For this year's Holy Week break, Chris and I chose to spend it in Antigua. It was a relaxing staycation having a week off from school, and getting to spend the week together. We didn't have much on our agenda (aside from eating and watching TV), so we decided to be on tourist mode and explore. While I'm somewhat familiar with the city, I don't know it as well as Chris does, so it was a nice mini adventure. Plus, it's always nice to get to know a city a little bit more.
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| The ultimate tourist picture: a selfie with the Santa Catalina arch |
The week started off a bit crazy with the crowd coming in for Palm Sunday, and then became relatively calm the Monday after. While it does get quite packed during the week, I enjoy the festive atmosphere the people bring to the city.
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| The calm before the storm |
As expected, Antigua got busier and busier in the days leading up to Easter Sunday, and we saw the colorful
alfombras in different parts of the town, and in different stages of their making. It's hard to avoid them, but I don't mind it since they're so beautiful to look at anyway. We stumbled upon several when we were out and about, and the rich colors and intricate designs made it worth stopping to have a look at for at least a second or two.
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| Early stages of the carpet making |
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| Intricate designs |
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| Finished alfombra outside La Merced |
One thing we did set out to do during the week was walk up and down each and every street in central Antigua. The main part of Antigua is laid out in a grid with streets running West to East and avenues going North to South, and with Parque Central (Central Park) at its middle.
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| Getting ready for a walk around town |
On one day we walked down calles (streets) 1 through 4, on another calles 5 to 7. Next we hit avenidas (avenues) 1 to 4, followed by 5 to 8. We made it a leisurely walk each day, going in shops, listing down restaurants we wanted to try, and taking pictures of the beautiful city.
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| Chris' picture at the Pilas de Santa Clara |
During the week, we actually did a lot of cooking at home (something new for us), even hosting a gumbo dinner for a group of people on the terrace of Chris' home one night. We did eat out a few times, and on one night did a late night run to La Merced where tourists and local alike converge to partake in the local gastronomy. During Holy Week there are abundant food vendors who set up shop in the courtyard outside La Merced to cook and sell a variety of Guatemalan dishes. We had some shucos which are giant sandwiches usually with longaniza and served with sidings like cabbage and onions and chimichurri.
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| shucos at La Merced |
The last tourist item on my list, and one of the "must do's" in Guatemala, was hiking a volcano. With 30-something volcanoes in the country (I've heard different numbers from different people and sources), volcano hiking is quite the culture here. It had been on my Guatemalan bucket list for so long, but I couldn't find an opportune moment or person to do it with. A new friend Ellie had been wanting to climb it and was leaving soon, so she invited me, and we made it a date.
We set out early on Friday morning to the meeting point, and from there took an hour and a half van ride to
Escuintla where the
Volcán de Pacaya is located. Because of its proximity to Antigua (as well as Guatemala City) and it's difficulty level -- it's not too difficult and can be done in half a day--, Pacaya is one of the more accessible and popular volcanoes to hike.
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| Walking on lava rocks |
It was a tiring but good hike. What unsettled me was that the ground was like volcano sand, which made getting sturdy footing more difficult. Our group (we went with a tour group) went at a good pace, and some two hours later, we reached the highest part we can currently be in. Since Pacaya is an active volcano, you currently cannot climb all the way to the top (though I heard a few years back, you could). We took a rest where we were, joining two other group members who had done the ascent on a horse, and waiting for two more members who went on a slower pace.
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| We made it! |
Going down was relatively easier, though there were some rocky parts that made me feel like I was going to stumble all the way down. We crossed that stretch soon enough, and were on to the fun part of the hike: roasting marshmallows on an open lava vent! It was cute, but nothing major, and the whole thing was an overall a fun volcano hiking experience.
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| Roasting marshmallows |
I spent the afternoon resting, then the weekend came, and my vacation had come to an end. It was a great week of trying new things, and fun playing tourist in Antigua, all the while getting the relaxing break I needed. :)
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