Guatemala, Published in Baltimore Sun, Travel, 10/3/04

When our daughter, a college sophomore, asked to go to Guatemala for a semester’s study and volunteer work we were reasonably concerned. Central America lingers in our North American consciousness as a troublesome area, despite the wonderful advances places such as Belize and Costa Rica have experienced. So, being the dutiful father, I joined her for a week to get the lay of the land. I was wonderfully surprised.
Granted, Guatemala City is dirty and a place of unsettling conditions, once out of the city the landscape takes on a more hospitable personality. Furthermore, Antigua, our destination, is by any standard charming and beautiful.
Located about 45 minutes out of Guatemala City, Antigua is nestled among three active volcanoes. Upon entering the city, our driver announced, “The end of tarmac,” at which time we rolled onto the cobblestone streets that define the charm of the city proper. Laid out on a grid emanating from the Central Park (considered the most beautiful park in Central America), Antigua can be walked, or rather strolled, end-to-end, in twenty minutes. However, with shops and cafes aplenty, the stroll could easily slip into an afternoon’s adventure, and therein lay the mystery of the place. After two days, I said to my wife back home, “this place really gets into your bones.” I am not alone in this assessment.
Antigua is filled with young people. It reminded me of my visit to Prague ten years ago: backpackers and students, adventurers and those looking for a different life have come to explore and have consequently made their own cultural stamp on the place. Many have settled in and found a home. The pace is laid-back, typical for Latin culture, and was wonderfully refreshing to this traveler. The weather was perfect with warm afternoons and cool evenings requiring a fleece before setting out. The economies were equally inviting, with basic accommodations running on average $45 US and upscale meals costing less than $15 US.
I will return to take advantage of one of the many Spanish schools for which Antigua is also famous, in a month. But, in reality, it is an excuse, a ploy to appease my North American appetite for accomplishment. Really, I’m simply looking for another warm afternoon in the park, nursing my cerveza.