Trip Report-Guatemala
Mar 13th, 2006, 11:56 AM
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Trip Report-Guatemala
Three little letters describe our trip....WOW.
Like most people we were pretty nervous about traveling there but found the people very friendly. We never felt threatened. We did ask locally if there were places we should be careful traveling in and felt that we received some honest answers.
We travel frequently to Costa Rica but after 14 years of seeing and doing everything we wanted there we have started branching out. We hope to be living in CR soon so it was time to get back to seeing the rest of the world. With only 20 countries under my belt I have a long way to go.
Here goes.....After wiping our heads clear of our visions of CR and opening our minds to a whole new world we started to see the beauty that Guatemala has to offer. Beauty is not always about natural beauty like we see so much of in CR but it can be found in many different places.
We arrived around 12:30 pm in Guatemala City. The airport is pretty easy to get around in. No problems with immigration. I had contacted a tour company to help with our transportation between our first few places. Not wanting to be a "target" for banditos we hoped this would be a safe way to go. We used Turansa and were very happy with them. They were the cheapest we got quotes from which worried me initially but they were prompt and the drivers very good. Even told us to buckle up. We headed out into the Guatemala City traffic which was pretty busy. We couldn't wait to say good-bye to that part of our trip. The noise and diesel fumes were horrible. Will not ever stay there if I can possibly help it.
We chose to see Lake Atitlan first and then work our way back to the airport to fly to Tikal later in our trip. After a comfortable 3 hr ride with a couple of stops we arrived in Panajachel which is the biggest town on lake Atitlan. Most of the town looked fine but there was a huge mess where part of it had been washed out along with a huge bridge during Hurricane Stan. We drove through the torn up area and about 10 minutes later arrived at our first stop in Santa Catarina de Polopo. Casa Polopo was everything and more of what we expected. Not very big but just lovely. Origional artwork on the walls were beautiful. The origional Botero in the bar area blew us away. The people couldn't have been nicer and with a chef who had a table full of trophies on display we knew we had chosen well. The views of the lake were breathtaking. We had chosen Palopo for its location and being able to view the 3 volcanos. We weren't disappointed.
Next day..Turansa picked us up and drove us to a market. We chose to go to the market in Solola rather than Chichicastenango because it was a local market rather than a tourist market. It was so colorful and for the first time we could see the different colors of the different mayan villagers. We bargained but tried to be fair as well and came away with some beautiful fabrics and scarves. We got our first good look at the "chicken buses" which are actually very beautiful. All brightly painted and the chrome polished to a high shine. Got to see our first little Tuk Tuks too. Being the only tourists we did stand out and after about an hour we were feeling a little harassed. Decided to head over to Panajachel for awhile. Great little city. Plenty of shopping can be done here but with a little less bargaining power. Prices still good. Busy city but very safe. We didn't stay there because it sounded so touristy. It was but in a fun way. Would consider a night or too there another time. Ate a wonderful dinner at Casa Palopo, drank some wonderful fresh lime drinks and went to bed dreaming of our next adventure. Sunsets over Atitlan are breathtaking.
We rented a launch for the day. They are how most people get around from village to village around the lake. You can take them from point to point easily but we decided to just get our own for the day. We were traveling with friends that we had met from another Costa Rica travel board so we just split costs.
We traveled to several different villages. So beautiful but so sad. Different colors on the womens clothing in every village. Same sad scaring from landslides. We watched one village slowly rebuilding its church. The women were filling baskets with the rubble and carrying them on their heads to the new location where the men were making cement. We chose not to go to one village that had lost so many. We didn't feel comfortable going just to look.
One village that was really interesting was Santiago de Atitlan. We were met at the dock by several "guides" wanting to show us around the town. We chose one and off we went on foot. The whole town was busy because a beloved priest had just recently died and the funeral was to be soon. We had seen signs about this in other villages as well. All of the statues in the main church were being "dressed" literally. One group all had pink button down shirts and ties. One very important stop that we just had to make was to visit Maximon. He is the patron Saint of vices and has a cigarette going in his mouth all the time. People bring him liquor and cigarettes and pray to him. They are very serious and talk to him as though he could hear. Quite fascinating.
Atitlan has so much history. Just about 10 years ago the different villages were still fighting and killing each other. We are looking forward to going back to see and learn more.
