There are quite a number of salsa schools in Antigua but I would recommend La Salsa Dance Co. above all the others. The director of the school is Carlos Miranda, who is also an exceptional teacher, and if he is not available there are also other equally good teachers such as Andrés and Martin. There are usually two others: Julio and Selvin, but they are reportedly abroad in Europe at the moment. If you’d prefer a female teacher, there is just one at this school: Marisol, who is Carlos’ dance partner at salsa shows, competitions and the like.

The school has plenty of students, so if you’re more comfortable in group classes, there are those. However, if you only have limited time in Antigua and would like a crash course you can sign up for private lessons with any of the teachers for Q75 per class, with a discounted rate if you sign up more than a certain number. A lot of the time other students will be having their private classes at the same time as you, so most times it’s a nice unintimidating atmosphere with several pairs dancing simultaneously.

If you want to try a class before committing to anything, there are free group classes from 5 to 6 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays. Sometimes they are packed however, due to Spanish school students who come to shake their booty for the first time. But drop in anyway for a trial class.

There are also weekly group classes (if at least three people show up) for other Latin rhythms such as Bachata and Merengue. Otherwise, if no one shows up and you want to do it anyway you’ll have to pay the equivalent of a private class, i.e. Q75. For two people you’d probably have to split that amount by half.

Visit the school’s website (www.lasalsadancegt.com) for more details on class schedules and rates. Or if you’re already in Antigua, drop in and ask. There’s almost always somebody there.

After you’ve learnt some new moves and want to test them out in clubs, Antigua has a healthy salsa nightscene, the best night being Tuesdays at Sin Ventura (the pounding disco right next to Monoloco) where most the salsa teachers of Antigua show up.

Also, if you’re taking lessons at La Salsa Dance (the studio is housed in the lounge of a hotel), make sure you try lunch or dinner at the Korean restaurant called Veronica House named after its pleasant owner (tell them Emily sent you!) opposite the school’s studio. Both the school and the restaurant are contained in a small commercial centre called Centro Commercial Canoa (turn right out from Bagel Barn and it’s a few shoplots down the same street), which also houses a Spanish School.

© Michael Hrncir

So. I don’t understand why all the guidebooks wax lyrical about Granada.

Yes, it is purported to be the oldest city on the American continent, and I guess it has got some kind of colonial charm, but the future of Nicaragua tourism it isn’t. At least, not for me, nor it seems, to the multitude of tourists passing through. I haven’t spoken to a single traveler on the road who has found Granada charming or romantic or befitting any of the purple passages dedicated to it in the guidebooks.

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The most conspicuous is DHL, located on 6a Avenida Sur 16 but there is another one before that on the same street called International Bounded Couriers (IBC) which is cheaper and allows you the option of not purchasing insurance (which costs about $USD 20) on your package. For a package of 5 kg to Malaysia, DHL charges $USD 280 but I asked for a discount and without much effort, got it down to $USD 210, insurance included (there is no option to exclude insurance). IBC charges $USD 170 for a package of the same weight without insurance.

I’m an enthusiastic amateur photographer and you would think that Guatemala offers a plethora of opportunities for documentary photography. But just yesterday I sent my gigantic Canon 10D SLR camera and similarly big lenses back home to Malaysia because it got too stressful worrying about being a potential target for armed robbers while I carried them conspicuously around town. I haven’t felt free to use them on the streets for the same reason so it’s actually been restricting me from taking as many photos as I would otherwise.

But the main reason isn’t my fear of being robbed. The other thing is that it affects my conscience when I take photos of the local people here. The children tend to ask you for a buck when you take a photo (anything for a buck here, seems to be the mentality) and I don’t like the idea of having to pay to take a photo, or the idea that I’m intruding. I don’t want to be taking pictures of people if people don’t welcome it. So I’ve bought myself a disposable camera instead to document my travels - it will do for now. I still have my writing.

So, unless you’re a very serious photographer, think long and hard about whether you want to bring all your photography equipment along. It’s a pain to carry and to worry about, and sure as hell it burns a hole in your pocket when you have to pay $200 to send it home!

© Emily Ding - Central Park, Antigua, where the volcanoes are omnipresent

The small colonial town of Antigua, Guatemala, is the mecca of the package Spanish school, combining both study and travel and so-called immersion social activities and accommodation with a Guatemalan host family. However, having studied at Ixchel School for a week I can tell you that you won’t get much of a genuine immersion experience in Antigua - at least, not for the short term.

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