A Day in Antigua, Guatemala
At Yellow House
I sometimes complain to John that in the past some of his trip itineraries have been a bit intense, after all, a trip should not be an exercise in endurance. So now, John works in some relaxing days.
Today we have a leisurely breakfast at our hostel; The Yellow House Hostel. The food is really good. A substantial typical breakfast of black beans, potatoes, tomatoes, eggs, bread, porridge and coffee or hot chocolate.
All the common areas of our hostel are filled with beautiful plants lovingly cared for by the staff. It is a pleasure to have breakfast or just relax in these surroundings.
We take our time and I hand wash a bit of laundry before heading out. There are no hooks in our room so I need to get creative with my wet laundry placement. Not even the decor is sacred when finding places to hang laundry.
Cerra de la Cruz
Laundry done, we head first to the Cerra de la Cruz which has the best viewpoint of Volcano Agua in the city. It is an uphill walk but they make it easy by having steps.
We are stopped from getting to the very top by guards because the President is coming today to visit the newly renovated viewpoint. Fortunately we are still able to get a good view.
The place is crawling with security and police. When I get back to the bottom of the hill I notice that the entrance is blocked off by security. It seems we made it just in time.
The streets around the hill are also highly secured and some locals are sitting at the side of the road in hopes of glimpsing El Presidente.
Massage Time
Today is a relaxing day so I go for a deep tissue full body massage. Deep tissue is right. Sometimes it really, really hurt.
While I am having my massage, John goes to the Central Plaza for some coffee, people watching and goodness knows what else, until I am done.
Santo Domingo Monastery
We are now heading to Santo Domingo Monastery which has been turned into a five star hotel. We are allowed to go into the hotel complex. The back gardens have the ruins of the former church and monastery as well as a number of macaws.
Once Once
We go to a vegetarian restaurant called Once Once for a late lunch. From the sidewalk entrance we have to follow the signs and walk through numerous pretty courtyards to get to the restaurant.
What a treat. They start us out with some vegetable broth in a cup and then we share dumplings, salad and spring rolls. Delicious. Probably the best meal so far in Guatemala.
In and Around Town
We wander more around the old town, checking out the ruins of the Capuchinas Convent, a very popular Guatemalan restaurant that has a line up of locals (possibility for a future meal) and finally the market in Central Plaza.
I grab a Guatemalan ice cream type treat from one of the carts that are everywhere. I am not exactly sure what it is. It has lots of bright colours and is frozen and sweet, served in a cone with some sugary sauce dolloped on top.
Buying Tikal Tickets at Banrurak Bank
We stop at a Banrurak Bank where you can pre-buy tickets to get into the ancient Mayan Ruins of Tikal which is at the next stop on our trip. Apparently you save a lot of time by buying your tickets in advance instead of standing in a long line at the gate.
Getting into the bank is quite a production. The security guard let’s only John in and searches his backpack while I stand and wait outside….actually, I run down the street and buy a cup of freshly cut mangos from a lady and her daughter at the fruit cart. They are laughing as they watch a video on the mom’s cellphone when I arrive and go back to watching and laughing after they serve me.
Meanwhile, John is in the bank and is directed to a teller by a guard holding a large shotgun. Using his Spanish he requests the tickets. The teller understands him and replies 
in a stream of Spanish. He has no idea what the teller answers back so once again Google Translate comes to the rescue
Tickets in hand, we head back to the hostel to relax in the hammocks on the terrace, shower and do more laundry.
Night at La Merced
It’s dark now and we head to the nearby Plaza of La Merced. It is now filled with Guatemalan food stands manned by local woman and filled with local people and tourists 
enjoying their cooking. John and I buy some tortillas loaded with cooked beet shavings, lettuce, onions and other stuff. John also has meat and eggs on his. It is surprisingly good. I then have a cob of corn with lime and salt. It was not that great; a bit dry.
Fireworks go off from the town centre and other areas. I am not sure why they are set off…maybe the President’s visit? We sit and enjoy their beauty while we eat.
The street dogs do not enjoy the fireworks and howl and bark everytime they are set off throughout the night.