23rd January
I came to the Earth Lodge twenty minutes drive outside of Antigua today. It's touted as a get away, a quiet secluded spot with magnificent views. The views are fantastic. You can see three volcanoes from the terrace, but it's not so quiet. It's the busiest eatery I've seen since I arrived in this area, and that includes the whole of Antigua.
It's Saturday, so it's packed with grim-faced wealthy Guatemalans, clearly unimpressed by this place. They look lost. Expecting something very different, something more especial. The view is amazing, but I think it's old hat to many. An erupting volcano becomes background to many here.
I'm due to sleep 2 nights with the third night free but I'll likely leave tomorrow. I cant wait until the restaurant closes at three and all the day trippers bugger off.
Bugger off day trippers, I'm sleeping here.
Spoke to a couple of very interesting Guatemalan day trippers later in the evening. They spoke very good English and were obviously well educated. They told me it was easy to climb the volcano without a guide and Franz (Austrian father) had done it a few times before. I wanted to find out more about their international work and adventures, (he had once lived in Little Venice in London for two years), but it was soon time to close the bar and they had late night parties to attend.
That night was the coldest in a while and sleeping in a dorm, (as nothing else was available), just added to my frequently disturbed slumber. At around 2am two young Norwegian girls got up and began packing their bags nosily for around half an hour. I was awake for hours after that, until I realised they had left blankets I could pilfer to line my wooden nest. So cold! At around 1500m it can get pretty chilly here at night, but that's the very reason so many people get stuck in this region. The lowlands are sweltering, even in winter.
If any dorm dwellers are reading this, the rule is: pack before you go to bed. Wake up, grab your pack, and head out. Shhh.
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