I forgot to mention, but when we were in Monterrico I got severely sunburned. I don't really know how it happened - as I was wearing 50spf and was barely out in the sun for any length of time - I was usually lounging in the shade in the hammocks or by the bar. But, it happened. And it hurt! I don't remember the last time I was burned so badly. It was all on my shoulders and back, so sitting back against a chair or sleeping on my back was out of the question. I was concerned I wouldn't be able to enjoy the massages we had scheduled for Sunday in Antiqua, but I healed up well enough for that - thanks in part to Henry giving us aloe stalks. It was cool actually learning how to use the plant. Fresh from the source = divine on your burns. Johanna got scorched worse than I did, and even Arlette got a bit of a burn.
Anyway, we had Ross with us, all crammed into Don Roberto's little car. I figured we'd be in the car driving for the few hours to Antigua, so I wore jeans, sneakers, and a t-shirt. Oh, dear readers, how silly that was of me. Because we ended up taking a "ferry" for a 20 min ride to the road we apparently needed to be on.
The drive was several hours, and beautiful.
There were so many lovely, quaint little restaurants and cafes we wanted to try - but we were only there for three days, definitely not enough time to sample everyplace! There was so much we wanted to do: shopping, eating, massages, chocolate museum, hike the volcano, buy boots - it's amazing we got in as much as we did! I honestly had the best time in Antigua - maybe because it was so like my beloved NYC, though calmer and more exotic and beautiful - that I would go back in a heartbeat. I can't wait to visit again, but I also feel there are so very many places I want to visit around the world, I can't re-visit the same place right away.
On our way to the Chicken Buses we stopped for lunch at Michos - a lovely little cafe. Guatemala has the best lemonade I have ever tasted - seriously, I wish I knew how they made it! So delightfully crisp and refreshing. I got soup, and everyone enjoyed their food. It was a place I wanted to eat at again, but our short stay didn't allow re-visiting restaurants. Then we went boot shopping, and shopped at one of the open air markets on our way back to the hotel to do a little pre-gaming before we went out to a nightclub.
Sunday we met up with a guy who works for IJM and went to a church where the service is in English and Spanish - it was a terrific experience and I'm so glad Arlette made us go :) After church, we spent the majority of the day shopping and haggling at The Artisans' Market. It was fantastic. I was pretty exhausted after a few hours, and actually didn't spend as much money as I thought. I so wish I could've gotten some more things - but luggage issues prevented me from getting one of their lovely quilts or beautifully embroidered pillow cases.
On our way to lunch, we cut across the park and there were a box of puppies for sale. A. Box. Of. PUPPIES!!! I about died from their cuteness factor. I, of course, picked one up and snuggled him. If I had lived in Antigua and didn't have to fly back to the States, I totally would've bought him, spur of the moment. Johanna has a great picture of me and the puppy - I may do a post with some of the beautiful pictures she took.
We had lunch at a great juice bar called Pitaya - amazing wraps and delicious smoothies. Then we hung out in Central Park, Johanna and Arlette got their new boots shined, then I think we went back and hung out at the hotel for a few hours before dinner. There was also a place we had passed on the way back from the market that was an animal shop - they had live animals and all sorts of pet and farming supplies. It was really sad to see the condition of the animals - but they were still super cute. And the kittens were in an actual pile! Reminded me of my brother Paul's version of kitty day-care - and at the end of the day, you'd pick your kitty out of the giant kitty nap pile.
We then walked to the massage place - Johanna and Arlette were freaking out thinking we were in a really bad/scary part of town and felt super unsafe for some reason, though I totally knew where we were going, and we got there without any mishap. Thankfully my sunburn wasn't as bad and I was able to enjoy my massage. However, all the lotion and rubbing did start my peeling phase of the burn - and oh my Odin, I peeled for a week after I returned home! It was ridiculous. And kinda weird. And not gunna lie, a little bit cool. Just sayin'.
The massage woman was super nice and drove us back to the center of town, since it was raining. Arlette went back to the hotel, and Johanna and I went to the Choco Museum for a tour and a chocolate making session. It was fun, though we both wish we'd done it earlier in the day, so we wouldn't've been rushed. And, go figure, we accidentally left our bags of chocolate in the hotel fridge - oops! But it was a fun experience.