
Antigua
used to be the capital of the Kingdom of Guatemala back in the day, until a
volcano threw a tantrum and leveled the city. Volcanoes are jerks, they do that
sometimes. And so the Guatemaltecos moved on with their lives by transferring
the capital to Guatemala City. But despite being downgraded just like that,
Antigua remains to be the star of the show. As every tourist in the country will
tell you, Guatemala IS Antigua. And Tikal. So there they go in droves, and you
can’t really blame them for it.
My
excursion to Antigua was a really short one, a day trip that started at around
4 PM and ended at 5:30. Nevertheless I really enjoyed it, and I actually have
more memories of it than the current capital. The place reminded me of
Chefchaouen somehow. It has this very chill kind of vibe, where you can just
laze around all day, maybe smoke weed, and that’s awesome. Perhaps it is the
presence of the volcano itself and the ubiquitous light mist that gives it that
kind of feel, and all that with the hordes of tourists all around!

Okay,
but first, how do you get here? It’s less than an hour away from Guate, and
there are direct shuttles from La Aurora Airport. Some people actually just
skip the capital altogether and set camp here. As for lazy ass me, I went after
lunch via Litegua, which makes a stop somewhere (I forgot the name) for a
mandatory transfer. This made the trip half an hour longer because that stop is
out of the way. That meant leaving Guate at 2PM and reaching Antigua at around
3:30.

I
had no map of the place, and that’s the beauty of it. You don’t need one. The
mini van will drop you off at the main square. I went on a Sunday so it was
really, really busy with locals and foreigners alike. You will then immediately
see the big iglesia across the park. That park has a cool fountain in the
middle. The area is teeming with activity, especially on a weekend. That means
camwhoring galore for most people. There are restos in the area if ever you
arrive hungry.

I
decided to head towards the volcano because it looked pretty damn cool,
although I knew that I will never reach even its base. I had a really tight
schedule, you see. And so what I did was get as close as possible to snap a
good photo of it, and then I turned left and ended up at another park which
they call the Parque Central. I think this one is more photogenic than the
plaza because there are less people. Most human beings I saw were locals just
enjoying a weekend afternoon. The scenery here is awesome.

The
park itself is on elevated concrete, full of benches and what seemed like palm
trees. At the background is the ruins of an old convent, beautifully
framed by a series of yellow arches that has been characteristic of Antigua in
most Google search images that you’ll find. The small church behind you is also
pastel yellow in color, with the magnificent backdrop of a volcano shrouded in
mist. Or maybe that’s just a mountain. What the heck, let’s not get too
technical with definitions here, yo.

You
have to pay to get inside the ruins of the convent, and I was, like, NAH. I had
less than two hours to spare, and just gallivanting around the cobblestoned
streets of this small city is already enough for me to remember it as an ideal
weekend getaway, despite being too short. I walked some more and ended up at
another church called Iglesia de San Francisco, which looked like any other
church you will find in the Hispanic world. For one moment there, I thought I
was in Lucban waiting for the Pahiyas to begin.

What
came next was the search for the great yellow arch of Santa Catalina. Google
Antigua Guatemala and you’ll know what I’m talking about. You can actually go
there first once you get off at the plaza because it’s just there around the
corner. The street leading to it is full of local vendors, shops, tourists, and
locals. Because of that, it is almost a guarantee that there will be a great
variety when it comes to the pictures you are going to take. The better angle
is always that with the volcano in the background.

If
you are feeling more adventurous, you can hop on a chicken bus and be like a
legit local. The problem is that you have to know the routes, at least. This is
what I did going back to Guate later on, and I ended up hailing a cab anyway
because I just didn’t know where that chicken bus dropped me off. I think it
was at Zone 3 way up north. The chicken bus is cheap at GTQ10 (~PHP60), and
feels like a roller coaster ride. That adds more to the thrill. Unlike the
comfy buses, these ones leave every 10 minutes or so, giving you more freedom with your schedule.
[ANTIGUA] Almost Two Hours of Antigua
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