Feb 11, 2010 - Chilling in Antigua

We have spent a few days in Antigua just chilling out. It is a charming colonial town with wide cobbled streets and colourful buildings. It’s also the first place we have been so far where we have started on the red wine. This is mainly because it is a bit cooler than the coast and also because it’s there and by coincidence, so are we. We would love to travel down to Costa Rica but the Rio carnival is calling us. There is certainly a lot in Central America to do another time, but we also feel like we have had a good taster. Tomorrow we fly...

Feb 9, 2010 - WALKING ON FIRE

Arriving in Antigua in the morning, we had a quick look around, before jumping on a bus and going straight to the Pacaya Volcano. There are several volcanoes looming around Antigua, and Pacaya is still active. On average it erupts every five years, and has, in the past, caused considerable damage. They usually evacuate the nearby towns. The last time it erupted was almost six years ago, so it was filled to bursting point and expected to rupture its bloated udders at any moment. Clearly, this was the only time we would have even contemplated...

Feb 5, 2010 - The Chicken Bus And Home Stay

Following a night in Antigua we had the journey from hell up into the mountains. It involved several different ‘Chicken buses’. These are old school busses that have been transported down from Canada and the states and bought and painted in gregarious colours by individuals who then let their bus out to a driver and his bus pimp. They pay the owner a fee for this but whatever money they make on top of this is theirs and hence the quicker they do the journeys with as many people on board as possible, the more money they make themselves. The...

Jan 3, 2010 - More Antigua

We used Antigua as a hub to see other areas in the Highlands of Guatemala, so we returned here several times. Antigua is a great city with lots of great restaurants and hotels. We stayed in different hotels each time we came here. There are lots of very old buildings, with painted cement, wrought iron, and wood. You can get most places in the city by foot, but it´s always fun to take a tuk tuk! While there, we took a tour of a coffee plantation where they were harvesting the berries.

Dec 28, 2009 - Earth Lodge

We took a side trip for a couple days to a small town outside of Antigua, called El Hato, and stayed in an amazing place called the Earth Lodge. We stayed in a tree cabin on a steep slope overlooking a stunning view of the three volcanoes surrounding Antigua. The place had a communal area for hanging out on hammocks and relaxing in the beautiful setting. We met lots of other travellers here. They had a set dinner with excellent food and everyone ate together. What a great place! We took a hike through the surrounding trails carved into the...

Dec 28, 2009 - Earth Lodge

Our next adventure was at the Earth Lodge in a small town outside of Antigua, called El Hato. We got to ride in the back of a truck to get there. We got to stay in a tree cabin and there was a tree in the middle of the cabin. There was a beautiful view of the three volcanoes. It was fun in that cabin. At the Earth Lodge we played ping pong, darts, and bean bag toss, and just chilled for a couple of days. We went on a steep hill for a walk and we saw Guatemalans and they wanted their pictures taken. Some of the little girls and ladies...

Dec 28, 2009 - Earth Lodge

Our next adventure was at the Earth Lodge in a small village outside of Antigua, called El Hato. We got picked up by a pickup truck, and we got to ride in the back! In Canada this may be illegal, but not in Guatemala! When we got there we walked down a very steep hill to our tree cabin. As soon as we heard it was two levels we knew it would be cool. There was a tree growing right through the middle of the cabin, and the view was amazing of the volcanoes! The Earth Lodge had a ping pong table, darts, a bean bag toss, and a movie room. We...

Dec 20, 2009 - Active Volcano Trek - Pacaya

Today we went in a van to climb a volcano and the van broke down and we had to go back to the start. We had to get another van, and then the road was closed and we had to go back again! Finally we got in another van and went a different way and then we got to the bottom of Pacaya, the volcano. We started walking up the trail and we met some dogs along the way and we named them John and Dave. At the bottom of the trail it was in a jungle, and then it changed to crumbled volcanic gravel. It was steep and hard to climb and it took about two...

Dec 20, 2009 - Active Volcano Trek - Pacaya

We headed out on our tour at about 8 am. About 30 minutes into the trip, the van started making loud noises and the driver pulled over - the bearings were shot. So we turned around and headed back to Antigua to the starting point. We piled in a new van, and headed off again. About 35 minutes into the trip, we ran into a road closure! The driver shifted us to yet another van, and we drove back to our starting point one more time, to take a different route. Finally, after about 1.5 hours drive up a windy scenic road, we reached the base of...

Dec 19, 2009 - Antigua

Antigua has bumpy roads because they are made of cobble stones. We walked around the city a lot looking around. We went to a travel office to book a tour to climb up an active volcano. In the travel office we met a dog named Carl. In Antigua we rode in things called tuk tuks.

Dec 19, 2009 - Active Volcano Trek - Pacaya

From the travel centre we took a van on our way to Pacaya. After about 1/2 hour, the van broke down and we had to go all the way back. We all piled in another van, and again about 1/2 hour into the ride, the road was closed, so back we went to the start again! We got in another van and took a different route to Pacaya. About 1 1/2 hours later, we got to the start of the climb. We picked up a local guide named Felix. The first hour or so of the climb was all through jungle and it was steep in some spots. The second half of the climb was on...

Dec 18, 2009 - Antigua

When we got to Antigua we walked around the city and took in the sights. In Antigua the streets are very bumpy because they are made of cobble stone. In the afternoon we went to a travel centre to book a trek to an active Volcano. In the travel centre we met a dog named Shella, but my brother and I called her Carl. Carl was cool.