Guatemala People & Culture

Trippin - a great hostel - cheap, nice people San Pedro is a great place - nice, friendly and open people. Good Food in most of the restaurants Buddha Bar - has good food and a good place to hang out

If you want to return by yourself to Antigua there is a direct bus everyday at 13.00 at the bus station (in front of the police station). Though, from about 20 people we asked (even the police) only one knew about this and could help us to get it! All the others denied there was such a bus!
We payed 15 Quetzales for oneway in 2007.

Panajachel was great! We timed our visit just right to see the Festival for Saint Francis of Assisi, which was one of the most impressive fireworks displays I have ever seen, mostly for its enthusiasm and uniqueness. You can take a boat trip to all the different towns around the lake. It is lots of fun, beautiful scenery and each town is unique. You get the best rate for the boat trip at the door of the boat on the docks. So don't bother with the travel agencies on the main street. What is good with the travel agencies though, is they arrange a mini bus to take you to the Chichicastenango markets, keep your bags on the bus while you wander the markets for a few hours and then drive you on to Antigua. This is a great way to do it if you are on a time limit. Otherwise, the local buses will be a lot cheaper. We stayed at Mario's Casa (maybe not that name but similar.) There was a beautiful flowery courtyard and the rooms were nice, but the shared shower was a little iffy. The owner however was one of the friendliest people we have ever met. Even though we don't speak Spanish and he didn't speak English we seemed to understant each other easily. We thought the festival was over and came back but it turned out it was still leading up to the finale, he explained this to us and told us we could make it if we ran, and then he waited up for us so he could lock the door when we came in. Really went out of his way to be nice to us so definitly stay there. If I remember the name properly I will re-post it.

Impressive mayan site. Some people say it is the 'New York' of the mayans, because it has the tallest pyramids of the mayan world.

Stayed at a resort on the island, had to be tendered from ship and saw a dozen wild dolphins, our guides were more than willing to wait out several people wanting to take pictures of such a magnificent find. Was disappointed by the water, not nearly as pretty as the rest in the Caribbean.

A bit of historic Guatemalan culture, architecture, good restaurants, expensive hotels, bank machines, mountains, and local artisans offering wood work, textiles, crafts, and jewellery. Its a short drive from Guatemala City too - an easy day trip by bus or car.

October 4th (not sure if this date changes as the years pass) is the Festival for Saint Francis of Assisi, and the fireworks are spectacular! Make sure you stay for the finale which were some of the coolest fireworks you will ever see. It is a real cultural experience- Guatemalans know how to party! The festival is complete with lots of music and drinking and really dodgy rides. (You will see little Guatemalan women carrying several drunk Guatemalan men home at the end of the night- a very funny site.) Anyways, enjoy!

wonderful site in guatemala.......ruins of maya-culture hidden in the forrest..unforgettable impressions

If you like the maya culture, Tikal is one of the best places to visit, very interesting.

An impressive maya site in Guatemala. If you like maya culture, visit Tikal, it's worth it.

October 4th (not sure if this date changes as the years pass) is the Festival for Saint Francis of Assisi, and the fireworks are spectacular! Make sure you stay for the finale which were some of the coolest fireworks you will ever see. It is a real cultural experience- Guatemalans know how to party! The festival is complete with lots of music and drinking and really dodgy rides. (You will see little Guatemalan women carrying several drunk Guatemalan men home at the end of the night- a very funny site.) Anyways, enjoy!

Livingston is a small Guatemalan town with a very large black Garifuna community. It gives the place a very Carribean'esque feeling. You should check it out during Semana Santa when everybody is in a vacation mood and when the sound systems come out at night. Imagine the party going on till very late with the good music, lots of dancing, lots of very local-cheap-delicious rhum etc. ... Lingston? C' est chic.

Happy Pecados!!! Learn Salsa or go just for a drink with every night live music!

Antigua is without doubt one of Guatemala's star attractions... pleasant, relatively safe (certainly compared to Guatemala City), alive with good food, music and walks, and blessed with a good number of hotels, restaurants and sights for the tourist... make this one of your destinations in Guatemala... other than Tikal of course, if you have limited time....

Driving is an extreme sport in the city. If possible hire locals to drive. If attempting to drive keep stay focused as traffic laws are rarely if ever followed.

If you for some reason ever should need to have some work done on your motorcycle in the area, stop at local gas station and ask for Manuel. He has bike repair shop and seems to now what he's doing. Charged me 40 quetzal for 2 hours work, after paying for parts of course.

a chilly place with some afro-reggae touch, nothing special, but OK. If you go on a sailing trip to the belizean cays load some fruit juices here, they're cheap and very refreshing after 2 hours of snorkeling!

a chilly place with some afro-reggae touch, nothing special, but OK. If you go on a sailing trip to the belizean cays load some fruit juices here, they're cheap and very refreshing after 2 hours of snorkeling!

What to see in Quetzaltenango?
- the yellow church in San Andres Xecul
- the hot springs in Las Fuentes Georginas
- hikes to the volcanoe Santa Maria, Laguna de Chicabal and Tajumulco (the higest in Central America, 4250m)
- the market in San Francisco Del Alto on Friday

If you are interested in taking a look around a coffee farm on a horseback, you should go to Parramos. Type in Posada de me abuelito, Guatemala on Google. You will find some information about this german country farmhouse converted to a BB. Get a weekend package that includes bed, brekky and horse riding for Q.300 or something(apprx. $40) Take a chicken bus to Chichicastenango at Antigua bus terminal and get off in Parramos it cost like 3 Q's p/p. Then get a local taxi to the hotel...it takes around 5 minutes from town center. I loved everything about this place - its coffee(fresh coffee from the owner's finca), its food(authentic guatemalan), its atmosphere(green, fresh, cool and quiet), unforgettable horse riding(though it hurt my unprepared arse bit too much) and the hospitality of the hotel owner couple! Bet you'll have a great time.

Bring a flashlight for the sunrise tour, eat breakfast at their restaurant (best pina and plantains ever), and watch for soldier ants!

se llama chichicastenango, no chicastellanos!!!!!!

Market days are Thursdays and Sundays. If you are pressed for time a good way to visit the markets is via a tourist mini bus from Panajachel or Antigua. They cost between $10 and $15, pick you up, drop you for a couple hours at the markets, (you can leave your bags on the bus) and then drop you at the next city. Really worked well for us as that time, we only had a week in Guatemala and being able to leave our bags was huge because otherwise we would have had to have lugged them around the markets.

Trippin - a great hostel - cheap, nice people San Pedro is a great place - nice, friendly and open people. Good Food in most of the restaurants Buddha Bar - has good food and a good place to hang out