I’m going on a trip to Guatemala in May and I can use all the advice that I can get. We’re going for ten days, it looks like we’ll start out in Antigua, spend some days there, see if we can do some mountaineering and volcano-related stuff, go to lake Atitlan (sp?), etc. I’ve never been to Central America or any other place this far south, for that matter. Nor have I been to a place that is quite this undeveloped and that I need to get all manner of inoculations for. Thankfully, I do speak some (limited) Spanish and I’m going with people who know more, so if any of us get amoebic dysentery, we’ll be able to talk about it (tengo la disenteria amoebica!)
As I said, I can use all the advice we can get both in terms of where (not) to go and what (not) to do. For instance, one of the things that I’m contemplating is whether I should bring my large camera and walk around. It’s insured alright so if it does get stolen I’ll get my money back, but I don’t want to attract any unwanted attention. Normally when I travel I just rely on healthy doses of common sense, and nothing ever really happens to me - but most of my traveling has been in Eastern Europe, and now I’m going to Central America, I don’t really know what common sense is.
So any tips you have or experiences you’re willing to share, I’d be very thankful for! I’m counting on you, dopers!
Antigua was nice. The volcano was cool, but pay attention to their safety warnings. If you are sticking around these obvious tourist places, I think the camera might be okay, but if you get out in the sticks you might be better off leaving it behind. Guatemala is a sketchy place, so keep your wits about you and take the safety advice you get seriously.
I was also in Guatemala several years ago. (I also traveled around there in 1977 and 1979.) Things have deteriorated a lot with regard to crime in recent years. Antigua was fine. I don’t want to be alarmist, but be sure to get up-to-date information on the situation in places you will be traveling. As even sven says, I would only carry the camera in tourist areas with good security. Otherwise keep it under wraps.
Thanks everyone - and thanks for the link to the other thread too, that is quite the coincidence.
So clearly Guatemala, outside the touristy areas, can be quite sketchy and I’ll have to look out so as not to fall victim to violent crime. With that warning firmly in place, what good things can you tell me about Guatemala - where did you go, what should i do there, what experiences of awesomeness can you share with me? Hostels to stay at, places to go, etc.
Guatemala is a beautiful place. As far as the security stuff, you’ll be fine as long as you keep your wits about you and don’t do anything stupid. Same as traveling anywhere, with maybe an extra layer of precaution for it being a third-world country.
What I remember most was Lake Atitlan, which is overlooked by Volcano Pacaya. We were only there a short time so we didn’t hike up the volcano, but it is hike-able if you have the time and want to try it.
We were there in '98.
Our then-14-year old son had a soccer tournament, which was arranged by a Guatemalan friend.
Each of the kids on our kid’s team stayed with a Guatemalan family, the family of a kid on the Guatemalan soccer teams.
we stayed with a Guatemalan friend-of-a-friend.
We spent time in Guatemala City, and we visited Antigua, Lake Atitlan, Chichicastenango, and Tikal. All were amazing, especially Tikal.
At Atitlan, we stayed at this very basic and, in its own way, very lovely hotel in the jungle. The boys jumped off some cliff into the lake, probably all risking their lives, but it was unforgettable and absolutely wonderful.
Despite taking precautions (don’t eat salad, drink tap water, etc), everyone but my youngest (he was 8 at the time) got some sort of stomach upset, but never bad enough to keep us down.
The kids hosting our kids were all well-educated and upper class, and several told tales of being kidnapped and ransomed. One thing I noticed was how mature they all were, and the kind of mutual respect they shared with their parents.
We saw petty street crime happen in the city.
We also had an interesting incident occur. I am simply unsure of exactly went down.
On the way back from Lake Atitlan, in the middle of nowhere, our bus (the whole team was traveling) stopped at a small roadside shop. Men got out and talked.
After awhile, everyone was back in the bus and off we went.
My husband wondered if someone was paid off, but we really don’t know.
All in all, we had a splendid time.
Oh, and our son got roaring drunk on his first margaritas, and we came in third in the tournament.
Would I do it again? Of course.
I have been in Guatemala twice and absolutely loved it. I don’t know what level of lodging you prefer, but I will tell you where I stayed and my thoughts on it.
