Misty mountain town

That is Antigua.

A misty mountain town.

With LOTS of gringos, smiling from ear to ear, because the food is good, there are plenty of things to do, and the locals are friendly.

It´s a good place to start out in Guatemala. Our hostel is a gorgeous nineteenth-century era mansion that has been renovated, so it has that shabby chic feel. Antigua may be uber-touristy, but we are happy to be here while we plan out our trip a little bit more. It looks like we will be heading next to a small town called San Marcos, near Lake Atitlan, where there is a great community development project going on involving using art, theater, and dance as methods of intercultural activity.

Here in the colonial Spanish capital of Central America, cobblestone streets and Baroque architecture set the stage for a throwback to the sixteenth century, when the city was founded. Volcanoes surround Antigua like a circle of friends standing guard over the city. And indeed, it has truly been watched over and preserved, with diligent restoration of historical facades and churches. The main plaza is the life of the town, where students gather to gossip and munch on chocolate-covered bananas after school, and indigenous women hawk handmade jewelry to sandal and bandanna clad tourists.

Moving to a totally different topic, I read an article in the local newspaper today that really upset me. I´ll make that into a separate post, though.