Like arepas in South America and gorditas in Mexico, pupusas are made of corn dough. In Central America, the dry corn for pupusa dough is soaked in an alkaline solution to remove the tough outer skin and preserve the nutrients in the kernels. In the US, we call this resultant corn process "hominy." Pupusas don't have to have a filling but almost everything's better with cheese!

Imagine being able to sip flavorful Guatemalan coffee while taking in the view of Volcán Agua, which changes color from dark green in the morning to an almost purple at dusk. Rent the Grand Suite at Meson Panza Verde and you can. Established in 1986 as Antigua's first boutique hotel, Meson Panza Verde's "Grand Suite" is huge and beautiful and only $250 during low season (Summer), which is still an amazing time to be here. A room like this in other countries could garner anywhere from $1000-$5,000 a night. www.panzaverde.com

Few cities in Central America can rival Antigua Guatemala for its setting: a mile high, surrounded by volcanoes, with a spring-like climate all year round. The first time we visited Antigua, we spent a week here, taking intensive Spanish classes in the mornings, wandering the city in the afternoons, sipping the best coffee we'd ever tasted. The inhabitants are nicknamed 'panza verde'--'green belly,' due to all of the avocados that grow on the hills surrounding the colonial city. Antigua was the capital of Spanish Central America for over two centuries, until earthquakes in the 1770's flattened much of the city, causing the Spanish to relocate their capital to what is now Guatemala City. The patina of time has settled over this place; half-ruined sites still languish amidst the throngs of language students and visitors. Early mornings are still calm here, almost impossibly picturesque. The three volcanoes, Agua (3760m/12336ft, seen here), Fuego (3763m/12345ft) and Acatenango (3976m/13045ft), loom over the bougainvillea and tiled-roofs...And in this streetscape, you can see the Arco de Santa Catalina, one of the icons of the city, originally built so that cloistered nuns could cross over the street without being seen...

Aside from the religious events, what makes the Semana Santa (Holy Week) celebration in Antigua, Guatemala so unique are the flower and sawdust “alfombras” (carpets) created on the cobblestone streets of the town. These huge works of art are created by anyone who wants to and exist for the sole purpose of the Semana Santa processional floats to parade over. The making of the sawdust carpets starts with sand being spread over the cobblestone streets to level the ground. Next, dyed sawdust in hues of all colors are gently sprinkled through intricately designed cardboard stencils. Flowers, seeds, plants, vegetables, and pine needles are often added as final touches. There are numerous processional floats parading through town for several days leading up to Easter so new alfombras are constantly being created over the course of the week. Every alfombra is truly a labor of love and special in its own way.

A woman walks past a door on the streets of downtown Antigua in Guatemala. Antigua is a picturesque colonial town, like many other colonial towns one might see in Central and South America. Old colonial buildings abound, as expected, but the city is also quite modern and has numerous modern amenities making it easy for tourists (as evidenced by the Wi-Fi sign in this photo!).

La Cuevita de lo Urquizu was far and away the best restaurant we visited in Antigua. The set up: Choose one from among the gorgeous meat stews that are displayed streetside, and then select two sides from an array of options arranged on a long table that stretches back into the heart of restaurant. Even if you don't know what's in the stew, just choose the one that looks best - they're all delicious. Find it at 2 Calle Oriente 9.

We stumbled upon this place on an evening stroll in Antigua. I vote this bar run by an energetic couple, Carlos and Carolina, the most AFARish place in the city. You feel like you are in their living room because you basically are. You can dine upstairs, which requires climbing a ladder. Try the lomito. You won't regret coming here. Opens at 4pm.

On a hillside, just north of Antigua, stands this stone cross. From the top of Cerro de la Cruz (Hill of the Cross), you have sweeping views south over the city of Antigua with the magnificent Volcán de Agua, towering over the landscape. I would recommend going up to Cerro de la Cruz only after you have already spent time in Antigua. That way, when you get up to the hill and look over the city, you can try and find all the landmarks that you visited. That is what we did when were there – trying to spot the Arco de Santa Catalina, Iglesia La Merced, Parque Central, Fernando’s (our favorite place for coffee) etc.

In the marketplace of Antigua, colorful sawdust piles hint at the beginning of Semana Santa. Starting at midnight on Holy Saturday, artists all over Guatemala labor through the night designing giant sawdust carpets to blanket the cobblestone roads. These alfombra artists combine Mayan and Catholic iconography into beautiful artistic creations and when the sun rises, the carpets are destroyed as priests and acolytes process over them carrying statues of Christ and the saints. Beautiful and impermanent, just like life.

During "Semana Santa" (the Holy Week of Easter), every neighborhood gets together to create these beautiful "carpets" - all hand made with flowers. Antigua's streets are so covered in flowers that traffic becomes an absolute nightmare. But it's all worth it for that ephemeral beauty is astonishing!

