Tue 1219 (Guatemala) Got to the hostel maybe an hour or half an hour ago. Flights OK, got through customs OK - I had to press a button and got a green light, so wasn't checked. Arrivals bit of airport tiny and couldn't see cash machine. Lots of not-overly-threatening-but-I-had-my-bag-and-passport touts around. Asked someone respectable looking re ATM, got advice which in hindsight was helpful if incomplete. Failed to find it after trogging across the road outside into multi-storey carpark. Went back inside, despairing slightly. (I *think* I remembered if push comes to shove I had a few USD notes and some USD traveller's cheques which I could have changed for a doubtless shitty rate. But I still despaired.) Asked someone else, who told me to go into the slightly grim multi-storey car park opposite and go to level 3. That got me to the arrivals area. That plus a hint in the guide book that the ATM was hiding behind a staircase got me some cash. At that point I was able to pop into bog, get everything properly stashed away and feel a bit more comfortable.
A shoeshine guy semi-accosted me and took me over to a shuttle bus. I didn't have a coin to tip him and by this point I was super leery of everyone. They said they were waiting for more people before they went, so I said I'd keep my bag and pay when we were ready to go, so I couldn't be held (metaphorically only!) hostage. I was also a bit worried they'd just drive off with my bag. Probably excess paranoia but there you go. I waited maybe 30-60 mins and then an American couple turned up and we were ready to go. There was already an Australian woman I'd seen coming through security waiting in the van, not that I knew this before I got in. To be fair to minibus tour company people, they took payment from us all at that point, so I had probably been excessively paranoid.
Anyway, they dropped me practically opposite my hostel. The other three were going on to Pana(jachel?) and slightly awkwardly had a long conversation about an onward transfer 'across' me in the bus; since it was a conversation with a 'point' I didn't like to butt in, but I felt a bit uncomfortable.
(Incidentally, I could have just paid USD10 for the minibus. I should have thought to ask that. But it worked out OK in the end, I am not saying that's a great price and I'd like to save my USD for emergencies. Of course that could have been an emergency, in which case it would make sense to use it.)
Kept nodding off on the drive over.
First impressions of Antigua from the minibus as we drove through town are that it's pretty enough (but it's raining and low visibility so can't see the volcanoes properly) but super touristy. It's obviously not desert-y and it is perhaps a bit bigger, but the through-the-minibus-windows-impression was distinctly San Pedro de Atacama-ish. This isn't *bad* and I saw lots of old (even compared to me) tourists so it's not all twentysomethings.
I think the plan for today is just to wander out (rain permitting) and get a bit of a feel for the place, *not* book any tours, have some coffee to help keep awake (though I woke up once the bus got into Antigua) and go to bed earlyish. I'm continually looking round the room for spiders, which is massively counterproductive, but might as well be honest.
Plan for tomorrow is (if I get up early enough) to maybe have the free hostel breakfast (up to 10am), perhaps see if my Spanish teacher wants to meet up and once I know what's happening with her to perhaps look into signing up for a relatively undemanding hike up one of the adjacent volcanoes/mountains/whatever you hike up round here, though I could imagine the tour itself would probably be the day after, so Thursday. I'm not going to pressure myself to do more, we'll see how to goes. Hostel does its own tours (or offers certain agency tours) but be good to see if there are better options.
(Did see a sign offering a Q35 service to clean your boots after a hike. I am hoping this is a super luxury kind of service, not a suggestion that they're going to be in such a state this is an absolute requirement. If it turns out they are in a terrible state after a hike I may just have to find somewhere to buy a cheap pair of normal shoes so I can relegate the hiking shoe things which are my sole footwear to hiking only. But no need to worry about this in advance, I think.)
Not too hungry as ate all those fruit/nuts plus got a bit of food on second flight. The one *essential* thing today is to buy a bottle of water so I can a) clean my teeth b) have a drink in my room. I may eat something this afternoon if I find something OK looking, but TBH not sure I need it.
I could also do with some cash as paid nearly all I withdrew (got stiffed about 3% fee by the ATM at terminal but obviously couldn't help it) for the bus (Q80) and the hostel (Q680ishish plus 10% paid on credit card when I booked). I have enough cash to buy water though without going to a machine today.
I got offered three different rooms here at hostel, which was nice. One was a bit cell-like with no windows, another had a window but I went for the one with a skylight but no window as it looked a lot brighter. I can hear the rain pattering heavily-ish on it now. The weather app on my phone shows no rain so not sure I trust it.
Had a shower and will put clean clothes on to go out. Don't think will be able to do my own laundry in shared bathroom so will probably have to spring for laundry somewhere, will see what places I can see, and it's probably still cheaper than having a private bathroom.
Is that it for now? I think so. Oh, the Three Go Roam thing does seem to work for texts but I appear to be unable to make or receive phone calls, even though AFAIK this should work. Haven't tried from anywhere except my hostel room yet so maybe it will work if I end up connecting to a different network or something. Bit annoying but even if it doesn't work having text messages is worth something, since I can send and receive them without being on wifi.
Do wonder if I'll regret this skylight in terms of rain noise, but I suspect that aspect will be fine - it's not an unpleasant noise, we're not in monsoon-on-corrugated-iron territory...
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