Guatemala

Dipping Our Toes in Latin America

April 20th 2023 – April 24th 2023

Table of Contents

Guatemala would be a first for us. Our first Latin American country, our first backpack only country, our first country where Emily had to speak Spanish the majority of the time, and our first Level 3: Reconsider Travel country (Ooo spooky). Safe to say, we were both excited and nervous.

Flying Spirit

This was the first time we would be flying Spirit internationally. There are plenty of memes about how bad Spirit is, but honestly, it wasn’t so bad. Sure, the seats are rock solid, the space is limited, and the food/water is extra, but our plane was on schedule and we got there with no problems. Now, I have friends who flew Spirit and their flights were delayed to hell, and if that happened, we’d be having a different talk. But no, we boarded our flight and arrived in Fort Lauderdale for a long layover.

9 hours to be precise, so we left the airport and Uber’d into the city. But this isn’t a Fort Lauderdale blog entry, so we’ll save that for later. Eventually we ended up on our Spirit flight into Guatemala City. The flight was easy, only 2 and a half hours, and we landed in La Aurora International Airport at about 1am local time. We got out of the Terminal and ended up in a hot, sticky room with 5 lines to go through Immigration. Every time without fail I end up choosing the slowest line, and this time was no different. Even though we were one of the first 25% of people there, we were the last to leave.

First Impressions

We wouldn’t be staying in Guatemala City, in fact, we’d be about 45 minutes from it. Because of this, we had hired a driver to take us to our hotel. We’d set our pick up time for 12pm, and it was now getting close to 1am. Thanks to our experience with drivers in France, I was getting nervous. But, low and behold, as we walked out the airport and hit with the muggy air and sounds of people chatting, right in front of the barricade was a short man holding a sign with ‘DANIEL ROBERTS…’ in green sharpie. I pointed at him and we walked to his white van, which he then proceeded to bang on the door until it opened.

As we drove through Guatemala City, we traveled through areas I can only describe as Call of Duty maps. Abandoned buildings and barbed wire dotted the dark, urban landscape. I pondered to myself, ‘Where have I brought my wife’. I was being dramatic obviously, but the US State Travel advisory of ‘Reconsider Travel’ and the stories online of drivers selling out passengers for extortion plagued my mind.

This beginning drive was a great learning experience. Even though I had come in with these judgements based on online forums, the driver was a lovely man who got us to our hotel with no problem at all, in fact, everyone we met in Guatemala were so friendly and helpful.

We sat in silence, half awake as we drove out of Guatemala City, through winding, mountain roads, until eventually arriving at our old, cobbled city. Like zombies, we badly communicated to our host to try check in to our rooms, and knocked out as soon as our heads hit the pillow in our room.

Home for a couple days

The Posada El Antano would be our quaint home for the next couple days and it was nothing short of amazing.

A UNESCO World Heritage… City?

Antigua awaited us. The third capital of Guatemala during the old Spanish colonial days. So old that the entire city is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Like any first day in a new city, we set out to explore our surroundings and a quick 2 minute walk from our hotel was La Merced Square. Located here was its namesake, Iglesia de la Merced, but for 2 tired voyagers that didn’t matter. What did matter for the small coffee shop located right outside, La Pareda.

Guatemala is quite famous for its coffee, and is actually up there considered as one of of the best in the world. The National Coffee Association talks about Guatemala and lists the reasoning behind it’s unique coffee flavors:

While perhaps not as well-known as some of its Central and South American neighbors, Guatemala’s coffee has a distinctive taste quality favored by many for its rich flavor. There are three main growing regions — Antigua, Coban and Huehuetanango — each with a breathtakingly rugged landscape and rich volcanic soil. Microclimates strongly influence the quality and flavor of the “strictly hard beans” (grown at altitudes 4500 feet/1370 meters or higher). This medium-to-full bodied coffee has a depth and complexity of taste that is almost spicy or chocolatey.
The National Coffee Association – ‘Coffee’s around the World’

Emily was really excited and, even though I am not a coffee drinker, her enthusiasm had me excited too. I let Emily order for me, she brought back 2 cappuccinos. This would be maybe my 5th coffee ever. It woke me up, it tasted good, and it was relatively cheap. Could I drink it everyday? No, but for today it was very enjoyable. I won’t bother to give a flavor profile as I don’t think someone who has had 5 coffees can better depict these flavors compared the the National Coffee Association.

La Merced Square: The site of our coffee

Cobbled Streets and Squares

Since Antigua is an old, colonial city, the streets are designed to be simple and easy to navigate. Everything was laid out in a square, which made exploring a lot easier. We walked up and down the cobbled streets, occasionally stopping in to a store. People on motorbikes whizzed by. Ladies sat cooking up homemade tortillas on corners. Cars hobbled over the cobbles.

