Pictures/videos can be found at the end of this post.
On our final morning in Panajachel (also Pana) we did indeed went souvenir shopping, most shops/stalls were closed though. So we went back to the hotel for breakfast before heading out for our 2nd attempt. Not everything was open but enough for us to get what we wanted.
We then went back to pack, repack, repeat. and checked out while the bus was waiting for us. Just like the 'collectivo' boat and trucks we used before, we have used shared shuttles to get from city to city and today was no exception. It took us a few hours to get to Antigua, our final destination on this trip. The hotel we picked out was great! We both had our own room to relax in for our final days here. The hotel had an open courtyard with a fountain, lots of plants and also a rooftop. From the rooftop I could see the same fountain and my friends door.
Antigua was different from what we had seen before, a real city and a lot of Spanish influences. It also looked like a city locals too visited a lot. Antigua used to be the capital and was called Santiago something, but because of the earthquakes it was moved to Guatemala City and Santiago became Antigua Guatemala, the "old Guatemala". We explored the city, alone and together and soon knew our way around.
We also went on a volcano hike, Pacaya, my friends idea and I didn't know for sure if I wanted to go or not, but why not. And I remember thinking, it can't be worse than the first hike in Madagascar haha. And it wasn't but it was still tough and I think everyone in the group didn't expect it to be hard! We went up about 500m over 3,5km and it was only up up up up! There were no steps or anything and if you wanted, you could borrow a stick or get on a horse (and of course you paid a fee). Nobody in our group used a stick and two went up by horse. It was a lot colder up the volcano but I was still in a short dress with shorts. Everyone around me had long pants, jackets, scarfs, etc. haha, a few made a remark or asked me if I wasn't cold. And I thought of my brother, because I dont't remember when I last saw him with long pants.
Anyways, once all the way up it looked like that part of the land in Lion King where Simba is not allowed in. We had a few lava roasted marshmallows and then made our way down. We then bought a beer, since we felt we had earned it and drank it on the bus back. When we got back we changed clothes and went out for dinner. There were a few street food stalls near by and so I had a tostado and an enchillada! Local food on our final night.
And there it was, our final morning. We went for a walk and had breakfast. I then went back to the hotel and finished reading a Travel magazine I brought with me on the rooftop to catch the last bit of sunshine!
We then grabbed our bags and my cuba libre to go and got on our last shared shuttle bus to the airport! It took us about 24 hours and, beside that shared shuttle bus, 3 flights, 1 bus (to change terminals) and 2 trains before we got to Arnhem Central Station and our Guatemala adventure was official over. I was still in a dress and flipflops even though it was about 5°c outside, I always try to hang on until the very end!
Guatemala has been quite the adventure, my first introduction to a new part of the world! I don't know why I wanted to go to Guatemala, just a feeling, a connection I felt, just as with Madagascar. In my mind, Guatemala was full of color and still authentic. It was exactly that. We did and saw a lot, talked and laughed with eachother and with a few locals. We learned new Spanish words each and every day. And it was so so so colorful, I loved the fabrics, the people, the culture!
There's a few quotes I copied out of books I read on this trip;
Original
"Ik was in die staat van genade die met recht geluk genoemd kan worden, wanneer lichaam en geest zich als één gehee overgeven aan genot. Dit overkomt je bij wijze van goddelijke verassing tijdens het reizen, daarom zal ik nooit ophouden met reizen. De tijd was stilgevallen en ik wilde dat hij nooit meer op gang zou komen, ..."
"...ongeneeslijk gelukkig..."
English
"I was in that state of grace that can rightly be called happiness, when body and mind surrender to pleasure as one whole. This happens to you by divine surprise while traveling, which is why I will never stop traveling. Time had stopped and I wanted it never to start again,...."
"...incurably happy...."
- Echte vrouwen reizen anders.
Original
- The happiest refugee written by Anh Do.
And also a few lines from a song;
And you're more than you could ever be
- Come Alive, The greatest showman
Back to work tomorrow!
Adios Guatemala, you have been amazing!
T.
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