Day 1
We started off in Guatemala City! It was absolutely amazing. There is no surprise that it's the biggest city in South America. In this picture you can see Agua volcano in the background! It was really hard to get used to everyone speaking spanish. I immediately met with the body guard I hired to accompany me throughout my stay, named Hector. We began our tour a little ways from the Plaza Mayor de la constitucion at the Mercado Central in the Plaza del Sagrario At the Mercado Central, which is actually underground, we found loads of authentic Guatemalan things. There were leather pieces, wooden maskes and beautifuly colored woolen blankets, all for really great prices. There was constant excitement in the air as I kept my new purchases near me so I wouldn't get pickpocketed. There were many people selling vegetables fruit, flowers, snacks and beautiful weaving. I couldn't resist buying something from almost every vendor. They were all so friendly and their bright smiles kept attracting me to booth after booth. The colors of all the clothing and fruit and things you could buy were brilliant.
After spending way too much time and way too much money shopping we went to el Palacio Nacional, the National Palace. My feet were exhausted after the 10 minutes. There are 320 rooms! Though my feet were aching it was completely worth it. There were tons of paintings and sculptues by Guatemalan artists from the colonial period until now. The contrast between the beautiful stained glass and the gritty city out side was unbelievable. We even got to check out the presidental balcony off the banquet room. It was a 45 minute tour but I could have kept looking around for hours.
After our long day we went out for dinner at Hacienda Real. When I first walked in I saw these stone pedestals, and after asking our waitor, I found out that they put hot coals in them to warm the dining room on cold days. The food served was definately authentic. I had a platter of pork with fresh salsa and jalapenos. The waitor was an absolute delight and always made sure we had warm torillas in our basket. To top of the delicious meal, we tried their unforgettable carmel flan. The atmosphere was quite exuberant as the mariachi bands stolled through the aisles.
Day 1
We started off in Guatemala City! It was absolutely amazing. There is no surprise that it's the biggest city in South America. In this picture you can see Agua volcano in the background! It was really hard to get used to everyone speaking spanish. I immediately met with the body guard I hired to accompany me throughout my stay, named Hector. We began our tour a little ways from the Plaza Mayor de la constitucion at the Mercado Central in the Plaza del Sagrario At the Mercado Central, which is actually underground, we found loads of authentic Guatemalan things. There were leather pieces, wooden maskes and beautifuly colored woolen blankets, all for really great prices. There was constant excitement in the air as I kept my new purchases near me so I wouldn't get pickpocketed. There were many people selling vegetables fruit, flowers, snacks and beautiful weaving. I couldn't resist buying something from almost every vendor. They were all so friendly and their bright smiles kept attracting me to booth after booth. The colors of all the clothing and fruit and things you could buy were brilliant.
After spending way too much time and way too much money shopping we went to el Palacio Nacional, the National Palace. My feet were exhausted after the 10 minutes. There are 320 rooms! Though my feet were aching it was completely worth it. There were tons of paintings and sculptues by Guatemalan artists from the colonial period until now. The contrast between the beautiful stained glass and the gritty city out side was unbelievable. We even got to check out the presidental balcony off the banquet room. It was a 45 minute tour but I could have kept looking around for hours.
After our long day we went out for dinner at Hacienda Real. When I first walked in I saw these stone pedestals, and after asking our waitor, I found out that they put hot coals in them to warm the dining room on cold days. The food served was definately authentic. I had a platter of pork with fresh salsa and jalapenos. The waitor was an absolute delight and always made sure we had warm torillas in our basket. To top of the delicious meal, we tried their unforgettable carmel flan. The atmosphere was quite exuberant as the mariachi bands stolled through the aisles.
Hacienda Real Review. 2009. Fodor's Travel. 13 May 2009 http://www.fodors.com/world/mexico-and-central-america/guatemala/guatemala-city/review-48396.html.
Mercado Central. 2009. Fodor's Travel. 17 May 2009 <http://www.fodors.com/world/mexico-and-central-america/guatemala/guatemala-city/review-90327.html>.
Palacio Nacional Review. 2009. Fodor's Travel. google.com. 13 May 2009 <http://www.fodors.com/world/mexico-and-central-america/guatemala/guatemala-city/review-90323.html>.