I first arrived at Guatemala City airport from New York, not sure what to expect or do when I arrived. It was initially a bit confusing with regards to lines for checking your PCR test result and passport before officially going through immigration. Not sure what that was all about. After leaving immigration, there were two stands I was already looking for: Money and SIM card. The SIM card was easy and totally worth the purchase, my 4GB plan easily lasting the whole trip. However, the money exchange was rip off - I trying to find a bank ATM, preferably in Guatemala City or even the airport for better exchange rates.
Anyway, after getting my bag, I saw a kiosk for a shared shuttle to Antigua. Initially, I was willing to pay for a taxi, but I saw one girl already sitting their waiting and knew they would send the shuttle once 3 people were on board - I think it was $15. After waiting only about ten minutes, the guy told us he would send the two of us solo in a car, so we did! The driver was nice, but his English was minimal, so
I got to practice my Spanish; the girl thought I was good, but really it was very basic! I asked him about the Christmas festivities, which he said were muted due to Covid, but that New Years was going to be the big party. It was a long drive to Antigua, lots of traffic, but pretty scenery.
Once we arrived, he dropped me at a hotel, which was adjacent to my airbnb, but I was not sure which one. I texted Luke that I had arrived, and at the hotel, I turned right, but soon Luke was behind me calling my name - I should have turned left! it was set in an alleyway with a large door onto the street, but once inside, there was a lovely little courtyard and the alley was covered by a plastic roof, letting in the last of the days light. The apartment itself was super adorable, just like the photos, with a wrought iron curved stairway to the loft bedroom and bathroom, a kitchen, a sitting room, and was very tastefully decorated.
a bit. We walked to the Central Park, which was lit up with Christmas decorations and was busy with people. We looked for a place to eat and wound up at a taco restaurant, which was good. We got a shared taco platter and a couple of mango margaritas while catching up, mostly about his adventures in Central America over the last two months! Then we found a rooftop terrace bar where we got a couple more drinks and chatted some more. It was very cool - there are like multiple bars surrounding a courtyard, both downstairs and upstairs, with lots of options. We just stuck with the margaritas. Then we grabbed a bottle of wine and some snacks on the way back to the airbnb, drinking a little more before calling it a night.
The next morning, we wandered around town a bit more, taking some photos before it got too crazy busy. Then we looked for a place to have breakfast. There were a few cheaper locations with limited options, but ultimately I made my demands - I wanted the rooftop terrace to see the view. He teased me about being demanding (I really never am),
but I knew he thought it was a good choice. The food was ok, but the courtyard was adorable and the view was amazing. Not only did we get a clear view of the giant Volcan Agua which towers over the city, but we could also clearly see the Volcanos Acatenango and Fuego from where we were. We could even see Volcan Fuego erupting every twenty minutes or so. I was in heaven!
Afterwards, we spent much of the day shopping. Yes, really. There were so many artisan markets with homemade souvenirs (some authentic, some clearly not!) and we needed to do some Christmas shopping for the secret Santa we up. It was really cool to go into the shops - they were vocal but not really pushy, which I liked. And there was so much to choose from! I wanted one of everything: table runners, dishes, paintings, etc. First, I needed some sunglasses, which I quickly got at the second, larger market.
