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Published: February 11th 2012
Lobby in Pan American Hotel
Checking in to the hotel in Guatemala City, quaint!On Monday January 16th, we flew from DF to Guatemala City to begin our Central American Adventure. We settled into a nice older charming hotel called the Pan American, located only a block from the Centro Historico and spent the afternoon wandering through the Zocalo, which they call the Centro. We enjoyed the flavor of Latin America finding Guatemala City similar but also different than Mexico. We found that there were no restaurants with outside tables visible anywhere. There was a lot less music in the air and there was a greater weapons presence than what we are used to. There were armed guards carrying shotguns or AK 47's posted in front of all the banks and most of the stores as well. Imagine, a shotgun armed security person guarding a Payless Shoes store! There were also many police in circulation on motorcycles and trucks.
After a lovely supper at the hotel, we thought we would stroll the walking street that led from the Centro past our hotel and going on for another 5 or 6 blocks. Luckily, we had followed our safety procedures. That means we do not carry our passports, credit cards, purses, wallets or expensive jewelry. We
Restaurant in our Hotel
We enjoyed a delicious supper right here in the hotel, rates and food were very reasonable. carry copies of our passports for identification purposes and only a limited amount of cash. Just a block down the street, we were aggressively accosted by 2 young men, one of whom spoke good English. He informed us that his buddy had been in jail in the US for 14 years, and that when he was released, they had both been deported. They were weaving and selling little roses made out of palm leaves as a means of engaging people in conversation. I asked how much they were, and we were told that we needed to give them a donation. Maurice then offered them 20 quetzals for the rose, at which time the second fellow became agitated and stated "Hey, I am hungry". It obviously wasn't enough money to satisfy them. So Maurice emptied his pocket and gave them all the cash he had (in that pocket). It came to about 45 quetzals or about 7 dollars ($1 equals about 7.5Q). They then left us, continuing on down the street and accosting other people whom they felt were vulnerable. This was our first experience at being "hustled"! We felt fortunate to have gotten off as simply as we did. Even
Government Building
Located in the Centro in Guatemala City. Entrance is free BUT you needed to go with a guide. though it was a well lit busy street, these fellows made sure the police were nowhere to be seen when this happened.
Next morning, we caught a cab to the Ticabus station. Ticabus is a company that runs first class buses between the capitals of all the Central American countries. We were able to buy tickets that would get us from Guatemala City to San Salvador, El Salvador, then on to Managua, Nicaragua, then to San Jose, Costa Rica, and finally to Panama City. Total cost of each ticket was $121 US. Great prices for the bus ride that we were sure would provide us with the scenic adventure we anticipated! The best part was that we could travel whenever we wanted to. All we had to do was phone or drop in to book our seats for the next leg of the bus ride to be sure there were seats available. Then we'd tour around each particular country as long as we wanted to before moving on to the next country. Ticabus ran 2 or 3 buses a day so we could choose the run that suited us the best. Because we had no reservations at any hotels,
Fountain in the Centro
Lots of people and lots of pigeons near the fountain. this provided us with the flexibility we desired.
Our taxi driver then delivered us to the 'chicken bus' terminal where we caught the bus to Antigua, Guatemala. Chicken buses are the local mode of transportation going from town to town, but stopping constantly to let passengers on or off. Large luggage, animals (hence called chicken buses) or packages were placed on top of the buses by agile copilots who collected bus fare as well. We saw people get on or off the bus via the back door, and if it was too hot they were even opened for ventilation. We even saw men hanging out of the back door standing on the bumper while the bus was traveling at 100 kpms. The huge, old, retired, brightly painted school buses, with mega loud horns ruled the roads and barreled down the winding, narrow roads faster than ANY other vehicle, throwing passengers against each other and belching black smoke as they accelerated.
Antigua is located about 45 minutes from Guatemala City. It has become the heart of Guatemala's tourism industry. Centrally located, it is an old colonial city filled with cobblestone streets and old, earthquake-ravaged colonial buildings. It is possible
The Chicken Bus
Brightly painted, they come in all colors. They drive like maniacs on the way to a party, careening around curves causing passengers to lean heavily on each other! Their super loud horns are used extensively! Quite an experience! to take tours to many popular tourist sites from here. However, tour operators need to do a lot more work to enhance tourism. Their vans are old and decrepit, the tires worn, and the experiences could be simpler and better organized. This city is also considered much calmer and safer than the capital.
As we were approaching Antigua, we asked a well dressed young man if the bus would take us to a terminal or simply complete a cycle back to Guatemala City. He told us that there was a terminal here in Antigua and that was where he was getting off. He then informed us that his mother ran a bed and breakfast. We didn't have a reservation at a hotel, so we ended up staying in a private home for $25 dollars a night, including breakfast. We were ecstatic! The home was walking distance from the historical center of the city. After settling in to our very small, clean but plain homestay, we walked to the Centro, where we met a guide by the name of Fedencio Antonio who walked us through the old part of the city explaining to us the rich history of the area.
