Dear fellow travellers,
I travelled around Guatemala earlier this year. I have written an article to share my experiences, pictures and tips:
http://dreamsalongtheway.net/?page_id=423
Definitely the best trip of my life so far. Strong culture, welcoming people, untouched jungle and impressive ruins, it's got everything a traveller could ask for. :)
Hopefully, this can be of any help for you to plan your next trip.
Enjoy!
Guillaume
Great report, but you might want to think twice about playing up the "Guatemala is dangerous" angle. It simply isn't, any more than other countries with tourists, but it's that word-of-mouth that gets it... at the same time, you state that you wandered all across the country with highly visible valuables around your neck and were completely fine (as 99% of all visitors). You can't do that in a truly dangerous place.
You could have had a great time exploring the historical core of the city (Zona 1) and taking some great pictures around the central square, but you didn't because you had heard that it was dangerous... it's just a myth. If you'd stayed at a place like Hotel Spring or Hotel Seville instead of near the airport, you would've seen families, artists, musicians, couples, senior citizens etc. all strolling along la Sexta. You're certainly not the first to be convinced that the city was somehow teeming with peril, but keep it in mind for next time! Think about visiting Huehue and heading deeper into Quiche as well, possibly attending a town feria if at all possible... you'll get some unforgettable images.
Hi,
Thanks for your comment. I went through the (few) parts in which I mention safety, I see your point. You are correct, what I heard about certain places participated to the fact that I avoided them. But this is only because other parts of the country were higher on my priority list (rightly or wrongly). Now I haven't had any problems myself but I know other people who did. Again, I'm sure you're right, a minority compared to the number of tourists going.
But I really hope that I make people want to go to Guatemala than the opposite. It was definitely the best trip of my life, the people I met were fantastic and I will strongly recommend it to anyone I talk to. So I'll review the wording to make sure it doesn't carry the wrong message. I definitely would like to go back myself and discover the areas less touristy but, you know, it's always difficult to fit so much in a short holiday. :)
Cheers
Guillaume
I think that overall you did a great job at shedding some light on the people here... seems like anyone with a curiosity about them would want to visit even more after seeing this.
It's definitely true that a tiny percentage of tourists DO end up getting their belongings taken, but the fact that it's so small is the result of a lot of communities working really hard to make it safe for them. It's also the case that there are very dangerous areas of the city (including neighborhoods that even the police don't go into), but there are also other vibrant and fairly safe ones as well. The thing with the guns and the closed-off looking houses is unfortunately a reality in many parts of a lot of Latin American capitals, these days... though in the end, it seems like having guys with shotguns guard everything from Chinese food restaurants to maternity stores works on some level in keeping the peace.
