Adventurous travellers seeking beauty and budget thrills should look no further than Guatemala, a friendly country that remains largely unexplored by many Americans, but can be reached in as little as six hours from many cities in the United States.
A question I fielded several times before my late February trip: Why Guatemala?
My partner and I have made a habit of planning at least one international trip each year. Actually, I’ll shoulder most of the blame – nothing scratches my travel itch like a new passport stamp. But because we’re early-career professionals, with limited stockpiles of paid time off and inevitable bills, a month-long vacation to South-East Asia or Eastern Europe is out of the question (for now).
Last summer, I found myself in a rabbit hole of research: Panama, Aruba, Curacao. Slowly, the pieces fell together for Guatemala.
I started to hear about this friend or that roommate who had visited – or even temporarily moved to – the Central American country over the past few years and couldn’t get enough of it.
Social media platform TikTok features videos of jet-setters of every creed successfully journeying through the tourist destinations of Antigua and Lake Atitlan, offering tips on how to navigate the nation. By August, our accommodations were booked.
Both sets of our parents initially balked at the idea.
Street mural on San Juan La Laguna at Lake Atitlan.
My dad had previously flown to Guatemala City on business, and was confined within the limits of Central America’s largest metropolis. Like others in the baby boomer and Gen X demographics in the US, much of what they’d grown up hearing about the country was related to its conditions during the Guatemalan Civil War, which lasted 36 years.
However, over the past decade, the nation’s tourism industry has consistently grown – minus a setback during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to data-gathering platform Statista. And I was hearing piqued interest from millennials and zoomers about making the trip south. At a shopping centre days before my trip, a clerk peppered me with questions about my itinerary as she considered doing the same.
After my editors gave me the green light to briefly chase a story on the ground, the trip became both work and play – four days off, two days on. I took the necessary precautions learned on my last reporting trip to Peru in the pre-Covid-19 era: monitor travel advisories with the US State Department, submit my itinerary to the agency’s Smart Traveller Enrolment Program and set an appointment with a travel clinic to get relevant vaccines.
With interviews set and bags packed, we hopped on our 6am flight. On the flight, our seat neighbour – a Guatemalan who planned to visit her family for a long weekend before heading back to the US – excitedly shared her recommendations, then led us through the winding halls of the airport to customs and immigration.
Guatemala’s cash economy
After a quick and easy process, we were set to embark into a new country – and learned lessons pretty quickly. We brought cash because Guatemala is a cash- reliant economy, particularly outside of its capital city. The airport provides several opportunities to exchange dollars for quetzales, with US$1 (RM4.70) worth about eight quetzales, as of mid-April. It’s best to fork over the added exchange fee there and avoid the inconvenience of hunting for a bank like we did later.
More than three million people reside in the city’s urban area, which is made up of 21 zones – some of which tourists are advised against visiting. We stayed one night in Zone 4, which a travel blog calls “the upcoming hipster area”. Zones 9 and 10 come highly recommended, too. We felt safe and relaxed in the neighbourhood around our Airbnb – a unit in a modern apartment complex, with its own private patio.
Our plans for that first day were ambitious: see the National Palace of Culture, stop by the city’s market and eat dinner at steakhouse Hacienda Real Zona 10. Instead, we took in the sunset views on the rooftop of restaurant Los Tres Tiempos in the city’s historical district, cocktails and croquetas de pache – mozzarella croquettes made of Guatemalan potato dough – in hand, before turning in. But if you’re short on time or not a big city person, then you can skip visiting the capital like most tourists do.
A vegetable seller at the Chichicastenango, Antigua Guatemala Market.
Disclaimer: I’m not sure what it would be like to travel through Guatemala without a Spanish speaker by my side.
Spanish and even some Mayan dialects take precedence over English throughout the country. Because that’s my partner’s first language, I didn’t have to put my rudimentary skills to the test. However, I encountered plenty of Europeans and North Americans who managed to make it from Point A to Point B.
Two nights in Antigua
The next morning started with the one-hour drive west to the colonial city of Antigua. Visitors have several options for transportation. Uber is available, and we used it for a short ride in Guatemala City, but I’d read enough mixed reviews for me to largely opt against it. The bravest – and stingiest – of travellers sometimes ride the chicken buses: decorated buses that serve as public transportation. However, I’d also seen a litany of online grievances, as the buses can often run unreliably and feel crowded, with the risk of pickpockets.
Instead, we used private cars and shared shuttle services to travel from town to town, which are affordable by American standards.
Our two nights in Antigua left us wishing for more time. There, activities abound – sightseeing at the famous Santa Catalina Arch and Central Park, bartering at the massive Mercado Central and eating so many piping-hot tortillas. My go-to breakfast for days in a row: plantains, refried beans, farmer’s cheese and eggs soaked in salsa, scooped into tortillas and washed down with that famous Guatemalan coffee.
