Guatemala What to Expect

In comparison to the rest of Guatemala, we found Antigua a little to touristy, but the longer we were there the more it grew on us. I would say the ABSOLUTE ONE THING you CANNOT MISS is the night tour up Pacaya Volcano to see the lava. Virtually no safety restrictions, so you can watch it flow from less than a foot away from you. Really an amazing experience, not too be missed. You can buy flashlights and walking sticks from kids at the bottom.

Photographers take note!!! Guatemalans are very colorful people and they do not mind posing for pictures, but expect to give them a dollar or so for doing so. Also, be aware that someone started a rumor that is making it very difficult to take pictures of kids whose parents are not around. Just as we tell our kids not to get in cars with strangers, many Guatemalans tell their children not to pose for pictures because, so the rumor goes, the pictures are used to "market" kids to foreign parents and once a "sale" is made, the photographer comes back and abducts the child. It sounds pretty ridiculous, but apparently it strikes enough of a chord with Guatemalan families to cause alarm. Considering how many abducted children in the US disappear without a trace (should we do a TV show about this? Just kidding!), the Guatemalan parents precautions might not be entirely out of place. So, if you want to take pictures of kids, ask where their parents are and if they are anywhere close by, ask the parents. Otherwise, it is perhaps better to just let the moment go. I did however, convince two girls in very colorful costume to pose, but only after I gave them some money. One looked straight at the camera but she did not smile (perhaps because she did not want to look too cute and abductable. The second one kept her face in profile and she also did not smile while I took the picture. However, when I was done, they smiled and waved goodbye. They had been sent to the local market to sell some fresh produce from their land and they went back to tending business. A couple of days later I saw a mother with two daughters,a truly colorful picture opportunity. I asked the mother and she agreed. I took some superb pictures of the two girls and then of the girls with their mother. She was selling home-woven shawls and I bought some as souvenirs. It was a good transaction and a good memory.

This is a tourist area. There are a lot of people (especially children) who are trying to sell you homemade gifts. Be advised that if you buy one thing from anyone, other vendors will crowd around you and try to get you to buy theirs as well. They make it hard to move around and see the sights so if you want to buy something try to hold off until you are ready to leave.

Santiago Attitlan is only as atmospheric as San Pedro if not more... the market life is catchy Central America at its best ... men in cowboy hats, women in bright attire, children curious about the tourists... there is of course the expected rush to get tourist attention... take them to shops, offer them tours, sell them textiles, and best of the lot... take them to visit the local God who drinks whisky and smokes cigars...

Make sure you check out the natural hot springs! It's a great piece of local fun :) Women should be pretty well covered up though. It's not unusual to see people swimming in shorts and t-shirts, especially if you're female.

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

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

Drink bottled water always, never from the tap

Don't even think about drinking the water!

San Marcos is an island of its own... environment-friendly initiatives, yoga, massage, meditation, nature-friendly products,... the whole place is teeming with this atmosphere... and rather different from San Pedro or Santiago, the other villages around Lake Attitlan.... people often come here to stay for long and imbibe the eco-life...

don't go alone, very dirty, keep kleenex and sanitizer handy

Wash teeth with bottled water, except for the 5 star hotels!!!