Route of the Maya Day 4
Route of the Maya
DAY 4 - 11/27/05 - Overland to Antigua, Guatemala
We woke to a cool gray day, but after a very nice breakfast at 7:30, the sun was trying to peek through. The porters picked up our luggage from our room at 8:00. An interesting feature on this trip, we do not put our bags outside our door in the hallways, but instead leave it in our rooms for security reasons. Also, each day we identify our own luggage and then they begin to load our van.
At 8:30 after breakfast, we began the overland journey to Antigua. Today is election day here in Honduras. The people have 5 pieces of paper to use for voting, one for the president, one for the governor, and one for the mayors of the villages. Then there are two other questions they need to consider. The ballots are all counted by hand so it will be several days until they know who the new elected officials will be.
Judith told us many interesting facts about the country; it was only in 1944 that women and illiterate people were allowed to vote! The government election staff puts an indelible ink stain on our fingers so they know you have already voted to cut down on election fraud. On the way out of town we discussed the tax system, the concerns about inflation, and that much of the economy is "off the books" because of the drug trade.
She told us about the drug families and the cartel that do this business and everyone is implicated knowing who the dealers are, but no one tells as the government officials are many times drawn in, and the families will be injured or killed if they give out names.
By the time we were into the mountains and got to the border, the sun was shining brightly and we had clear skies! The country of Guatemala is know as the Land of the Eternal Spring, where one can have anything one wants if we have enough money.
There have been many scandals and there is corruption in the government but people seem to take it in stride. There is a 42% illiteracy rate in Guatemala. Many children do not go to school at all but help their families in the fields or with the tourist trade. Life is very hard here, many do not have running water, and we saw women carrying water jugs on their heads as we passed them on the road. We made a short comfort stop for gas and restrooms at 9:30 and we were able to stretch our legs.
At 12:15 we stopped at a small village to use the restrooms and buy a few snacks. There was a young vendor who was selling CDs so I bought two of the typical music of the area. Carlos played them for us all to enjoy as we traveled the rest of the day.
This area is very mountainous along with flatlands dotted with coffee plantations and dairy farms. There is also sugar cane, fruit trees, and many huge avocado trees. There are 37 volcanoes in Guatemala but only 5 are active now. As we neared the volcanic ridges we saw steam and ash erupting from one of the three active ones that surround Antigua. The people of the countryside have had to be evacuated three times this year.
We began to see the local chicken buses - the typical mode of transportation for the local people. At around 2:00 PM we arrived in Antigua, a city encircled by three towering volcanoes. This is one of the Americas' oldest and loveliest cities, full of Spanish sturdy colonial architecture, narrow cobblestone streets, and graceful stucco homes, for which it is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Our unique, well-situated hotel was once the former mayor's residence, and after check-in, Judith gave us until 4 PM to have a little lunch and explore the city. We went directly to an ATM and then to a little café, The Bagel Factory for a light lunch. We ate in one of the beautiful courtyards of these classic old homes. The original families had large city blocks walled in to protect courtyards and family living space. Now they are all used as shops, restaurants, hotels, and restored for other business.
We met our group at 4 PM and Judith took us on a walk around the city to familiarize us with the neighborhood. We saw many of the original monasteries, churches, the jail, and climbed to the top of the tower above the cloister at the cathedral to see the spewing volcano and the sunset. Unfortunately, there was a cloud bank so the sunset was not spectacular. We arrived back at the hotel at 6 PM and were to meet for dinner at 7. About 6:15 Judith came to our room to tell us that it had been postponed until tomorrow. So tonight was dinner on our own.
Accommodations: Posada Don Rodrigo Antigua - - - Meals: B,
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