And Then There Was One

Writing this from Antigua, an old, touristy, colonial city about an hour southwest of Guatemala City.  It was founded by Spanish conquistadors in the mid-1500s as the capital of Guatemala (incidentally, this was the third site they chose and it has since been moved to Guatemala City).  It is best known for its beautiful Baroque architecture that sits in stark contrast to the ruins that sit throughout the city as a result of a collection of earthquakes in the 1700s.  Enough history, just wanted to set the scene.  Probably would have sufficed to say that this is a beautiful city where I chose to spend my last 24 hours in Guatemala. 

A little taste of Antigua, stolen from the internet - real volcano in the background!

Friday night the rest of the group left after clinic to fly back down to Guatemala City for Saturday flights.  I maintained my budget student travel stubbornness and took the overnight bus down on Friday night.  As it didn’t leave until 10pm, I was able to spend the night with Orfe and Ismael after the rest of the group left around 6:30.  We hung out at their house (“Just like old times,” as Ismael told me) and enjoyed a delicious dinner (tamales, beans, cheese, cream, tortillas, etc.).  I played with Anita before bed and Orfe and I chatted for a while – we talked of plans for future visits, upcoming events, etc.  After a very tearful goodbye, I boarded my bus and settled in for the night. 

I arrived in Guatemala City around 6:30 and headed to the hostel where the group spent the night.  By the time I arrived, most had already left for the airport.  Jeremy, one of the medical students on the trip, wasn’t leaving until 3pm, so we decided to spend the morning together in Guatemala City!  Despite flying through a few times, I’d never ventured out into the city, so I was excited to have company.  Basically, our day revolved around eating.  We found the Mercado Central and after getting pretty overwhelmed by the sheer volume of stalls and goods (everything from traditional textiles to ceramics to fresh flowers to shoes), we found the food and decided to throw caution to the wind.  I think we figured this food looked too good to pass up, even if we did get sick.  Happy to say, I’m still feeling great.  We settled down to a pretty hardy lunch, which we selected by each pointing to a number of things, getting brief descriptions to assure they didn’t contain anything too gross (pig liver), and then splitting it all in two.  As we were about halfway through, we realized it wasn’t even 10 am.  This actually made us quite happy, because we realized we could justify another meal as “lunch” before heading back to the hostel.  The food was amazing, but you’ll have to wait for pictures as unfortunately my camera died this week, so the only pics are on my phone. 

Jeremy and I also explored some of the city (mostly to walk off the food and make room for more), and saw the Palacio National and the Metropolitan Cathedral.  We also happened into a random mall that contained a clothing store like Ross, a game store, a bakery, a cell phone store, and a casino.  We followed a trail of adorable little 4 to 9 year old ballerinas (I promise Jeremy was intrigued by them too) into some sort of building that seemed to be a combination of a center for the arts and a post office.  There were painting classes, balloon-animal-making classes, and clearly some sort of dance recital, all in a gorgeous historic building.  Again, I apologize, but pics to come. 

Eventually, Jeremy and I parted ways and I caught a taxi to Antigua.  The day was an amazing contrast of excitement, relaxation, anticipation, and nostalgia.  The city is busy and beautiful, with wonderful markets everywhere you turn and way too many opportunities to spend money.  (Don’t want to come home with a wallet full of Quetzales…)  At the same time, I’m sad to be leaving and can’t help but wonder how the last 6 weeks slipped by so quickly.  The fact that this week is Match Week doesn’t help either – it’s been nice to be in my Guatemalan bubble here, surrounded by wonderful people and a true sense of purpose on a daily basis.  I think I’m going to feel a little lost back in Toledo, although there is plenty that needs to be done. 

My day and night were spent shopping and wandering.  I watched some soccer with locals in the market and happened across a jazz concert (apparently this is Jazz week in Antigua??) in front ruins of the façade of a former church.  Despite the bustle throughout the city, it was very quiet for me and the first time I’ve been this alone in 6 weeks.  Even the other three beds in my hostel room remained empty!  Now, I’m finishing up, catching my bus, and heading to the airport for a day of travel.  Hopefully things will go smoothly – but I think anything will seem smooth after the chicken buses (picture retired US school buses with people hanging out the doors and only half the seats in working order) that seem to have no sense of a schedule or set route!