… and from there to the mountain town of Antigua, a favorite retirement retreat for Americans. Antigua is about 1 1/2 hours from the port, and at an altitude of almost 5000 feet. It was another lucky pick of excursions because the heat and humidity in the port were oppressive, but the temperature in Antigua was 65 degrees. Along the way we saw Guatemala’s two active volcanoes, spewing smoke and steam every few minutes. The horizon was ringed with volcanoes, a pretty awesome sight.
In Antigua, we started at the Jade Museum, owned and operated by Mary Lou Ridinger, an American geologist who discovered the jade quarry used by the ancient Mayans for their “Imperial Jade.” Her success, documented by a TV show, magazine cover and book, required great determination … and the backing of National Geographic. Mary Lou speaks to visitors, and personally showed us her “retirement rock” … a boulder of solid translucent jade. After her find was verified, she built a jade factory and taught local Mayan people to create facsimiles of ancient jade artifacts found in Mayan tombs, as well as modern jewelry. The factory and showroom are open to visitors.
Another “guilty pleasure” lunch – this time at Domino’s pizza – slow but delicious!
From the Jade Museum, we walked a few blocks to the city park. Walking is difficult: the sidewalks are narrow and in precarious condition, there are large, barred windows jutting into the walkways, traffic is heavy, and the persistent vendors accost you at each step.
Our final stop was the Chocolate Museum, where we sampled the chocolate – and became part of the picture. Although many streets are an almost unbroken row of walls, most buildings have lovely interior courtyards. The souvenirs offered for sale were hand made in Guatemala, with outstanding workmanship. Hand-loomed textiles were everywhere, along with leather goods, painted wooden ware, paintings and pottery. Prices were very reasonable, and it was hard to say no. Our cabin now has touches of Guatemala in every corner …
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