Sunday January 31st. - After closing up the villa, we caught an early boat to Pana where we had arranged for transport to La Antigua. Most tourist offices offered the service one way for $10 per person - we found one place that charged only $5. As it would turn out, that may not have been the best decision. Our instructions were to meet at the office at 10am. We were there almost half an hour early. At 10am, our bags were strapped to the roof and we hopped into the van and headed down the street to pick up some other passengers.We pulled up in front of a little hotel to wait for the last group. And wait we did - after about 20 minutes one of the three came out with his bags, loaded them on the van and then decided to do some last minute shopping ! Another 10 minutes and a second person emerged
- same scenario ! Another 15 minutes and the final passenger showed up. Nearly an hour late, we departed Panajachel for La Antigua. The van seemed a bit sluggish on the climb up and out of Pana - perhaps because of all the weight with 11 passengers and baggage. We continued to wind our way along narrow roads with steep inclines that kept us from going over 30km per hour. From our perspective it seemed like the engine was missing but because it was not a consistent miss, we surmised that it could be water in the fuel. When we turned onto the main highway the problem seemed to worsen. We could barely make it up even the slightest slope. The driver pulled over and we hopped out so that he could lift the seats and have a look at the engine. For half an hour he and a passenger from Argentina poked and prodded around the throttle linkage and could not solve the problem of lack of pow
er. The driver told us that our only option was to proceed slowly - not great news for those people going to the airport. Fortunately, most people had left lots of transfer time. We chugged along for another 20 minutes until we were almost at a crawl. Large trucks were pulling out to pass us, creating a dangerous situation for oncoming traffic. There was no option but to pull over on the shoulder - not a great thing to do on a roadway notorious for armed robberies. We were a sitting target if the wrong element were to happen along. During that time we got to know some of the other passengers, especially a young couple from Texas - Dan and Angie who have been travelling around the world. For about 2o minutes, the young man from Argentina worked around the confines of the engine to pull apart the gas line. He managed to locate the filter and soon realized that it was the problem. The filter was so plugged that almost no fuel could pass by it. A quick cleaning and re-fitting and we were on our way - at twice the speed limit because the driver had to make up for lost time ! We're still not sure how that van managed to wheel around sharp corners at the speeds were travelling.
- same scenario ! Another 15 minutes and the final passenger showed up. Nearly an hour late, we departed Panajachel for La Antigua. The van seemed a bit sluggish on the climb up and out of Pana - perhaps because of all the weight with 11 passengers and baggage. We continued to wind our way along narrow roads with steep inclines that kept us from going over 30km per hour. From our perspective it seemed like the engine was missing but because it was not a consistent miss, we surmised that it could be water in the fuel. When we turned onto the main highway the problem seemed to worsen. We could barely make it up even the slightest slope. The driver pulled over and we hopped out so that he could lift the seats and have a look at the engine. For half an hour he and a passenger from Argentina poked and prodded around the throttle linkage and could not solve the problem of lack of pow
er. The driver told us that our only option was to proceed slowly - not great news for those people going to the airport. Fortunately, most people had left lots of transfer time. We chugged along for another 20 minutes until we were almost at a crawl. Large trucks were pulling out to pass us, creating a dangerous situation for oncoming traffic. There was no option but to pull over on the shoulder - not a great thing to do on a roadway notorious for armed robberies. We were a sitting target if the wrong element were to happen along. During that time we got to know some of the other passengers, especially a young couple from Texas - Dan and Angie who have been travelling around the world. For about 2o minutes, the young man from Argentina worked around the confines of the engine to pull apart the gas line. He managed to locate the filter and soon realized that it was the problem. The filter was so plugged that almost no fuel could pass by it. A quick cleaning and re-fitting and we were on our way - at twice the speed limit because the driver had to make up for lost time ! We're still not sure how that van managed to wheel around sharp corners at the speeds were travelling. We pulled into the beautiful city of La Antigua almost 3 hours later than expected. But we did make it safely and that's what counted. We settled into our hotel which is located close to La Merced Church and not far from the central park. The room was quite spacious and had two double beds, a TV, wardrobe and an en-suite with tiled shower. After freshening up, we grabbed our cameras and headed out to explore the city.
