The bus to Antigua is 2nd class and is very crowded with colorful natives and with a few young North Americans. It makes many stops along the way to pick up and drop riders. There is one bus change to go to Antigua, but the entire trip doesn’t take much longer that the 1st class bus yesterday. We see heavy cultivation; intensive farming in small plots, corn, watermelons, cabbage, and potatoes; many fields almost vertical. Near Antigua we see citrus groves and coffee trees.
In Antigua we take a taxi to the Hotel Aurora, a charming old place with rooms around a pretty central patio with flowers and fountain. Dinner is ample and delicious; it appears to be a good place for retirees and “snow birds” escaping winter. The people are very friendly and bring wood and light a fire in our room.
Antigua was once the capitol of Guatemala but had so many earthquakes that the capitol was moved to Guatemala City. We walk around town and see some of the ruins and then buy a few things at the market. A little girl guides us as we look at La Merced Church. A taxi takes us back to the hotel for a good veal cutlet lunch, then we visit the interesting University Museum, and late in the afternoon return to the hotel for beer and a rest. Supper is a delicious tender rare roast beef, and we have coffee with an elderly woman from Montreal and talk to a couple from Victoria.
After a good breakfast with a Denmark couple we have time to see the ruins of the Convent of Santa Clara. When we return to the hotel the waiter has a taxi driver friend who agrees to drive us to the airport at Guatemala City.
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