Day Two: Antigua

I headed to Antigua from Guatemala City via collective transfer (a local minibus) instead of a chicken bus. This is my preferred method of local transportation because of its local/affordable rates, opportunity to commute with the locals, and what interests me the most is listening to conversations around me. Prior to my trip, I had heard about several accidents that involved an extremely overfilled bus flying down winding roads in the highlands and a drunk driver at the wheel. When I got into Guatemala City, many locals confirmed this. There was also too much risk of robbery with my pack, and too difficult to maneuver. It was a 40 minute drive at about 9AM, post traffic hour. Once entering into the city, I was greeted by this beautiful main arch of the calle principal.
 

I later learned that the right side of this arch is the cloister for monks who were in the former monastery. When monks enter the cloister, they are not allowed to come into contact with the world outside of the monastery.  However, they still needed food--this archway allowed them to walk across and obtain food without coming into contact with people outsdide of the monastery.


I dropped off my pack at Posada Los Búcaros, and headed out to explore the city's churches, old houses, and do a guided walking tour to learn about the city ruins, colonial history, civic center, etc.

Mid-day, it started pouring rain (typical of the wet season in Central Am.), and my belly was pretty hungry, so I ducked in for Sopa Chapines in a rainy afternoon...mmm! It warmed my soul!