Allgemein EN – Page 2 – Kat´s Truth about Travelling

Escuela de Artes – Santa Ana

An old school that turned into a complete ruin. Somewhat broken and left to rot, with only a roof over the very first room, but beautiful nonetheless. I am a big fan of old buildings, mystical ruins and the soul that these places possess. I also love taking photos of cool ruins. I usually find these pictures much more interesting than photos of perfectly maintained/preserved things. That's why I was magically drawn to this old school. On my tour, I discovered archways, half-brown discoloured and partially broken columns, lots of shutters of which some were overgrown and many with old but still very beautiful glass. Somewhere, someone had randomly parked a bicycle, and in other places I found an empty beer bottle or a broken plastic chair. It's probably not for everyone, but I personally see places like this as works of art created by nature, having been transformed from something made by humans into something new. Go or not? Yes, I think you should :D Even if you don't like places like these or enjoy taking photos of them, it's a cool place that has the perfect mix of beautiful and spooky :D 😊

Lago Coatepeque

A beautiful lake near Santa Ana. Very peaceful and quiet with a few hostels and hotels right on the lake and a road that goes around a little more than half of the lake. I myself visited two different places on a self-planned day trip. At the first stop I saw the lake head-on from a small wooden platform. My second stop was a viewpoint near or at the viewpoint ‘El Gran Mirador 1’. There are various nice viewpoints around the lake, but the bus that goes along the road of the lake does not run super regularly and the distances are a bit far if you are there by foot and only for the day. Thereore I would consider staying overnight to have a little more time. Because the lake is definitely beautiful. Go or not? I don't think the view on the lake from right in front of it is that amazing, but the view from high above was really beautiful 😊 So generally yes, but don’t expect something like Lago Atitlán :D

Volcano Santa Ana

A beautiful hike with great views! That's the Volcano Santa Ana in a nutshell. And not to forget the incredibly cool poisonous green sulphur lake at the bottom of the crater. It's a real eye-catcher :D You could probably go up on your own, but the climb is quite far out and I honestly don't know if you can get there without a car and only using public transport. And frankly I personally doubt it to be honest. But the tour was very reasonably priced, so it should be fine 😊 The climb is moderate and at the beginning leads through earthy terrain that is a little shadier. Once the actual climb begins, however, you walk up the volcano mostly under the sun. Meanwhile the climb there are some really beautiful views – including a view on Lago Coatepeque. But the most beautiful view is, of course, the one down into the crater onto the small yellow-green and poisonously shiny sulphur lake, which also emits light clouds of smoke in a few places. Hike up or not? To be honest, Volcano Santa Ana was the highlight of my time in Santa Ana. So I would definitely recommend everyone to hike it up😊

Central Market – Santa Ana

Pure life and pure chaos. The central market in Santa Ana mainly consists of streets in the centre, especially around the chicken bus terminal, which are full of stalls, people and chaos. Yes, there also is a building that houses the “Mercado Central”, but what’s going on outside is simply much more interesting. Chicken buses squeeze their way along with people through the streets between the stalls and everywhere you look, people are selling, trading, chatting or moving around in this very distinct and typical Latin American manner of hectically relaxed – it sounds contradictory, but if you ever watch how Latinos move when they need to get somewhere ‘quickly’, you'll know what I mean. Go or not? Personally, I am kind of magically attracted to local chaos and markets, so I always find myself in places like this. What was special for me about this market was how intertwined the bus route, the footpath and the market were 😊

Santa Ana

Santa Ana is one of El Salvador's largest cities and a tourist hotspot for anyone travelling through El Salvador. It has a beautiful city centre and some truly beautiful and impressive buildings in its heart. Apart from that, you can also take some very cool day trips from here to Volcano Santa Ana, Ataco or Lago Coatepeque. The city itself has a quiet but lively vibe and this ‘village’ feeling. Although Santa Ana is one of the largest cities in El Salvador, it feels like a small town with a very friendly local vibe. Go or not? Definitely go. When travelling through El Salvador, you can't really avoid Santa Ana because it's the first stop after the border. Apart from that, Santa Ana is also really cute and peaceful 😊

Central Market – Guate City

Dark, underground and filled up until under the roof with all kinds of things. I know that this description doesn't necessarily sound inviting and I admit that I felt a bit like a mole, but I've never experienced a market like this before. In it’s base, it's a market like any other Latin American market, but! It’s underground and two storeys “high” (aka down). And at the very bottom is the food section. And everything is lit by white neon lights. It's... I was fascinated. Go or not? If you're in Guate City anyway, I would check it out, because I've never gone DOWNstairs into a market anywhere else. :D

