Coffee and Lava in Antigua, Guatemala

cerradelacruz.jpg

http://matadornetwork.com/community/jennywilliams/coffee-and-lava-in-antigua-guatemala/attachment/26/

pacaya.jpg

http://matadornetwork.com/community/jennywilliams/coffee-and-lava-in-antigua-guatemala/attachment/27/

lava.jpg

http://matadornetwork.com/community/jennywilliams/coffee-and-lava-in-antigua-guatemala/attachment/28/

coffeebags.jpg

http://matadornetwork.com/community/jennywilliams/coffee-and-lava-in-antigua-guatemala/attachment/29/

house_0.jpg

http://matadornetwork.com/community/jennywilliams/coffee-and-lava-in-antigua-guatemala/attachment/30/

Cross.jpg

http://matadornetwork.com/community/jennywilliams/coffee-and-lava-in-antigua-guatemala/attachment/31/

La Antigua is typically the first stop for travelers arriving by air to Guatemala, and we were no exception. It was hard not to be charmed by Antigua’s cobblestone streets, its colorful storefronts; if we decide to spend a month learning Spanish, this would be the place for it. The tough part would be choosing a school—I’d be inclined to go with La Academia de Espanol Probigua, which is a non-profit that builds libraries in rural areas in addition to offering Spanish language courses. I think it comes down to your individual instructor, as most classes are one-on-one.

The traffic in Antigua can get annoying, as can the crowds (especially on weekends, when well-to-dos come from Guatemala City and even as far away as the States for long weekend holidays). But when the clouds clear to reveal the green slopes of the volcano looming over town, it’s all good.

Antigua was also a great base from which to explore the surroundings. We spent one morning on an organic coffee plantation just outside of town, getting the run-down on coffee from seed to cup. It was an absolutely enlightening experience—I had no idea, for example, that coffee plants come in two colors (red and yellow), but they taste the same; or that a raw coffee bean has a slimy-sweet outer layer (tasty, but not as good as the roasted end-product!).

We also did a day trip to Pacaya Volcano, an active volcano near Guatemala City. It took us an hour and a half to hike to the “top” (not the top caldera of the volcano, but the highest walkable point). The views were unbelievable—to another volcano across the valley, and of the three calderas of Pacaya. Our guide was a trip—spoke no English, but managed to make up for it in hand signals and smiles.

The best part was getting to walk across the lava itself—literally, we could see the glowing orange of running lava in the cracks beneath our feet. The rubber soles of Randy’s shoes got ruined when he stood too long in one place. Our group (10-ish people) scrambled hundreds of meters across this rocky lava field, stopping occasionally to gawk at a slow-moving river of lava that hadn’t yet hardened on top. We roasted marshmallows in the heat and generally hung around until the sky darkened and we had to hike back to base camp. Watching the river of lava move along inch by inch was one of the most awesome experiences of my life.

Next on the list is Lake Atitlan… Photos and stories coming soon.