Guatemala City

Guatemala City is Guatemalan reality.

It is the village people (no, not the “Macho Man” kind…I think) that trek up here to make their fortune only to find that home felt so much better. It is the families who know that when the government runs out of room at the landfill they can set up a shantytown nearby. It is the juxtaposition of neon yearning for American luxuries without the cutthroat Donald Trump ambition to make such dreams an ever-present reality. A fast-paced city with an easygoing personality.

Social services are left to the government, because the NGOs are more inclined to rush off to beautiful Xela or mystical Tikal and set up camp. But how lovely it is to meet Albert Schweitzers of the non-Western variety! A Red Cross volunteer who trained her three teenage children in advanced first aid so they can help her teach classes on the weekends. A Nicaraguan nurse who came to Guate to help out and happily spent her souvenir money on a regulation uniform.

I loved Guatemala City more than any other place I visited in the country. There, I was not expected and catered to, but only a slight oddity. No children were kept out of school to give me puppy dog eyes in hopes of a few quetzals. The pirated CD stall owners never even gave me a second glance. I stayed there five days and made three new friends.

My advice: stay at La Pension Meza, an old haunt of Che Guevara’s, always eat chapin-style, and be sure to venture out to zona 12 (not for the faint of heart) and see what the organization UPAVIM is all about.

Happy trails! The Rough Guide to Guatemala is excellent, by the way, although not very well-stocked in American chain bookstores.

over 5 years ago

Guatemala is one of the most fascinating countries in Central America. On your first visit you must visit the famous Mayan ruins of Tikal. The pyramids breaking through the tree canopy of a majestic tropical jungle are the stage of an epic movie(Star Wars). The numerous exotic birds and the noisy howler monkeys will add to the picture. This mixture of culture and color is the trademark of the country.

One of the most visited places in Guatemala, the Lake Atitlan; It is best viewed from the town of Panajachel. Now it is home to a diverse crowd of indigenous people who come from all surrounding villages to sell their crafts, and Latinos who set up hotels, restaurants and banks for the growing number of visitors, and tourists of all kinds coming from all over the world. Many backpackers come but only to escape to the surrounding villages which have managed to preserve some of their languages and culture in spite of the tourist invasion.

My personal favorite is Antigua Guatemala. The ancient capital exhibits more than a few colonial buildings, which are nice and spectacular, more so than its European counterparts. The city feels like a small town and receives numerous visitors as well as many Spanish students. Although more beautiful than Quetzaltenango, some prefer the latter for its special atmosphere.

over 5 years ago

I would recommend skipping this city altogether when visiting Guatemala. Shuttles to Antigua run from the airport until late, and they´re cheap!

It´s dirty, ugly, crowdy, and theres hardly anything to see. Going to zona 10 might improve things, yet it´s mostly an expensive business area, nothing special.

over 6 years ago

I stayed one week. The traffic change from ohio country to guatemala city was shocking. You have to ride one of the jointed buses. Like, two buses attached to each other. P.S. don’t stand in the middle of the road – your life isn’t worth that much there. You must check out the huge catholic cathedral. Stunning! Many cool things here. But, I’d save my money for the more remote villages if your headed in that direction. Cooler stuff in those areas, and cheaper. Bartering – get use to it – it’s addicting anyway. Beautiful place.

over 6 years ago

if you would like to get away from the crowd/quickly daily life you got, probably the best way its going to be antigua, atitlan, pana, rioDulce, monterrico, and the beach at hotel Radisson (if you want a really good service and place); Then if you just would like to know guatemala, from a normal citizen you should probably go to GUATEMALACITY! crowded? yep, traffic? yep, but you’ll see restaurants and malls, with known retail stores etc. (then what im saying is, probably you SHOULD get some info ‘bout GUATEMALA cause is not just trees, mountains, indigenas…there’s alot you miss cause you get to see just 1 awfull guatemala, when you could probably be at some fancy restaurant having a nice time)(NEVEREVER go to zone 1,5,18,3,2 you’ll just be robbed!!, cause you’re missing alot just by go to antigua, pana etc……) IF YOU Really want to have a good, nice, fancy, witohut trouble, vacation…dont just get here and wait what happens RESEARCH before you talk!!!

over 6 years ago