At the center of Antigua is Parque Central, the main square and hub for everything. It was bustling with people. Vendors lined the columns leading up to the fountain, kids played soccer in the grass, cars inched forward in traffic jams around the perimeter, and tour guides led pasty white people all over.

Our eyes were immediately drawn to the head of the square, where a massive church stood, the Cathedral of Santiago. Something we learned throughout our trip was the significance of earthquakes on Antigua. This particular church was originally began building in 1545 but it’s progress was hampered by frequent earthquakes, including big ones in 1717, 1874, and 1918 which essentially destroyed it and forced them to start over. Still, here it stands today, hopefully with some modern earthquake proof architecture this time.

One of the buildings that caught my eye was the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, or simply, the Captain General Palace. Built in 1558, this building was where the Spanish empire governed over Guatemala. Today it serves an even greater role, as the headquarters of the Guatemala Institute of Tourism.

Palacio de los Capitanes Generales (Captain General Palace)

The Real Reason we Travel (Hint: It’s Food)

“Give me something the locals eat”. La Cuevita de los Urquizu is renowned for its old style Mayan dishes. Right off the street, hearty soups fill clay pots tempting customers inside with an array of sensual scents coming from a variety of dishes. The man behind the pots loaded our plates up well and escorted us up a small, winding staircase to the rooftop.

We ended up getting Subanik with sides of Tamales, Ichintal, and some beautiful homemade Tortillas. This was Guatemalan cuisine at its finest.

Subanik is a Mayan dish nicknamed “God’s Meal”, and consists of chicken, beef, and pork in a thick chili stew. I had read that Guatemalan cuisine consisted of a lot of stews, but couldn’t have imaged how flavorful they would be. All 3 meats were so incredibly tender and flavorful, yet somehow, the star of the show was the broth. Wow. So much flavor packed in to it. With every bite you discovered something different.

On the side were some Tamales wrapped in banana leaves. I couldn’t tell you what these are or what they tasted of, but Emily was a big fan. We also had a very traditional Guatemalan side, Ichintal with red sauce. Ichintal, also called the Vegetable Pear, is native to Guatemala and only grows during certain periods, making it a delicacy to the locals. It was very tasty. Soft enough to bite into, but not so soft that it become mush. The red sauce added flavor and a little kick.

On top of it, our first taste of Guatemalan beer, and we had to start with the national hero: Gallo. It’s just your typical run of the mill Cerveza (don’t tell Guatemalan’s that).

Subanik with Tamalas, Ichintal, and homemade tortillas

We were the only ones on the roof, making the experience so special and personal. In the distance, peaking through the clouds loomed Acatenango, one of the many volcanos in Guatemala. Motorcycles whizzed in the background and birds chirped as we chowed down on our soup. It was a great introduction to Guatemala and their food.

“You must try Gallo” was passionately said by so many . They are proud of their cervezas.

More Old Things

Antigua is filled with old churches, making it hard to not come across one while you’re out. While walking our food off, one in particular, Iglesia y Convento de las Capuchinas (Convent of the Capuchins), had its big old wooden doors open. What does Capuchins mean? I had no idea, the first thing that came to mind was the Capuchin Monkey.

The Order of the Capuchinas Nuns was founded in Italy under the concept of sanctification through work and poverty, between a life of penance and recollection. When he arrived in Guatemala, he began to spread this religious spirit, showing a special joy in his daily life.
Antiguena, Spanish Academy.

Ah, so nuns. Makes more sense than monkeys.

Built in 1736, it suffered the same fate as most things in Antigua in the 1700’s, earthquakes. How did anything in this city survive?

A short walk later lead us to a place where we always happen to end up: the local brewery. Antigua Brewing Company is one of a few breweries located in Antigua, and definitely the one aimed at tourists.

Earlier in the day, we were told that craft beer hasn’t really kicked off yet in Guatemala. It makes sense though. A country with a 55% poverty rate doesn’t really have a pressing need for craft breweries. However, walking in to the brewery, the vibes were there. A huge Guatemalan flag slung over multiple tanks, graffitied walls, and a clay pond scattered with flowers. They definitely understood what a brewery should look like.

As we walked up the iron spiral staircase, we were met with a view of the surrounding area. Moments like these are ones you look back at for the rest of your life. Sitting on a rooftop overlooking the cobbled streets, old buildings, and surrounding mountains in Guatemala with the love of your life, drinking local beer, does it get much better?

The actual beer left a little more to be desired. Not bad, but also not great. From the flight we shared, the Spicy Manguera was my favorite, which was simply a local chili added to their flagship lager. Little things like that are what sets apart brewery experiences from others.

Maybe craft beer in Guatemala hasn’t kicked off yet and there is a way to go, but for a start, it’s pretty damn solid. As always, here are my Untappd ratings out of 5.

