Thanksgiving in Guatemala? Yes, I think that's a brilliant idea! So Ilir, Stef and I packed our bags and hot-footed it out of town for a grand adventure in Guatemala. In Antigua, we roasted marshmallows on an active volcano for our Thanksgiving feast, which doesn't sound filling, but afterwards we treated ourselves to the most delicious ice cream before running off to meet up with our new friends at the Whiskey Den...when you are on vacation, who dares to judge? In Tikal, we watched the sunrise from the top of an ancient ruin, surrounded by the rain forest canopy and sounds of howler monkeys in the jungle below. At Lake Atitlan we hired a boat to take us across the lake so we could visit some of the local towns and hunt down gorgeous textiles. And in Guatemala City our gypsy cab dodged chicken busses to get us to the airport in time for our flight back home. It's always an adventure when you travel with Ilir, Stef and I were just along for the ride.
Places visited: Guatemala City, Antigua, Lake Atitlan and Tikal
Antigua was my favorite town in Guatemala. The cobblestone streets, the ex-pat scene, the colonial hotels and restaurants, I could easily spend a few months hiding out in this little town and working on Spanish.
Chicken buses are everywhere in Guatemala, they are actually the main mode of transportation. I love how bad-ass some of them look, like the by product of a one night stand between a semi and a school bus.
Ice Cream was one of our favorite parts of Antigua. Although, we loved that tiny hole in the wall place called Sobremesa, I couldn't help but photograph this cute little cart.
A few from the dock of Lake Atitlan.
In Lake Atitlan we found a women's coop that made the loveliest textiles.
Sunrise from on top of a temple ruin. In the distance you can see a few of the other temples begin to take shape above the cloud line. The sound of the waking howler monkeys made us feel as if we were in Jurassic Park.
A view of one of the Tikal temples in daylight. The advantage of arriving in the park at sunrise is that the area is practically empty for the first few hours of daylight, so it's easy to imagine what it was like hundreds of years ago.