Category Archives: Guatemala

Volcan Pacaya

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There are not too many places in the world where you can climb an active volcano. That would be crazy right? There is no way people would climb something spewing lava? Well, this is Guatemala. 

I’m going to tell you Pacaya is not a difficult hike, but bear in mind I ran a marathon two weeks before this, so I had a large amount of cardio training.  It’s about a 2 hour accent to the viewpoint and it’s pretty much all uphill. Most people with a moderate level of fitness should have no problem. It’s not a technical hike but it is mandatory to have a guide. 
This is the viewpoint. From here you can see it smoking with the occasional ash shooting out of the top. When we got here I was disappointed. “Where is the lava?” I asked the guide. It turns out the trail continues down from here and you can get pretty close to the lava flows. 
Now – what you see depends on the mood of the volcano. There could be small lava flows, large lava flows, or no lava at all. 

Apparently this is small. But it’s hot enough that if you sit in the ground you are nice and warm. If you move rocks to one side then you can roast marshmallows. If you move rocks and put your hand down you will move it fairly quick. The guide handed me a hot rock, and I ended up dropping it. 

You cannot go any closer than this point, but nobody will stop you. Just be warned that tourists have been injured or killed by flying ash. 

You also get a nice sunset over the volcano. 

Guatemala City safety

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I would say most travellers avoid Guatemala City. Instead they opt to stay in Antigua which is very calm and relaxing. The problem is the roads are terrible. If they are not being resurfaced then there are accidents, motorists driving the wrong way (motorcycles do this all the time) or collisions with animals. This can make travel between Antigua and Guatemala City airport problematic. 

So, the last night before I flew to Belize, I opted to stay in the city. Although there is a lot of crime and poverty here I still managed to survive and I still have both my kidneys 🙂 
I think the most important thing to remember is that most Guatemalan people are friendly, helpful, and outgoing. They don’t want to rob you or take advantage of you. Still, you should exercise a high degree of caution, especially at night. 
Lots of little hostels, hotels, and B&Bs have started to pop up close to the airport for obvious reasons. To get to most of these you need to enter a gated community. This makes it quite safe, but can be a bit off putting seeing guys with guns and large barriers to get in. 
The bigger western hotels in Zone 10 and Zona Viva are on city streets. They will have armed guards when entering and leaving. You should have some id handy if asked. Unfortunately, in case of issues the police are unlikely to be a big help. They are under paid and take a lot of bribes. 
Now, saying this, the city also has some fantastic places to eat and they are cheap compared to Western standards. To get around I used uber. It was affordable, fast, and safe. Most drivers didn’t speak English, but it presented only minimal issues. 
So my tips – absolutely do not walk at night. Not even a short distance. Take an Uber or taxi. Carry only enough cash that you will need for that day. If you are walking short distances in the day time (which I did without concern) don’t dress in fancy clothes or wear a nice watch. Try to blend in with the locals. Don’t make yourself a target. 
Overall most visits to Guatemala City will be trouble free, but I would suggest you use caution here. 

Chicken buses

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The standard way the locals get around Guatemala, both locally and long distance, is by a so called Chicken bus. 

This is the bus station in Antigua. These buses are retired school buses. A local not for profit in Antigua, Niños de Guatemala, runs tours out to a local village. One of the things that they show you is a chicken bus workshop where the locals convert an American school bus to a chicken bus. 
However, to get to the village we take a chicken bus. The guide walks you down to the bus station where all the drivers are yelling their destinations. From here “Guate” is a popular destination. Short for Guatemala City. 

These buses are driven from the United States, through Mexico and into Guatemala. At that point they tent to cut off some of the back of the bus (roads are narrow here and corners tight) and remove any insulation and fire retardant material. There are no safety standards here – they are only concerned with packing as many people on as they can. 
They then give it a flashy paint job. This is to attract customers. After all, if the owner can pay for a paint job, he can pay for new brakes and suspension right?

Are they safe? Structurally they seem ok. However, there are a large amount of robberies that occur. The drivers are an easy target for theft and pickpockets are rife. Being a chicken bus driver is not exactly an ideal career choice, but so many people here don’t get much of a choice.