Guate City

The capital of Guatemala! And only a short drive of about 30 to 45 minutes from Antigua. Actually Guatemala City – as the city is officially called – in spite of being the capital, is quite unspectacular for a capital city. Mexico City, for example, is huge and beautiful in the centre and has all sorts of things to discover. Guate City on the other hand... Not really. Plus the city is not really touristy. Actually not at all. The reason I ended up in Guate City in the first place was because I needed a new camera (mine had broken). The second time I was setting off for a trip with friends from Guate City. Still there obviously are things in Guate City to do. The city itself is just not particularly spectacular. I mean, the central square with the cathedral and town hall are quite nice, but... That's basically it. Sure, there are a few museums, but... Guate City is simply not a tourist magnet. Apart from that, the city doesn't have the best reputation in terms of safety either. I didn't notice much of that, but I only went to the city centre once and to the shopping centre with the camera shop twice... The only really nice thing is the chickenbus journey there. Because during one part, you get thrown from right to left in the chicken bus the whole time. A bit like riding a roller coaster 😊 :D Go or not? To be honest, you can skip Guate City. As I said, I was there more by chance than planned. I did though have the pleasure of the wild chicken bus ride from Antigua to Guate City. That was fun :D The rest I could’ve left out

Chichicastenango

The largest, most extensive, most colourful, cheapest, best-known and also most chaotic market in entire Guatemala. 😊 Chichi – short for Chichicastenango 😉 – is a day trip from Antigua with around one or two changes and... really huge. No matter what you've seen before in other parts of Guatemala, here you'll find everything in every possible colour, pattern and shape. And much much more. Chichicastenango is basically a village or small town that fills up with stalls and Guatemalans as well as tourists every Thursday and Sunday. There are shoes, jackets, trousers, T-shirts, jewellery, household goods, tablecloths, blankets, carpets, traditional costumes... Really EVERYTHING! As I said, I saw Guatemalan things in Chichi that I had never seen before. And they were really cheaper in comparison. Simply because locals and tourists come here to shop. But be careful! Just because it's cheaper here doesn't mean you'll get the cheapest price straight away or that prices are the same everywhere. Bargaining is very important here. And the more winding the alley where you find your favourite item is, the more likely the price will be lower. I tested this out for fun for the same product and the prices were actually lower further inside than further outside. Apart from that, perhaps one more thing: don't even try to explore the entire market, because I am firmly convinced that it is absolutely impossible. The place is huge, chaotic and has so many twists, turns and unstructured winding paths that you'll be lucky to get a good overview and find the cathedral at the end. :D Go or not? Even if you don't want to buy anything or aren't interested in souvenirs or anything like that, I think Chichi is simply pure culture and Guatemalan life. The market is so colourful, so diverse and so full of life and hustle and bustle that it's an experience in itself. So I would definitely recommend Chichi 😊

Hobbitenango – Antigua

A very cute and peaceful place. Hobbitenango is... like a little hobbit land on the slope of a mountain in Antigua. And when I say ‘hobbit land,’ I mean it. Everything is really cute and designed especially for the size of hobbits. Meaning the ceilings of the houses are lower, the style is completely in the style of the Shire, the houses are incredibly cute, the mini golf course – yes, there is one :D – is super tiny and just a miniature version and... It's really just incredibly cute. And you can also stay here overnight... Of course it's not perfect, and die-hard Hobbit and Lord of the Rings fans might find a flaw or two, but overall it's just a very sweetly designed place where you can enjoy beautiful views and simply relax, eat and enjoy a very peaceful vibe 😊 Is it worth it? I'll leave that up to each individual, as it is a little bit further out.

Volcano Pacaya

Lava right in front of your nose. That's Volcano Pacaya in a nutshell. Not for everyone, but honestly? Super cool and an absolutely unique and fascinating experience. For safety reasons, I would only visit Volcano Pacaya on a tour. I honestly don't know if you can get to the starting point of the climb by public transport, but I guess so. Nevertheless, I would go with a tour. Mainly to know how to behave on site and what you can and cannot do. At the beginning of the tour, you will be picked up at a specific point – which will be communicated in advance – and then taken by minibus to the foot of the volcano. From there you will walk through earthy and densely wooded – i.e. shady – terrain. I frankly found the climb relatively easy, but we were also walking quite slowly. Once at the top, the area becomes more open and shortly afterwards you stand in front of a thick, fat lava flow, grey on the surface, that has flowed down from Volcano Pacaya. It is grey because that is what partially cooled lava looks like. I wouldn't touch anything though :D Because the heat is still really intense and basically radiates from the lava. Our guide explained things to us on site and also showed us what we could actually do with the lava. On the one hand, the lava is so hot that it is still moving/flowing – which you can see clearly or less clearly depending on where you are/look. Meanwhile you can still do something with it. And our guide showed us how to. He basically showed us how we could poke the lava with sticks – under supervision of course. The poking causes fire and flames erupting at the spot where you poke it. And honestly... it's just really crazy and really cool. I had the possibility of trying it myself and... it was quite an experience... and really hot! From a distance of less than two metres you really start to notice it... At one point, the guide even took out a piece of lava with his stick, poured water over it to cool it down, and a few minutes later people roasted marshmallows on it – no joke. Do it or not? Regardless of whether you generally like playing with fire or not... It's absolutely fascinating, completely unique, extreme and, to be honest, quite magical in a way. I mean, when do you ever get the chance to get so close to lava and interact with it without being in danger? And even if you don't want to – which is perfectly legitimate – when do you ever see or do something like this? I know I wouldn't wanna miss out on the experience of seeing lava that close up in a completely safe environment and even poking in it! And by the way, you also gain a whole new respect for lava, because the heat is really intense and completely different from what you're used to with fire, for example. So definitely yes!