Time to move on...2 1/2 hrs to Antigua. On first impression I was wondering what people thought was so beautiful about it. Cobblestone streets and cement walls with wooden doors is all you see on most of the streets. No trees, bushes, flowers or color. So drab after Atitlan. Then we arrived at our hotel and got our first look at what is behind those cement walls. It is like another world. Beautiful old buildings, flowers, trees. As we walked around we hoped for more open doors to peek into. We just couldn't believe how so much beauty could be hidden back there. We stayed in Hotel Panza Verde. Fortunately we arrived in time for Sunday brunch at the hotel or we would not have had a chance to taste the wonderful food we had been reading about. They are closed Mondays except for breakfast for the hotel guests. What a beautiful place with little nooks and crannies. The rooftop gardens were a total surprise as was the lap pool. We had a late brunch so didn't have dinner. We did get to see the Super Bowl at a little Hotel/bar in the center of town That night.
Next day we wandered around town. Stopped in at Frida's-great place. Also had to stop in at Reillys-that was the maiden name of the woman traveling with us. Spank the Monkey was another place we had to pick up a couple of t shirts from. Found a place that looked good for dinner and headed back to the hotel to clean up. We went back to El Serena and were blown away. We ended up eating on a roof top terrace overlooking the city. The food was excellent and it was a wonderful last night.
Early pick up by Turansa and off to Guatemala City for a flight up to Tikal. Only about a 45 minute ride during rush hour so well worth it rather than staying in that city.
To be continued in Tikal.....
Like most people we were pretty nervous about traveling there but found the people very friendly. We never felt threatened. We did ask locally if there were places we should be careful traveling in and felt that we received some honest answers.
We travel frequently to Costa Rica but after 14 years of seeing and doing everything we wanted there we have started branching out. We hope to be living in CR soon so it was time to get back to seeing the rest of the world. With only 20 countries under my belt I have a long way to go.
Here goes.....After wiping our heads clear of our visions of CR and opening our minds to a whole new world we started to see the beauty that Guatemala has to offer. Beauty is not always about natural beauty like we see so much of in CR but it can be found in many different places.
We arrived around 12:30 pm in Guatemala City. The airport is pretty easy to get around in. No problems with immigration. I had contacted a tour company to help with our transportation between our first few places. Not wanting to be a "target" for banditos we hoped this would be a safe way to go. We used Turansa and were very happy with them. They were the cheapest we got quotes from which worried me initially but they were prompt and the drivers very good. Even told us to buckle up. We headed out into the Guatemala City traffic which was pretty busy. We couldn't wait to say good-bye to that part of our trip. The noise and diesel fumes were horrible. Will not ever stay there if I can possibly help it.
We chose to see Lake Atitlan first and then work our way back to the airport to fly to Tikal later in our trip. After a comfortable 3 hr ride with a couple of stops we arrived in Panajachel which is the biggest town on lake Atitlan. Most of the town looked fine but there was a huge mess where part of it had been washed out along with a huge bridge during Hurricane Stan. We drove through the torn up area and about 10 minutes later arrived at our first stop in Santa Catarina de Polopo. Casa Polopo was everything and more of what we expected. Not very big but just lovely. Origional artwork on the walls were beautiful. The origional Botero in the bar area blew us away. The people couldn't have been nicer and with a chef who had a table full of trophies on display we knew we had chosen well. The views of the lake were breathtaking. We had chosen Palopo for its location and being able to view the 3 volcanos. We weren't disappointed.
Next day..Turansa picked us up and drove us to a market. We chose to go to the market in Solola rather than Chichicastenango because it was a local market rather than a tourist market. It was so colorful and for the first time we could see the different colors of the different mayan villagers. We bargained but tried to be fair as well and came away with some beautiful fabrics and scarves. We got our first good look at the "chicken buses" which are actually very beautiful. All brightly painted and the chrome polished to a high shine. Got to see our first little Tuk Tuks too. Being the only tourists we did stand out and after about an hour we were feeling a little harassed. Decided to head over to Panajachel for awhile. Great little city. Plenty of shopping can be done here but with a little less bargaining power. Prices still good. Busy city but very safe. We didn't stay there because it sounded so touristy. It was but in a fun way. Would consider a night or too there another time. Ate a wonderful dinner at Casa Palopo, drank some wonderful fresh lime drinks and went to bed dreaming of our next adventure. Sunsets over Atitlan are breathtaking.
