GUATEMALA 2026: ANTIGUA

 March 21, 2026

Our last full day in Guatemala was spent in Antigua, which served as the capital from 1543 to 1773 when the country was part of the Kingdom of Spain. As a result, it is full of Spanish Baroque architecture and Old World charm and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Actually, Bob left early in the morning for a birding expedition, but I figured I could explore the Old Town area around our hotel by myself while he was gone. While I was looking for breakfast, I wandered into this park a few blocks from our hotel.

The "Fountain of the Sirens" was added in 1738. The four bare-chested women that are part of the fountain are quite eye-popping. It is no suprise that today the park is still a hub of activity, and when I was there, it was full of vendors, musicians, and tourists.

I enjoyed some pastries and wandered back towards our hotel. Shops across the cobblestone street from our room were just beginning to open. The street vendors were just starting to set up as well. Check out this guy bringing in an assortment of hats!

Before long, there was plenty of commerce going on. Under that pile of textiles is a little Guatemalan grandma selling her wares.

GUATEMALA 2026: LAKE ATITLAN

 March 19-20, 2026

We had an hour to kill in Flores in the afternoon before going to the airport. We had lunch in non-remarkable restaurant located on a floating dock, then walked around a bit near the seafront. Flores primarily exists these days as a jumping off point for Mayan ruins like Tikal, and yet it has a population over 45,000, ten times the size of the town I grew up in. The neighborhood around the restaurant was charming, and we even saw what appeared to be a working pay phone, something I haven't seen in years.

The Mundo Maya International Airport, just outside the city center, is very small--one small cafe, one large seating area, and one shop. Still, it is Guatemala's second-busiest airport.

I tried to get Bob interested in the birds flying around inside the terminal, but he wasn't buying it.

It was our first time, and probably will be our only time, on TAG Airlines (TAG = Transportes Aéreos Guatemaltecos):

The flight was short and uneventful. We were met at the airport by a driver who took us to our hotel about 30 miles away in Antiqua. (We had been told NOT to stay in Guatemala City.) The traffic was horrid and the drive took almost two hours.

GUATEMALA 2026: TIKAL NATIONAL PARK

 March 19, 2026

The next morning we had to be checked out of our charming ecolodge and ready to go by 4:50 a.m. We were picked up at 5:00 a.m. by a driver/guide named Roney, someone Bob had selected based on his reputation for birding expertise. Supposedly he is the best guide in northern Guatemala and we were lucky to have him as our guide in Tikal, our next destination.

Tikal was the #1 reason I wanted to travel to Guatemala. As a college student, I spent a summer on a study abroad in Mexico City. One weekend a group went on a field trip to Tikal, but I went with my friends to Acapulco. When the other group came back with their stories (but no photos as this was long before the digital camera), I was jealous and made the resolve that I would go to Tikal someday. That "someday" had come.

We got to the park just as the sun was rising, and long before we got to the archaeological site, Roney was scanning the treetops for birds, of which there didn't seem to be many. We spent a lot of time staring into the branches.

Not having binoculars, I had to be content with nature that was closer at hand. The red mushroom-looking thing below is a Helosis cayennensis (like "cayenne" pepper but not related except in color), a parasitic flowering plant.