Glorious Guatemala

Antigua….definitely the best city we’ve been to in the whole of Central America. Gorgeous little town surrounded by volcanoes with blue cloudless skies and comfortable temperatures. This town, we decided, we could live in forever. Whilst there are numerous activities available, we got lazy and chose instead to frequent all the numerous bars and restaurants, stroll around the markets and visit the many stunning churches around every corner. As has happened many a time 2 days turned into 4 days and 4 turned into 6. But we had to pull ourselves away sometime and, so, we booked our shuttle to Panajachal on Lago Atitlán. Panajachal is the most touristy town around Lago Atitlán but there is a certain charm to it as well…I think this is because of the stunning views of the lake from almost everywhere in the town. We checked into a hotel fast, as Mitch was dying of “man-flu” and took it easy the next day…once again, indulging in food and the like. We decided to take a stroll to a nearby town the following day so took off to follow the path around the lake. We were greeted with stunning views and friendly locals along the way. Santa Catarina (the next town) was quite pleasant with school children in their traditional dress screaming in the playgrounds nearby playing soccer and basketball (which was definitely a sight). We took a rest by the lake to horse into our packed lunch and then made our way back to Panajachal to celebrate Valentine’s Day. It was a special evening where we spoilt ourselves with some Malaysian cuisine followed by some live music and the obligatory rum & cokes in a nearby bar. Lovely stuff! With difficulty, we moved on the next day to Quetzaltenango (yes, it’s a mouthful…but, luckily, it can be shortened to Xela, pronounced 'Shela') which was supposed to be another pleasant town in the mountains. We were a bit disappointed with it to be honest so we only stayed a couple of nights before booking our shuttle to Mexicó…excited, or what!!??
(pic 1: Mitch in one of the many beautiful churches of Antigua; pic 2: a view of Lago Atitlán)