04 - 31 January 2023. It took 3 planes and 2 taxis to get to my destination, but it was worth it!
Antigua's electrical system is a little bit better than Nepal's.
Antigua was one of the grand colonial capitals of the Spanish Empire from the 16th-18th century; you are surrounded by colonial baroque style architecture
The ruins in Antigua give this city a lot of character
The uneven cobblestone streets make high heels impossible to wear
Iglesia de La Merced, also called the Cake Church by locals, as it resembles the decoration on a wedding cake.
I loved observing the details
The mother giving seeds to her daughter, to feed the pigeons
Lake Atitlan, over 3 hours riding from Antigua, after which you take a boat to go to any of the 11 towns/villages. This photo was taken from the Mirador in San Juan La Laguna
Lake Atitlan has a depth of 350 meters, and is a volcanic crater that filled up with water
In the morning it looks as if each town is covered by a layer of mist, but it's the result of all the wood stoves that are being started.
The smoke from the wood burning stoves hanging in the air above San Juan La Laguna.
I stayed mostly in the artistic town of San Juan La Laguna. The colorful murals were amazing.
Maria is from Tz'utujil Mayan origin, and was the caring host of my homestay; here making a traditional Mayan meal. Beans are cooked with herbs in a ceramic pot on a wood stove for 5 hours. She made sure that I got to taste a big variety of Mayan food during my stay.
Gasper, my Spanish teacher. The best way to learn Spanish, outdoors in this tropical garden, with a cookie, organic artisanal produced coffee, and a doggie as company.
At Diego's demonstrating the Tz'utujil mayan chocolate making. Needless to say I brought some with me to enjoy at home.
This was carved on the door of the church entrance, not very welcoming I found, definitely not good Feng Shui ;-)
Veiled women go out with ministers to visit people who are ill or can't come to attend service in the church
It was difficult to photograph people in Guatemala, only captured a few locals who I was able to connect with.
I did a day visit to San Pedro, but preferred San Juan where I was staying
Beautiful garden at Lake Atitlan, my view from the Eco Spanish school
Lettuce picked from the garden and washed in the lake, ready to head to the local market
Alegra, the only dog with shorter legs at the school, accompanied me to enjoy a sunrise.
This older man gets up every day at 3:00 am to start cutting vegetables and wash them in the lake to be ready to sell them in the market. Here he is washing cilantro
I could see the Indian nose from my room, very obvious why they called it this way. It's a popular hiking destination to view the sunrise.
I enjoyed a horse ride through coffee and avocado trees, on Rosita
Rosita & me
Rogelio, Rosita's owner was just picking up a few avocados from the ground. I couldn't believe the delicious taste, and thought of the price we pay to get a good avocado in our stores
This couple wanted me to try a hot pepper, I declined the offer with a smile
Fruit from a banana tree
