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Published: July 15th 2013
THE CITY
If you aren't planning on studying Spanish or doing a trek in the highlands, I suppose Xela (Quetzaltenango's nickname, pronounced "Shayla") is a place you could skip. But I loved it there. There aren't many tourists aside from a few backpackers, and the city is unassuming and the people more or less ignore an outsider's existence (no touting, hassles, high prices, etc.). It's safe, pretty clean, and relatively quiet around the perimeter -- essentially the opposite of Guatemala City, which I avoided at all costs. The expat scene is sociable and the atmosphere in the nicer restaurants, bars, and clubs is lively and genuine.
ACTIVITIES IN THE AREA
I did two treks here through Quetzaltrekkers: a three-day walk from
Xela to Lago Atitlan, and a six-day one from
Nebaj to Todos Santos. Their office is in the back of Casa Argentina. Their website is
here, and I have links to my blogs of those treks above. They also throw pretty impressive parties every two weeks at their house, which is a block or so from the central park.
Most people I met completed a two-day, one night climb to the highest point in Central America, Volcan Tajumulco, which they all raved
about. There are also hot springs nearby and an extreme waterpark a couple of hours away.
ACCOMMODATIONS, ETC.
La Casa Argentina
I mainly stayed here because Quetzaltrekkers is located in the back, and it was convenient because their trips left from right outside my room. In the past, this was apparently the place to stay, but it's pretty dilapidated and somewhat dirty now. The rooms are dark and outdated, and the bathrooms are fairly decent, though I got electrocuted by one of the suicide showers. There isn't much of a communal atmosphere except in the kitchen area. Most of the staff is ambivalent, and some very old, but they're nice enough. It's still very cheap and secure, which makes it basically average overall.
Black Cat Hostel
This place is more of a young, trendy backpackers place, complete with a chic cafe. The walls are plywood thin, so it's loud during the evening, but they stop the music pretty early and it's peaceful after that. I dropped some cash to get a private room because I was ill, but then had terrible allergies (and I don't really even have allergies) all evening and night because of
the mold on the walls. One of the managers came around just before bed with extra blankets for everyone, since it was going to be an unusually cold night, which I thought was nice.
Blue Angel
The gringo haunts are right around the central park, and they're not terribly expensive by travel standards. I was sad that I didn't get to try El Sabor de la India, which I heard is terrific. I went there one night, but it was closed. Definitely try Blue Angel: it's a comfortable place with great food, and movies upstairs most nights.
Complejo Deportivo
Close to the university (and the mall and Walmart, unfortunately), there is a full soccer pitch, a baseball field, some multi-sport fields, and two tracks to run on. The nice track is free on Sundays until noon, when I was promptly kicked off the track by two friendly guards -- one with a machine gun and the other with a shotgun.
Kamalbe Spanish School Some expats told me that they haven't heard of any negative experiences from people studying Spanish in Xela, so I should just walk around the city, find a school, and set up a
homestay. Apparently any of them can arrange it for pretty much the next day, so at least in the low season (I was there in June/July), there's no need to book ahead. Kamalbe was the lucky one to be open when I walked past it. They were easy to deal with and accommodating, and I was fortunate to get an excellent teacher, Karla. Class was upstairs on a loft, which made it a bit noisy, but we met at a cafe a couple of times instead. I paid 135 US dollars for 25 hours of one-on-one instruction and my homestay, which included lodging and three meals a day. The manager and other employees there seem to be working very hard to find more students and to offer new activities and programs. There wasn't much Spanish spoken in the house I stayed in, since the other students didn't know much Spanish, but Dona Esperanza was a great cook and the atmosphere was incredibly friendly and convivial. I could easily have spent a couple of months there if I had the time.
Go to Caribe Net Internet (14 Avenida, 3-32 -- about two blocks from the central park) for fast, reliable
El cemetario
This place is worth a walk.Internet.
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