When given coffee beans enjoy a cup of coffee in Guatemala!

Last week, I traveled to Antigua, Guatemala, for my college friend’s Wedding.

I was excited to accompany my friend on her special day. Also, I was excited to visit
Guatemala for the first time. I knew my journey on keeping my healthy eating habits will be
a little more challenging since most of the food I will be consuming were from hotels and
restaurants.  So I created a personal goal to enjoy everything in moderation and to continue
exercising and walking for an hour every day while in Guatemala.  

On the first day, we were scheduled to go to Finca Filadelfia for a welcome breakfast and
coffee tour. This was my introduction of a very hearty Guatemalan Breakfast. The menu included appetizers: oatmeal ( Avena), Guatemalan cookies that were not really
sweet, but it complemented the Avena very well. For the main dish, we had ripe plantains with
scrambled eggs with onions and tomatoes, dobladitas(empanadas) de queso, refried black
beans, Queso fresco(Cheese)and tortillas.

Yum! After this delicious meal, I was ready for a nap.

The next day, we decided to walk around town, talk to locals, and enjoy the delicacies that Antigua offered. We Stroll around the unpaved streets (Still counting my steps)  we saw beautiful colonial houses, bridges, museums, and churches.

People were kind and helpful when we needed guidance for directions. Some of the places that the locals highly suggested visiting were ChocoMuseum,  La Cuevita de Urquizu, and the public market. 

At the Choco Museum, we learn about the cultivation and production of the cocoa beans into chocolate.  The venue smelled like roasted cocoa with hints of sugar cane, molasses, and spices. There were many flavors and forms of chocolate to chose from. I love how the

people at the Choco Museum were knowledgeable and helpful, answering questions about cocoa.

After we finished at the Choco Museum, we continue walking the streets of Antigua.

We missed a few turns which delayed us for thirty minutes to our destination at the 

Antigua Farmer's market. Once we arrived at the market, I saw an array of small stands full of fruits, legumes, vegetables, spices, and life stock. Many fruits are common in Latin America but are challenging to find in the States.

Finally, we stopped by a small hole in the wall restaurant for dinner at " La Cuevita de Los Urquizu" This place had traditional Guatemalan Cusine. When you entered the restaurant, you will notice big cauldrons with different stew recipes. Some of the stews were pepián (chicken and vegetables in a piquant pumpkin seed sauce), kaq'ik (spicy turkey stew), jocón (an herbed green stew of chicken or pork with tomatillos) and other Guatemalan favorites,  sides to accompany the main course and of course homemade corn tortillas.