I took one of the famous so called "chicken buses", old US school buses, that were very colorfully painted and decorated and by far the cheapest way to get around Central America. But the low price has a reason: Those buses get filled up until there is literally no space left at all and you have to share your seat with at least three other people and the drivers go nuts on the narrow and bendy roads. Most of the luggage gets thrown on top of the roof where it sits during the hell ride without being tied down or secured at all. It definitely isn't something for the faint hearted or for someone who doesn't like to come close to other people (you are cuddling with strangers all the time) or expects some comfort but it is authentic, a real experience and quite amusing once you get over the being sat on.
The first bus I took wasn't even very full and the one hour ride to La Antigua Guatemala cost me just over 1$. I got off somewhere where I thought that it was Antigua (I was lucky that it actually was Antigua because there were no signs, it just felt right to get off) and started walking in the direction of the "Parque Central". I checked in at the "El gato negro" hostel close to the town center where I shared a dorm with a Norwegian and an American. I had been walking around with my backpacks for quite a bit and that makes really hungry so I went to the market to get some fresh fruit. I scored 5 medium sized Mangoes for about 60 cents and feasted over them back at the hostel. The belly full with delicious and healthy fruits it was time for a siesta before I took off for a walk through town. Antigua was the old Spanish capital of Guatemala and it's beautiful houses and churches line the narrow streets and are overlooked by two majestic volcanoes in the south. The town is laid out in a logical grid system (like every planned city) with straight roads but it wasn't logical to me and every corner looked exactly the same to me and the fact that I couldn't find any street names made it very hard for me to to find my way around without loosing my orientation.
The Norwegian guy, Torbjorn and Nic, a girl from New Zealand joined me for dinner at a place that sold yummy mediteranian style like food. It felt good to be together with other travelers again, to share stories and give advice to one another. On our way back we stopped at a local bar for a Mojito from a nice English bar tender and heard a story from a guy who had been robbed that day, trying to climb one of the volcanoes on his own.
I had decided to leave the next day because, even though Anligua was pretty, I was looking for something different. A family from Panajachel on the shores of lake Atitlan had replied to my open couch request and invited me to stay with them for a couple of nights. The mother was from Germany and looking for someone who would speak German with her kids. I had been wanting to speak some German for quite a while (I felt that it was slipping my mind a little) so I accepted the invite gladly.
After a huge breakfast with Nic and Torblorn the latter joined me for the bus ride to the lake. We had to take a combination of different chicken buses and I was glad to have someone with me after all the stories and articles about robberies and kidnapping on public buses that people had sent me... We had to transfer three times and this time the buses were packed with locals but we made it in about three hours. Unfortunately I didn't look after my bag well enough and had my camera stolen out of the pocket. I only noticed it too late and I was really bummed about it. The camera had still been quite new and I had fallen in love with it, especially with the underwater mode. That explains the lack of pictures in this and the coming blog entries but I'll try to get some of other travelers and the internet.
The first bus I took wasn't even very full and the one hour ride to La Antigua Guatemala cost me just over 1$. I got off somewhere where I thought that it was Antigua (I was lucky that it actually was Antigua because there were no signs, it just felt right to get off) and started walking in the direction of the "Parque Central". I checked in at the "El gato negro" hostel close to the town center where I shared a dorm with a Norwegian and an American. I had been walking around with my backpacks for quite a bit and that makes really hungry so I went to the market to get some fresh fruit. I scored 5 medium sized Mangoes for about 60 cents and feasted over them back at the hostel. The belly full with delicious and healthy fruits it was time for a siesta before I took off for a walk through town. Antigua was the old Spanish capital of Guatemala and it's beautiful houses and churches line the narrow streets and are overlooked by two majestic volcanoes in the south. The town is laid out in a logical grid system (like every planned city) with straight roads but it wasn't logical to me and every corner looked exactly the same to me and the fact that I couldn't find any street names made it very hard for me to to find my way around without loosing my orientation.
The Norwegian guy, Torbjorn and Nic, a girl from New Zealand joined me for dinner at a place that sold yummy mediteranian style like food. It felt good to be together with other travelers again, to share stories and give advice to one another. On our way back we stopped at a local bar for a Mojito from a nice English bar tender and heard a story from a guy who had been robbed that day, trying to climb one of the volcanoes on his own.
I had decided to leave the next day because, even though Anligua was pretty, I was looking for something different. A family from Panajachel on the shores of lake Atitlan had replied to my open couch request and invited me to stay with them for a couple of nights. The mother was from Germany and looking for someone who would speak German with her kids. I had been wanting to speak some German for quite a while (I felt that it was slipping my mind a little) so I accepted the invite gladly.
After a huge breakfast with Nic and Torblorn the latter joined me for the bus ride to the lake. We had to take a combination of different chicken buses and I was glad to have someone with me after all the stories and articles about robberies and kidnapping on public buses that people had sent me... We had to transfer three times and this time the buses were packed with locals but we made it in about three hours. Unfortunately I didn't look after my bag well enough and had my camera stolen out of the pocket. I only noticed it too late and I was really bummed about it. The camera had still been quite new and I had fallen in love with it, especially with the underwater mode. That explains the lack of pictures in this and the coming blog entries but I'll try to get some of other travelers and the internet.
Hey Tim, it was so great to read your blog entry this morning. To be honest with you I was lying in bed worrying about where you were and if you were ok. It was a relief to read that you are ok and having an interesting time. Sorry to hear about your camera. I guess you have to be just that little bit more careful over there. Love.
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