where asparagus and spanish collide: The Place I Like to Call T-dot

You are probably thinking I'm referring to Toronto but in fact, I'm not. You may think it is the biggest city I've been in since April - Tillsonburg (embarrassing yes, but I love it.) But again, that is not the town I'm referring to. I am referring to Antigua (the Tig-dot). I'm realizing that in two weeks, I will be embracing big cities again, but for the last 4 months, small towns and Antigua (a city like no other) have been my homes.

Antigua. There is so much to say about Antigua. It is the old-colonial town capital of Guatemala. But due to the threat of earthquakes, the capital was moved to Guatemala City, and Antigua has been a city decorated with ruins, artisans, tourists and beauty as it overlooks 3 volcanoes and old architecture. It also remains cultural by maintaining the Spanish language throughout all commerce (including interactions with the tourists). I love that as Antigua is constantly keeping its cultural intact and is not being lost to the booming tourist industry.

It is also the location where you can find a great cup of coffee. In fact, I'm now a "regular" at Cafe L'espresso (every time I happen to visit Antigua). The coffee shop overlooks a ruin where the Spaniards planted the first coffee plants in Central America. Thus, Antigua can proudly say they were the first place to grow coffee! It the best coffee in the world due to the acidity in the volcanic soil.

I will share my 3 favourite things about the town.

1. Ruins - There are a bunch of ruins the Mayans inhabited first. Then the Spanish conquered these castles. And then, the earthquakes conquered them. Now, there is great beauty to discover amidst the remaining architecture. My Spanish teacher and I try to visit one each week and study Guatemalan history.

2. Bartering- The big thing that makes Antigua not seem like a big city is that there are NO malls. None. Stuff happens in the markets - the food market, clothing market, touristy artisan market and the other markets scattered throughout. Most markets are aggressive and I have learned not to be friendly unless I see items of interest. Most people are very persuasive (although I keep a good head on). I had one experience where one artisan chased me through the market constantly dropping his price, but I did not want the product. There are many techniques in driving a hard bargain (I should write a book). But I will share my favourite phrases: That is very expensive! I can buy it elsewhere for less! You must be joking! Other non-verbal techniques that work exceptionally well: walk away and stand there and just wait for them to lower it. There are more, but I like to think I drive a hard bargain (but am still fair - hopefully). Sometimes when I really want something that I haven't seen anywhere else in the market, my bartering goes out the window.

3. Transportation on Cobblestone Roads - Tizate is 30 minutes outside of Antigua by a Chicken Bus. These pimped-out, old North-American school buses are filled with Guatemalans and it is quite the sight to see a foreigner on the bus. It is quite lively and the experiences seem to be different each time. From a broken down bus to wild music. For very fast wet-your-pants speed to a leisurely Sunday-afternoon scenic view. My other favourite form of transport is called a "Tuck-Tuck". These are little car-like/moto-like vehicles. I occasionally will take one from Antigua to Tizate, and its usually a ride of your life (Usually my roller-coaster experience for the week.) You go really fast on cobblestone roads. The sides of the vehicle are metal rods covered with a tarp-like material. It feels like it might collapse at any moment.

Last weekend, Global Shore sent the team to Semuc Champey. It was a team vacation. It's in Northern Guatemala and has quite a scenic view there. It is a natural water park with many pools of crystal-clear water, waterfalls and cliffs. Many fun things to do within Semuc Champey - such as climbing up waterfalls, cliff-jumping (which I did for the first time in my life) and refreshing swims. It was hot! At the hostel, I met people from Kitchener and even two people I knew through a Vacation Bible School I helped out at (random!). Two funny stories about the bribe (I mean drive). First, we are leaving in the morning and

I slam the door shut (to realize that the driver's fingers were in the door. Oops! Not a smooth start, but we are friends. On the way home, the police pulled our bus over for no reason. Our driver needed to pay a fine, aka a bribe to proceed. He was legally in the right, but two cars got hit up for bribes. Apparently this is a normal procedure. You never really get speeding tickets, says bus driver, Luis. Here are Dale, Steph and I on a hike with a spectacular view.