guatemala

>>1182522
bumping for interest. Also looking to go to Guatemala

baaaamp
Maya stuff looks pretty cool, but I don't want to end up on that table in the OP pic

>>1182522
Go to anitgua. Dont go to guatemala city

>>1182912
>Dont go to guatemala city
have you been?
the flight lands there anywya

Indigenous Central American girls are so pretty

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>>1183837
not sure. Or better say, not to my taste, judging for example from this - the actress is supposed to be Maya from rural Guatemala.

Anyway, I bought those cheap-ish tickets.

Can we have a Guatemala general thread now? Or at least Central America general?

experiences, advice, ideas .. anything related.

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>>1184332
same actress profile shot

>>1182522
You're going to want a local to drive you around. Pay for a guide and his van after you get to Antigua. Use the best hotel's car service to get there.
It's an amazing place, but it's never been very safe. Ever. Once in Antigua you should find things to do that is based out of this very expat town, where a lot of students go to study. In fact there is enough of a population there, that there is likely to be a good blog or two with real facts.
https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country/guatemala.html
A few more tidbits in here, like an alternate route to Tikal.
https://www.osac.gov/pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=17785

Costa Rica would be a safer choice. Do you look like you could pass as a Spaniard? If so, probably more degrees of safety for you. But, I wouldn't go alone :(

>>1184337
holy shit mate, don't make me more scared than I am.

Hiring a van to drive me around 24/7? TOo expensive for just one person really. For a group it may be reasonable, but I'm not a group lol

I should probably try to hook up with some other tourists there, to hike a volcano or two. Maybe see some wildlife.
In the worst case, there should be some tour operators organizing this. If there are tourists at all. But hell, there's a lonelyplanet for Guatemala- there must be tourists

>>1184337
>Do you look like you could pass as a Spaniard
forgot to add: no. I'm far too white and far too tall. Also, my Spanish is not perfect - the accent at least is obvious

>>1184337
Thanks for the heads up. I saw those sweet low fares and the Mrs. and I were thinking of it. I have a bit of a darker complexion so I can pass as a bit of a hairy ass Mexican, but she is Korean so I worry about her in places like this. Even if she would be with me.

>>1184332
I've met Guatemalan girls who are also indigenous but way better looking (that girl isn't ugly though, just homely)

>>1182522

>asks if Guatemala is dangerous
>posts pic of Guatemalans cutting up human flesh

been to guatemala for a few days. haven't had any problems at all. i was traveling in my own car and also slept in it. people were friendly, police was kind. just be cautious at night.

tikal is of course one of the main tourist attractions. it costs around 150 quetzal to enter. i've heard that you can use the same ticket for the next day if you buy it after 3:30 pm. but can't confirm that. i think you'll get some info on that.

flores is a nice island-based city with nice restaurants and bars.

semuc champey is something that's worth a trip. ticket costs 50 quetzal.

antigua-guatemala is really beautiful because of the ruins inbetween the small & colorful houses.

if you have a car you can also go on a safari tour at safari chapin for 60 quetzal.

the streets are horrible. by far the worst in centralamerica. better get a taxi or something alike. if you drive on your own, better calculate the whole day to reach a destination.

>>1182744
mexico has plenty of maya ruins too

>>1185521
thanks for the tips and reassurance

>the streets are horrible.
what do you mean by this? super dirty? dangerous? both?

I probably won't be driving.

>>1185567
i mean in terms of their condition. lot's of the streets i drove on aren't made with any sort of asphalt, except of the streets in bigger cities. the ones that connect the cities are mostly made with lot's of gravel, dirt and stones. at times i could barely drive faster than 10 kmh / 5 mph.

as an example: at one point there was a sign that said "caution at the bridge near the river" or whatever the spanish said. so i thought it was damaged, no big deal, but the whole bridge was missing and i had to drive through the river.

another time there seemed to be a landslide and a couple of really big rocks blocked the road. no one cared to move them and i had to drive around them. which is okay normally, but there are no barriers towards the cliff and if you fall down you'll die. doesn't help either that there are really narrow parts of the streets where you can barely drive through alone and then there comes a car going the other direction. try to manage that.

there are also a shit ton of potholes and every now and then you'll find animals on the streets. so driving at night isn't really recommended but i did it several times anyway.

that said, i didn't always drive the main highway because of the places i visited. but the main ones aren't that much better.

and yeah, there's a lot of garbage everywhere.

guatemala had by far the worst streets i have seen up until now. so if you get stressed easily, take a cap, a bus or take the pickup-taxi.

>>1185621
heh sounds like the infrastructure is fucked up all right.

I guess I won't be renting a car there. That seems too much trouble anyway.

>>1183831
Not >>1182912
Yes the flights land there, but it's crime riddled and not much to see even if it wasn't. Just spend a night at a hotel there if you have to and then explore the countryside afterwards. Go see the pyramids in Tikal. Just taking chicken buses (pretty much the only way to get around if you don't have you're own car) will take you about a week. There's plenty of stuff to see along the way, and hostels to bed down in for the night.

>>1182522
Can you keep a secret?

>>1187589
huh? sure, amigo

>>1187589
Absolutely

Guatemala was one of the best trip of my life.

Semuc Champey, Tikal, Livingstone, Rio Dulce, Flores, Antigua, Atitlan Lake, you name it. I mostly hang out with locals that I knew indirectly, we did the road trip together. So I don't really know about the safety, but I didn't have a single problem, everyone was really nice.

>>1187742
how did you hook up with the locals? I'd like to find me some local travel buddies or smth of that kind.

>>1187762
I have a friend who used to work there an knew a lot of people.

>>1187589
Does it involve nude photos?

I was born in Guatemala and went there this year again after about 10 years of not visiting.
Must see places are: Antigua, very tourist friendly. Most tourist will visit Antigua during their visit.
Lago Atitlan is also great to visit. Again, lots of tourists there.
If you have the time and money, Tikal is a very nice visit. The ruins are awesome and it is a great learning experience. The choice of places to stay in Tikal is limited but the experience is well worth it.
If you go during Holy Week, April in 2017, you will get to see a unique Catholic tradition: "Las Processiones"
Rio Dulce and The Castle of San Felipe in Izabal is also worth visiting.
The city is not too bad if you know where to go. Stay away from the ghettoes. Zona 11 and Zona 15 are safe for tourists.