All day the weather had been about the worst we had seen since we arrived a m
onth ago. The skies were gray and there was a cool wind. As we started to walk the cobblestone streets the sun began to peek through. The warmth felt good. We walked to the outdoor market near the ruins of El Carmen Church. There were dozens of vendors selling hand made products. Crowds of tourists and Guatemalan's on a weekend trip from the capital city could be seen throughout Antigua. The central park is a large square with a huge fountain in the centre. There are pathways leading from the centre to all sides and connecting
paths in between separated by gardens. The city itself was built by the Spanish conquistadors in 1543 and is laid out in a grid pattern. For more than 200 years it served as the seat of the military governor of the Spanish colony of Guatemala. On September 29, 1717, an estimated 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit Antigua Guatemala, and destroyed over 3,000 buildings. Much of the city's architecture was ruined. In 1773, a series of earthquakes destroyed most of the town and led to the removal of the capital to a safer location where Guatemala City now stands. Today you can see wonderful examples of Spanish Baroque-style architecture as well as a number of spectacular ruins of colonial churches. It has been designated a Unesco World Heritage Site.
onth ago. The skies were gray and there was a cool wind. As we started to walk the cobblestone streets the sun began to peek through. The warmth felt good. We walked to the outdoor market near the ruins of El Carmen Church. There were dozens of vendors selling hand made products. Crowds of tourists and Guatemalan's on a weekend trip from the capital city could be seen throughout Antigua. The central park is a large square with a huge fountain in the centre. There are pathways leading from the centre to all sides and connecting
paths in between separated by gardens. The city itself was built by the Spanish conquistadors in 1543 and is laid out in a grid pattern. For more than 200 years it served as the seat of the military governor of the Spanish colony of Guatemala. On September 29, 1717, an estimated 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit Antigua Guatemala, and destroyed over 3,000 buildings. Much of the city's architecture was ruined. In 1773, a series of earthquakes destroyed most of the town and led to the removal of the capital to a safer location where Guatemala City now stands. Today you can see wonderful examples of Spanish Baroque-style architecture as well as a number of spectacular ruins of colonial churches. It has been designated a Unesco World Heritage Site. After a restful sleep, we awoke to sunshine and blue skies! Our shuttle back to the hotel near the airport was scheduled for 6:30
pm so we had a full day to explore the ruins and restored buildings. The first thing you notice is the colour of the buildings - rich yellows and ochres. All the streets were built with a rounded cobblestone that made walking with an injured ankle a bit treacherous. Antigua is nestled in a valley surrounded by three very large volcanoes - one still active today. We spent the entire day roaming the streets and spent a bit of time at the local market area in the afternoon. Here you can see dozens of colourful chicken-buses that have made their way into the city from other villages bringing vendors and buyers alike. 
pm so we had a full day to explore the ruins and restored buildings. The first thing you notice is the colour of the buildings - rich yellows and ochres. All the streets were built with a rounded cobblestone that made walking with an injured ankle a bit treacherous. Antigua is nestled in a valley surrounded by three very large volcanoes - one still active today. We spent the entire day roaming the streets and spent a bit of time at the local market area in the afternoon. Here you can see dozens of colourful chicken-buses that have made their way into the city from other villages bringing vendors and buyers alike. 
We packed up around 6pm and waited for our shuttle to Guate and it arrived right on time. It was the same van and driver from the day before! He assured us that the problems were solved with the gas line and that we would have no problems. What he couldn't be certain of was the delay we would have because one of the passengers had taken a trip to Lake Atitlan would be an hour late due to problems with his vehicle. Oh well! Guatemalan time. We did manage to make it to our hotel in Guate by 8:30 where we had a delightful visit with Hank and Lorena (the owners). We shared a beer then headed to bed so we would be ready to leave for the airport by 4:30 am. The flight home was uneventful. We were served a nice hot meal on both sections and any drinks we wanted except wine?? Curious?? Back in Toronto there was a dusting of snow and a temperature of minus 1 degree C. We took a cab to Sue's sister's place in Oakville for an overnight stay. On Thursday we met with David Craig to go over details of our upcoming African Safari, then had din
ner with Todd and Andrea before heading home to Bala.
ner with Todd and Andrea before heading home to Bala.
