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StoriesTravel

Adios, Antigua

written by Brenna Holeman June 2, 2012
antigua-guatemala-1 antigua-guatemala-2 antigua-guatemala-3 antigua-guatemala-4 antigua-guatemala-5 antigua-guatemala-6 antigua-guatemala-7 antigua-guatemala-8 antigua-guatemala-9 antigua-guatemala-10

Antigua, Guatemala

As it is with nearly every place I visit, I don’t feel like I had enough time with Antigua; I always wish I had done more, I had seen more. I thought I would live here for two months, butI’m departing after just under one month, so it was my choice and my choice alone to leave some of the place uncovered. There’s not one particular thing about the small city that is making me want to leave; it has its downfalls, of course (it’s a bit expensive, it rains every afternoon, all afternoon, etc), but the real reason I am leaving Antigua is simply because I want to be somewhere else, I want to see something else. Though I travelled through North America last autumn, I haven’t felt this sense of freedom to go wherever the wind takes me since I left Indonesia last August. My hands are constantly flipping through guidebooks. My mind is constantly imagining blue waters and white sand. My feet are itchy.

And so, I’m allowing myself to move on. I never want to force staying in a place simply because that was the original plan; life is too short and my budget is too limited. I will miss the brightly-coloured buildings that line the stoned streets, I will miss the kids blowing bubbles and running around Parque Central, I will miss the little cafes and bars I’ve become familiar with, I will even sometimes miss the peace the rain brings after lunch, when there is nothing more to do than study Spanish and read a book. I came here to study and I came here to write; while I’m happy with the two intensive weeks of Spanish I took, I didn’t quite feel the inspiration I thought I’d have to write as much as I wanted to. Antigua was not the muse I thought she’d be.

Tomorrow, I’m off to Honduras, another new country for me. I’ll explore the ruins of Copan before heading east to the Bay Islands; I have at least ten days of diving and studying more Spanish ahead of me. Will the sandy shores of Utila give me the inspiration I crave, make me fall in love? Like so many places I’ve loved in the past – Jaisalmer and Paris, Luang Prabang and Ljubljana, Osaka and Marrakech, St. Petersburg and Halifax – I can only hope that Honduras joins this list.

But that’s the thing about travelling: you never really know until you get there.

Adios, Antigua.

*Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook and Twitter!*

GuatemalaNorth America
6 comments
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Brenna Holeman

Brenna Holeman has travelled to over 100 countries in the past 15 years, many of them solo. She's a big fan of whisky and window seats.

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Making Chocolate In Guatemala
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Hola, Honduras!

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6 comments

Megan C. Stroup June 2, 2012 - 10:27 pm

The dogs in the bed of that truck are precious! Great picture.

Reply
Audrey | That Backpacker June 3, 2012 - 12:35 am

I really like the shot of the street with the volcano peeking over the clouds! What a view!

Sometimes it’s best to keep moving if you’re not feeling the destination. 🙂 Enjoy Honduraaaas!

Reply
thetranslationgenotype June 3, 2012 - 3:13 am

Writing from hot La Ceiba and taking the ferry first thing tomorrow morning. See you soon!

Nico

Reply
Andi of My Beautiful Adventures June 3, 2012 - 2:40 pm

Ahhhhh I’m so jealous, I’ve been dying to dive in Honduras! Safe travels!!! Besos!

Reply
Ekua June 3, 2012 - 9:04 pm

So nice to feel the freedom to stay or leave as you please! I do that (on a smaller scale since I typically don’t travel for a months at a time) because I’ve realized I felt obligated to stay when I really wanted to explore somewhere else. It’s one of the best travel feelings to break out of doing what you think you should do! Looking forward to hearing about Honduras!

Reply
This Battered Suitcase June 4, 2012 - 3:15 am

Megan – Thank you! They waited so long and so patiently for their owner, they were so cute.

Audrey – Thanks! And I totally agree, sometimes it is best just to listen to your intuition…

Nico – Yes! I can’t wait! I’ve been in the rain for too long…

Andi – Thank you! I’m sure I will have lots of updates…

Ekua – Totally, no point in staying if you aren’t feeling a place. I’m very excited to be in Honduras!!

Reply

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About Me

About Me

Hi, I'm Brenna

My name is Brenna Holeman and I drink a lot of whisky. No, wait. That’s not how I want to start. After travelling to more than 100 countries over the past 15 years, many of them solo, I tend to write about travel a lot, but I write about other things, too: getting dumped, buying way too much jewellery, and yeah, OK, whisky (none of those things are related, I swear). You’ll find a mix of advice, opinion pieces, and stories on this blog, but either way, I hope to make you want to read more. And up next? I'm about to become a single mom to a beautiful baby boy, the biggest solo adventure I've ever been on. For more about me and what you'll find on This Battered Suitcase, click here .

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Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life." - Jack Kerouac

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Originally from Canada, all I've ever wanted to do is travel. After eleven years of solo travel and over 90 countries, I'm currently living in London and fulfilling my other dream of becoming a writer. If I'm not travelling, I'm writing about it, either for my blog, my job, or my book. I firmly believe there is adventure everywhere, so long as you keep your eyes (and your mind, and your heart) open. Join me as I continue to look for these adventures. Hopefully you'll find your own, too.

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