Antigua
Our Ocean Cruising Club arranged trip away from the boat and the Rio involved a four night stay in the beautiful city of Antigua, which took about 8 hours to reach by coach. Antigua is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, renowned for its well-preserved Spanish colonial buildings and cobbled streets. The city is laid out in a grid pattern, with streets running north to south and east to west, a bit like a chess board, with a Parque Central (Central Park). It is also surrounded by 3 enormous volcanoes, Volcan de Agua (Water Volcano), Volcan de Fuego (Fire Volcano) and Volcan de Acatenango. Antigua was once the capital city of Guatemala but after several devastating earthquakes in 1773, the Spanish Crown ordered the capital to be relocated to a safer location Nueva Guatemala de la Asuncion (The Valley of the Shrine), where Guatemala City, the modern capital of Guatemala now stands.
On one of our days in Antigua, we undertook a guided tour led by local guide Luis. First order of the day was breakfast, and we found a wonderful place just a few minutes walk from the hotel. The first day we had a healthy breakfast, but over the course of our stay we succumbed to buttermilk pancakes with syrup and cream.
The first stop was a hike to the Cerro de la Cruz (Hill of the Cross) at the north of the city. We climbed 333 steps to reach the summit of the hill where the cross stands, and were greeted by phenomenal views over the city. As it was still relatively early in the morning, we could quite clearly see the volcanoes (it tends to cloud over in the afternoons, obscuring the view). Volcan de Fuego is a still active volcano that regularly spews smoke from its pointed cone. We were lucky enough to witness one of these 'puffs' from our vantage point by the cross.
Many of the houses we passed, although brightly coloured, looked fairly unremarkable. We were told by Luis not to judge a book by its cover. He explained that many of the houses had beautiful courtyards inside, and he showed us a typical layout by taking us into the Hotel Posada de Don Rodrigo. Once through the very thick original wooden doors, we were greeted by the first of three picturesque courtyards.
Antigua is laid out using a grid system and is a very pretty place, plus popular with ex-pats.
We also paid a visit to a Jade Museum, where they showed us Jadeite jade that is only found in Guatemala and Burma. This jade, which is quite different from the type of jade found elsewhere in the world, was highly prized by the Ancient Maya people of Mesoamerica. They used it to decorate masks, such as the one shown below. We saw the jadeite being cut and polished by workers onsite, and some copies of ancient Mayan artifacts made from this precious stone.
Cocoa was also highly prized by the Mayans. In fact, it was more valuable to them than gold and they used to use it as a form of currency. There was a Chocolate Museum in Antigua, made from locally sourced cocoa beans, so it would have been rude not to pop in and sample their wares! The 70% cocoa variety was absolutely delicious, if not a bit pricey.
Next on our tour was a visit to the Cathedral which was originally built in 1541, but suffered several earthquakes throughout its history.
Luis was keen to show us the 'Original Facebook', so we saw where the local women come to do their laundry in Antigua. Sadly, it didn't appear to be wash day whilst we were there, so we didn't get to see the women all gossiping and swapping stories whilst getting their clothes clean.
Our last port of call on the tour was the Parque Central (Central Park), which is in the centre of the city. A fairly large fountain dominates this small, pretty park. It has 4 statues of topless ladies holding their breasts, with water pouring out of them. We were told that the water depicts breast milk, which is the source of life. Apparently, when the Spanish conquered Guatemala, new Spanish mothers would get the Mayan women to act as wet nurses, and this fountain represents that part of history.
The rest of the day we were left to wander around the city by ourselves and browse in the many shops. We were surprised at just how cosmopolitan the city was. It had many lovely restaurants and shops, and was unlike anywhere else in Guatemala that we had experienced to date. We were really lucky with the location of our hotel as well. It was just a few minutes walk to the Central Park. At night, the city had the vibe of any town in Spain, with families of all ages out until late, having a good time.
