ANTIGUA (GUATEMALA)
16 February - 18 February 2017
16 February - 18 February 2017
Guatemala imbued me with a sense of
unease and fear. Inoculated with the biases of their ardent neighbours, the answer to
the initial question of ‘where we’d be
travelling next’, (Guatemala), would often be met with the response, ‘Cuidado, Guatemala es muy peligroso’.
Admittedly this related more to the capital Guatemala city than anywhere else
in the country, but you know what they say about mud, it sticks.
Arriving in Antigua after the
dusk, we were in the ‘witching hours’. It’s the term I associate with arrival
at a new destination when all things you believe to be sinister about a place
are hidden in a cloak of darkness, just waiting to threaten and harm.
Antigua - Guatemala
Antigua - Guatemala
Antigua - Guatemala
Taco time! Getting close to Mexico, taking in a taco treat - Antigua - Guatemala
So what is Antigua really
about?
Cobblestone lined streets,
beautifully vibrant and coloured colonial buildings, ancient Spanish baroque
style architecture whose unique character and charm has of course prompted this
city to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Then, when you get to accepting the beauty of
the city itself you discover a nightlife like no other we encountered in
Central America. There’s a bar scene here that reminds me of both the quality
and style of Melbourne, speakeasies that could be picked up and translated to
any other capital in the world. Great restaurants and casual eateries. Here was
yet another Central American surprise packet of gravity.
The bars in this town are seriously cool - speakEASAAAY - Antigua - Guatemala
Antigua - Guatemala
Antigua - Guatemala
Antigua - Guatemala
We have you surrounded
If this city were the main
protagonist in a hold-up then it would be in trouble. This gorgeous little town
is dwarfed by the main players in the landscape, Fuego, one of the most active volcanoes in Central America and
constantly billowing smoke from days of internalised frustration can be viewed
from a park at Cerro de La Cruz. Fuego probably
occupies a space in every second Instagram photo of this great city, but hey,
you play to your strengths.
Antigua - Guatemala
Antigua - Guatemala
Antigua - Guatemala
The lesson learned
Biases, fear and anxiety, they’re
constructs of the mind. Fear is what you allow yourself to feel. Inga and I
have travelled all over the world and have probably been more fearful and at
risk in our home environments than any foreign city we’ve been in. I believe
more through good management and understanding we’ve not deliberately placed
ourselves in situations where we could become victims. I think as a traveller
once you become conscious of this is when you really can immerse yourself in a
place and enjoy it. It’s also the point
in time that you discover that more the most part, ‘danger’ is just a relative
concept.
