Glorious Guatemala! (A trip to renew my Mexican visa) Part 1--Antigua

Whether or not to leave Mexico after 180 days of touring and/or residing in the country...that is one of the most hotly debated questions here in Oaxaca amongst us expats. 6 months ago, the Mexican government was offering extensions on visas because of the pandemic; apparently, that was too much trouble for them, so they subsequently put an end to that possibility. (It isn't EXACTLY a "visa" per se, but rather a tourist permit..but for the sake of ease, we all refer to it as a visa.)

There are basically 3 schools of thought: 1) get a Mexican lawyer to deal with the bureaucratic nightmare of applying for a special, immigrant status; 2) leave the country (despite presumed health risks because of the pandemic) as would normally always be done; 3) overstay the visa and pay a fine upon exiting the country, which may or may not be seen as unfavorable by the government here, possibly making re-entry more restricted, if not prohibited.

I opted for the normal, legal route myself: hence, my eight glorious days of galavanting about in Guatemala, the nearest country south of the border and a 3 hour flight (not withstanding the hellacious, long layovers in Mexico City!) Although a fairly costly journey--(airfare ain't cheap in Mexico, contrary to the once-held myth that flying anywhere in Mexico is a bargain)--I was glad that I made the trip. I had an amazing time sight-seeing in two of the most popular towns (close to Guatemala City, where I flew into from Mexico City), enjoying the lovely scenery and meeting truly wonderful people. I wish I had stayed longer... I certainly will next time!

Classic scene of the historical center of town, with the famous "Volcan de Agua" as the backdrop. Antigua is surrounded by inactive volcanoes; I found out later that there are active ones not too far away from this town that people actually hike up. Wow! Something to aspire to for my next trip!

Monday, March 1st: I left Oaxaca and flew to Mexico City, the main hub for going virtually anywhere, in or out of Mexico. Unfortunately, I had a grueling 7 hour layover in the aeropuerto--without a decent place to repose--while waiting for my connecting flight to Guatemala City. The one redeeming aspect: having a chat with a lovely Czech woman--also suffering through a long layover-- who had been binge-watching Sex in the City. (Great conversation starter!)

I arrived late in the evening in Guatemala City and was immediately whisked away by one of the many--very aggressive!--taxi drivers waiting outside of the airport there. Driving over terribly windy, dark roads through the countryside late at night was unnerving, to say the least. I heaved a great sigh of relief (and exhaustion!) When we finally arrived in Antigua, at my charming Airbnb there. I was greeted by Juan and Mercedes, my lovely hosts, and was overjoyed to fall into bed in my little guest room right about midnight.

Tuesday, March 2nd: I awoke to a picture of paradise outside of my bedroom window and the sounds of birds chirping their little hearts out! I couldn't believe my good fortune. I have stayed in some wonderful Airbnb's throughout my travels, but the garden of THIS one made my temporary home quite spectacular. Plus, my hosts bent over backwards to make everything as charming and perfect as it could possibly be! I truly lucked out when I picked this guest house and I told them I would most certainly be back.

I spent that first morning just strolling around the garden, photographing it from all angles!

No water coming out of the fountain, only in the bottom--at least it functioned as a bird bath, though I never saw any birds in it, I am afraid.

There were 5 guest rooms in this "Villa of Roses". All around the inner garden and courtyard were tiled walkways with stone walls. All were decorated with local art, most of it indigenous.

The communal kitchen/dining room. The hosts were quite strict about cleanliness, and insisted that all guests wash, dry and put away dishes immediately after using them. This control was a bit off-putting, but they had a full house the entire time, so I guess it made sense!

Another angle of the garden. As you can see, the weather was pristine: cool at night, lovely warm days and clear blue skies, at least for the most part.

Their "mascota", the cat...whose name in Spanish I promptly forgot! The face doesn't quite do justice to its very sweet temperament, although it did get annoying since he/she was always begging food off of the guests. (Our hosts adopted it and had no idea what gender it was!!)

Fervently hoping for a handout! (I think this guest did give it some chicken, much to the dismay of Juan, who told me the guests spoil the cat so that it won't eat mere cat food anymore!)

The outside of my sweet little room.

The inside: small but comfy, although the bed was a bit hard.

After touring the premises and settling in, I ventured out--on foot--into the historical center of town, about a 15 minute walk. The next series of photos were all taken in this historical center. The following is what I read about the history of this charming pueblo:

"Antigua was visited in 1493 by Columbus, who named it for the Church of Santa Maria de la Antigua in Sevilla, Spain. It was colonized by English settlers in 1632 and remained a British possession, although it was raided by the French in 1666".

The town is now one of the most popular tourist destinations in Guatemala, and is also home to many expats: Europeans, Canadians and Americans.

You already are surely familiar with my love of old churches and crumbling walls...this was definitely one of the most interesting and beautiful!

This was some kind of government building, located in the zocalo, or main square, of the town.

The zocalo (or central square): in this case, a lovely park; great for people reposing, smooching or feeding the pigeons!

The pigeons and people love the park... but those birds certainly make a mess, as we all know!

Another side of the square; no clue what this building is.

The classic archway, always seen in photos of Antigua. I believe it is part of a large and extensive church--but while the archway was restored, the church was not.

Many little tiendas--small stores--are situated along the covered walkways lining two sides of the central square.

One such tienda was a bar; not sure why the old scale was there, though! Still, it was a beautiful--quite well-preserved-- old interior.

The main church in the center of town

Indigenous women selling their wares outside of the church. Wish I had a telephoto lens... I did not dare get closer for a more detailed photo. I would have especially liked to have seen the boy closer up... in the sack on her back!

The houses and buildings were colorful and varied on every street

Also colorful: the indigenous women in their traditional clothing, often--as you can see here--carrying baskets on their heads.

Like Mexico, the Guatemalans appear to be equally fond of murals on the sides of their buildings. How wonderful is that?!

Amazing doorways... love the wood!

These crazy, colorful public buses are one of the unique trademarks of Antigua... I never rode one, but definitely enjoyed watching them roll on by! No two I saw were ever exactly alike!

As the sun was setting in the west, I made my way back to mi casa...along the lovely cobblestone streets of the town. These cobblestones were so large, uneven and bumpy that traffic could only ease its way through these streets at a fairly slow pace-- a pedestrian's dream! Directly ahead, you see another view of the volcano.

Wednesday, March 3rd: Headed out with my new friend: a Guatemalan archaeologist by the name of Miguel. Although he was a fellow guest at the Airbnb, he is in Antigua for an extended stay. He took me to the local, colorful marketplace; later, we had an elegant lunch together in one of the nicer town restaurants.

I would have loved to have eaten these traditional, local dishes in the marketplace; unfortunately, almost all contained some variety of meat. Miguel wanted to partake but kindly followed me to a restaurant that served a vegetarian pasta....

....and that pasta was superb. No complaints there!

Thursday and Friday, March 4th and 5th: More tootling around town, including a wonderful, fairly strenuous climb up to a vista point overlooking the town, with a spectacular view of the volcano (though unfortunately it was a touch hazy that day.)

Traversing the narrow, cobblestone streets as I headed for the hills

The volcano, looming large and impressive over the town.

Arriving at the bottom of the hill, I had an impressive cement stairway to climb to the top and the vista point there!

Looking backward...

A polite request for dog owners to pick up their pooches' poop. Sadly, in these Latin countries, the owners rarely do, from what I have seen!

At the top...glorious view of the volcano and town of Antigua below. It is quite typical to find a cross planted at the top and in the center of these vista points.