Guatemalan Must Do’s and Travels to Quetzaltenango

Since yesterday was Saturday, we had the pleasure of hanging out with our couchsurfing host Rick all day. It was a treat having him around and sharing with us the Must Do’s in Guatemala.

The first must do was our trip to Antigua. It’s a colonial city about an hour away from Guatemala city. It was the biggest city in central America and all of North America at one time. Today the city is a travel destination and protected to keep the colonial feel. I will admit that it was refreshing to see other people traveling in Guatemala and not have to be so concerned about having our camera out all the time.

The main attraction in Antigua is the Ruins. There are a handful of old cathedrals and buildings that were built by the Spanish and then destroyed by earthquakes. Below are some pictures of the Ruins.

Our second must do was a fast food sit down hybrid restaurant started in Guatemala called Pollo Campero. It’s basically Guatemala’s version of KFC. It was good, but both Dave and I have weened our selves off fast food back in the states and our stomachs didn’t agree with our must do decision. Too much information? You’re welcome. Here’s a picture of Dave and Rick enjoying some yummy fried chicken.

Our third must do was dinner at El Portal del Angel. This restaurant was located at the top of a ravine and overlooked all of Guatemala city. Also, our couchsurfing host conjured up a lightning storm, or so he says, that we got to see during dinner. As part of the must do theme, Rick had ordered us some typical Guatemalan food as an appetizer. You’ll never guess…corn tortillas and re-fried beans. It was actually really tasty, but I fear we’ll be having a lot of that in the next three weeks staying with our host family.  Rick’s friend Maria came to dinner with us too, and she ordered a soda made from hibiscus, which she allowed us to try. It was good, it was smooth with a nice subtle sweetness.

Our fourth and last must do of the day was drinks back at Rick’s place. We both tried Monte Carlo cerveza (beer) and Zacapa Rum. Both of which are made in Guatemala. Both were good. The beer tasted like beer and the rum like rum. Huge surprises there…

It was a long day and night yesterday, which made waking up for our 4.5 hour bus ride to Quetzaltenango, Xela (Shay-la) for short, hard. The trip to Xela was interesting. The bus was a typical greyhound type of bus, but it stopped multiple times on our way to Xela. And every time it stopped people would board the bus and try to sell you something. It was definitely new and different.

The last thing I want to share is the temperature. It’s nice here…70’s.

Goodnight All! -Sarah