We arrived in Guatemala City, the capital by bus, had a quick lunch then caught an Uber to Antiqua. We had heard that the capital was not a very touristy place so we decided on the sleepy, tiny, historical town of Antigua. This town was once the colonial capital of the country. Then in 1773 it was destroyed by a massive earthquake. Many of the historic building still exist in ruins and some have been partially restored. The town is known for its deep history and picturesque architecture. After checking into our hotel we realized we had hit our travel groove and were more interested in acting like travelers than tourists. Let me explain. When we take long trips that last more than 2 months we have realized that around days 10-12 the vibe of the trip changes. The first few days your super excited, everything is new, your fully rested and suffering from FOMO. But after 2 weeks we start to feel the need to slow down, relax and except that we can go at our own pace. We have learned that if a trip lasts 3 weeks or more we need to schedule down days where we do nothing at all. Atleast one a week. We haven’t taken a short two and a half week trip like this in a years so even though we are starting to feel like travelers and looking to slow down we are realizing we only have a few days left and can rest later. So we decided to take a half day off. After checking in we walked through the main plaza, had dinner and called it a night.
Our second day was spent walking around the town exploring the remains of different churches and monasteries. We took our time stopping for snacks and people watching. After lunch we walked to a park on a mountain just outside of town that has a giant cross and spectacular views of the town with the volcano behind it. We wanted to hike up the mountain but the chance of being robbed or kidnapped is so high that they recommend hiring a police officer to accompany you. No Thanks! Instead we spent the next 3 days doing our next favorite tourist activity… Eating and soaking in the sun. Relaxing on vacation… strange concept for us.
After several days of wandering around town, exploring small cafes and spending evenings sitting in the main plaza people watching we decided to end our trip in search of the true Guatemala food scene so we hired a local for the night and set out. Luis started the evening by walking us through a,local market letting us sample locals fruits and snacks while giving us a history lesson.  From there we walked through a market that sells all second hand stuff from US garbage. Then the fun began. Our new friend recommended hoping on a local chicken bus and going to a small village outside of the tourist area if we really wanted to taste Guatemala. The chicken bus was an old 1980s school bus from the US refurbished with lights and converted to a manuel transmission. Riding out of town surrounded by locals with chicken boxes on the roof was just what our traveler souls needed. It was not only a taste of real life in this country but a nostalgic ride on a bus from my past. Once in the small village we walked around sampling local treats from local papusas and beers to street sausages and sweets. The entire night was why we travel and the perfect ending to our time in Guatemala.