Breakfast was great! The best so far; a huge buffet with as much as you could eat. Unfortunately, those kind of deals are wasted on me as I generally don't eat loads, but TC was there to make up for it as she piled up her plate and prepared snacks for the onward journey.
We climbed on board the waiting boat and set off for Antigua - no not the Caribbean Island of Antigua, we were off to the city of Antigua, one of the ex-capitals of Guatemala.
It seemed like the longest journey of the tour, maybe because it was my last one with the group but six hours on a coach was quite enough. Luckily I managed to knock myself out with a travel sickness pill and unfortunately missed most of the sights, until finally waking up as we drove through Guatemala City - the present capital (I think there have been about three?!) and the largest city in Central America.
About an hour later we reached the city of Antigua and it was certainly a sight for sore (and mosquito bitten) eyes. Founded in 1541 and surrounded by the Acetanango, Fuego and Agua volcanoes, the view from the coach was pretty breathtaking.
After checking into the hotel, Neil took us on the final orientation walk, then was free time to wander around.
The streets are old and cobbled, the buildings stunning Colonnial style and of course there was the main square; The Parque Central, where locals and visitors can often be found sitting on the park benches around the Fuente de Las Sirenas fountain.
With only about an hour to spare before everyone met for our farewell dinner, TC and I tried to take a brief stroll around and get a slight insight into this lovely little city. However, there wasn't enough time in between finding an Internet cafe to check in for our respective flights the following day and getting lost trying to find our way back to the hotel - Antigua is laid out on a grid system, pretty simple and therefore supposedly easy to navigate ... in theory.
It was a great shame that we weren't there for an extra day, with so much more to see including climbing one of the volcanoes! Oh well, I guess next time round?
I decided to make an effort that night, being our last one and actually put on a dress, then plastered on some make up to try and cover up 'the drooping eye'.
TC had asked to fit in one more round of salsa so Neil took us to a lovely restaurant where there was a live band and dancing afterwards.
Two glasses of red wine (remember I am a light weight drinker) and a delicious meal, then I was ready to swing my hips on the dance floor, Latin style. The band started up and I dragged Craig - the farmer from 'up North' (said in Northern accent), into the heaving throng of dancers . I took the lead and showed him a few moves, while he attempted to keep up. Then I figured if one was performing salsa, it would be wrong for one not to have a Mojito! Well one would wouldn't one?
One Mojito later and then Damian was trying to keep up with me on the dance floor, followed by Nick who was actually managing to keep the lead. Then TC?!
It was group photo time then Neil suddenly announced that we should all follow him to a local bar where the dancing was even better and we were off! I stumbled up the cobbled streets trying to keep up with everyone, but by this point the alcohol had approached my knees and they were going numb!
We entered the bar and the room was heaving with people. "Everyone up on the roof terrace!" Neil shouted at us above the noise of the people and loud music blaring out of speakers on either side of the bar.
We trundled (I stumbled) up the winding staircase onto the largish roof terrace where tables where scattered all around near heaters and the bar itself wasn't too busy. I offered Neil a drink as a thank you for the 'burrito moment' a few nights before (still sounds like a euphemism?!) and also offered to get Vicki what she would like. They both opted for a Long Island Ice Tea, I had never had one of those before so thought it was the perfect time to give it a go.
Now when I say these drinks were massive I mean massive - the cup was probably the size of my cereal bowl. Vikki and Neil, obviously hard-core drinkers, had no problem knocking theirs back reasonably fast. I on the other hand was desperate to keep up and managed half way before I started to feel that maybe I should pace myself? Especially when Neil announced that we should all go downstairs for a dance!
At this point TC decided it was time to leave.
I followed the others downstairs - making sure I held tightly onto the banisters as I went on my way.
Jo, my 'up on the bar' dance partner from back at Coco Bongos in Cancun, was just in front of me. I turned round to her and mumbled: "I'm not dancing on the floor with everybody else. I want to get up there on the bar". As I petulantly threw my handbag at Ella sat at the end of the bar.
I didn't have to say it twice; Jo was up there like a flash leaning down and pulling me up next to her. Within seconds the tequila lady was over by which point I had forgotten that I was pacing my alcohol intake as she poured a mouthful of tequila down my throat.
And there we were, Jo and I up on that bar, moving and grooving, twisting and twirling, strutting our stuff for all to see.
Rihanna was blaring out of the speakers and for some reason unknown to myself I thought it was the perfect time to start headbanging?!
So there I was. Shaking my head backwards and forwards up and down left and right as though I was listening to some heavy rock band until after about a minute I realised I was feeling a tad light headed.
I stopped and looked over at Jo who seemed to be staring back at me with a look of horror on her face. The room wasn't just spinning it was going at warp speed around my head and then, everything seemed to move in slow motion ... I saw Jo trying to reach out to me as I tried to reach back to her, but it was too late my balance had gone and I flipped backwards spreadeagled (I have always been elegant) and 'crowd surfed' the people below me!! Good job I was slightly inebriated or I probably would have felt the pain as I heard the cracking sound of my head bouncing off a few heads in the crowd!
Luckily it was my group that I fell back on. Neil and Damian caught me on either side and in one fell swoop lifted me back onto the bar where I immediately carried on dancing with Jo as though nothing had happened!! Personally I thought it looked very professional and well choreographed.
Within seconds an overexcited Neil jumped up on the bar next to me and with a huge grin on his face and his fists scrunched up to his mouth like an excited kid (an endearing Neil mannerism), he said: "I just saved your life!!"
"I know" I replied with an embarrassed smile "Yet again!" It was at that point I decided that I had had enough alcohol for the night.
About an hour or so later, apparently after a few dances with some random guys - I say apparently because I didn't realise that I had until Jo sent me the photos ...
... Vicki, Jo, Damian and myself decided it was time to leave and find pizza! (See I must have been drunk as I've told you before I actually hate pizza!) Unfortunately, (or not) there were no pizza places to be found and after getting lost (so much for the simple grid system!!) we found our way back to the hotel.
I said goodnight and goodbye to my new friends, (trying to hold back my tears as I hugged them), they were going to be off early in the morning for the volcano climb so I wouldn't get to see them before I left for the airport. Then I managed to find my way back to my room where I woke TC up knocking on the door before realising the hotel staff had a spare key.
I stumbled over to my bed - waking TC up again as I knocked into her bed (well the room was the size of a shoe box!!!) I crawled under my covers and as I drifted off to sleep I suddenly remembered the mosquito bite on my droopy eyelid and thought: "How embarassing!"
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