Antigua - Erupting volcano & fine wine

After an amazing time in Sumac Champey we depart on a eight-hour bumpy journey to Antigua through the highland’s of Guatemala's villages and markets. Antigua is and old style colonial town which is set at the base of two active volcano’s. When researching into Antigua, various websites mentioned its close proximity to Guatemala City (which I was not in favor of as I always try to steer clean of most major cities). Yet Antigua’s beauty was truly amazing with cobblestone streets, white houses with red roofed buildings dating back to the 1500’s, old fashioned well presented bars where you can sip on some fine Argentinean or Chilean wine, enjoy a Cuban cigar or some of local spirits. So I guess we would have to try it all.

When arriving in Antigua we had not booked accommodation so we decided to stay at the Terrace. That only lasted one night as the crowd was a bit different and we didn’t really enjoy the vibe. So the following morning we decided to book some accommodation across the road for the same price, which had a kitchen and much better facilities.

That same morning Amy and I decided to take a walk and enjoy everything the town had to offer. Firstly we made our way to the markets to see the beautiful hand stitched blankets, arts and crafts, fresh produce, and in general, how the local people of Antigua go about there day to day business, really enjoyable!

Following a few hours in the markets we make our way through town and brought some hand stitched note pads & Guatemalan clothing (for my newly arrived niece) and some jewelry, all for a great price. As it was such a barmy day we notice a sign on the street saying “wine by the glass”. So Amy and I decided to head into this very small, somewhat like cellar on the street with one big table in the middle, which can seat approximately 6-8 people and enjoy a Argentinean Malbec and a cigar. The timing could not have been better and the concept was great. While sipping on our wine we notice a local artist doing self-portraits of the town, so we asked if he could sketch a picture of Amy and I. The sketch was $15 u.s and turned out great, defiantly a great reminder of our time in Antigua.

The following night as the sun was setting we decided to see some friends who were staying at the Terrace Hostel and have a beer upstairs. To our surprise when reaching the top, our friends mentioned that Volcán Fueago had blew the top off and was erupting. Luckily enough the sky was clear and we had an uninterrupted view of the volcano releasing lava for over and hour. I never thought I would ever see that in my lifetime.

Well thats all for now......................

Until next time