Is there crime? Yes. Is there crime in New York, LA, Seattle, Houston, Washington DC, etc.? Like anywhere else, if you take reasonable precautions, are aware of your surroundings, and act confidently, your chance of becoming a victim is negligible.
My first trip there I started in Tikal. Incredible! I’ll never forget my first “Indiana Jones” moment; I was walking though the jungle with spider monkeys jumping overhead when I came across my first ruins. It was an indescribable feeling. There is a slew of lodging outside of the park, but only three hotels are allowed to operate inside of the park. I stayed in one of these, the Jaguar Inn. It was nice, but the power goes down for the night about 10ish, which was strange to suddenly be in pitch black, as you hear (and feel) your ceiling fan wind down and all the unidentified jungle noises outside your open window seem to get louder. Neat experience
I then spent a few days in Guatemala City. Here is where you hear the crime horror stories, and yes they have a very high violent crime rate. You have to realize though that most of this crime is committed by very poor Guatemalans against very poor Guatemalans in areas of the city that you, a tourist, would simply never go. I was greeted with wide-eyed wonder when I told people that I spent time in Guate City and even (gasp!) rode the city buses and made it out alive. All that being said, Guate City is absolutely worth a few days. The central plaza with the National Palace and cathedral is worth a visit. A few miles north of the plaza there is a giant relief map of the country which I thought was neat. The Museo Popol Vuh is not to be missed if you have any interest whatsoever in the Maya. And even though textiles aren’t really my thing, I found the nearby Museo Ixchel to be fascinating. If you get an early start, you can see all of this in a day. Although it is tucked in a nondescript residential neighborhood near the airport, I stayed at Patricia’s Bed and Breakfast. The Ritz it ain’t, but it’s clean and comfortable, and the price is right. The family is very friendly and helpful, and they will take you to the airport if you have an early morning flight.
I’ll post more later this weekend on Lake Atitlan, Antigua, and Chichicastenango.
Awesome stuff everybody! It’s good to hear that even Guatemala city (which made number 1 in Lonely Planets list of least favorite places worldwide :eek:) has something to redeem it. And I think I have a better idea now of the security situation. I consider myself fairly well traveled and typically the advice I give people is exactly what I’m getting here: use common sense and don’t be stupid. But then again I’ve never really traveled anywhere that is quite this poor, nor anywhere where I will stand out so much.
Another question I’ve been meaning to ask is what to wear. I’m going in May so I’m guessing it will be hot but not super hot (like, not a whole lot hotter than 30 celsius). In the mountains, which is where I imagine we’ll be spending a lot of our time, it will be colder especially if you get higher up, right? So would it be sensible to bring some warmer stuff as well?
No advice on the weather, but Guatemala is a pretty socially conservative place. People will treat you better and be more helpful if you are wearing clean, modest respectable looking clothes. As a woman I felt most comfortable in knee-length skirts and short sleeved shirts. As a man I’d stay away from shorts and tacky shirts outside of the hiking trails.
And it’s a nice hike - about six hours to the top and back down, if I remember right. It’s part of the National Park system, and when I was there last (December 2006), you had to hire a guide to hike it. The volcano itself pretty much continually “erupting,” although it’s not what we tend to think of when we imagine an erupting volcano - there are vents that you can see into (or roast marshmallows over), and sometimes some slow streams of cooling rock flowing down the slopes. I asked our guide about what would happen if it really erupted, and he told me that there was nothing to worry about - it’s very slow!
On Lake Atitlan, Panajachel is the kind of touristy base town on the east shore, but I really enjoyed the towns of San Pedro and San Juan (both a short ferry ride across the lake from Panajachel). The smaller towns are a little more laid back and relaxing.
I’d echo even sven’s advice about dressing, as well. It definitely makes a difference in the way you interact with the people there.
It’s been too long since I was there (1976) to give good tourist advice, but I can tell you that the people were terrific and so was the food. We used to sit out at Lake Amatitlan outside of Guatemala City, pay the mariachis to play, drink Cabro and eat shrimp for about ten dollars for the day. Those days are gone, I would imagine. I have very fond memories of my three months there.