During our stay in Antigua, as well as visiting Sumpango for the Kite Festival, we also made a trip to Lago de Atitlan (Lake Atitlan). Lake Atitlan is in the Guatemalan Highlands of the Sierra Madre mountain range. It is in a massive volcanic crater and is known for its Mayan villages and surrounding volcanoes. The lake sits at a height of 1562 metres and covers approximately 130 square kilometres, with depths of up to 340 metres. Atitlan, described by some as the most picturesque lake in the world, has attracted many prominent figures over the years, including Che Guevara and the author Antoine de Saint-Exupery, who is said to have written part of 'The Little Prince' during his stay. The weather was much cooler here and was a welcome relief to the heat and humidity we had been experiencing on the Rio Dulce.
We arrived a little later than scheduled at the main resort of Panajachel (pronounced Pana -hat-chel), and boarded a rather slow ferry to visit some of the smaller Mayan villages around the lake. Our first stop was the village of Santiago Atitlan. The majority of its residents are indigenous Mayans. It was once the capital of the Tz'utujil people in pre-Colombian times.
After lunch in this pretty village, we were introduced to Dona (Lady) Concepcion Ramirez, whose face adorns the 25-cent quetzal coin, known as the 'choca'. In 1959, with a rise in national pride in their Mayan heritage, the Bank of Guatemala commissioned a search to find the most beautiful Mayan woman whose profile would represent the beauty of the Mayan culture. Dona Concepcion Ramirez, known affectionately among her neighbours as Dona Chonita was 17 at the time her photograph was taken, and she has become an inspiration and a voice for women. People travel from all around the world to visit the woman whose portrait influenced Guatemalan history. Dona Chonita can be seen wearing traditional Mayan clothing in the portrait, including the Tocoyal, a type of headdress. The styles, patterns and colours of tocoyals used by each village are unique and give a clue to each community's beliefs. The length of the tocoyal is supposed to represent one's life. The longer you've lived, the longer your tocoyal.
We found Dona Chonita sitting in a her small shop selling traditional Mayan goods. She was happy to give us a demonstration of how the tocoyal is worn. It involves wrapping one end through the hair and continuing to twist the material, wrapping it into a tightly wound coil which is then laid on the top of the head.
After bidding farewell to Dona Chonita, we were piled into the back of open top mini vans and taken to visit Maximon, a highland Mayan deity. Shamanism is a way of life in the village of Santiago Atitlan and we were to see a ceremony performed by one of the local shamans. Maximon is housed in the home of a different member of the local 'confradia', or local Catholic brotherhood each year. Maximon turned out to be a wooden figure, dressed in a stetson hat and brightly coloured scarves. He smokes a cigar and receives offerings of the local moonshine. When we arrived at the house where Maximon resided, we were 'invited' into a small, dark room for a fee of 10 Quetzales (approximately £1). Maximon was surrounded by some men attending to his every need. There was burning incense and chanting in a language that wasn't Spanish. Maximon was smoking a cigarette and once finished with this, he was offered moonshine. He was tipped backwards and the liquid was poured gently down his throat. It was a bizarre ceremony, and one where we had no idea what it was all about, but it was interesting and slightly amusing to see nonetheless.
After another hair raising journey standing up in the back of the minivan, we were back on the ferry for the short trip to San Juan La Laguna. This is one of the smaller villages around the lake, and is famed for the co-operatives that sell traditional textiles and paintings. The Tz'utujil inhabitants take pride in their crafts, and we took a short tuk tuk ride to visit a female-run weaving co-operative. Here, we were given a demonstration on how the fluffy balls of organic cotton are spun and dyed. The dyes used are all natural and are sourced from plants, fruits, vegetables and herbs. We were then shown how the dyed cotton is weaved, using a backstrap loom to create beautiful traditional Mayan textiles. This time-honoured method has been passed down through the generations. Profits from any of the goods bought here are ploughed straight back into the community.
The local Mayan women wear their colourful traditional clothing, not to impress tourists, but for their own cultural reasons. Most couldn't imagine anything else. We noticed each village had its own colour scheme and pattern.
On the way back down to the ferry we noticed some wonderful street art on buildings, and a cute dog that had got comfy on a store shelf!
