In Beautiful Antigua, Guatemala

            

 a Tuc-Tuc

Thursday 24 Feb

up at the crack of dawn, 10am

Had to find a safe place for our valuables; it was the first time in my life i had ever deposited anything in a safe deposit box! We did this here at Soleil La Antigua, impressed as i was with the two key song and dance...
Late we took a trip on the Tuc Tuc into the city center
Breakfast in the wonderful setting of La Condesa accross from the Central Park main square; there were too many Americanos there! But they did not order the huevos rancheros.
Later we began taking care of the essentials, going to the Farmacia  Don Miguelito to buy aspirin and a couple of creams; Aura chatted with the owner, a cousin of the original owners whom she had known in Ciudad Vieja "a few years ago" when she was a girl and was staying with her aunt who lived across the street from Don Miguelito; she remembers spending Christmas at his home and with his children. That was a nice coincidence...
We visited the rather disappointing "Museo del libro" [book museum and they charged us 30 Quetzals, $4.50; Aura went back and got her money back because she is a native of Antigua! ]" in the square and optained good views of the plaza from the Town Hall balcony. Up there I spotted an unusual green bird in the trees below; a local told me it was a "clarin" and I took note of that; he said it was greenish blue. There were a fair amount of armed guards around but they are young and friendly; this area also has special tourist security police; we felt completely at ease as we walking around. Knowing the lingo, of course, is a big advantage. People smiling and friendly; i like to notice the local nuances and customs which i always delight in. In Guatemala, instead of "Have a nice day" they say "Have happy day" Que tenga Ud.un dia feliz!
Around 5pm we had a rather heavy rain shower; the guide we chatted with explained that February is the crazy month when the weather changes quickly during the day. "Just like Ireland" I remarked to Aura but she reminded me of that cold wind that was hard for her to take. In the cool evenings here a sweater or light jacket is enough.
Only the facade of the Cathedral can bee seen from the square; the cathedral has collapsed so many times because of seismic activity and floods that this is like the third reconstruction. We took the street on the right side of the cathedral and strolled north; I noticed a fine building across the street; the plaque read "This is the building that housed the University of San Carlos founded in 1675; from here culture spread throughout the kingdom of Goethemala." I was enchanted by this building, one of the few to have survived floods and earthquakes; covered in white stucco with pink decorations of Spanish baroque and Moorish influence; of particular note are the scalloped arches of the main square, adorned with a beautiful fountain in the center.
Here we bumped into an Irish American from Chicago, Tim, with whom I shared my excitement for this building; across the street we visited the ruins of the cathedral and paid a guide Q50 -$6.00 for a tour; he was very knowledgeable and a bit uppity about his qualifications as a tour guide; he had an ample knowledge of the history of the cathedral and Antigua as well as native traditions and beliefs -the Mayan underworld -  and Tikal.
Tim had plans to take a bus to Tikal later that evening and wanted to grab a bit to eat; he was yearning for local fair and we were able to oblige as we had been following a tip for a very good Guatemala cuisine restaurant; so off we went to La Cuevita de los Urquizu; the food is displayed at the entrance and you pick your dish and they lead you to your table. Tim was delighted with the ambiance and the food and we three chatted away amicably until it was time to go and he took off for the main square and Aura and I just walked the streets; she was keen on me seeing the magnificent Santo Domingo Hotel; night was falling as we entered the main door and strolled around the gardens strewn with ruins; she took me as far as an impressive canopy covered auditorium which was being readied for a performance -men were lighting candles around the grounds to [be continued]