Chasing Flowers, Hobbits & Volcanoes

Festival de las Flores – Antigua

On the 14^th of November, we headed off to Antigua with a group of fellow cruisers to experience the beautiful Festival de las Flores (Flower Festival). This colourful celebration began in 2017 as a local initiative by artists who simply wanted to bring joy, colour and life to this beautiful historic town. This was our second visit to Antigua, which turned out to be so much more than we expected.

Whenever you travel with a group, there’s always that little question mark hovering in the background, “will everyone get along, will personalities clash?” Because, let’s be honest, so much of any trip comes down to the people you share it with. In fact, even a terrible destination can be amazing if the company is right. Luckily for us, we struck it lucky. It was a fantastic trip with a truly wonderful group of people, organised by fellow cruisers from SV Ultra, who BTW also do some amazing charity work both in Guatemala and Honduras.

On the eve of the festival, we wandered through Antigua’s tiny, ancient cobblestone streets and found the town buzzing with activity. Locals were everywhere, setting up for the big day, thousands of flowers stacked in boxes, being transformed into arches, car decorations, storefront displays and on just about every imaginable surface. Even before everything was finished, we knew one thing for certain, the next day was going to be something special.

Hostel Accommodation

Before diving into that, though, a small but important side note…. accommodation. We decided to stay in the same place as the rest of the group, partly for convenience, partly because it fit everyone’s budget. And this place was ………...a hostel. Yes, A HOSTEL. I hadn’t stayed in a hostel or backpackers in 32 years, and Eric had never stayed in one at all. So, naturally, we were both mildly terrified.

Turns out we had nothing to worry about. WOW!!! Have hostels changed since my delightful age of 18-year-old days. We had a private room (let’s be real, those dorm days are long gone) a private bathroom, beautiful crisp white bedding, and spotless facilities. There were two restaurants, a bar, a swimming pool, and even a spa. Honestly, it felt far more like a comfortable hotel than anything resembling my youthful memories of bunk beds and questionable bathrooms. To be fair there were plenty dorm rooms and shared bathrooms, but not for us. A very pleasant surprise, and somewhere we’d happily stay again.

Festival Day

The following morning, after breakfast, our group hit the streets to see what the locals had been working on all night. And……...WOW. The beauty was breathtaking. In a country often described as “third world,” the love, pride, and effort poured into this festival were overwhelming. The streets were alive with colour and creativity.

I will share photos, of course, though they truly don’t do it justice. What still boggles my mind is how a country with so much poverty can create something so magnificent. The streets were packed shoulder to shoulder with locals and a sprinkling of foreigners, all simply enjoying the beauty created by human hands and nature’s flowers. At no point did I feel unsafe or uneasy, just completely immersed in something joyful, vibrant and deeply human.

Of course, Eric and I somehow always manage to locate the very best wine bars in any town we visit, and Antigua was no exception. Tucked away and delightfully tiny, the kind of place filled with a perfect mix of locals and travelers, obviously fantastic wine, and the friendliest staff. As a little extra they even offered beautiful face painting for us grown up ladies, as well as for the local kiddos hanging outside. Wine, laughter and paint what more could one wish for.

In true Roelofsen style, we may (or may not) have spent a few too many hours there over the course of a few days, soaking up great wine and company, with the lovely feeling of having absolutely nowhere else to be.

The Adventure of Hobbits

Once the flower festival came to an end and all those beautiful blooms had officially departed for flower heaven, we decided to walk up a hill so steep it felt like it had been designed to test our ability to not fall backwards. As always though the climb was worth it, at the top of this hill was Hobbitenango, a place that started as a passion project, has grown into a wonderful eco-friendly space that creates jobs for the local community. The name really does say it all. Everything is driven by fantasy, tiny arched doorways, whimsical structures and details that looks like it is out of a story book. When I say tiny, I mean tiny. This quickly became very clear when Eric started collecting head knocks like souvenirs. Unsurprisingly this was not his favourite stop of the trip. That said, it’s nothing short of miraculous that he managed to walk away still able to think and function normally, although that might be up for debate.

The Hike That Never Happened

Now for a little backstory, something you may have read about in a previous post. We had every intention of climbing the dormant volcan to get a front row seat to Fuego erupting. We had planned, we had mentally prepared, and we had even convinced ourselves we were fitter than we probably are. Unfortunately, the mountain had other ideas. It was completely wrapped in fog the entire time we were there.

Yes, technically we could have climbed it anyway. But those of you who really know us will also know we are definitely not fitness fanatics. This climb was always about the experience, and the view. When there is no view, suddenly the idea of voluntarily putting your body through that level of  “character building” loses its appeal. So, we decided to listen to our instincts (and knees) and save this adventure for another time. Maybe next year. Same place, clear skies ……. Possibly better fitness. Everything happens for a reason, right?

There was a hint of disappointment, of course, but I also truly believe that things unfold exactly as they should. Needless to say, when we were about to leave Antigua, Fuego made a brief appearance. On the morning of our departure, it lifted its head and gave us a small daytime display right from our bedroom window, almost as if to say hello & goodbye. It lasted about an hour before disappearing again. Even volcanoes, it seems, like a little privacy from the thousands of curious and adventurous humans watching their every move.

These days so much of our life revolves around nature and the elements, right down to something as simple as grocery shopping. Maybe that’s the quiet lesson in all of this, you can plan, prepare and hope all you like, but in the end, nature decides and has the final say.