Antigua is an interesting place to write about for me, since I was there for a while and one of the places I had a semblance of a normal life. A week of my time was spent in Spanish classes. I spent a largely unsocial life; taking walks in the morning, eating a little breakfast, and heading to class before my one on one at Antiguena Academy. After I would often grab drinks with my new friend, Hanna, who was also taking Spanish and staying at my hostel; we had met in Semuc Champey.
One of the factors in my great time in Antigua was that the hostels there are all well run and maintained well. I stayed at 3 different hostels and all of them offered the comforts I needed. Maya Papaya was probably my favorite, but where it added from free breakfast and great comfort it sacrificed a bit in sociability. Meanwhile, Matiox, and it’s sister hostel which I don’t remember the name of, were more social and had cool perks but were definitely more busy and traveler-y. It was at Matiox where I was finally able to start cooking for myself and get in the groove of long term travel. I haven’t actually gotten as many opportunities for this as you might have guessed, however, food has been generally cheap enough that going out can often be a better deal for better food.
As a city, Antigua is super accessible. Safety is hardly ever questioned since there is such a tourist presence. However, unlike other heavily visited places, like the Yucatan peninsula, the tourist presence isn’t overwhelming. Sure it’s pretty easy to get caught up in tourist traps in the center of town and you can see them everywhere, but when you build your own little world, it just becomes a comfortable place to be.
Some highlights of the city:
Overlooking he city is a little hill that provides a great view. As my morning wake up, I walked up the hill a few times, just to enjoy the solitude and some music or a podcast while getting a little bit of exercise. In the morning, before many tourist stands pop up and the crowds increase, it can be a great little hang out spot.
Chukis are a national treasure; not sure that’s how you spell it… One of my favorite spots to eat in the city would give you a footlong sandwhich with either steak, chorizo, lagostino, hot dog, or a mix for 20Q which is roughly $3. On the “french bread” they’d put chimichurri and oil before grilling it, and then add a number of condiments; ketchup, mustard, mayo, hot sauce, sauerkraut, and onions. Yes, I get it, you’re sick of me talking about what I ate.
Caoba Farms is a tourist and local haven for organic food, crafts, and a farmers market. While this place is overrun with visitors, their ethos is still nice and it’s a good place to grab some good food and enjoy the ambience of the farms.
All in all, I really enjoyed my time in Antigua, whether or not I did a ton of activities. Recomend it for sure.
A minor writeup on Guat City..
Many people skip or minimize their time here, which is understandable. With the help of some locals, however, it can be pretty neat place. First I stayed up in Mixto, slightly out of the city, with my friend Martin's parents. They had a nice house with a view and it was a great place to relax and get a feeling for a real home.
We would drive into the city for activities like restaurants and bars and avoid walking around the city, mostly because of safety. However, I spent some time on my own in District 14, one of the nicer ones, and was fine. There are dangers for sure but I used it as a base for hitting some restaurants, cafes, and malls. It’s probably a place you don’t need to spend much time for but if you’re in good company, there is plenty to do , as in most cities.