In the 'chicken bus'
Leaving the terminal. We were among the first ones on, but as the bus went on, it was standing room only. Antigua was the original capital established back in the early 16th century. However, an earthquake triggered an eruption that caused the volcano to expel the water from the massive crater lake, which rushed down the hill causing a mudslide and destroying the city. Half of the 58,000 people who lived there were killed. After that, the capital was moved to present day Guatemala City. There are 3 volcanoes overlooking Antigua with one of them still active. They experience over 300 tremors a year. We stopped at the Hotel Casa Santo Domingo. This 17th century square block complex was originally the residence of the Dominican Order who were the predominant religious powers of the period in this area. It has now been converted into a 128 room luxury convention center and hotel, complete with its own set of ruins. We then had a short tour of a jade factory. We met the lady that discovered jade in Guatemala. She insisted that the jade be worked and sold right there in Guatemala to promote economic activity.
Next morning, we were up bright and early, to be picked up at 5AM for our tour to Lago Atitlan. It was dark until
Cobble stone streets of Antigua
One of Linda's favorite building in Antigua. Notice the depths of the windows. just after 6:15AM. Lago Atitlan is known as one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, Aldous Huxley famously wrote of it: "Lake Como, Switzerland,
it seems to me, touches on the limit of permissibly picturesque, but Atitlán is Como with additional embellishments of several immense volcanoes. It really is too much of a good thing." A crater lake, Atitlan is known as the deepest lake in Central America with a depth of 340 meters. It is surrounded by 3 volcanoes and 9 towns, 2 of which are only accessible by boat.
Our van delivered us to the dock in Panajachel around 8 am, and our first view of the lake was magical. Mists were hanging over the clear blue water of this deep crater lake surrounded by mountains! We boarded a launch for San Marcos, one of the villages accessible only by water. There, we were overwhelmed by a couple of persistent ten year old boys who demanded to be our guides. We gracefully declined, instead settling for a cup of coffee. The agency we had booked with had told us that we would have an English speaking guide, however, we discovered we did not even have
a guide. The guide hired by the 2 other tourists with us called the agency for us, and we were informed that we had not paid enough to have a guide. So we joined up with the other 2 tourists and paid their guide directly. He proved to be very knowledgeable regarding the history of the area and the people who surround the lake. We also got to meet and enjoy Chris, a male nurse from London England, and Melanie from Australia. San Marcos was very laid back, lots of yoga, meditation, massages, and of course a little pot to enhance the experience.
After a cup of coffee, we were back on the ferry to the next town, San Juan. Here, because the lake had risen 3 to 4 meters in the last year, a lot of buildings along the lake were now submerged. The old timers had warned that the lake could rise. However, over the last 40 years, no one listened and they built along the waters edge. It was sad seeing so many buildings partially submerged and the garbage that resulted from this. We climbed the hill amid many local people selling various brightly colored wares
Gardens of Casa Santa Domingo
Formerly the Dominican Order's Residence, now a luxury hotel with a convention center and 128 rooms. Linda and Ferdinio Antonio, our guide. and going about their ways. Our guide took us to a local ladies co-op where we were given a weaving demonstration. We admired the many colorful works of art and then were led back to the boat for the short ride to San Pedro. There, we took a tuk-tuk up the steep hill to visit a traditional home where 4 generations live together. Linda attempted to make tortillas by hand the traditional way. It must have been the smoke in her eyes that caused the tortilla dough to stick to her hands so badly. The grandmother of the home still cooked on an open fire in an unventilated room. The smoke eventually makes its way out the door. No wonder the locals sit so low to the ground .... to avoid the smoke. (We had seen advertisements regarding public funding to educate the people regarding the health problems associated with this smoke. The government recommends venting hoods. They are provided and installed free of charge.)
We took a tuk-tuk to the home of a local 'shaman' and were shown where he practiced his art. A few blocks away we entered the 'shaman's' school. And finally, we visited an old
Jade Factory
The tools used today in this jade factory. Mayan church where traditionally dressed locals sat beside a fancily dressed mannequin with a smoking cigarette in its mouth. One of the elders would occasionally lean over and knock the ashes off into a special dish. We had to pay to take pictures here. We decided to instead take pictures outside, of the poverty we saw, rather than the 'smoking mannequin'.
