Guest entry by my mom about her visit, part 6 of 14

DAY 5 (Antigua > Champollap):

This morning we'll head out for Elizabeth's village, Champollap, where we'll spend a week. To fortify ourselves for the day-long trip, we hit up our favorite breakfast place, the Bagel Barn. Here's what we order.

• Brian: The "Uncle Sammy" (potatoes, eggs, bacon, and cheese) on a sesame bagel, a cappuccino, and a watermelon-mint smoothie.
• Elizabeth: Half of a sweet-pepper-and-cilantro bagel with herbed garlic butter and a strawberry-cilantro smoothie.
• Mom: The other half of Elizabeth's bagel and a Maya-nut smoothie. 

The nutrient-rich Maya nut used to be a staple food in indigenous (preHispanic) cultures.
The nut is reportedly making a come-back. Good for people, good for rainforests.

After breakfast, we happen upon a parade of Miss Antigua contestants with their escorts and their parasols. Some of the couples are on foot, others in horse-drawn carriages. No use protesting the desire of women around the world and across the centuries to be judged beautiful as long as men desire them accordingly. It's a long parade.

The Miss Antigua parade

11:00 am - Van to Guatemala City (aka Guate). 

1:30 pm - Bus to San Marcos.

7:20 pm - Taxi to Champollap.

The taxi driver who takes us to Elizabeth's door refuses to negotiate on his asking price -- the only time I ever saw this happen. He wants the full 35 quetzales (almost $5) to make the 20-minute drive to Champollap. The road is that bad, he says.  

We thought we had been on bad roads before this. Hah! This is a road that you feel every inch of, no matter how slowly the vehicle is going. There's no avoiding the potholes. (Tomorrow we'll get to see them in the light of day.)

The road to Champollap

Finally, around 8 pm, we're home. Elizabeth's very own place! 

Margarita and her new playmate