do it. There are few things that scare me, but heights and the feeling of weightlessness don’t make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Thank goodness this cliff wasn’t high at all (roughly three stories). So without thinking too long or peering over the edge, I ran off and plunged into the refreshingly cool water.
The last night, I walked into a cozy-looking restaurant on the corner of the road/dirt path (there are no cars in San Marcos.) I ordered a pizza the size of a car tire plus delicious, spicy hot chocolate. But the most nourishing part of the meal was definitely the soulful trio jamming on the guitar and bongo drums. The Guatemalan, the Mayan, and the European spoke and sang in a mish-mash of Spanish, Mayan, and English in the perfect jam session.
Sunrise yoga, 5 stars
On the island, there was free yoga at sunrise every day. Yes, I consciously decided to wake up at sunrise for yoga (I barely know who I am anymore!!) It was just me and a French couple foolish enough to wake up that early, but the 90-minute session was worth it. It was donation based, with proceeds going to a non-profit school. It was a great way to start my day as I had to head back to Guatemala City to catch my flight.
Guatemala City, 2 stars
Again, in true Guatemalan fashion, my pre-paid shuttle told me to be 30min early, but the shuttle was 35min late in picking me up. I would recommend never booking transportation ahead of time. Just wing it, there are always plenty of transportation services that want to take your money. Plus, they actually leave somewhat on time.
Guatemala City was…meh, but that’s exactly what I expected. I wandered around District 10, the semi- “ritzy” area of the city that was dominated by shopping malls and American chain restaurants. When you see a Hooters, you know you’re not going to get the “authentic” experience you’re looking for. I wasn’t deterred. I popped into a restaurant, asked to use their wifi, and searched Google and Tripadvisor to find the best restaurant in Guatemala City.
Kacao was one of the most expensive restaurants in town, but it was worth it. Chef Hugo was a decorated chef with too many awards from competitions I had never heard of. The Guatemalan mariachi band basically played just for me, as I was the only diner in the restaurant.
I chatted up the waiter in Spanish, with the typical conversation of asking where I was from (no, where was I really from?) and how I learned to speak Spanish so well (I don’t speak Spanish well.) No offense taken, and I was satisfactorily stuffed with the delicious Guatemalan meal of marinated pork atop a bed of grits, guacamole, yummy bean dip, rice, these amazing bread rolls and herb butter.
Guatemala was the perfect trip for me to escape to a tranquil Latin country that still has a spiritual quality, thanks to the Mayan influence. The people were incredibly hospitable, and I immediately felt comfortable speaking Spanish again. There are still giant landmarks I need to visit in Guatemala (Tikal and Semuc Champey), but they are just two of many reasons to return. D’yos b’o’tik, Guatemala, for a phenomenal ending to 2017!
