The two days since we left San Pablo La Laguna have been largely spent in buses of varying comfort levels, transporting us from Lake Atitlan north to Flores, Guatemala so we could see Tikal National Park. And from there, we were whisked back south to Antigua Guatemala where we are living for the next month.
In total, we spent 29 hours during that two-day period on buses!
But we are finally in Antigua Guatemala and have had time to settle in.
So we’d like to describe our journey and show you our latest Airbnb apartment!
Getting From Flores to Antigua Guatemala
We were initially scheduled to leave Flores, Guatemala on September 27 at 8 am on a direct “collectivo” bus to Antigua Guatemala at 8 am. Tickets cost 400 quetzales/$50.92 per person, and we were supposed to arrive at 5:30 pm the same day.
But sometimes plans change.
The night before we were supposed to leave, I received a text from the travel company we were working with. Apparently, our departure time changed to 6 am to accommodate landslide blockages and scheduling issues with other bus routes.
Getting up two hours earlier wasn’t ideal, but as long as we still got to Antigua Guatemala the same day, we were happy.
So we dragged ourselves out of bed and headed to the local collectivo station to check in.
Our chariot awaits.
We showed the driver our tickets, stowed our bags, and promptly headed off to Antigua Guatemala once all of the passengers arrived.
We got prime legroom seats!
A decent amount of space.
Off to Antigua Guatemala
It turns out that our bus route became far less direct than originally intended. Recent landslides encouraged our driver to take a less direct route which made two additional stops (in Rio Dulce and Guatemala City) to pick up and drop off passengers. This added time to our trip and exposed us to potential traffic on a major highway to Guatemala City.
Just over 9 hours? Piece of cake!
These changes added only about 45 minutes of drive time to what was supposed to be a 9.5-hour trip (with gas/rest stops). But as anyone who lives in a traffic-congested area can tell you, sometimes short delays turn into really long ones if traffic is given a chance to build up.
And that is exactly what happened to us!
From Flores, our trip was initially quite lovely! We meandered through the countryside southward.
And we made good time until we stopped in Rio Dulce for more passengers.
This was apparently our undoing.
Rio Dulce was an interesting place and is popular with tourists, as it is next to a waterway that leads to a lake, and then the Atlantic ocean.
But as we traveled onwards and entered the distant orbit of Guatemala City, traffic built up until everyone on the highway stopped.
Traffic backed up as far as the eye can see!
The driver let everyone out so we didn’t waste gas or bake in the heat.
Apparently, this is such a predictable occurrence that vendors selling beverages and snacks patrol the breakdown lane every day for potential customers.
We eventually got moving, but the damage was done.
The traffic volume was now built to such a point that accidents near Guatemala City delayed us even further.
Big truck vs. little truck.
We were just emerging from Guatemala City as night was falling (at around 6 pm), and we were still more than 1 hour away from Antigua Guatemala!
At around 7 pm it became properly dark, and rain started to fall.
Finally, at around 7:30 pm we were dropped off in Parque Central in Antigua Guatemala in the pouring rain. It was a 13.5-hour trip!
Imagine this, but with torrential rain.
We took shelter under an overhang and looked around for tuk-tuks. There were none to be found.
Thankfully, I put the Uber app on my phone and had it set up just in case.
To my surprise, there were available rides in Antigua Guatemala! So I paid the 21 quetzales/$2.74 USD and summoned a Chevy Spark to rescue us.
Our ride showed up within 2 minutes (!) and we were whisked away.
We were dropped off at the location of our Airbnb (about a 15-minute walk outside Parque Central), where our host Manuel was waiting for us.
Unfortunately, the torrential rain cut short the usual pleasantries during check-in, but we all managed and we finally were able to relax for the first time in days.
Our current apartment is different from our last Airbnb in San Pablo La Laguna. The main difference is we chose a studio apartment to cut the cost of accommodations in Antigua Guatemala, which can be expensive.
But all things considered, the apartment suits our needs.
Let’s go on a tour!
Our apartment is actually in a quaint, quiet, and secure gated neighborhood with very friendly neighbors.
As you approach the side of the building we live in, you come to a path…
Where you can see the common laundry facilities.
Turning left, you approach a stairway. We live on the second floor!
Ascending the stairs, you can see we share our yard with chickens…
And our wraparound balcony leads to a patio set up by our front door.
It has a view of Volcán de Agua!
Entering through the sliding glass door, you immediately see our king-sized bed setup…
With the bathroom off to the right.
Turning left 90 degrees, you can see the living room…
And turning left another 90 degrees you can see our kitchen.
It reminds us of travel trailer kitchen setups for camping! A 4-burner gas stove is on the right.
That’s pretty much it! And it comes with all utilities, including wifi internet.
The price is right too, at $19.36/night with the long stay Airbnb discount of 40%. We’ll be here for 30 nights.
We miss the space of our last bungalow, but we knew that we would have to make sacrifices to stay in Antigua Guatemala on the cheap. And we’ve settled in just fine!
Thanks for reading!
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2 thoughts on “Moving Day – Setting Up Shop in Antigua Guatemala”
Wow what great monolog! I was almost tired, lol. That kitchen could be a challenge, but your ingenuity will cover it I’m sure! Looking forward to hearing your further adventures. Take care♡♡♡ georgie
2 thoughts on “Moving Day – Setting Up Shop in Antigua Guatemala”
Wow what great monolog! I was almost tired, lol. That kitchen could be a challenge, but your ingenuity will cover it I’m sure! Looking forward to hearing your further adventures. Take care♡♡♡ georgie
In the kitchen on the right is a 4 burner stove, with the cover on. It is pretty much a setup like you might find in a travel trailer for camping!