Just before it got dark, we were once again on the ferry, this time back to our coach which was waiting for us in Panajachel. It was cold enough to wrap up warm, almost the first time we have felt cold since coming to the Caribbean.
On one of our days in Antigua, we undertook a guided tour led by local guide Luis. First order of the day was breakfast, and we found a wonderful place just a few minutes walk from the hotel. The first day we had a healthy breakfast, but over the course of our stay we succumbed to buttermilk pancakes with syrup and cream.
The first stop was a hike to the Cerro de la Cruz (Hill of the Cross) at the north of the city. We climbed 333 steps to reach the summit of the hill where the cross stands, and were greeted by phenomenal views over the city. As it was still relatively early in the morning, we could quite clearly see the volcanoes (it tends to cloud over in the afternoons, obscuring the view). Volcan de Fuego is a still active volcano that regularly spews smoke from its pointed cone. We were lucky enough to witness one of these 'puffs' from our vantage point by the cross.
Many of the houses we passed, although brightly coloured, looked fairly unremarkable. We were told by Luis not to judge a book by its cover. He explained that many of the houses had beautiful courtyards inside, and he showed us a typical layout by taking us into the Hotel Posada de Don Rodrigo. Once through the very thick original wooden doors, we were greeted by the first of three picturesque courtyards.
Antigua is laid out using a grid system and is a very pretty place, plus popular with ex-pats.
We also paid a visit to a Jade Museum, where they showed us Jadeite jade that is only found in Guatemala and Burma. This jade, which is quite different from the type of jade found elsewhere in the world, was highly prized by the Ancient Maya people of Mesoamerica. They used it to decorate masks, such as the one shown below. We saw the jadeite being cut and polished by workers onsite, and some copies of ancient Mayan artifacts made from this precious stone.
Cocoa was also highly prized by the Mayans. In fact, it was more valuable to them than gold and they used to use it as a form of currency. There was a Chocolate Museum in Antigua, made from locally sourced cocoa beans, so it would have been rude not to pop in and sample their wares! The 70% cocoa variety was absolutely delicious, if not a bit pricey.
Next on our tour was a visit to the Cathedral which was originally built in 1541, but suffered several earthquakes throughout its history.
Luis was keen to show us the 'Original Facebook', so we saw where the local women come to do their laundry in Antigua. Sadly, it didn't appear to be wash day whilst we were there, so we didn't get to see the women all gossiping and swapping stories whilst getting their clothes clean.
Our last port of call on the tour was the Parque Central (Central Park), which is in the centre of the city. A fairly large fountain dominates this small, pretty park. It has 4 statues of topless ladies holding their breasts, with water pouring out of them. We were told that the water depicts breast milk, which is the source of life. Apparently, when the Spanish conquered Guatemala, new Spanish mothers would get the Mayan women to act as wet nurses, and this fountain represents that part of history.
The rest of the day we were left to wander around the city by ourselves and browse in the many shops. We were surprised at just how cosmopolitan the city was. It had many lovely restaurants and shops, and was unlike anywhere else in Guatemala that we had experienced to date. We were really lucky with the location of our hotel as well. It was just a few minutes walk to the Central Park. At night, the city had the vibe of any town in Spain, with families of all ages out until late, having a good time.
Lake Atitlan
During our stay in Antigua, as well as visiting Sumpango for the Kite Festival, we also made a trip to Lago de Atitlan (Lake Atitlan). Lake Atitlan is in the Guatemalan Highlands of the Sierra Madre mountain range. It is in a massive volcanic crater and is known for its Mayan villages and surrounding volcanoes. The lake sits at a height of 1562 metres and covers approximately 130 square kilometres, with depths of up to 340 metres. Atitlan, described by some as the most picturesque lake in the world, has attracted many prominent figures over the years, including Che Guevara and the author Antoine de Saint-Exupery, who is said to have written part of 'The Little Prince' during his stay. The weather was much cooler here and was a welcome relief to the heat and humidity we had been experiencing on the Rio Dulce.
