Back to Antigua. My happy place

It’s 10:30am Monday and I am sitting on the rooftop of “The Little Spoon” waiting for my eggs on toast with plantain and a hibiscus drink. Already it is stinking hot but with a gentle breeze.  

I have a view of one of the mountains in the background and in the foreground a very cute house bordered by the usual and ugly corrugated iron roofs. Corrugated iron is used for everything, seldom painted and often rusty. Panajachel was nice last night, the hoardes have gone. I didn’t need to check out till 12 and relied on the dogs to wake me. I didn’t need to. 6:30 I was wide awake after a great sleep. The dogs didn’t make a sound. They must have been spooked by all the people on Saturday. 

I spent the morning in my room with my usual routine and enjoying a phenomenal shower. It might be the last of those I get for a while. 

Panajachel is even nicer today, sleepy, quiet and serene. Most of the stalls are still closed but the Little Spoon is full. People, like me, killing time before a shuttle collection. 

The young tourists hog the space with their backpacks, sit and play cards or use free wifi. Same. The. World. Over. 
My meal especially the plantain was delicious gave me a boost and put a spring in my step. Delicioso. 

They don’t take USD here and quetzales are useless anywhere else. Most places have a minimum amount you can use a card for so my quetzales are just for small spends. I haven’t yet found a restaurant that does not take a card and so far none charge a surcharge (but all add a tip). The Little Spoon charges an 8% surcharge for card use. Well my quetzales will come in handy. My brunch cost $10. 

Back out on the street waiting for the shuttle I watch the street vendors setting up their stalls again. Last night they packed everything up. Some to plastic bags loaded onto a hand trolley which they wheeled to a storage location, others behind a roller door where they were situated during the day. What a job. Every day; unpack, sit in the sun on a stool, hope to sell something and make a profit, pack up. Repeat. Just to survive. 

I had an espresso whilst waiting. First world treats. First world prices $5. 

I’m collected only a few minutes after pickup time. My driver was on a mission. He certainly wasn’t the sedate, cautious driver I’ve had. More like a bit loco. 

It seems like the gradients will never stop; up, down, hairpin bends, not a piece of straight road. There are times when we are up in the clouds. How they have made roads through this terrain is remarkable. And the road quality is pretty good too. Think of NZ’s SH1 on the stretch before Taupo. 
The views are fantastic but hard to capture in the shuttle. Most of the shuttles are Nissans but there are also heaps of Toyota pickups mainly with flash railings with the Toyota logo on the front of the deck. 

And before long I’m back home. It took nearly 4 hours to get to Panajachel and I’m home in less than two. My home for four nights is the cutest place where rooms surround courtyards. My room is on the ground level tucked into a corner. Perfect. 

I’m off exploring. I notice heaps of artisan workshops hidden through nondescript doorways.  Some selling nice local handcrafts others selling mass produced junk. It seems every open doorway was the entrance to an oasis. 

I just wandered for a while until my feet gave up. Walking on cobblestones is not only tiring but hard on the feet and back. I needed refreshment which came in the form of a Antigua Brewing Co IPA at Freda’s. And a delicious drop it was too. The local beer Gallo costs around 25 Quetsales (Q’s pronounced Kwet-sa-less) in a nice restaurant or 15 Q at a more basic place. My IPA at Freda’s was 50Q. The price you pay to go to tourist places. The price you pay for a posh drink. 
This city is so pretty with so many interesting things to look at, like this scene tucked into a courtyard behind bars. 

Done of wandering I enjoyed a quick taco pastor and made it home to settle in to my digs. 

A massage is booked for tomorrow afternoon at the hotel. I am relaxing at the thought and looking forward to a good sleep and a sleep in tomorrow.