I woke up and climbed to the roof terrazza of the house and was welcomed with a fantastic view of the colonial city and the three volcanoes. Volcán de Agua rises from the south edge of the city and will eventually bury it in tephra, but for the last thousands of years has been dormant. Acatenango is also dormant, but Volcán de Fuego is very much active and it welcomed me by sending a column of steam and tephra unto the air. Tom tells me that at night is not uncommon to see the glow of pyroclastic flows rolling down the slopes.
After breakfast Tom and I went to visit his brewery, to talk with the brewmaster, Luis. He is a very talented Guatemalan engineer, who is constantly innovating to make the brewing process more efficient. I got a practical explanation of the brew making process and of the many tricks used to create the 50 different types of beer known through the world. It was fun.
Once we got back home we sat chatting until Margarita came to visit. Thomas and Margarita, the two children of Tom and Alma, are very close in age to Fabiola, and for several years were best friends, so I look upon them as my other daughter and son. Margarita suggested walking to her house, about four blocks away, to see the new hot yoga studio she is opening next month. (Monica, you and Margarita need to get in contact because Antigua could be a destination for your yoga retreats).
Walking through the streets of el Casco Viejo (the old part of the town) was a good reminder of the charm of this old Spanish city built as the Spaniards extended their conquest throughout Central America (Pedro de Alvarado in 1524). The old town is about 12 by 12 blocks, neatly labeled as "avenida" if they run from south to north, whereas from west to east you have the "calles". Both are numerically labeled, so, for example 3a Avenida sur tells you that you are on a north-south avenue on the south side of the town, whereas 2a Calle oeste tells you that you are on a west-east calle on the west part of the city. The confusion for the visitant starts with most streets being one way, but not always. If you are on an avenida, you have the right of way over the calles and you are not supposed to stop, unless you are in Calle 4a or Calle 2a, in which case the calle has the right of way over the avenidas. Of course there are no signs telling you all this, so you have to memorize the preference rules in a hurry.
The streets are all cobblestoned, which makes for a jarring ride (or you can put pedal to the metal and fly over the cobblestones). The buildings are all single story, and most have severe facades that abut against the side walk. Once you enter, however, there is usually an inner garden full of sunlight and color. In some neighborhoods the houses are brightly painted, which makes for a very happy mood.
After we finished looking through Margarita's home and studio we got on her car and went to lunch to the Caoba Farms property, which is a working organic farm that on the side offers a restaurant, an organic store, and a performance space. Lunch was very tasty and we all had a chance to learn what we have been doing over the last few years. On the way back we drove past The Mall, where Antigüeños love to go for the fine things of life (it is a new experience for them because before they would have to go to Guatemala City for those wares and foodstuffs).
Back at the house of Jolene and Tom, we continued the conversation until it was time for Margarita to go home, and we had an early dinner of squash soup and vegetable frittata, because we were invited to game night at the beautiful house of Patricia, Jolene’s best friend. It was a potluck as far as snacks and drinks. We were a total of nine players and the game was Left, Center, Right and you needed three 5-quetzal bills to start with. Three dice are cast, with the possible outcomes of "Left", or "Center", or "Right", or keep. During your turn, depending on the throw you may need to put a bill in the center basket, give another to the player to your left, and maybe another to the player to your right. In one throw you can be broke, but you are not out of the game because either of the players at your side might give you a bill on the next round. Fortunes were made and lost in an instant, but all the time the center pot got bigger and there were less bills on play. The winner is the last person standing with one bill on hand, at which point he or she collects the whole pot. We played five rounds, with much noise and banter, with the winners rubbing it in by taking showers of quetzales while the rest of the crowd cheered and applauded. The foreign expats in Antigua sure know how to have fun.
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