OK, so I don’t collect actual doors… But when I travel to a new city or country, one of the things I love to do is to get well away from the main thoroughfares, to explore interesting smaller side streets and alleyways in older neighborhoods. People are friendlier, and often take time to stop to chat. And the older houses are often mysterious and inaccessible behind carved wooden doors and intricate entryways.
Maybe my fascination with doors is a literal interpretation of my desire to see what lies beyond, a manifestation of a “portal to another world” fantasy?
On our recent trip to Guatemala, we passed thru the incredibly scenic town of Antigua a couple of times: just after we arrived we spent a couple of nights there prior to heading up to Lake Atitlan. Then on our way from Lake Atitlan to Flores, we broke the journey in Antigua, spending another night there.
The colonial city of Antigua, Guatemala
Since Antigua was our first stop in Guatemala, we wanted to book somewhere in advance, especially since our plane was arriving into Guatemala City in the evening, and we knew we’d arrive in Antigua well after dark. My daughter liked the description of Yellow House in the Lonely Planet, and we found some pictures and an email address that actually worked at guatemalastory.com. Once we had the right email address, we got a prompt and friendly response confirming our request for a room.
Outside the Arrivals hall at the airport, there were a number of shuttle (minibus) drivers with signs for Antigua, and soon ‘Henry’ had us loaded in his shuttle for the 1 hour trip to Antigua, where he dropped us right in front of Yellow House. We had an upstairs room with a hammock right outside, the shared bathrooms were clean, there were 2 computers in the lobby with free internet access, and more hammocks and comfy seats on the rooftop patio. All for $18 a night for a double room, which also included a huge breakfast – what a deal!
Clean, comfy, affordable Yellow House
Yellow House also has dorm rooms, and we met and chatted with other travelers, many traveling solo for months at a time, from all over the world: Australia, the UK, France, Canada. Many of these travelers had just been to some of the places on our itinerary, so it was great to get ‘hot off the press’ feedback and recommendations.
The staff at Yellow House were also very helpful in booking shuttle and bus transportation for us, giving us tips on where to eat, and answering all our questions. So much so that on our 2nd visit there, it almost felt a little like coming ‘home’.
Most of us already know, at least in theory, that the best way to learn a foreign language is by immersion, but in June 2009 I got to put that theory to the test when my teenage daughter and I enrolled for a week at Escuela Cooperativa Spanish School in San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala.
Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
Staying with a local family in the small town of San Pedro, set on the shores of Lake Atitlan, and spending 4 hours a day in one on one Spanish instruction tailored to your level of expertise ( or lack thereof!) proved a wonderful way to dramatically improve our Spanish in a very short amount of time.
Escuela Cooperativa classroom, San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala
While expanding my knowledge of Spanish well beyond its previous limit of ordering tacos, my teacher Luis and I discussed the history, geography, and social politics of Guatemala, all in Spanish. And my daughter was able to discuss everything from fashion to social customs with her teacher, Flory, as they worked together to review and expand her high school Spanish.
View of Lake Atitlan from Escuela Cooperativa
Outside of class, we got to practice our expanded Spanish with our very hospitable new ‘family’ – who were all quick to offer suggestions or corrections as we struggled to practice our new skills at mealtimes. Since we just had class 4 hours a day, we also had plenty of time to explore the small town of San Pedro, visit the nearby village of San Juan, kayak on Lake Atitlan, and even take a trip to the colorful market at Chichicastenango a couple of hours drive away.
While a 2 or 3 week stay at Escuela Cooperativa would have led to even greater improvement in our Spanish, we both felt that just one week made a notable difference, and our subsequent travels in Guatemala were easier as a result. Now I just need to find some good books to read, in relatively simple Spanish, to solidify my learning! Any suggestions?
