Of Futbol, Politics and Mexican Food

The morning after the wedding, a small contingent of our group saddled up and headed out of Panajachel for another town called Antigua (the one in Guatemala, not the one the Beach Boys sang about). We had elected to leave early so that we could make it to Antigua, find a bar and watch the USA v. Mexico Gold Cup Final (a soccer game for the un-initiated). The road between the towns was a brutal mountain road, and it managed to claim a few of us. The fact that our driver thought he was Earnhardt Jr. didn't help matters. But hey, at least my EMT skills were put to some kind of use! The game was great! The hotel we're staying in actually had a giant screen TV and a 'Tienda' (store) right up the road had beers and snacks. We enjoyed the second half, in which the US team (not even at full strength) stepped on the gas and walked away with the victory. We asked a few of the locals if they were rooting for the US or Mexico (Guatemala has a bit of a history with Mexico as well as the US). Almost all of them responded with "We're not watching it because Guatemala isn't in it"...fair enough I say.

As rain began to fall in Antigua, we decided that we should go 'walk about' and see what the town had to offer. The whole place is set up around a gigantic square. There are a boat load of shops, restaurants, etc. We ended up having a blast even with the rain. Since it was Sunday, all of the locals were out too and there was a lot of people watching. Now most guidebooks I've read always say "stay away from large gatherings and political rallies". So obviously, when we saw a Guatemalan election rally taking place in the town square, we headed right over to check things out. Basically, it was fireworks and speeches I couldn't understand ...it was pretty cool. We found out later that the guy running is thought to have ties to the military and is more than a little shady. But most people don't give him a chance of winning, and I was able to cross another line off of my "things I probably shouldn't, but need to do in life" list.

That evening, the rest of the group showed up from Pana. With few exceptions, everyone had the same mountain driving experience we did. After every ones stomachs settled, we headed out for a meal at a Mexican (I know, I know) place that one of the guidebooks recommended. The place was called 'Frieda's' ...as in the artist/ feminist/ activist... okay, the lady made famous by her 'uni-brow' (ding! we have a winner). Food was great, and the place was a blast. Generally, trying to have dinner with a group this big is a pain in the arse, but the staff was really cool, and opened the upstairs for us which helped a ton. After dinner, the 'gringos borachos' walked home through the square, passed the illuminated church. Our group was made up of about four guys and twelve girls at this point, so we definitely attracted some attention... admitedly self-inflicted. Carlos, Carlos and I had some trouble with the camera trying to take this picture...(which actually was the girls idea) but I assure everyone that it was purely a technical issue, and we were total professionals. In the end, it was all in good fun and most everyone made it home.