The Adventure begins, Gatwick to Antigua

Relaxing in Antigua

I am writing this first (and second) days blog from the balcony of our first hostel, Yellow house, Antigua. The sun is setting and the street bustle is changing it's tone from that of business to leisure.
Our first day has been exciting, full of new sights and sounds.
However, I would like to begin by recounting our journey. 

From Gatwick our first flight was to Toronto. Thanks to a lift from my Mum (@MooGardener) we managed to get to the airport with ample time to have a coffee and say goodbye. We sailed through check-in, security and before we knew it were on the plane. However due to an imbalance in the hydraulic fluid we were not allowed to take off until they replenished it. Disaster! The Toronto connection was already a tight three hour change over. We both watched the clock with rising tension as 10 min turned into an hour. An hour and a quarter later we finally pulled away and left little old blighty for our Central American adventure.

The flight itself was reasonably pleasant, as 8 hours stuck in a pressurised aluminium tube at 35,000 feet goes. I used the time to continue reading 1984 and to watch the Trolls movie. As an aside I would highly recommend this upbeat musical rom-com, it put me in a great mood.

Arriving in Toronto we had two hours to change terminals, check our bags and go through security. It was slow but we made it with 20min to spare. Once on our way to Houston the tension defused somewhat as we had a 13 hour lay over before our last flight. 

Arriving at JFK at 7pm we got our free shuttle car to our motel. Even for the short amount of time we were there Texas was a culture shock. The "Airway Inn" was of typical design of any motel in the US and despite a slightly "dodgy" community, our room was spacious and clean.

Both Bryony and I were exceedingly tired, but before going to bed we needed food. With no car we were stuck with a "Gas" station across the "parking lot" from the motel. The place was a bit dodgy and what food there was was "junk" but we managed to grab a sandwich and some snacks for the next day. My biggest mistake was buying a huge root beer soda from a multi-function dispenser, wanting to try something new. It was sugary weird rubbish that gave a strange after taste. On inspection of the sign it even boasted in the legend "artificial flavours". It was fun to try something new.

After a good night's rest we had our included breakfast of fruity loops, coffee, pastries etc. It was hearty though I felt like I would probably hit the ceiling or raise my BMI to obese. We arrived at the airport in a relaxed mood and shimmied through check in and security. With three hours to spare we stopped at a Dunkin' Donuts to try their famous coffee.

After an uneventful flight we finally arrived in Guatemala City and before we knew it we had boarded a transfer shuttle to Antigua. 

Antigua is a bustling town full of life nestled between three huge volcanoes. It hosts a large amount of tourism, but I am struck by how the people have managed to keep hold of their identity.

Once checked into 'The Yellow House' our lovely hostel, we decided to go and explore. The town is fit to bursting with colourful stalls, new sights, strange food and a lot of busy people. Once exploring was done we set our sights of our evening meal. 

View from our room and the terrace at Yellow House

Bryony tucking into Pepian de Pollo

The guide book described it as a hole in the wall and they were not wrong. Tienda la Canche is a door leading to a small shop. In broken Spanish we asked to have food. The guy behind the counter led us past the desk and into a dark back room with a long table. An exremely small (even by Mayan standards) older woman greeted us and came out with 'Pepian de pollo' with bread and avacado. 'Pepian de pollo' turned out to be a spicy chicken stew with huizquil, a sort of tuber relative of the yucca. Instantly we were at ease with fantastic food and a homely atmosphere. It was exactly what we needed, no fuss or ceremony just great home cooking and a Gallo* to wash it down. Furthermore, the whole package only cost us around £7.50 for both meals and two drinks. Bargain. Now that we had full bellies, the jet lag hit us pretty hard and we decided to call it a night.

Breakfast!

Next morning we awoke at about 4.30 am due to jet lag, noise from the road below and a very loud bird- a great tailed grackle. Breakfast (included in the price of the hostel) was a typical Guatemalan desayuno comprising of frijoles (refried beans), eggs, tomato, potato, pancakes, bread, watermelon and pineapple. 

Cerro de la Cruz

We decided to walk up to Cerro de la Cruz- a cross on top of a hill, overlooking Antigua. Although the path with 333 steps has been notorious for muggings and robberies in the past, we felt completely safe due to police presence at the top alongside lots of joggers and walkers also making the ascent. The view from the top was excellent, despite not being able to see the volcanoes because of clouds. We sat at the top for a bit and watched some leafcutter ants and some ladies selling Mayan gifts.

Santa Catalina Arch (with volcano in background!)

After this we returned to the hostel to move into a dorm, then went back to the town to get some cash, promptly discovering that our bank cards did not work. After sorting this out we returned to the hostel with some caramelised sweet potato and papaya and relaxed. 

Thanks for reading, soon we will leave Antigua and head to San Pedro La Laguna on Lake Atitlan where we hope to take some Spanish lessons, next blog will likely come in a few days. Until then Like, Share and Subscribe for updates.

 Adios,

Greg & Bryony

*Gallo - Guatemalan beer