We went to Guatemala on my 40th birthday. I was itching to go somewhere with true culture, lots of color and charm. My gypsy soul was calling. The city of Antigua is a lovely base of operations. It is a renovated colonial town filled with cobblestone streets, warm hued haciendas and the smell of the mountains in the air. A feeling of eternal Spring. We arrived just in time for the famed processionals through the streets for Easter. Pilgrims from all over the highlands of Central America were descending on the small jewel of a city dressed in their traditional Mayan colors. Lovely people with devotion on their faces and a contented calm that I had not felt since Bali. In fact, in a strange way Guatemala reminded me of Bali. Spiritual devotion resulting in sublime peace despite the obvious poverty. Color and ceremony influencing everyday life providing meaning, connection and pride over the mundane and everyday. I was thrilled to immerse myself in this energy again. We enjoyed staying in a small, boutique hotel filled with antiques and local art. Just my style. The owners a lovely couple who provided authentic mayan food on the sunny terrace with a view to the volcano for breakfast every morning, the hint of distant burning mountain wood mixing with our own little outdoor fire warming us in the brisk morning air.

At the end of a week-long stay in Antigua, attending intensive language classes, my brain was full of newly acquired verb-tenses and vocabulary lists--pleasantly full, but tired. I let my wife sleep in as I went for an early morning walk around the colonial city, word-free...No busloads of tourists, no vendors, no traffic--just the volcanoes looming over the quiet cobblestones, lush over a sea of tiled roofs...

Antigua is a growing tourist destination, and it has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site with its well-preserved Baroque architecture as well as a number of spectacular ruins of colonial churches. With cobblestones streets, and nice quiet environment, Antigua can be the prefect destination for any vacationer anytime of the year.

We were driving through Guatemala in May 2011. On our way from Antigua to Petenchel, we stopped over at a small restaurant for rest and lunch. Outside, there were three or four armed military personnel, alittle scary. Some vendors were selling cashews and nuts to the visitors. The woman in the picture and the kid caught my attention. She isn't begging! Far from the truth. She is trying to sell snacks, and afraid of the military personnel. One can see the scare in her face. But, the kid watches the visitors and the military personnel. Nonchalance is the word! Don't you love him. I couldn't but love this incident. I love this kid. Don't you?

If you're feeling a bit peckish on a Saturday in Antigua Guatemala, do your tastebuds and your eyes a favor and head straight for Cafe de la Fuente. The graceful colonial courtyard setting of the restaurant makes it worth a stop pretty much any day of the week, but on Saturday, there's a special huipil market that adds a dazzling array of color to the scene. You can find huipiles, fajas (belts), tzutes (a sort of all-purpose cloth) and other Guatemalan textiles from pueblos all across the country. Bargaining is low-key and quiet, and you're almost guaranteed to find a treasure. Cafe de la Fuente, 4 Calle Oriente 14, Antigua Guatemala

The La Merced procession during Semana Santa in Antigua, Guatemala, is the culmination of a week of celebration, of parades and sand carpets. Having gotten up at 3:00am to watch the cobblestone streets of Antigua transform into works of art created by the city’s residents using colored sand, straw, fruit, flowers and seashells, we made our way to the imposing yellow church, La Merced. At 7:00am the procession of floats begins, emerging from within the church. The artwork is trampled beneath the feet of hundreds of men and women carrying the stupendous weight of wooden floats, many built hundreds of years ago. Men dressed as Roman soldiers, 3 prisoners who were released from jail at dawn, men swinging incense burners, marching bands and the float carriers zig zag through the streets all day long. If ever there was a more glorious celebration of Easter Sunday, I have yet to witness it.

Guatemala is one of the countries of Central America that I enjoyed the most. I fell in love with the city of Antigua for two reasons: one I love the rustic feel of the city and two the exposure to the indigenous people. If you go to Antigua stay at a hotel called Hotel La Cathedral, it a beautiful 16th century home that has been converted into a small but quaint hotel.

A chicken bus is a colloquial English name for the colorful modified and decorated US school bus and transit bus in Guatemala. The word "chicken" refers to the fact that rural Guatemalans occasionally transport live animals on such buses, which the foreigners find astonished.

When in Antigua, definitely stop by the Casa Santa Domingo. First off, this place ain't no ordinary casa! It is a large hotel (convention center, spa, museum etc) but executed well. There is a lot of history and guides standing out front would happily show you around. We were in the mood for just soaking it up on our own. You will enjoy the colorful tropical birds, the beautiful fountain and the historic ruins. It was the bastion of one of the grandest convents of the Americas (according to them.) If you like every amenity at your fingertips then this is the place for you in Antigua. At the very least stroll the grounds and have a Gallo, Guatemala's national beer.

If you want to get between cities in Guatemala - or just have a fun adventure exploring - jump on the "chicken bus". It's a very affordable way of getting around - but it certainly helps A LOT if you can speak at least some Spanish as you'll be well out of the tourist zone on here!