Spicy Manguera- Spiced Beer: 3.75
Shute – Pale Ale: 3.75
Fuego – IPA: 3.0
Pilsner: 2.75
Red Ale: 2.75
Coffee Cream Ale: 3.25

National Dish Time

For dinner, we decided to take a walk around and find somewhere that tickled us. Arrin Cuan was the first place that stood out. It’s bright yellow walls, beautiful garden and Mayan trinkets peppering the walls gave a perfect backdrop to our meal.

In my quest to try every Guatemalan beer, I ordered a Cabro Extra. It was okay. Like a Bud Light with extra steps.

However, we hadn’t come here for beer. We had come here for the main event, the reason we travel. We had come here for the National Dish of Guatemala: Pepián. Like the dishes we had eaten thus far, it came in a clay pot. A thick, brown stew with carrots, plantains, potatoes, and chicken floating around. On the side, simply rice and a tamale.

While pepián is made primarily of tomatoes, chiles, onions and spices the secret to pepián is the nutty flavour of the pan-roasted sesame and pumpkin seeds in the sauce.
A Taste for Travel (https://www.atastefortravel.ca/13389-guatemalan-chicken-pepian-de-pollo/)

And it was delicious! As with the Subanik, there was an immense amount of flavor in each spoonful of broth. It had a deep, rich flavor with strong, savory spices. The chicken was tender, juicy and fell off the bone.

Chaotic ATV’s Through the City

We woke up early morning and had a Guatemalan twist on a hotel breakfast. Eggs, fried plantain, red sauce, beans, and some type of cheese. It was good, but I’m not sure I’m sold on plantains for breakfast yet like Emily is. “Carmalized, gooey, and full of flavor” as she put it.

Today would be exciting. We arranged an ATV tour of the city and a local coffee plantation. Emily was extra excited as this would be the first time driving her own ATV, unlike last time in Dubai when she shared with me.

Our guide was a younger guy called Jeremy. A former defender for the local youth soccer team, Antigua GFC (I still question he really was a defender considering his height). Jeremy was fluent in English from his private school education and very excited to show us around. Our group was small, only us and 3 other people. We began by driving around the nearby streets. The ATVs bumped up and down over the cobbled streets as we drove past the small colorful buildings of Antigua.

We broke away from the outskirts of the city and began driving up a long, windy hill. Keep in mind we were on a real road at this point. Cars were speeding down the hill, whizzing past, barely missing us. It struck me at this point how funny this was and I couldn’t help but laugh. They really would not allow this in America, the lawsuits would be insane.

Our first stop was Cerra de la Cruz. The views from up here were incredibly beautiful. A cross sits at the top looking over a panoramic view of the entire city with Volcano Agua looming in the distance.

Cerro de la Cruz (The hill of the cross)

Jeremy wanted to show us a view of another volcano: Acatenango. This was the active volcano we had earlier seen from the city. From here, if you positioned yourself in a specific way, you could see Acatenango with smoke rising above its peak. This was such a surreal moment. Our first time seeing an active volcano in action. Jeremy pointed at it with excitement and showed us photos of him standing very close to it as it spewed lava. An Irish couple in our group, Cathal and Caoimhe, would be hiking up to it next week. We began chatting to them and found out they were also travelers, recently coming from Colombia and Panama.

Jeremy bringing my ATV back from the dead

It was now time to go to the coffee plantation. We went back down the hill, dodging cars and lawsuits, and through the town of Jocotenango. At one point we were lined up at the intersection of a main road, sitting next to cars also trying to turn, waiting for the split second we could pull out. I was worried about how Emily would react to being on a main road her first time driving an ATV, but those fears were immediately put away as she turned around with the biggest grin on her face. She loves life threatening moments. Never forget the Ice Ramp of Death in Iceland.

It really was quite silly. Jeremy sat at the front of the column, leading the brigade as he gave hand signals where we would turn. At any point in time, we could be severed from the brigade as we were literally in main road traffic. Ladies drove past on bikes with newborn babies balancing on the front as they fought to make their way into the queue. The orchestra of horns blasted as the soundtrack to this madness. Was it the best time of our lives? You’re damn right it was.

We finally rolled down a dirt road and made it alive to our destination: Finca La Azotea. We were first showed a chocolate factory on the premises that made chocolate from cacao harvested in the area. A guide told us about the process and let us try different cacao percentages. “70% is the best” He was right, it was so tasty we bought some to take home.

Walking around the the plantation gave some great insight into how proud Guatemalans are of their coffee.

“We never use machines, everything is hand picked. Machines mean less people have jobs.” I asked Jeremy what salaries are for this type of work. “About $1 USD for 10 pounds of coffee picked. Entire families go out and pick, even little children. They paint their nails so they know what color plant to pick”. It sounded grim to us, but this is the reality of some parts of the world. Jeremy told us it was a good thing, and without coffee they would be starving.

