Had to be up and out of Antigua by 8am this morning. There’s a massive religious festival today, and the town essentially turns into a Times Square on NYE situation after 8am. And since our flight isn’t until the super fun hour of 11:30pm tonight, we needed to get out of dodge.

Rather than spending 14 hours at the Guatemala City airport, we opted for a full-day tour of the city with our super knowledgeable guide, Esteban.

EPIC day!!

First. It was fucken HOT in the city today. So much sunscreen, so much sweating. Add some “personal summer” moments. I almost burst into flames.

Walked through the main plaza – Constitutional Square. Managed to get in on a national rally. Not sure exactly what we were rallying FOR, but we walked alongside the parade for several blocks. And you know how I love crowd surfing.

Had lunch at the localest of local places. Not even completely sure what I ate. I ordered using the “I’ll have what he’s having” method. Delicious. And more yummy homemade corn tortillas.

Visited the archaeological site of Kaminaljuyu (no one can pronounce this except the Mayans), an excavated Mayan civilization, dating to 1500 BC. It’s supposedly one of the greatest archaeological sites in the New World, but tbh, I was super hot and it mostly looked like a bunch of dusty beige steps to me.

Got to see a couple of Mayan women practicing a traditional Mayan ceremony. Esteban said his sister is a Mayan healer, and “believes in this witchery from my grandmother”. The preparation of the ceremony altar includes a sugar circle base, on which you stack handfuls of tiny candles and spices, which you light on fire. Then you smoke numerous cigars, and drink a bunch of alcohol. And then you pray to the forest for energy. Or something like that.

This has been an incredible trip. I expected to like Guatemala, but I didn’t expect to like it so much. The people are vibrant and welcoming. The food is spectacular. A home run experience!