We rented a launch for the day. They are how most people get around from village to village around the lake. You can take them from point to point easily but we decided to just get our own for the day. We were traveling with friends that we had met from another Costa Rica travel board so we just split costs.
We traveled to several different villages. So beautiful but so sad. Different colors on the womens clothing in every village. Same sad scaring from landslides. We watched one village slowly rebuilding its church. The women were filling baskets with the rubble and carrying them on their heads to the new location where the men were making cement. We chose not to go to one village that had lost so many. We didn't feel comfortable going just to look.
One village that was really interesting was Santiago de Atitlan. We were met at the dock by several "guides" wanting to show us around the town. We chose one and off we went on foot. The whole town was busy because a beloved priest had just recently died and the funeral was to be soon. We had seen signs about this in other villages as well. All of the statues in the main church were being "dressed" literally. One group all had pink button down shirts and ties. One very important stop that we just had to make was to visit Maximon. He is the patron Saint of vices and has a cigarette going in his mouth all the time. People bring him liquor and cigarettes and pray to him. They are very serious and talk to him as though he could hear. Quite fascinating.
Atitlan has so much history. Just about 10 years ago the different villages were still fighting and killing each other. We are looking forward to going back to see and learn more.
Time to move on...2 1/2 hrs to Antigua. On first impression I was wondering what people thought was so beautiful about it. Cobblestone streets and cement walls with wooden doors is all you see on most of the streets. No trees, bushes, flowers or color. So drab after Atitlan. Then we arrived at our hotel and got our first look at what is behind those cement walls. It is like another world. Beautiful old buildings, flowers, trees. As we walked around we hoped for more open doors to peek into. We just couldn't believe how so much beauty could be hidden back there. We stayed in Hotel Panza Verde. Fortunately we arrived in time for Sunday brunch at the hotel or we would not have had a chance to taste the wonderful food we had been reading about. They are closed Mondays except for breakfast for the hotel guests. What a beautiful place with little nooks and crannies. The rooftop gardens were a total surprise as was the lap pool. We had a late brunch so didn't have dinner. We did get to see the Super Bowl at a little Hotel/bar in the center of town That night.
Next day we wandered around town. Stopped in at Frida's-great place. Also had to stop in at Reillys-that was the maiden name of the woman traveling with us. Spank the Monkey was another place we had to pick up a couple of t shirts from. Found a place that looked good for dinner and headed back to the hotel to clean up. We went back to El Serena and were blown away. We ended up eating on a roof top terrace overlooking the city. The food was excellent and it was a wonderful last night.
Early pick up by Turansa and off to Guatemala City for a flight up to Tikal. Only about a 45 minute ride during rush hour so well worth it rather than staying in that city.
To be continued in Tikal.....
Mar 13th, 2006, 06:48 PM
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Dan, We did enjoy our trip very much and are planning on going back. I can see at least 2 more trips in our future. One to retrace where we have been to see more of it and another to take a rafting trip along the mexican border up to Piedras Negras. One strong suggestion if you do go....bone up on some spanish.
Donna, I have been working to get some pics posted on my VT site. I have a long way to go but there are some interesting ones. Wish my meds hadn't packed the pounds on but such is life. Can't wait to show my cardiologist the picture of me climbing up the temple LOL.
It is a little rough but I have been hurrying to get the pictures in. So many more to go.
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/6a480/a22/
Donna, I have been working to get some pics posted on my VT site. I have a long way to go but there are some interesting ones. Wish my meds hadn't packed the pounds on but such is life. Can't wait to show my cardiologist the picture of me climbing up the temple LOL.
It is a little rough but I have been hurrying to get the pictures in. So many more to go.
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/6a480/a22/
Mar 13th, 2006, 07:38 PM
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Thanks suzie2,
Piedras Negras trip sounds like fun too. Happily, puedo hablar funcionalmente español yo... which has made my Mexico trips muy fantasticos... never heard a Guatemaltec accent though (to my knowledge).
Cheers, DAN
Piedras Negras trip sounds like fun too. Happily, puedo hablar funcionalmente español yo... which has made my Mexico trips muy fantasticos... never heard a Guatemaltec accent though (to my knowledge).
Cheers, DAN
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