Hola Antigua - Learn Spanish & Relax

Ah, Antigua in Guatemala. My favorite place in the world. These days, I say that the Philippines have become my favorite country, but for years Antigua has been my favorite place. This is the fourth time I have come here and I was really looking forward to it. Antigua is a small colonial town, lined with cobblestone streets, colourful buildings, a bustling but not packed atmosphere, and is surrounded by rolling hills and three impressive volcanoes - one of which is still active and you can see it emitting ash and lava on a clear day. The town has plenty of things to offer and I just love this place more than any other.

Anyway, what brought me back to Antigua this time were two things. Recharging my batteries as I felt quite exhausted after Samoa and the US and learning Spanish.

Regarding the first point. Since this is my fourth time in Antigua, I knew coming here that I would not need to do all the attractions that are a must for first-time visitors (i.e. climbing a volcano, going to the nearby lake, visiting Maya ruins). Instead, I was focusing on getting some well-earned rest, staying in a nice place with my own room, taking it slow and wandering through town to discover its vibrant soul. Plus, I knew a few people here already that I saw during my first week, which gave me a bit of a 'homey' feeling.

Regarding the second point. As I would be travelling through South America for 7 months, I needed to seriously brush up on my Spanish. I might have gotten away with my current level, but in order to get a better experience, I wanted to improve it. So I booked myself some private lessons for 3 weeks (4h a day from 8am-12pm, 5 days a week). It was also very cheap at only USD 5 an hour. As my teacher Lucy did not really speak English, I was forced to use my Spanish pretty much the entire time. Exactly the way it should be, even if it can be quite exhausting. But I was happy that we pushed through some grammar I wanted to learn and then focused on speaking and listening.

During my first weekend in Antigua, I got to know Maria who is from Antigua and who I spent a lot of time with. Next to checking out some local food places, we also went to a funfair, where we rode a few of the attractions together, had dinner and really just had a great time.

Just being back here in Antigua reminded me of how much I love this place. It was exactly what I needed after pretty much 9 months of constant travelling. And meeting old friends such as Charlie who runs the pub crawl here or meeting new people like Maria made this place even more special. So special in fact, that I decided to extend my stay here. Originally, I planned to leave on the 30th July, but now I will be leaving Antigua/Guatemala on the 13th August.Read more