How rains affect travel in Belize and Guatemala
Jun 4th, 2008, 04:40 PM
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How rains affect travel in Belize and Guatemala
The severe rains and weather in Belize and Guatemala ,is it affecting travel in Antiqua, Lake Aitilan,Tikal and the beach areas such as Palencia and Ambergris?
Jun 4th, 2008, 08:03 PM
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We are here in Guatemala currently, and have found that it is raining pretty severely every day (except for today, when it only rained twice).
Yes, it has affected travel for us, sometimes in good ways:
(1) In Tikal, the weather was cooler and there were fewer bugs because it was raining constantly. At times, however, it was only a light drizzle, or it stopped entirely, but for the most part it was raining. The trails were very slick and muddy, and my friend fell once.
(2) Upon returning back to Guatemala City from Tikal, we were forced to divert and land in San Salvador, El Salvador, because the Guatemala City airport (La Aurora) had to shut down. It was tiring but a new experience -- mix of good and bad. Frankly, I didn't mind waiting forever because it was interesting to see how TACA and the El Salvadorean immigration authorities handled the situation (not very efficiently but it was humorous). TACA put us up in the Real Intercontinental which was luxurious but we only got to sleep for a max of 2 hours before we had to leave to get back on our rebooked flight.
(3) At Lake Atitlan, the skies have been overcast so I can't see the volcano peaks--I can only see the bases. It's still very lovely but it would have been nice to capture the classic views of the three volcanos as I've seen elsewhere.
(4) Our few hours in Panajachel, when we first arrived, was completely soaked.
(5) Driving from Guatemala City to Panajachel was extremely dangerous although our driver was responsible. The road conditions were terrible and at one point we ran into a mudslide as it was happening. We had to stop the car so we wouldn't get hit by the large rocks sliding down. Again, a different experience but most definitely I could envision an accident in the making. In fact, our driver had suggested that we bail on Panajachel/Atitlan (which I most definitely was NOT going to do) because of the road conditions. She called her friend in Pana to check on the latest road updates before feeling more confident about heading out.
(6) Traffic in Guatemala City was horrendous because of the rain, and it took 2.5 hours for our driver to pick us up at the airport. She was coming in from Antigua and the traffic was at a standstill (normally it's a 1 hour drive). There was also a huge traffic accident in the oncoming/opposite lanes which most definitely had been fatal as one of the cars was completely crushed.
Yes, it has affected travel for us, sometimes in good ways:
(1) In Tikal, the weather was cooler and there were fewer bugs because it was raining constantly. At times, however, it was only a light drizzle, or it stopped entirely, but for the most part it was raining. The trails were very slick and muddy, and my friend fell once.
(2) Upon returning back to Guatemala City from Tikal, we were forced to divert and land in San Salvador, El Salvador, because the Guatemala City airport (La Aurora) had to shut down. It was tiring but a new experience -- mix of good and bad. Frankly, I didn't mind waiting forever because it was interesting to see how TACA and the El Salvadorean immigration authorities handled the situation (not very efficiently but it was humorous). TACA put us up in the Real Intercontinental which was luxurious but we only got to sleep for a max of 2 hours before we had to leave to get back on our rebooked flight.
(3) At Lake Atitlan, the skies have been overcast so I can't see the volcano peaks--I can only see the bases. It's still very lovely but it would have been nice to capture the classic views of the three volcanos as I've seen elsewhere.
(4) Our few hours in Panajachel, when we first arrived, was completely soaked.
(5) Driving from Guatemala City to Panajachel was extremely dangerous although our driver was responsible. The road conditions were terrible and at one point we ran into a mudslide as it was happening. We had to stop the car so we wouldn't get hit by the large rocks sliding down. Again, a different experience but most definitely I could envision an accident in the making. In fact, our driver had suggested that we bail on Panajachel/Atitlan (which I most definitely was NOT going to do) because of the road conditions. She called her friend in Pana to check on the latest road updates before feeling more confident about heading out.
(6) Traffic in Guatemala City was horrendous because of the rain, and it took 2.5 hours for our driver to pick us up at the airport. She was coming in from Antigua and the traffic was at a standstill (normally it's a 1 hour drive). There was also a huge traffic accident in the oncoming/opposite lanes which most definitely had been fatal as one of the cars was completely crushed.
Jun 5th, 2008, 04:09 AM
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I just left Ambergris yesterday. Weather has gradually been improving since the storm ended Monday. Actually, there was quite a bit of sunshine yesterday before I left. One of those days with high clouds and you end up getting sunburned because you don't realize how intense the sun is.
Jun 5th, 2008, 04:27 AM
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Keep updating. I had 24 hours to cancel my flights. I cancelled but it seems air fares from New York to Guatemala and Belize have gone down. SO hopefully, i can rebook if the weather seems to beimprove and I can get a last minute deal.
