Antigua - Lili on the Loose

18 06, 2015

Making Chocolate in Antigua, Guatemala

By Lili|June 18th, 2015|Categories: Activities, Museums, Travel|Tags: 2013, Antigua, Bean to Bar, Beans, Cacao, Cacao Beans, Cacao Butter, Cacao Powder, Cacao Shells, Cacao Tea, Central America, Choco Museo, chocolate, Chocolate Museum, Chocolate Tea, class, Cocoa, Cocoa Beans, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Powwder, Cocoa Shells, Cocoa Tea, dark chocolate, European Hot Chocolate, Guatemala, hot chocolate, Hucks, Kakawa, Mayan Encounter 2013, Mayan Hot Chocolate, milk chocolate, Nibs, Shells, Travel Thursday, workshop|0 Comments

One of my favorite activities in Guatemala was making chocolate! On my first day in Antigua, I visited the Choco Museo and did their “Bean to Bar” Workshop. This is a 2 hour class that is offered at various times throughout the day and is a lot of fun for all ages! A traditional Mayan grinding stand, with actual chocolate being ground into Cacao Liquor. They first walk you through the museum. While the museum is free, I got a lot more out of it and the hands on displays while the teacher explained things in more detail.

11 05, 2015

Museum Monday: Choco Museo / Chocolate Museum

By Lili|May 11th, 2015|Categories: Museums, Travel|Tags: 2013, Antigua, Beans, Cacao, Cacao Beans, Cacao Butter, Cacao Powder, Cacao Shells, Central America, Choco Museo, chocolate, Chocolate Museum, Cocoa, Cocoa Beans, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Powwder, Cocoa Shells, Guatemala, Hucks, Mayan Encounter 2013, Nibs, Shells|0 Comments

As an American, we eat so much chocolate, but rarely think of where it comes from or how it is made. That is why I decided to visit the Choco Museo in Antigua, Guatemala. Beyond learning about the history of chocolate and its uses over time I was more fascinated to simply learn about where chocolate comes from! Chocolate is from the cacao tree. This tree is very picky on where it lives, and only grows in certain parts of Central & South America, the Caribbean, West Africa, and a few plantations in Asia. There are also different types of

24 01, 2015

Souvenir Saturday: Guatemalan Jade

By Lili|January 24th, 2015|Categories: Souvenirs, Travel|Tags: 2013, Antigua, Aztec, buying guide, Central America, Guatemala, Jade, jadeite, Mayan, Mayan Encounter 2013, necklace, nephrite, Olmec, shopping|0 Comments

When traveling to Guatemala, I knew I wanted to get a piece of Jade jewelry. There are two stones that are considered “Jade”: nephrite and jadeite. Nephrite is more common and is often used for carvings, while jadeite is harder and denser and so is often used for jewelry. Guatemalan jade is of the jadeite variety and comes in a variety of green colors as well as more unique finds like lavender or black. Jade was precious to the ancient Mayan, Olmec, and Aztec civilizations as it was a status symbol of wealth, power, and life itself. Thus, jade makes

19 01, 2015

Travel Missteps: Groped in Guatemala or am I just bad at Charades?

By Lili|January 19th, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2013, Antigua, camera, Central America, Charades, church, groped, Guatemala, Mayan Encounter 2013, ruins, Safety, UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage Site|0 Comments

I had an eventful first day in Antigua, Guatemala. I made chocolate, I shopped a bit, sprained an ankle, and I also had the largest scare I’ve ever had while traveling. The ruins of Santa Clara Before dinner I decided to squeeze in one last site. I was excited to see the many ruined churches of Antigua and there was one I could see from my hotel, a ruin called Convento de Santa Clara. Camera ready, I paid the Q40 to the bored man at the dark entrance. As you enter to the left the ruined church juts

6 01, 2014

Travel Missteps: Una blosa con hielo, por favor?

By Lili|January 6th, 2014|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2013, ankle, Antigua, Central America, cobblestones, Costa Rica, Costa Rica Adventure 2012, duck tape, G Adventures, Gadventures, GAP, group, Guatemala, ice, injured, injury, Mayan Encounter 2013, soda, spanish, sprain, tour, tour group, UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage Site|0 Comments

Getting injured can be one of the worst things that can happen to you on a trip. For me, it is becoming a standard fact of travel. After spraining my ankle and then nearly fracturing my nose in Costa Rica, I decided to be extra prepared on my next trip. So I brought a thorough first aid kit and 2 ankle braces (so I could swap them out and not wear one every day). I thought I was prepared, little did I know I was wrong. On my second day of exploring Antigua, Guatemala I sprained my right ankle just

1 01, 2014

2013 Year Highlights and 2014 Upcoming Travel Plans

By Lili|January 1st, 2014|Categories: Travel, Upcoming Travel, Year in Review|Tags: 2013, 2014, Actun Tunichil Muknal, Antigua, Belize, blog posts, Caye Caulker, Central America, CES, chocolate, climb, food, G Adventures, Gadventures, GAP, golf cart, grandpa, group, Guatemala, highlights, hike, Las Vegas, Mayan, Mayan Encounter 2013, meetup, museum, mythbusters, Panama, Pyramid, racing, rum, savings, shark, Smithsonian, snorkeling, St. John, swim, Tikal, tour group, travel plans, triceratops, upcoming, upcoming travel, upcoming travel plans, USA, USVI, Washington DC, work, year in review|0 Comments

Goodbye 2013! You were a good year. Here are some of the travel highlights: I went to Las Vegas twice for work, and had the opportunity to experience the craziness that is CES first hand. My favorite food experience was learning the history and how to make chocolate in Antigua, Guatemala. There is a 3 way tie for the “I never thought I’d…” Climb to the top of a Mayan Pyramid at Tikal, Guatemala Hike over a mile into the earth and free climb rock formations to see Mayan sacrifices at Actun Tunichil Muknal in Belize. Swim with sharks near