Antigua is the place to buy souvenirs. I scored a Mayan cookbook, plus trinkets for my family like handmade worry dolls: tiny dolls that you tuck under your pillow to whisk away your stresses as you dream.
The Santa Catalina Arch in the city of Antigua.
It’s also the spot for nightlife, with several dozen bars and restaurants concentrated in a walkable area that’s both spotless and safe.
Speaking of walking, follow our lead and bring a duffle or weekend bag, instead of a suitcase. Otherwise, navigating the cobblestone roads can quickly turn into the bane of your existence. And wear comfortable sneakers. We walked almost 15km one day, but that’s the best way to find hole-in-the-wall joints like restaurant Cafeteria La Concepcion, which is where I tried the traditional dish of pepian de pollo, a Guatemalan chicken stew.
Depending on the timing of your trip, you could also experience a local festival. I was delighted to realise that we visited ahead of Semana Santa, or Holy Week, with Guatemala considered a deeply Christian country. Street vendors sell cheap delicacies, such as empanadas de leche, or sweet cream empanadas.
Antigua residents wake up every Sunday during Lent and create alfombras – intricately designed “carpets” made of flower petals and sawdust dyed in every colour – on the streets before the evening’s religious procession. Then, just hours later, the temporary creations are stepped on and swept up.
From Antigua, you can admire the surrounding peaks of towering volcanoes, and tour operators like OX Expeditions take hikers on excursions to Pacaya, Acatenango and Agua volcanoes. We signed up for an easy sunset hike up to Pacaya and its lava fields. The other two are known as longer, more intense endeavours.
I would strongly advise any hiking hopefuls to cough up the money and join a group because robberies of solo tourists are common along the trails.
Picturesque Lake Atitlan
My first work day was spent reporting in Jocotenango, a town on the outskirts of Antigua, with the team at the non-profit Education For The Children Foundation. They run the School Of Hope, a free private school for disadvantaged students. I chatted with pupils and teachers during the school day. Then, US executive director Sara Miller drove me around town and up to La Vista Hermosa, a shantytown of homes built illegally on the hillside where about 150 of the school’s families reside.
As a journalist, I’m grateful to have spent those hours getting the perspective that tourists often don’t see, but, for that reason, I won’t highlight Jocotenango as a place that visitors need on their itineraries. Then, we hopped in a shared shuttle – a small van that fits 10 passengers – for the three-hour ride to Lake Atitlan. If you get car sick, then it is absolutely necessary to bring non-drowsy motion sickness medicine to survive the winding roads.
Lake Atitlan is often referred to as “the Lake Como of Latin America”, referencing the Italian lake in the Alps’ foothills. It’s also held sacred by the nation’s Mayan population – Guatemala’s largest Indigenous group. Outside of Guatemala City, Native people in their traditional garb are a common sight. A Mayan woman typically wears a corte (skirt), huipil (blouse) and faja (belt), and you come across shops selling the clothing in different colours and patterns.
Upon arriving at the lake, you’re typically dropped off in Panajachel – one of almost a dozen towns and villages sitting on the water’s edge. There, I spent my final day of reporting at the headquarters of non-profit Friendship Bridge, which works with Indigenous women entrepreneurs to provide loans, business training and more.
Nicknamed Pana, the town is accessible by car, but several of the most popular destinations can only be reached by boat. Before departing Pana for other lakeside locations, stock up on sunscreen, beer or any other desirable products because the small stores in the remote villages offer limited stock.
Public and private lanchas, or boats, float at the main dock to ferry locals and tourists across the lake. Beeline for the cheap public option or you could be swindled by a private captain into paying hundreds of quetzales for your own boat. It’s a longer wait as the water taxi loads up on passengers, but it’s worthwhile for your wallet.
The lake is a place to relax, swim and hop from village to village, which is exactly what my partner and I did on our last day of vacation. Boats are ever reliable on the lake, and you can flag one down at the nearest dock. But I wanted to try out a tuk-tuk – a doorless, three-wheeled vehicle, manned by a driver, who can transport you between towns. I highly recommend the very Guatemalan experience.
Our favourite village: San Juan La Laguna, which bursts with art, restaurants and merchants.
Our least favourite: San Marcos La Laguna – a hippie haven, known for its yoga retreats and meditation centres. However, it felt very gentrified to me.
We didn’t get the chance to visit Santa Catarina Palopo, where the houses are painted in eye-popping colours. Cerro Tzankujil Nature Reserve has a prime spot for cliff jumping into the lake, which I’d add to my list for when we return.
And that’s “when”, not “if”, because I’d happily fly back to Guatemala for a much longer trip in the future. Not only did I feel welcome and safe during my travels, but I also experienced an adventure that I won’t soon forget. – MEGAN ULU-LANI BOYANTON/The Denver Post/Tribune News Service
