Not the greatest start to my day 😤

6:22 am Tuesday. 

My room was as quiet as a pin last night when I turned the light out. I should have learned by now that I should never say ‘thank goodness’ for anything. 

I said it last night about the peace and quiet and promptly fell asleep. About 1:00am I woke to the sound of what I thought was gentle rain and lay here for a while formulating a rain day plan. 

Before long the gentle rain sound changed. I now had the sound of a torrent along to the side of my room. It kept me awake for ages but eventually slowed down and stopped. I fell into a deep sleep. 

Until 4:30am and it started again. I swore, loudly, and squirmed down under the sheets hoping it would go away.   I could hear dripping noises too, ‘tortuous’ is how I can only describe it. There wasn’t anyone to be found when I went out looking so back under the blankets I went and tried to get some sleep. 

Until that is the dripping noises got closer and closer. So close that I could feel splots of water. So close that water was dripping onto my bed.   

I gave up, made coffee and waited till I heard voices outside and went and told them about it. Water was pouring out of the guttering. It looks like a pipe from the water tank has broken and the water coming down the roof into the courtyard outside my room and then in through my ceiling. I suspect it is not the only ceiling affected as I could hear drips on the other side of my room. 

Lucky I have two beds. The one I didn’t want to sleep on is now my resting place till I am on my way for the day. 

Around 9 am I managed to communicate with the receptionist, who knew nothing of the drama, that I would like to change rooms. The room I was in, apart from a leak and one wet bed, had a step in an awkward place and I knew in a sleepy stupor it would get the best of me. So I was extra pleased when she said ok. 

My bag repacked, laundry dropped at the Lavandaria and I was on my way. I collect the laundry this avo and will pay $4.50 for a bag full of stuff. 4lbs worth. 

I was on a mission to find a pair of solid shoes. The stones can be felt through the soles of the ones I have so time to shop. So far no luck. 

But right now I am in the cutest wee coffee shop having a cup of cinnamon tea. They have the cutest courtyard surrounded by artisan (aka tourist) shops. So sweet and tranquil. 

Except for two loud Americans next to me. In the few minutes I have been here I have learned of the marital problems of each of them, their illnesses, their likes and dislikes. Really girls!. Why do you have to talk so LOUD!  I’m outa here and back to my search. 

I followed my nose and checked out the local market. Not too dissimilar to local markets anywhere selling anything and everything all of disputable quality but cheap. I found the shop with the shoes and was about to ask if I coukd try them when she turn up loud some awful music. I left. I don’t need shoes this bad. 

The markets backed on to the “Artisan Markets”. I went for a look and wish I hadn’t. Two minutes in there and it totally distorted the idea in my head about a cute city that handles tourism well. The last time I used the word Artisan I thought it implied quality/hand made. The Artisan Markets were full (100’s) of stalls all selling the same poor quality garish souvenirs.  Not hand made, not quality and probably not made in Guatemala. They all looked remarkably like the stuff in Panajachel and the stuff at tourist places in other countries I have been. Wish I’d stayed off that path. 

I checked out the bus station where the Chicken Busses live. Some of them are so cool. 

A wander around a very beautiful church was a great respite and provided a few minutes of tranquility. Funnily enough they had a board and photos of the place I was volunteering at. Vergen del Sacorro. 

Going back to my volunteer days Virgen del Sacorro is a private hospital where many pay. However many of thise with long term issues are funded by the government. Abortion is illegal in Guatemala and the religion of the masses disapproves anyway. People, especially in the country places, dislike doctors and even when pregnant get no pre-natal care. They often give birth in sub-standard conditions at home and get not follow on care. Many chikdren are born with cerebral palsy and it is these kids that end up where I was. Heartbreaking. Back to today. 

With sore feet I returned to a place I’d had a great meal the other day. Eager to repeat the performance I grabbed a seat and scoured the menu. Drat. Lunch menu from noon. It was 1 minute past and what I was hoping for was no longer on the menu. 😢

Still a Guatemalan style burger will have to do.   Turns out it wasn’t a burger at all but a delicious pepito. Crunchy toasted roll stuffed to the brim with grilled mushrooms, onions and beef. If that wasn’t good enough it came with the best EVER fries.  

I literally dragged myself back to the hotel. They had given me a new room upstairs and moved my stuff. The room is much smaller but has a bed not made of rocks. I tested it out and had the deepest sleep only to be woken by some tradesmen outside. But by that time I was refreshed and ready to roll. 

My 1 hour massage was a chance to relax and let my skin soak in some oil. It wasn’t the greatest massage but was in the hotel so I was able to go straight to my room after. 

With my facebook problems seemingly ongoing I spent some time transferring my blogs onto my website but then found I needed a desktop to finish the job. 

I was going to have to out for food anyway so off I went sneaking into MaximoNivel to use their desktops.   Job done. I will finish it all tomorrow and let you all know. 

This is such an easy city to walk around. The roads are in a grid; Avenues (avenidas) go north south and streets (calles) east west.  It is a  very safe place with a low level of crime. The most dangerous thing is probably walking on the footpath. Cobblestones aside you need to be in the lookout for the window boxes which hang out over the footpath, right where they can leave a nasty bruise. Walking on the streets is harder, the cobblestones are more worn but you can take your time crossing as the cars ALWAYS stop, not only for pedestrians but for each other too. Not a toot or hand signal in sight.  The people are so lovely, polite and eager to help. Even for the rude ones. 

I have noticed that when I yield to let someone past the latin American people either let me through first or at least say a genuine thank you. Our western friends do what they do at home; barge past without even a blink. 

Nearly home and I came across a restaurant which serves Pepian. I was in for a try.  From Mr Google:

“Pepián is one of the most popular and representative dishes of Guatemalan cuisine. It is a thick and tasty stew that is made with a base of toasted and ground seeds, accompanied by meat or chicken and vegetables. The mix of ingredients gives this recipe a unique and delicious flavor, which has become one of the most valued gastronomic wonders of Guatemala.”

I needed the hibiscus drink I ordered as the Pepian was deliciously rich. It would be the best mid winter feast. It came with a small basket of soft tortilla which I didn’t have. 

Interestingly this place closed its doors at 7:30 and on the way home noticed that most places in my hood were closed too. I hope that means that there wont be any late night party goers coming and waking me up tonight. 

I’m finishing this post tonight sitting in a delightful wee courtyard right outside my room. I had a bad start but it has ended up being another lovely day in Antigua.