Then it was off to Santiago. We climbed into the back of a Toyota truck, their bus system, and rode up and down hills, and around a few hairpin corners, only to climb off in the middle of the road above the town of Santiago. Here, we wandered in the market, were guided through ABC (another bloody church) and then grabbed a late lunch in one of the many restaurants. Finally it was back on the boat and across the now choppy waters of Lake Atitlan to Panajachel and our van for the trip back to Antigua. We arrived back at our home stay tired. Needing the internet, we luckily discovered a wonderful restaurant only 2 blocks from the house. We had supper and made use of their free WiFi, checking our messages, Skyping home and catching up
Lago Atitlan
Renowned as one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. This crater lake is the deepest in Central America at 340 meters. on news.
Next morning, after a lovely breakfast provided by our home stay, we again met Fedencio to learn more about this colonial city. He explained the meaning of the fountain which dominates the Centro. He took us up to the top of the administrative buildings explaining that buildings over 2 stories high were not allowed due to the many earthquakes experienced here. We visited the ruins of the cathedral complete with catacombs. Gruesome stories about the builders of the cathedral were told. Due to the large number of earthquakes, it was pointless to attempt to rebuild the massive rock structure, therefore, only a part of the building has been renovated for local use. Our guide then took us to a 'hole in the wall' small local restaurant were we enjoyed a delicious, typical lunch with the best Guatemalan version of mole.
After lunch, we went off to climb Mount Pacaya, an active volcano about a 45 minute drive from Antigua. A fifteen passenger van picked us up and took us on a wild ride around hairpin turns to the park gates. When we got out of the van, we pointed out to the driver that there was
Beautiful Morning Mists
Aldous Huxley famously wrote "Lake Atitlán is Lake Como with the additional embellishments of several immense volcanoes. a flat front tire. He would have lots of time to get the repair done while we hiked. After paying the park entrance fee, we had a choice of riding up on horseback or hiking. Of course, we chose to hike. There were about a dozen kids trying to get us to rent walking sticks for 5 Quetzales. We chose to rent 2 from a young girl, and off we went up the mountain along a well defined path. After an hour and 40 minutes, we reached the area where the lava had flowed after the last eruption 20 years ago. It was a totally black wasteland filled with boulders and pebbles resembling the moon's surface. Another half hour of climbing and we arrived nearer the top where there was a vent. We roasted marshmallows. How cool! Just envision this: We were near the top of a completely black mountain which was spewing smoke, creating a spectacular view, roasting marshmallows from the heat of a volcano with the sun setting before us. AWWW!
Here, we discovered that one of the girls in our group was from Saskatoon and was doing volunteer work in Guatemala. Another fellow in our group
Lake level up 3 or 4 meters from last year
Old timers said not to build there. Now the lake is the highest it has been in many many years. had lived in Saskatoon until 2002, and was also doing volunteer work in Guatemala. So there we were, 4 people from Saskatoon at the top of a volcano in Guatemala roasting marshmallows! Go figure! We met many travelers who were doing volunteer work in Guatemala and who would get out to see the sights.
As the sun dropped towards the horizon, the temperature dropped about 20 degrees, and we were glad we had lugged our jackets all the way. Now we just needed some light to begin the trek down the mountain. The booking agent in town had assured us that we did not have to buy flashlights, they would be provided on the mountain. NOT! Therefore, we made sure to befriend a young lady from San Francisco, an experienced hiker with......a flashlight. Because of the wind and the cold creeping in, the guide took us down a much steeper descent through the mountain forest instead of on the open path. At times we were even crawling under barbed wire fences. We were mobbed by those young kids, the 10 to 12 year olds, that we had rented the sticks from. They were hungry and VERY aggressive. When Linda
On the street at the top of San Juan
Rising sharply from the lake, the locals know how to carry stuff much better than tourists. reached into her backpack to get a snack, they grabbed her arm and pulled it out of the backpack, grabbing the food that was in her hand. It was shocking......they said they were so hungry!!!! We gave them all our food, trying to divide it up somewhat, knowing they needed it worse than we did. After the wild ride getting to the mountain, we experienced a much calmer ride back to Antigua after pointing out the bald tires to the driver.
Next morning, Christina rushed us out of the homestay so she could attend an appointment. We walked to the 'chicken bus' and enjoyed another scenic, wild ride back into Guatemala City. An 80Q ($10.50) taxi ride got us to the Ticabus station in time to catch our 1PM bus to El Salvador. It was this older taxi driver who informed us that 60% of the men in Guatemala carry handguns
Thanks Guatemala, it was an interesting and exciting 5 days.
Impressions: Guatemala is a poverty stricken third world country that is struggling to develop a tourist industry. Only select areas are safe. There is much unemployment. The tourism people promise things that don't materialize.
Posing on the street
Richard and Melanie insisted on taking our photo at the top of San Juan. Equipment such as tires must be upgraded for tourist safety. Many children are hungry, education is free but poor and not provided in many rural areas.
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Lionel and Annette
non-member comment
Always love the blogs!
Hi! You make the traveling look so easy! Very interesting too!