Good Gets Better

After living in La Antigua in 2002-03 and moving back recently, I’ve noticed a lot of changes, from striking to subtle. In no particular order, they include:

• New landscaping along much of the highway from Guatemala City to Antigua. Medians and shoulders sprout colorful groundcover, lilies and shrubs. Nice.

• Traffic cops at busy intersections in Antigua, adding an element of safety and order for motorists and pedestrians.

• Bus attendants no longer shouting “Guate! Guate!” at the top of their lungs day in and day out. And people still seem to get there.

• The silencing of the obnoxious whistle at the Nestle plant, thank you very much. Loud enough to wake the dead, it never should’ve been allowed so close to the cemetery in the first place.
• Tuk-tuks swarming like gnats. After my first and only jostling ride, I had to hobble into a chiropractor a day or two later to shove my vertebrae back into alignment.

• Volcán de Fuego acting up more often. Given Pacaya’s blow last May, I worry sometimes. (Everything’s connected, that’s my theory.)

• Prohibiting drivers from blowing their horns in Antigua. Now that’s progress. Maybe they can outlaw urinating in the streets, too. (Sorry, guys, but those light poles you hide behind don’t conceal what you’re doing.)

• Smoke-free rooftop bars and cafés. Great settings to enjoy our volcanic surroundings.

• A Q16,000,000 facelift and renovation of the Palace of the Captains General. Quite a sight at night with all the new lights.

Life in Antigua was pretty nice before, now it’s even better.