Mad Doggy Dog
Well-Known Member
I've done the unthinkable....
Something I swore I would never do....
Pay for a hotel room when on a company layover.
Why?
Two words....
Antigua Guatemala!
[Thanks to our own Sky Cougar for suggesting this city. You were spot on, babe! ;-)
!Yo gusto Guatemala! What a terrific country! So beautiful. So rich in culture. So cheap!
Yes, I flew another trip to GUA! I'll bid as many of these as I can get. Our layover hotel is in Guatemala City and is a very nice luxurios property in a very fun area....
....But then there is the village of Antigua.
Antigua is a 45 minute car ride [or chicken bus ride if you are brave] away from GUA. Antigua used to be the capital of Guatemala until it was destroyed by an earthquake 200 years ago. But the ruins have been preserved.....ala Rome or Athens.
Antigua is like Santa Fe, NM from 30 years ago. Low priced, friendly, artsy, not too crowded, and full of great places to see/eat/drink/stay.......and with lots of activities nearby. The climate is great too since the city is at 5000'. And the scenery, with 3 massive volcanos standing over the city, is beyond words.
Well, I had a 48hr layover in GUA. So I decided to go mountain biking on my day off. Antigua has lots of outfitters so I headed up there in order to get an early start the next day.
Arrived in GUA on day one, took cab to Antigua, did a guided walking tour that afternoon, and wen't cantina hopping that night. Met some really cool people, including some Aussies. [Aussies are always fun to party with!] The tour company, Old Town Outfitters , hooked me up with this hotel called Palacio Chico, right in the middle of town, near the Plaza Mayor. And it was only $43 a night. The place was rustic-trendy....and clean.....no telephones or clocks. A nice courtyard too for mellowing out.
Day 2.
Had a hearty breakfast of local fare, then set out on a mountain bike ride along the flanks of Volcan Agua. I was with some other guy from Switzerland. Antigua attracts touristos from all over the world. A pleasant surprise was our mountain bike guide, a very pretty young local woman named Luisa. Wow! She was in awesome shape too and I spent all morning trying to keep pace. We rode on the side of the mountain through forests, small villages, open fields of flowers, and plantations.
Returned to Antigua and I went to a cool cafe called Sabor Rico. The food was great but the portions were huge. Fortunately, the place had hammocks next to the table so one could siesta after stuffing their belly.
Met up with another group of riders that afternoon and did a more mellow tour of some nearby pueblos. We connected these villages via sweet single track going through fields and forests. The ride concluded with a screaming killer 1500 vertical foot downhill through the forest, then back to town.
Yeah!
Was going to go back to GUA that night and meet the captain for beers. But I can drink beer with khaki pants golf shirt wearing pilots anytime. So I decided to spend one more night in Antigua. Went back to my favorite cantina, Pena del Sol Latino, and partied with the Aussies again, as well as the expat owner and musician, Bill.
On day three, had another monster breakfast. Had cab take me to local artist market and bought lots of cool things. And lots of coffee.
I'll be back for at least a week on my own time soon. There are many more hikes, bike rides, river trips, restaurants to explore. Wife wants a cool vacation. There are also lots of Spanish schools in town. Might do a second visit there in order to gain fluency.
And I'll bring my guitar for Monday open mic night at Pena del Sol.
I have a 48hr Quito, Ecudaor layover next week! Can't wait to tear that city apart, never been there yet. Anyone have gouge on adventuring in Quito?
[Doug, this is why I haven't bid NYC yet!]
Here are the pics:
Pic 1-5, Volcano Agua ride with Luisa
Pic 6, el restarante Sabor Rico
Pic 7-8, downhill section of Villages ride
Pic 9, Cantina La Pena del Sol Latino w/ Aussies, and giant bottle of Gallo cerveza
Pic 10, my hotel room entrance
Something I swore I would never do....
Pay for a hotel room when on a company layover.
Why?
Two words....
Antigua Guatemala!
[Thanks to our own Sky Cougar for suggesting this city. You were spot on, babe! ;-)
!Yo gusto Guatemala! What a terrific country! So beautiful. So rich in culture. So cheap!
Yes, I flew another trip to GUA! I'll bid as many of these as I can get. Our layover hotel is in Guatemala City and is a very nice luxurios property in a very fun area....
....But then there is the village of Antigua.
Antigua is a 45 minute car ride [or chicken bus ride if you are brave] away from GUA. Antigua used to be the capital of Guatemala until it was destroyed by an earthquake 200 years ago. But the ruins have been preserved.....ala Rome or Athens.
Antigua is like Santa Fe, NM from 30 years ago. Low priced, friendly, artsy, not too crowded, and full of great places to see/eat/drink/stay.......and with lots of activities nearby. The climate is great too since the city is at 5000'. And the scenery, with 3 massive volcanos standing over the city, is beyond words.
Well, I had a 48hr layover in GUA. So I decided to go mountain biking on my day off. Antigua has lots of outfitters so I headed up there in order to get an early start the next day.
Arrived in GUA on day one, took cab to Antigua, did a guided walking tour that afternoon, and wen't cantina hopping that night. Met some really cool people, including some Aussies. [Aussies are always fun to party with!] The tour company, Old Town Outfitters , hooked me up with this hotel called Palacio Chico, right in the middle of town, near the Plaza Mayor. And it was only $43 a night. The place was rustic-trendy....and clean.....no telephones or clocks. A nice courtyard too for mellowing out.
Day 2.
Had a hearty breakfast of local fare, then set out on a mountain bike ride along the flanks of Volcan Agua. I was with some other guy from Switzerland. Antigua attracts touristos from all over the world. A pleasant surprise was our mountain bike guide, a very pretty young local woman named Luisa. Wow! She was in awesome shape too and I spent all morning trying to keep pace. We rode on the side of the mountain through forests, small villages, open fields of flowers, and plantations.
Returned to Antigua and I went to a cool cafe called Sabor Rico. The food was great but the portions were huge. Fortunately, the place had hammocks next to the table so one could siesta after stuffing their belly.
Met up with another group of riders that afternoon and did a more mellow tour of some nearby pueblos. We connected these villages via sweet single track going through fields and forests. The ride concluded with a screaming killer 1500 vertical foot downhill through the forest, then back to town.
Yeah!
Was going to go back to GUA that night and meet the captain for beers. But I can drink beer with khaki pants golf shirt wearing pilots anytime. So I decided to spend one more night in Antigua. Went back to my favorite cantina, Pena del Sol Latino, and partied with the Aussies again, as well as the expat owner and musician, Bill.
On day three, had another monster breakfast. Had cab take me to local artist market and bought lots of cool things. And lots of coffee.
I'll be back for at least a week on my own time soon. There are many more hikes, bike rides, river trips, restaurants to explore. Wife wants a cool vacation. There are also lots of Spanish schools in town. Might do a second visit there in order to gain fluency.
And I'll bring my guitar for Monday open mic night at Pena del Sol.
I have a 48hr Quito, Ecudaor layover next week! Can't wait to tear that city apart, never been there yet. Anyone have gouge on adventuring in Quito?
[Doug, this is why I haven't bid NYC yet!]
Here are the pics:
Pic 1-5, Volcano Agua ride with Luisa
Pic 6, el restarante Sabor Rico
Pic 7-8, downhill section of Villages ride
Pic 9, Cantina La Pena del Sol Latino w/ Aussies, and giant bottle of Gallo cerveza
Pic 10, my hotel room entrance
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