January 3, 2016...

Antigua, Coffee Farm, and Eruptions...

Today was another tourist day in Antigua. We started the day with a tour of a local coffee plantation. 

The coffee plantation we visited

Coffee beans, on the plant

7 month old coffee plants

Looking fabulous in a hairnet

After the coffee plantation, we had the afternoon to explore Antigua on our own (well in small groups). We walked through a gorgeous church.









As we were walking through Antigua, we could see that Volcano Fuego was spewing smoke into the air. As the afternoon turned into evening, we could see that it was really gearing up to put on a great show for us. The darker it got, the more clear the lava flow got. It was slightly terrifying, but also incredibly amazing. The volcano was about 10 miles away from our hotel, so barring a complete eruption, we were safe. Our hotel room neighbors had a great camera and were able to get some amazing pictures.

Volcano Fuego 

Unfortunately, this was also the day that the Packers lost to the Vikings (and we actually watched part of the game at a bar next door to the hotel)...

January 2, 2016...

Antigua & Chocolate

 Today was day 1 of our "touristy weekend". We were able to enjoy a three hour walking tour of Antigua. This tour involved a pretty interesting history lesson. We explored some ruins, saw crypts, visited a monastery that is now a hotel, and went to a jade "factory" and shop. The jade factory was actually a place that the locals would finish and perfect the pieces for sale.

Cacao Tea

After the tour of the city, we went to Choco Museo, a local chocolate factory and museum. We learned the history of chocolate, including the way that the ancient Mayans made and consumed chocolate (they drank it!). After the history lesson, we got to spend time taking the cacao through the steps to make our own chocolate candy. We also had the opportunity to try cacao tea (tea made with the cacao pods), cacahuatl (chocolate water - the drink of the Mayans), and "traditional" hot chocolate. 

Hot Chocolate

Cacahuatl

January 1, 2016... Travel Day

Leaving on a jet plane...

Our day started bright and early, with a 4 am meeting time at the Milwaukee airport. Considering it was New Year's day, I only got about 1.5 hours of sleep before we left the house. Standing in line, waiting to check our luggage, excitement was high (but so were nerves!). After the luggage was checked and we made it through security (which wasn't too hard at 5 am) we made it to our gate to wait for our flight to Atlanta.

The view, shortly after take-off in Milwaukee... so beautiful!

A short flight (after a delay), and we were in Atlanta. The layover was pretty short, then we boarded for Guatemala. After another delay, we were on our way out of the country. We arrived in Guatemala around 1 pm. We landed in Guatemala City, made it through customs in record time, then boarded a bus to Antigua.

Driving through Guatemala City, all I could see was Italy. I knew from my pre-trip research, that there was a strong European feel to the architecture, but this ride took me straight back to Italy. 40 minutes later, we were driving through Antigua. Antigua is surrounded by three volcanoes, Fuego, Acatenango, and Agua. From our hotel, we could see all three volcanoes, with the best view of Agua right outside our room.

As a group, we did a quick walk around the city square, then relaxed at the hotel until dinner. After dinner, we all crashed. It had been such a long day.