August 13 and 14 - Antigua part dos
August 13 - This day, a Sunday, began with a beautiful walk to the outskirts of town. The sky was totally clear for once, and Volcan de Agua was finally fully visible. Nice!
In fact, as we got out of the city center, we caught a clear view of Acetenango and Fuego volcanoes. As I set up to take a picture, Fuego belched out a big puff of smoke and ash. Nice one, Earth!
We arrived quite early at our destination, Caoba Farms. Yoga was scheduled to start at 10am, but since we had never been there and it was well outside the city grid, I wanted to be sure we left extra time in case we got lost. We did not get lost and it was really pretty close, so instead of 40 minutes as promised by our hostel hosts, it took about 20 minutes to get there. That turned out to be nice because the farm was absolutely beautiful. And, the cafe had just opened and they had really good coffee. So, we relaxed and enjoyed our surroundings while waiting for the Yoga class.
Class itself was good - not amazing. We are spoiled when it comes to Yoga. The space was beautiful!
After class, we returned to the cafe and it was packed! This place is a gem but it has been discovered by the fancy folks of Antigua. This south end of town has lots of fancy homes and hotels, and the food at the cafe was not cheap but it was really really good.
We sat with an interesting couple - he was originally from Massachusetts but after several years living in the Seattle area, he bought a motorcycle and started a world-wide journey. He made it through Mexico and into Guatemala. He has been living in Antigua for six months, and he now teaches Yoga classes and leads hikes up local volcanoes. He hopes to continue his journey one day, but at this point he is "stuck" in Antigua. This is the thing about Guatemala - there are not very many American "tourists" here like I would expect in the Mexican resort areas, say. But, there are American "expats" who have come here and stayed. Also, there are lots of "backpackers" from all over the world - young people moving from place to place, staying for days or weeks but not longer.
Anyway...After finishing our amazing food, we walked back to our hostel for showers and relaxation. The leafy streets and crumbling colonial ruins, chicken buses, boutique shops and street vendors are becoming more familiar to us each day.
We spent several hours relaxing and taking showers back at the hostel, and did some last minute shopping at the crafts market. We then headed out to find a specific restaurant in the hopes of keeping up a family tradition. We wanted to try the Indian food here! As fate had planned it, the Indian food restaurant was closed due to the water problem that has been plaguing the whole city the past few days. As fate would also have it, the Indian restaurant was really close to another place that Aleeza wanted to try, a Vegan place called "Samsara." We found it quickly and ordered. MAN was that good! Yay, fate!
The walk home was great, too, as the sun was setting and the clouds turned pink. The city's charm is especially evident in this light. Even the public bathrooms look inviting!
We returned to the hostel as a lightning storm flashed in the sky. We stopped at the supermarket one last time and treated ourselves to a celebratory drink - a pre-mixed rum with coconut water and pineapple, with fresh pineapple added. It must have had some rum in it, because it said so on the can. I couldn't taste it, though.
It is now Monday morning. Our plan is to go to a GYM this morning (boring!) and then walk around for a while, then pack and kill time until our shuttle to Guatemala City at 6:30. Our flight leaves early Tuesday morning.
So...I think this will be my final blog post! Wow, this has been SUCH an amazing trip. I am so happy to have been able to share this special adventure with Aleeza as she completes her 17th year on the planet. Thank you to all of our family and friends who supported us and helped us and encouraged us. Thanks also for checking out this blog, my stories and experiences.
I truly learned that I love you, Jana and Benna, mom and dad, brother and sister, and extended family. I miss you, home, friends, colleagues, neighbors. And, it has been such a reminder about the one-ness of humanity. A shout out to new friends who may be reading these words. Please reach out by email or facebook, and please come to visit our happy valley one day.
PEACE!
- Aaron
In fact, as we got out of the city center, we caught a clear view of Acetenango and Fuego volcanoes. As I set up to take a picture, Fuego belched out a big puff of smoke and ash. Nice one, Earth!
We arrived quite early at our destination, Caoba Farms. Yoga was scheduled to start at 10am, but since we had never been there and it was well outside the city grid, I wanted to be sure we left extra time in case we got lost. We did not get lost and it was really pretty close, so instead of 40 minutes as promised by our hostel hosts, it took about 20 minutes to get there. That turned out to be nice because the farm was absolutely beautiful. And, the cafe had just opened and they had really good coffee. So, we relaxed and enjoyed our surroundings while waiting for the Yoga class.
Class itself was good - not amazing. We are spoiled when it comes to Yoga. The space was beautiful!
After class, we returned to the cafe and it was packed! This place is a gem but it has been discovered by the fancy folks of Antigua. This south end of town has lots of fancy homes and hotels, and the food at the cafe was not cheap but it was really really good.
We sat with an interesting couple - he was originally from Massachusetts but after several years living in the Seattle area, he bought a motorcycle and started a world-wide journey. He made it through Mexico and into Guatemala. He has been living in Antigua for six months, and he now teaches Yoga classes and leads hikes up local volcanoes. He hopes to continue his journey one day, but at this point he is "stuck" in Antigua. This is the thing about Guatemala - there are not very many American "tourists" here like I would expect in the Mexican resort areas, say. But, there are American "expats" who have come here and stayed. Also, there are lots of "backpackers" from all over the world - young people moving from place to place, staying for days or weeks but not longer.
Anyway...After finishing our amazing food, we walked back to our hostel for showers and relaxation. The leafy streets and crumbling colonial ruins, chicken buses, boutique shops and street vendors are becoming more familiar to us each day.
We spent several hours relaxing and taking showers back at the hostel, and did some last minute shopping at the crafts market. We then headed out to find a specific restaurant in the hopes of keeping up a family tradition. We wanted to try the Indian food here! As fate had planned it, the Indian food restaurant was closed due to the water problem that has been plaguing the whole city the past few days. As fate would also have it, the Indian restaurant was really close to another place that Aleeza wanted to try, a Vegan place called "Samsara." We found it quickly and ordered. MAN was that good! Yay, fate!
The walk home was great, too, as the sun was setting and the clouds turned pink. The city's charm is especially evident in this light. Even the public bathrooms look inviting!
We returned to the hostel as a lightning storm flashed in the sky. We stopped at the supermarket one last time and treated ourselves to a celebratory drink - a pre-mixed rum with coconut water and pineapple, with fresh pineapple added. It must have had some rum in it, because it said so on the can. I couldn't taste it, though.
It is now Monday morning. Our plan is to go to a GYM this morning (boring!) and then walk around for a while, then pack and kill time until our shuttle to Guatemala City at 6:30. Our flight leaves early Tuesday morning.
So...I think this will be my final blog post! Wow, this has been SUCH an amazing trip. I am so happy to have been able to share this special adventure with Aleeza as she completes her 17th year on the planet. Thank you to all of our family and friends who supported us and helped us and encouraged us. Thanks also for checking out this blog, my stories and experiences.
I truly learned that I love you, Jana and Benna, mom and dad, brother and sister, and extended family. I miss you, home, friends, colleagues, neighbors. And, it has been such a reminder about the one-ness of humanity. A shout out to new friends who may be reading these words. Please reach out by email or facebook, and please come to visit our happy valley one day.
PEACE!
- Aaron
What a delight it has been reading your travelogue. I almost feel we're following along behind you, although the food is nowhere near as good as what you captured in your pictures. We're expecting your arrival tomorrow and can't wait to hug you both. Safe travels. Love M&D.
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