*This is part 1 of 2 of Guatemala. Part 2 is in a different post above.*
Bump. Surrounded by roofs of a thousand colors, ramshackle homes meet the grey fog hanging low over the city. Bump. Green and black volcanoes loom, watching, over the valley, like a cat in vacant wanderlust on a river’s edge. Bump. As American Airlines 983 from Miami descended into La Aurora International Airport, the plane bounced on small holes on the third world runway. Welcome to Guatemala.
Upon landing and clearing customs, my dad and I relished in the smell that is third world Latin America. Just like you associate some places, like home, with a certain smell, poor countries in Latin America all share a similar one – one of diesel and the gentle hint of distant fruits. Having travelled extensively in Central and especially South America, Guatemala is no exception. It’s not the most pleasant smell, but you know that adventures await whenever you come across it. In that sense, it was invigorating.
Our home base was the colonial city of Antigua (pronounced an-ti-gwa, not like the island pair with Barbuda), the Spanish’s capital for Central America. Antigua is what Guatemala City isn’t – it’s exceptionally colorful, it abounds with native Guatemalans and Europeans alike, and it has an Old World charm reminiscent of Charleston or Savannah. Women covered in traditional fabrics carry baskets of bottled water on their heads as children wander near their feat. On street corners, elderly people offer their wares to people navigating the cobblestone streets. The city is full of magnificently designed and fairly well preserved churches, given the tectonic rumblings of the past. La Catedral, the largest cathedral in Antigua, glares alabaster in the mountain sun, facing the west side of the busy central park. Inside, people pray, and outside, tourists (however few) stare in wonder at the remains of the giant monolith.
The next day, my father and I climbed Volcán Pacaya, one of the most active volcanoes in the world. About an hour away from Antigua, the mighty peak stares down into the bowl that is Guatemala City. Given it’s proximity to the main population center, Pacaya occasionally disrupts life in the capital. In fact, in May, the airport was closed after an eruption killed many and spewed ash and lava down its fiery crag.
If I had ever been to the moon, I would say Pacaya was mighty close to resembling it. Having just erupted a few months prior, we literally climbed and hoisted ourselves over pumice-like rock, feeling the soles of our shoes warm as we neared the summit. Nearly as far up as you can (legally) travel, we saw it – lava flowing through an underground chasm, mere feet away. A blast of heat, as if opening an oven, blew from from the inside of the rocks, from the bowels of the earth itself. At another spot, fire emanated right below the surface. We stuck our walking sticks in the porous ground only to see them engulfed in flames moments later.
Guatemala is an extraordinary little country. Known in the recent past for extreme violence, the country has been welcoming off-the-beaten path travelers for years. In fact, one of the best travel tips I ever received was: if you show up with a smile, are friendly, are not overtly touristy, and make an effort to say “thank you” in the local language, you are welcome literally everywhere in the world – in Afghanistan, in Iran, Yemen, and the Sudan. Be a traveller, not a tourist.
Anyway, pictures…

Arriving in Antigua, the colonial capital of the Spanish's reach into Central America. When Madrid was the crown, Antigua was the scepter.

Traditional clothing worn by Guatemala women. Interestingly, unlike other places where (some) tourists go, like Phuket in Thailand, locals actually live and come to Antigua to visit, just like the bloodshot Germans arriving from Frankfurt and the ever-present Israelis from Tel Aviv.

The great facade of La Catedral, the main cathedral in Antigua. On the back, we explored the giant ruins (built in the early 1700s) for 3 quetzales, or about 40 US cents

An old government building (also from the 1700s). The green flag on the right is the state flag while the blue one on the left is Guatemalan national flag.

A great chicken-cheese dish made by a lady on sitting on the curb for 5 quetzales (around 40 US cents). The CDC recommends not drinking the water and making sure all food you eat is peeled, boiled, and/or thoroughly cooked. Oops. While you can minimize some things, like brushing your teeth with bottled water (like I did in Egypt), you cannot not eat food made by locals. I ate fresh vegetables, juice, and mysterious meats from Quechua-speaking natives on dusty streets.

A volcano in the distance (Guatemala has 38 active volcanoes, with most of them on the Pacific side, where we were)

Trying to find the local produce market, an area which we knew would be completely devoid of Westerners. We were right.

She made me a spicy chicken salad pita thing for a few cents. That is one thing about the Guatemalans - they are incredibly friendly people.

Leaving the ruins of San Jeronimo's school and the local produce market, we head to La Catedral before we ascend Volcán Pacaya in a few hours

Making our way back to the hotel where we would start our adventure climbing Volcán Pacaya. Antigua is exceptionally colorful, abounding in the profusion of colonial and traditional life.

Reaching the base camp of Pacaya. Because the volcano erupted in May, killed quite a few people, and closed the country down to aviation due to lava and ash reaching the Guatemala City international airport, it is now required to have a guide.

Children on horses tried to rent their animals to us and sell us sticks and marshmallows. We fashioned our own sticks from wood found on the trail.

The sun came out and lit our path along the pumice rock. We climbed through this - there was no trail

The camera can't capture it, but there was intense heat coming out of this crag and warping the air, like looking over the surface of a hot shopping mall parking lot. Inside, lava flowed fairly close to the surface.