Once we land in Guatemala

Barbra will meet us.

It'll be fairly late & definitely dark.

We will go to her house in Villa Nueva, a zone of Guatemala City.

Barbra has lived & worked faithfully as a regular pioneer from that base for many years. We have been special friends with her since the early '70s.

We'll attend meetings with her congregation & go in service through till Monday when we move into our rented house in Antigua. 

Flights & Arrivals

It was a beautiful clear blue sky day.

We set off to the airport at 6.40.

Our Flight Itinerary as follows

Leaving Heathrow 10.05 am

Arrive Miami 3.30 pm US time (9 hours in the air)

Layover of 3.5 hours in Miami International Airport 

Miami to Guatemala 7.15pm arrive 7.45 pm GT time (2 hours in air)

Flights were fairly good if that kind of thing is ever good! 

That was how we felt at the start & midway - but by the end we were beyond shattered!! 

Time passed between snoozing, eating the plastic meals, watching the movies ( at least my iPhone headset made more sense comfort wise & provided decent sounds) along with some reading too but what else is there to do - unfortunately I  ended up with a bashing headache on the LHR - MIA but that's the price you pay for economy. How Barbra gets all her upgrades I'll never know 'Pod travel 'n champagne - fillet mignon with Merlot '.

Arh witnessing! No opportunities presented on the first leg as passengers on both sides were snoozing so none this time but there will be plenty of time & opportunities in the days to come .....

Once this part is over at least we've time to recover and then get into our new lifestyle. 

It was a very very long day. In total we were awake & on the go for over 23hrs. 

Especially made worse due to 'odd manner of people processing' in MIA through immigration which took forever - HUGE queues & so slow, then baggage collection (??? Barbra said this seems the only US airport that doesn't transit luggage all through to end destination for you) with a re-check in of hand luggage at security then a hike round the airport plus a sudden gate change. 

Despite it all we arrived tremendously EXCITED & totally WELCOMED by our family BARBRA.

Time for fun now - let's unpack properly tomorrow!!!

Antigua Facts

The City Economy

Tourism is the main driver of the economy. Antigua is also a coffee-producing region of Anacafé.

So we will add some on both counts!

Pre Vacation a visit with the Northolt Congregation

We are off to our last UK meeting for 7 weeks with London Northolt Cong.

We fly in the morning with American Airlines to Guatemala.

Here we are after tea at Amanda & Victors ready to go with them on the first meeting of the week Tuesday night (CO week)  ..... 

A car journey 40 min to drive 8 miles.....

Assigned Congregation

When we arrive we are planning to join the:

Parque San Sebastian ingles-Antigua, Sac
Congregation

Meeting Tuesday, 7 pm & Sunday, 4 pm

At: 1a. Calle del Chajon #32
Antigua Guatemala, Sac.

see jw.org for the location map


This Kingdom Hall is approximately 1 mile from the house (view below) we have rented in Calle de Candelaria

Gaunt-emala October - December 2013

Key question: What will the Weather be like in Antigua Guatemala.

Yes, what will the weather be like in Antigua Guatemala. As it is located in the tropics it has comfortable  weather all year long.  Its high elevation keeps the city from getting too hot in the summer, the average daytime temperature all year 'round being in the 70's, unlike some other parts of the country which are closer to sea level and which can become very hot and humid.  Antigua's night time temperatures tend to drop into the 50's, requiring a jacket. 

Antigua does have a rainy season which lasts from May through September.  During this season it rains nearly every day in the late afternoon and evening.  The remainder of the calendar year is relatively dry.

Because of its pleasant weather Antigua is a great place to visit at any time of year.  Many visitors from North America and Europe choose to visit during the winter months to escape the cold, but it is also a popular destination for students learning Spanish during the summer, as well as at other times of year. 

It is also a great destination for 'Need Greaters' (the name given to pioneer volunteers who use vacation time in service assignments) ones with or without Spanish language are welcome as there are three English  Language Congregations in GT; Panajachel, Antigua & Guatemala City  

Temperatures

October 22 c or 72 f

November 21 c or 71 f

December 21 c or 72 f