Blogs from Guatemala City, Capital Region, Guatemala, Central America Caribbean

We decided to return to Central America this year and travelled with Iberia from Alicante (via Madrid) to Guatemala City. We didn't really know what to expect so we booked a little comfort to start the trip with three nights in the Barceló Hotel. Although it's only a couple of kilometres from the airport, we arrived at rush hour and even in an Uber (booked thanks to the patchy WiFi at the airport) the journey took half an hour or so. The traffic was quite something and I'm not sure we had really anticipated being in a cab and drinking in the city's fumes so soon after our arrival. The hotel was nice but a bit off the backpacker scene that would probably provide most of the rest of our accommodation. Breakfast was, as you would ... read more

Ten days in Guatemala is just enough to get a glimpse into the history, culture, people, and customs of this beautiful country. First few days of the trip I spent alone in Guatemala City, which I really enjoyed. It's a very large and growing city with wide boulevards, bustling markets, and some amazing historic buildings. I took a city tour, which gave me a great overview and a chance to ask many questions, try some delicious food that the guide recommended (otherwise I wouldn't have known), take 360-pictures from top of a downtown building with a great restaurant, and see a parade (it was a week after Easter). Later on, I walked around zone 10 and found a very nice area with lots of restaurants and a great book store, where I got to buy a ... read more

Puerto Quetzal is the entrance to Antigua founded in 1552, served as the seat of government in the captaincy general of Guatemala for ove 200 years before being destroyed by a series of earth quakes in 1773. Antiqua is famous for it's unique Spanish Mudejar- influenced architecture that has made it a protected UNESCO world heritage site. The Cathedral Santiago built in 1542 and the church of our lady of Mercy, whose courtyard contains the largest fountain in latin America. The parquet central has large tress shading benches where you can sit and relax or watch the vendors, many in color local dressed, selling hand made textiles. The largest monastery in Antiqua the church of Santo Diminigo founded in 1542. The city is full of colonial buildings that now serve as hotels, cafes and galleries. As ... read more

I arrived in Guatemala City late Friday night to find Guisela (Guise), my Airbnb host awaiting me with a giant sign that was shouting my name in capital letters. A tall, busty woman in her mid-60s with white spikey hair and bright purple glasses--she was sweet as can be and we took an instant liking to one another. She was especially delighted to learn that I speak Spanish and insisted I speak to her in Spanish (although we'd switch back & forth as we were searching for the right words). Upon arriving at her charming home, I set down my bags and joined her for a glass of wine at the kitchen counter. A few glasses later, we felt like old familiar friends and were ready to hit the hay. My first morning in Guatemala began ... read more

Differences in neighborhoods and mindsets This blog isn't really about my trek back to Guatemala with more stuff but about one of the teachers I work with at UPAVIM who came to visit me. About a year and a half ago, I bought a house and posted pictures of it online. As things go on Facebook, Dina saw the post and messaged me say how happy she was for me that I bought a home. I told her she was welcome to visit, but I doubted that would ever come to pass. When I arrived in Guatemala last summer some of the volunteers told me that for the previous six months Dina had been excitedly telling everyone that she was going to my house in the USA. We joked about how she would get there because ... read more

Distance driven today: 184 miles / 296 km Cumulative distance driven: 6,476 miles / 10,422 km Today’s trip: Huehuetenango to Guatemala City, Guatemala Indigenous masks bought for Christer’s collection: 1 Entering Guatemala, through the northwest region, also means that the entire road infrastructure quality dropped a few notches compared to Mexico. At the same time as the poverty level in the villages along the road became starkly visible. But perhaps the most noticeable change is the fact that the average driving speed immediately dropped to 30mph / 50km/h. This is primarily due to all the slow moving trucks, endless curves, constant grades thought the hills and mountains, and the complete lack of any chance to overtake other vehicles (even when driving a motorcycle!). Up until southern Mexico I could easily ride 250-400 miles / 400-650 km ... read more