Antigua- the first of many visits. A guy we had met in Lake Atitlán had said “if you think Lake Atitlán is touristy, wait until you get to Antigua”. He certainly wasn’t wrong. But unlike some of the other overly touristy hotspots around the globe, this one had cast its enchanting spell upon us. We have been lured in time and time again by its Spanish colonial ruins and cobbled streets, the plethora of quaint coffee shops and restaurants, the gigantic (all you can buy) market, its unique view of the surrounding four volcanoes, and by the extremely warm hospitality we have received every single day.
It is not uncommon for people to drop their busy schedules in order to give you a private tour of their coffee plantation or for a stranger to invite you to their grandson’s piñata party. In fact, that particular piñata party was one of three for Zoe, spent here in Antigua.
After three visits to Antigua so far (and it isn’t over yet), we can definitely say that this is somewhere we would seriously consider establishing some roots at.
But let’s start from the beginning. It was approaching New Year’s and we were just getting our heads around this new environment. We had heard about the local police station right in the middle of town that lets fully contained Overlanders like ourselves stay there for free! Sounds like a good idea- a perfect way of getting to know the place. But with bag searches taking place every time we returned to camp (the consumption of alcohol is not allowed), we thought better, than to spend more than one night there. So the next day we were off to Vagomundos. Now let’s call this the other extreme. Here drinking and loud music is definitely permitted. This site with its cool converted school buses and helicopters, outdoor pool, car wash, artificial beach area, and a great number of amenities such as dump station, showers and washing machine seemed like the perfect place to camp out at. But unfortunately, it all came at a cost! We’re talking nearly $30 a night and a huge sacrifice of one’s sleep. Man do you need earplugs to stay at this campsite. Loud music is played practically 24/7. A DJ comes in to play his dance tunes but unfortunately, usually to an empty dance floor. Did anyone tell the owners that perhaps it’s because the music is too loud? Who knows. Management certainly doesn’t back down on their prices- but we had to bite the bullet because Richie caught the flu (probably covid), and we were trapped for a week.
Our third campsite in Antigua, the one we now call home, is Verde Eventos. What an oasis! Set amongst manicured gardens, with elegant fountains and ballrooms (this place is also used for weddings and special events) and located right across the road from that enormous market we were talking about- you just can’t go wrong. It costs a third of the price of Vagomundo and as soon as we physically could, we moved over.
We reunited with the Simons again and met new travellers: Australian couple; ‘Overlandingwithdogz’. Apart from joining them for a coffee or beer in town and looking around the unrestored ruins of Convento la Recoloeccion (we have somehow forgotten to mention that Antigua was once Guatemala’s capital before the devastating earthquake hit in 1773), we planned a few volcano hikes together.
You cannot come to Antigua without climbing up dormant Acetanango to get close and personal with its neighbour; ‘Fuego’.
Fuego means ‘fire’ and boy does fire spew out of this volcano on a regular basis- We are talking every 15 minutes! So of course we wanted to check in on the action too. This extraordinary hike was our first in Guatemala. The steep ascent up the 3650m high Acetanango was also the hardest one we’ve ever done in our lives. We were accompanied by Phoebe and Oliver Simon, Manuel and Luis, from ASOAVA Tours and their two horses “Serena” and “Muñeca”. The latter were essential in getting us up in one piece. Poor Richie was still suffering from the remnants of his flu, and well, Abigail was more than happy for Zoe’s little legs to be resting upon Muñeca’s saddle, rather than on her back! The mochilas (backpacks) also got to take a ride. Definitely worth every Quetzal we paid for those horses!
We reached base camp in around five hours and were immediately greeted by the roars and vibrating rumbles of Fuego. What a spectacle! Other campers had already taken their seats to watch the live show and time certainly passed by quickly. Oohs, aahs, and applause was given with every explosion, and each puff of grey smoke seemed to perform a different dance.
But this was just act one, because when that night sky set in… woah!… were we in for a treat! Vibrant orange took centre stage. One scene-a display of natural fireworks, the next, an outpouring of oozing orange liquid. It was an extravaganza and all this on our 10th year wedding anniversary!
I (Abigail) managed to finally pull Richie away from his tripod at 9pm in order to try and get some sleep before our descent the next morning. But with 0’C and a little two-year-old who insisted on wriggling out of her sleeping bag every 10 minutes, it was going to be a rough one, not to mention the headache from the altitude.
The next morning, and after a breathtaking sunrise, and not so breathtaking breakfast (cornflakes made with hot powder milk), we made our descent, heading back down to Antigua, ready for our next volcano adventure.
This one was at Pacaya. Pacaya is number two of three active volcanoes in Guatemala and had its last major eruption in May 2021. So going up this one gave us a complete different landscape- a walk through black lava fields.
There was said to be pockets of lava vents to be found which would enable us to grill our meat over. So at four in the morning, with our grill griddle and wire in hand, we set off in the dark, our guides Manolo and Antonio leading us up the hill, Diamanté and Zoe following, and the rest of the group marching behind; looking forward to a pork breakfast at sunrise. The sun rose, as did the steam but unfortunately this time round there was no lava to be seen. I guess breakfast had to take form of toasted marshmallows instead.
The views, however, made up for our little disappointment, and including Pacaya’s own silhouette, we were able to capture all of Antigua’s four volcanoes on camera! What a sight!
Full on sugar we walked back down to camp (which was at Manolo’s brother’s house) and chilled for another day- catching up on sleep, playing cards and dominoes, and finally getting to grill that pork on a huge bonfire.
Our adventures together were not over yet- we decided we’d all head out to the pacific coast- checking out some of that black volcanic sand, but that’s a story for next time!
Thanks for reading, and we’ll ‘meat’ you guys around the world!
