We passed the last few days of our stay in Antigua mostly just enjoying the ambience of the city and its cafes, and also managed a couple of fun excursions;
Iris received no complaints from me or the kids when she decided to take a course to make chocolates. She loved the course and we all loved the output of it.
I also enjoyed far and away the best mountain biking experience of the trip so far with a trip around the Volcan de Agua, which has some good trails with great views overlooking Antigua and its other surrounding volcanos. It was refreshing to do the trip with a well organised and professional organisation in ‘Old Town Outfitters.’ However, the best part of the trip was the company of a fun group of like-minded people. This style of of trip will definitely be the preference in the future rather than trips with just a guide.
Our experience at the Antiguena school continued to be somewhat underwhelming. While still worthwhile, there wasn’t really much of a connection with our teacher, which is one of the most important factors when learning a language. The homestay was very similar, with no real affinity with the host mother (or her meals). Fortunately, there was good consolation at meal time in the great company of fellow students Lizzie and Rachel.
We learned from this experience and have opted for a much smaller school (Orbita) in our new home of San Pedro la Laguna, which is one of the twelve towns that surround the stunning Lago Atitlan. We also asked a lot more questions about possible host families. So far, it’s worked out brilliantly. The school has a ‘family’ feel to it and we are lucky enough to have Rene, the school’s director, as our teacher. He has an excellent systematic style and there is nowhere to hide the gaps in our knowledge.
The host family experience is also completely different to that in Oaxaca or Antigua where in both cases we had very separate living quarters and our interaction with the host mother was mostly confined to mealtime conversations. Here, we really feel like part of the family and so far we’ve spent hours talking with Maria, the host mum. Sofia and Liam have also loved the company of her seven year old daughter Fatima and we are already noticing that they are attempting much more spanish around her.
Around Parque Central in Antigua
Breaking barriers with bubbles
Tuk tuks are the taxi of choice in Guatemala. The kids love them! (unsurprisingly)
My list of courses for Iris:
Cooking course……..Check
Chocolate making course……..Check
Cocktail making course……..Still to do
Massage course……..Still to do
The kids enjoyed the results
At the playground down the road from our homestay
Made in China with finishing touches from Guatemala
Iris calls this ‘art.’ I call it ‘the ground’
Snoozing in Antigua
The kids with their teacher Mayra
Mountain biking up Volcan de Agua
‘The last supper’ in Antigua with Ana-Maria and fellow students Lizzie and Rachel
Everyone in the bus had a good laugh when Liam asked why the road down to San Pedro at Lago Atitlan was so ‘wibbly wobbly’
The shuttle bus to San Pedro was evidently hard work!
The kids didn’t take long to hit it off with their new ‘sister’ Fatima