We arrived a little later than scheduled at the main resort of Panajachel (pronounced Pana -hat-chel), and boarded a rather slow ferry to visit some of the smaller Mayan villages around the lake. Our first stop was the village of Santiago Atitlan. The majority of its residents are indigenous Mayans. It was once the capital of the Tz'utujil people in pre-Colombian times.
After lunch in this pretty village, we were introduced to Dona (Lady) Concepcion Ramirez, whose face adorns the 25-cent quetzal coin, known as the 'choca'. In 1959, with a rise in national pride in their Mayan heritage, the Bank of Guatemala commissioned a search to find the most beautiful Mayan woman whose profile would represent the beauty of the Mayan culture. Dona Concepcion Ramirez, known affectionately among her neighbours as Dona Chonita was 17 at the time her photograph was taken, and she has become an inspiration and a voice for women. People travel from all around the world to visit the woman whose portrait influenced Guatemalan history. Dona Chonita can be seen wearing traditional Mayan clothing in the portrait, including the Tocoyal, a type of headdress. The styles, patterns and colours of tocoyals used by each village are unique and give a clue to each community's beliefs. The length of the tocoyal is supposed to represent one's life. The longer you've lived, the longer your tocoyal.
We found Dona Chonita sitting in a her small shop selling traditional Mayan goods. She was happy to give us a demonstration of how the tocoyal is worn. It involves wrapping one end through the hair and continuing to twist the material, wrapping it into a tightly wound coil which is then laid on the top of the head.
After bidding farewell to Dona Chonita, we were piled into the back of open top mini vans and taken to visit Maximon, a highland Mayan deity. Shamanism is a way of life in the village of Santiago Atitlan and we were to see a ceremony performed by one of the local shamans. Maximon is housed in the home of a different member of the local 'confradia', or local Catholic brotherhood each year. Maximon turned out to be a wooden figure, dressed in a stetson hat and brightly coloured scarves. He smokes a cigar and receives offerings of the local moonshine. When we arrived at the house where Maximon resided, we were 'invited' into a small, dark room for a fee of 10 Quetzales (approximately £1). Maximon was surrounded by some men attending to his every need. There was burning incense and chanting in a language that wasn't Spanish. Maximon was smoking a cigarette and once finished with this, he was offered moonshine. He was tipped backwards and the liquid was poured gently down his throat. It was a bizarre ceremony, and one where we had no idea what it was all about, but it was interesting and slightly amusing to see nonetheless.
After another hair raising journey standing up in the back of the minivan, we were back on the ferry for the short trip to San Juan La Laguna. This is one of the smaller villages around the lake, and is famed for the co-operatives that sell traditional textiles and paintings. The Tz'utujil inhabitants take pride in their crafts, and we took a short tuk tuk ride to visit a female-run weaving co-operative. Here, we were given a demonstration on how the fluffy balls of organic cotton are spun and dyed. The dyes used are all natural and are sourced from plants, fruits, vegetables and herbs. We were then shown how the dyed cotton is weaved, using a backstrap loom to create beautiful traditional Mayan textiles. This time-honoured method has been passed down through the generations. Profits from any of the goods bought here are ploughed straight back into the community.
The local Mayan women wear their colourful traditional clothing, not to impress tourists, but for their own cultural reasons. Most couldn't imagine anything else. We noticed each village had its own colour scheme and pattern.
On the way back down to the ferry we noticed some wonderful street art on buildings, and a cute dog that had got comfy on a store shelf!
Just before it got dark, we were once again on the ferry, this time back to our coach which was waiting for us in Panajachel. It was cold enough to wrap up warm, almost the first time we have felt cold since coming to the Caribbean.
Lake Atitlan is so vast, we could easily spend a few more days exploring the surrounding villages, but sadly we ran out of time. We would love to visit again one day.
We arrived safely back at our marina after a long return coach journey. The roads are not the best, and ongoing roadworks added to our journey time, but you put up with it.
Time is now running out to visit many more places, so we will have to defer further exploration until next year. In the meantime, we still have boat jobs to finish, an International Quiz Night, a Fun Run and Thanksgiving, plus the usual social activities.
On the next update we will revisit progress on the new teak deck, and hopefully report the rebuilt windlass is working as it should.
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