It was a great little tour. We were given coffee samples at the end.

At the end of the tour, Jeremy sat down with us and had a beer. We all shared stories over our homelands. One lady was here doing Operation Smile work at a local hospital. Jeremy told us of his aspirations to come to America for work.

I had a Chelita Linda from Cerveceria 14. It was poured from an old, motorized 3 wheeled bike that had a couple of taps in the back.

The Smaller the Restaurant, the Better the Food

As we were finishing the tour, Cathal and Caoimhe pulled us and asked if we wanted to get lunch. We agreed and ended up walking the streets for food. Now there must be a rule written down somewhere that if you’re in a Latin American country and see a lady on a grill making her own tortillas, you go in. This is how we ended up at Refacciones y Pupusas Odilia, a tiny, hot, yellow room with enough space to fit maybe 6 people. I struggled my way into a seat against the wall and took a look around. This was the type of food I loved. Real, local cuisine.

Cathal spoke a little Spanish and was our translator to order food. We all ordered the same thing, chicken in a sauce, rice, and vegetables for a whopping $2. Honestly this is the dish that has ruined food for me. I can now never be happy after ordering food in America because of how good this was for the low price. “Yes this $20 steak is delicious but remember how good that $2 chicken dish was in Guatemala?” That’s usually how it goes. But for real, it was a good, solid meal. The chicken was beyond tender and in a typical, tasty Guatemalan sauce. The homemade tortillas were just the cherry on top.

VIVA ANTIGUA

As evening drew close it could only mean one thing: football. The local team, Antigua GFC were playing Club Xelaju in a 2nd vs 1st battle. I plopped on my Antigua jersey that I had masterfully negotiated for earlier and headed out for the stadium. On our way we stopped by a little restaurant, Restaurante Veracruzana, for a quick beer and snack. Nothing like a beer and kebabs before a footy game.

We followed a crowd of people wearing Antigua shirts up a hill to the stadium and ticket counter. A lady sat behind the counter as we tried to communicate to her that we needed tickets. Here is where we learned that you could only pay in cash, except we had no Guatemalan cash left. In a panic, I tried to bribe her with US money. “$20 for the tickets and $20 for you?” She paused for a minute and looked around, “…..no, sorry”. I was sad as we dejectedly walked away. We were so close, yet so far.

As if the football gods took pity on me, they gave us a sign: 3 pasty Canadians walked by. I ran up to them, startled them, and gave them the same offer. I give you $20 and you give me $20 in Quetzals, plus you keep any extra. They accepted the offer. I walked back up to the ticket counter with the biggest smile on my face and bought tickets. The lady laughed.

‘Do not compare them. Enjoy them.’ Antigua players aren’t like a 38 year old Cristiano Ronaldo

We walked up a staircase and through a tiny hole in the side of the stadium which acted as the entrance. Vendors lined the side of the pitch selling everything from scarves to Argentinian meat. As the game began, one side of the stadium immediately lit up flares which covered an entire section. I tried to walk over to the side but was blocked by a fence and a man watching over. I pointed to the other side, “Can I join the fans?” he simply replied “No, it is different there”. Okay then, noted.

The atmosphere was good. Constant drums and songs belted out from the flare side. Yeah, the flare side. The flares did not stop for longer than 5 minutes at a time. Those people were breathing in straight smoke. A single old man periodically chanted over the crowd, “VIVA ANTIGUA”, and would rile everyone up.

At some point we noticed kids coming up and taking photos with the guy sitting next to us. A little quick research let us know it was Oscar Santis, who played for Antigua and the Guatemalan national team but was injured. At 24 years old, he already had 7 goals for Guatemala, a bit of a baller.

It got quite funny. The kids quickly turned into savages in an attempt to impress him, screaming obscenities at the opposing team. Emily laughed and translated everything for me. They were relentless.

Antigua ended up losing 3-1.

One last taste of Guatemalan Street Food

Our final day arrived. Before our flight we had a couple hours to take one last walk around Antigua. We ended up at the La Merced street food market armed with our last 5 Quetzals. Looking through our options, we chose 2 ladies who were making a salad looking dish. We negotiated our way down to 5Q ($0.64). The younger lady asked the older lady if it was okay. She simply nodded and loaded our plate up.

We got a Tostada with pickled cabbage, beets, egg, onion, peppers, lettuce, cheese, a tortilla shell and covered with picante hot sauce. It was fresh, spicy, and just what we needed.

Guatemala had been such a pleasant surprise. We came with just our carry on suitcases, little planning, and no idea what to expect. Yet what we experienced was friendly, helpful people, amazing food, beautiful architecture, and some great memories.