Returning to Antigua

When I arrived in Guatemala, I was whisked out of Guatemala by private shuttle, directly to Antigua. Antigua is perhaps the most affluent city in Guatemala and is also a UNESCO world heritage site. It is as picturesque as it is wealthy. My first experiences in Guatemala were the slow exploration of the beautiful streets that surround my end of town.

These first memories stand in sharp contrast to the trips I have taken since... El Estor, Lote Ocho, Rabinal, Rio Negro, Sonola, San Lucas Toliman and other communities. Shelters wedged into impossible places, tin roof and tarp walls. Small tiny plots of land, placed on impossible angles on the sides of cliffs. Naked children, munching on cobs of corn, playing in the smoking heaps of garbage and diesel fumes by the side of the road.

I've been based out of Antigua for about six weeks now. It is nice and comfortable, but it is a bubble. Every time I return to Antigua from a trip to the other areas of Guatemala, the cobbled streets are familiar but seem even stranger than the first time I set foot in them. Even though a part of me feels like I return home when I walk into my house on 9th calle, I also feel like I'm taking a step further away from the rest of Guatemala.

This is a picture that captures a lot of what I see in Guatemala...

Private boat, resting the most beautiful lake in the world (framed by volcanos), surrounded by rubble and garbage, next to a bar serving $.25 mojitos to tourists (just like me).