Ann T. Gua

Antigua.

We got here yesterday, having taken a micro-bus for about 3hrs from Panajachel.

In our proverbial rear-view mirror, the clouds that had shrouded the Lake Atitlan volcanoes had cleared, leaving us a spectacular view of the lake and its famous overseers.  No pics.  Too lazy.

We checked in to Casa Cristina, a short few blocks north of the Parque Central:

  http://www.casa-cristina.com/

Charming.  Clean.  Comfortable.  Fourth-level rooftop terrace with a great view of the volcanoes surrounding the area and the old city at large.

Antigua immediately fits like an old pair of slippers.  It just does.  Great restaurants abound.  Historic churches, largely destroyed by a series of earthquakes hundreds of years ago, higher-end shopping, and street vendors.

Life.  This town has life.

Last evening, we walked South, quite a few blocks out of town.  Affluent area.  Large estates, protected by high walls, concertina razor wire, AND electrified barbed wire.  Okay.  Stay out.  Got it.

Several of these churches are in ruins, due to the earthquakes:

At some point, a rather sagacious decision was made that ... maybe we should NOT rebuild, here.  So what's left of many of these is the wreckage from the 18th century.

Food has been relatively expensive.  For breakfast, with coffee and a large glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice, plus our "main course," we paid Q194 (about USD$25).  Yowch.  Going to have to be more careful, here.  Thigh-high in the Gringo Grass, as it were ;-)

We toured some of the cathedral ruins, spent a while people-watching in Parque Central, and let the friendly Casa Christina proprietors know that we'd ... be staying until further notice.

Yeah.  Antigua is that kind of town.

Will likely had up to the rooftop terrace, slurp down some water, contemplate my navel, and think about what the afternoon might bring.

77*F, 63% humidity.  Still walking in the cool grass ... so to speak ;-)

Ciao for now, then, from the Antique Bureau of ... The Gulag !