Arrived in Guatemala City on a direct flight from Newark airport, and, as is the custom with this company, were greeted promptly and courteously, and taken to our hotel in Antigua in time to rest and walk around the town for a bit. The road trip to Antigua included an amazingly long and steep hill, on which it is quite possible to burn out your …

On our way to Lake Atitlan, we stopped for lunch and shopping in this amazing kaleidoscope of colors, smells, and sounds. There is SO much merchandise for sale!! My favorites, though, were the indoor produce market and the flower market on the stairs of a white church. In front of the church there were two old men doing a benediction with incense …

While crossing the somewhat choppy lake in a small motorboat, we saw fishermen in traditional boats, along with windsurfers speeding across the surface of this gorgeous lake. Our hotel faced one of the volcano cones in a somewhat secluded bay of the lake, and the view from the pool deck was wonderful. Unfortunately for me, I indulged a bit too …

On the move again (returning to Antigua), we stopped in the village of Panajachel and the town square and market of Solola. This market was a bit smaller, with a lot more hustle and bustle on the part of the merchants. One of these days I'm going to try balancing my laundry basket on my head - the women here make it look so easy, even with very …

I nevered imagined that I would be able to climb an active volcano and come within just a few yards of freely flowing lava, but that's exactly what I did. After "skiing" down the pumice field, we were close enough to the lava to hear it crackling, feel its heat, and even throw rocks into it. We remained up there until sunset, and walked …

The mother of all Mayan ruins? If not, whatever is better must be truly spectacular. This was a great time of year to go, as the weather was perfect and the crowds nonexistent. As we walked through the jungle, we saw and heard numerous birds and monkeys, including the infamous howler monkeys. The oddest moment came when we witnessed what has …

The town of Flores is a pretty little island, with colorful shops and restaurants and a gorgeous lakeside area. The highlight of our walking tour, though, occurred when we reached the square in front of the church at the top of the hill. While having some really good ice cream and sitting in the shade under some small trees, we heard a man playing …

One night in Guatemala City to regroup is all that remained after a truly enjoyable week of sights and experiences. One last memory for the road: as we were sitting at the airport in Flores, I bought a small bag of cookies for the flight, which we of course started eating right away. I had two left, and was putting them in my bag, when I sensed …