Which Kindle?

So I am going to be in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala within the next month and I plant to stay down there for at least a year.

I want to bring a Kindle with me but I am not sure which Kindle to purchase?

I do not really want the expensive color screen ones because I am mainly going to simply use this for reading e-books. So I am trying to decide if I need a 3G Kindle or not?

Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks.

LANQUIN - PLEASE READ

Lanquin, and more specificly Semuc Champey are beautiful. well worth the time and travel. However please dont be a victim of a greedy bastard in one of the Agencias in Lanquin. unfortunately for me and my GF dealing with this Agencia ruined our entire stay here. The Agenica is located between "Comedor Shalom" and the street that veers to the left with the "Zephyr" sign on it. approx 40m down from comedor shalom there is an Agencia (i dont know the name) it has the usual sign out the front offering shuttle services and tours etc. the man who runs the Agencia's name is Adolfo. when booking to go from Lanquin to Flores, he asked us to arrive at 7am for a 7:30 departure. when we arrived he told us to have some breakfast at comedor shalom as it would be a long trip and to leave our bags as they would be safe with him. Now obviously i realise that we shouldnt have done this, but dealing wit... more »

Help with self drive itinerary.

I am planning on a 10 day self driving trip around Guatemala (Feb. 22-March 5)and would appreciate any comments on my initial itinerary. Since I have limited time I decided to leave out Tikal on this trip and concentrate on natural wonders. The areas I am most interested in are Lake Atitlan, Coban and Rio Dulce. I especially like to hike to areas like waterfalls and natural hot springs where we can swim. The complicating factor is that my husband does not want to do more than 4-5 hours of driving on any given day so making an itinerary that fits this criteria is difficult. I have come up with a couple of preliminary options.
1. GC-Antigua-Lake Atitlan-Coban-Lanquin-Fronteras/Rio Dulce-GC
2. GC-Coban-Lanquin-Fronteras/Rio Dulce-GC-Antigua-Lake Atitlan-GC

In option 1, what troubles me is the long drive from Lake Atitlan to Coban. Is there a place midway to stay in order to br... more »

Tikal Inn Concerns

My friend and I have been trying to make reservations at Tikal Inn for two days this November. We chose it based on reviews here, and because we want to spend a full day at Tikal.

Our plan is
1. Day one 7:30 pm arrive Flores by plane. Head to Tikal.
2. Sunrise at Tikal / siesta / late evening at Tikal
3. Tour a second site. Overnight Flores.
4. Morning flight to GC / bus or shuttle to Atitlan.

The Inn has been responding to our emails quickly enough, but they always have wrong information in the attached confirmation voucher - dates wrong, times wrong, missing information, etc.

I was already a bit put out by the cost - $60 for the shuttle (we arrive in the evening), $120 per night for the bungalow, $10 for the return shuttle, meal package mandatory even though it's unlikely we'll eat at the Inn more than once given our schedule (unless the kitchen is open late!)

We... more »

Need help with realistic itinerary for 1 week trip to Guatemala

Hello all,

So I've decided to visit Guatemala from 11/20 - 11/28 or about a week. I have 2 rough itineraries planned for this trip. For those who know Guatemala very well, please make comment or suggestion based on my current itineraries as to what's more realistic and let me know if there's other places you'd recommend. I'm skipping Chichicastenango. Thanks!

1) Arrive 11/20 afternoon in Guatemala City
Going straight to Antigua and staying the night from 11/20 - 11/24 (go to Volcan Pacaya and maybe Lake Atitlan)
Lanquin / Semuc Champey from 11/24 - 11/26
Tikal from 11/26 - 11/28

OR

2) Arrive 11/20 afternoon in Guatemala City
Going straight to Antigua and staying the night from 11/20 - 11/23 (go to Volcan Pacaya, check out small town near Antigua)
Lake Atitlan / Quetzaltenango from 11/23 - 11/26
Tikal from 11/26 - 11/28

Also some questions I have...

• Can I visit...

College credit for Spanish language school in Guatemala?

I'm helping research for my daughter, who will be a 3rd year college student next year. Despite 1.5 years of college Spanish, while traveling alone throughout Mexico this summer she discovered that classroom-learned Spanish in the US had her woefully unprepared, and now she wants to go abroad for a year and do intensive study. NONE of the 100+ schools with which her uni has an exchange agreement offers any kind of extended Spanish program for Intermediate learners, only 4- and 5- week programs over the summer.

I do remember seeing a post here on LP about a Spanish language school--I think it is in Xela? or Lake Atitlan? where a student can work through a 3rd party college in the USA for a very low price and have the credits "certified", so to speak. It was not CasaXelaju (through Brookhaven) which goes only up to the Intermediate level. Daughter needs to go up through the adva... more »

Motorcycle rental Antigua

Hello,
Does anyone know of somewhere that rents motorcycles in Antigua? I'm not talking about scooters, but rather geared motorbikes with an engine capacity above 250cc...
Cheers everyone :)

Mexico-Guatemala Itinerary--Suggestions/Comments?

Along with my 18 year old daughter, I am planning a 9 week trip to Mexico and Guatemala, with a side trip to Copan Ruinas. We will be leaving the third week of January.

I’ve wanted to visit Palenque and Tikal and Guatemala for a very long time, so I’m excited to finally have the chance. I’ve done lots of reading on the forums and have worked out an itinerary and logistics and hotel possibilities in order to get an idea of a budget. I’d appreciate any comments or suggestions for improvements. As it currently stands, I have two extra days to fill.

My interests are culture, museums, nature and wildlife, short hikes, but not strenuous all day treks, not clubs nor drinking, but I enjoy local music and cafes. No diving, no horses. All transport will be by public bus and shuttles when appropriate.

Nights 1, 2: Arrive Cancun in evening: next day banking duties, beach.
... more »