About Guatemala

UmmaGumma Hostel

Published at October 13th, 2008 in General.6 Comments

UmmaGumma Hostel
I have no idea what Umma Gumma means, but what I can tell you is that Umma Gumma has become one of the 3 most popular hostels in Antigua Guatemala and I my favorite.

I’m a backpacker, so of course price is always important and Umma Gumma is only Q35/night when you stay in the dorms and if you are planning to stay for quite sometime (perhaps volunteering or studying Spanish for a couple of weeks) they usually give people a better price. But prices is not everything to me, UmmaGumma became one of my favorite places because it has a wonderful environment and even you can’t choose the people you stay with at the dorms I usually found the travelers in this hostel quite friendly and respectful. They offer private rooms for around Q50 if you are looking for a bit of privacy. Also if you are looking for travel buddies during your visit to Guatemala I’m sure you will find one here.

The hostel counts with Wi-Fi connections and a computer connected to Internet as well that guests can use at all times. They have a fridge and kitchen for guests use as well and this is my favorite part, you can fill your bottles of water (it is purified water so no worries) for free which comes quite handy during hangover days

Bathrooms are very clean, and if you like taking the sun while you read a book or have breakfast they have a spacious terrace. They can offer you trips since there is a travel agency at the front but if you are interested to do Pacaya go to the one in front UmmaGumma called El Barco Agency, it is Q25 cheaper

UmmaGumma is located in 7 Avenida Norte #34. Telephone # 7832 4413

Call and make a reservation if you can.

La Tienda de La Canche

Published at October 13th, 2008 in Restaurants and Antigua.One Comment

Tienda de la Canche
The best part of living in a town for a while is that you end up discovering amazing places that for some reason you didn’t notice on quick trips, places that become part of the daily life of people, places you end up falling in love with.

In this case in particular Im talking about ¨La Tienda de La Canche¨, a very small store located right in front of La Merced church on 6th avenue north, but small just at first sight because once you enter if you look closely you will notice some tables and chairs in the bottom where you can have a delicious and cheap meal.

This place is run by an old lady called “La Canche” and her Husband. They have run this place for many years, and not only I had some of the best home made meals in Guatemala at this place but as well quite some interesting chats with the crowd who gathers here religiously almost everyday since one thing is for sure, you will never sit and eat alone around here.

For around Q15 you can enjoy a delicious Guatemalan home made meal that goes from Caldo de Res to Tamales (includes coffee or natural juice) or during breakfast you can order a plate of eggs among other things.

And if you are in a hurry, or just not feeling very hungry you can ask for a home made sandwich as well, been my recommendation the chicken sandwich or the avocado and ham one.

And if the Super market is closed or you need to buy something difficult to find in other stores, I can bet my life you will find it here. Once you enter this place, I assure you it will be one of the top of your list.

Nos vemos donde la Canche!

Traveling with Kids in Guatemala

Published at October 1st, 2008 in Activities, Gastronomy, Guatemala City, Antigua and Peten.2 Comments

I have seen many people traveling with their kids in Guatemala, and I always wonder how much information there is about it to help them planning a family trip. My recent investigation on internet made me realize there is virtually no information regarding traveling with children in Guatemala.

I don’t have kids myself, but considering a lot of people seems to think I still act like a 6 year old boy, perhaps I can recommend you a thing or two your kids will enjoy while you travel in Guatemala, and of course it would be great if more people could share their experiences, tips and any sort of recommendations to other families interested in coming to this country.

Guatemala City

Even Guatemala City is avoided by most travelers, in this case offers some of the best activities for parents and children.

One of the things your kids will enjoy the most is a visit to La Aurora Zoo, giving them the opportunity to see a diversity of animals of the Central American region and the rest of the world. And not far from there you can visit El Museo de los Niños (Children’s Museum), where your kids will be learning while they have fun in some of the interactive exhibitions and galleries they count with. Not far from there, you can find the Museum of Archeology and History, the perfect place to end up your day.

Another activity you and your family would enjoy is a visit to the relief map in Zone 2. The map, built hundred years ago was an engineer accomplishment considering the tools they used and the exactitude it has. Go around Guatemala in a couple of minutes and visualize the volcanoes and mountains of the country, remember the places you visit or choose new destinations. There is a small park with mechanic games just a few meters away that children up to the age of 6 would enjoy for sure, and if it is possible do this on Sunday since the main Boulevard is closed for families to be able to use it as a park.

Avenida Las Americas and Avenida Reforma, two main interconnected avenues are closed as well for the same purpose on Sundays. Come here and enjoy with your children many activities, you can either enjoy a nice walk while you eat an ice cream, rent a bicycle for you and your kids or watch them enjoy of a small horse ride among other things.

Antigua Guatemala

One of the nicest cities in Guatemala, a lovely park and a dozen activities to enjoy. If you and your kids enjoy spending time in the kitchen, why not take some cooking lessons of traditional Guatemalan food and learn how to make tamales, chuchitos, rellenitos, chiles rellenos….maybe I should take some lessons myself.

Enjoy hiking?? never seen an active volcano, if your children are not too young they would love a visit to Pacaya Volcano. This is not a difficult hike, and if things get complicated you can always rent horses to take you to the top. This is an experience your family will never forget.

Spanish lessons is something else you can do in Antigua Guatemala, there is a big selection of schools to choose from, and some of them will organize other kind of activities for you.

Retalhuleu

Probably you never heard of this place, but your kids will adore you if you take them there. The two biggest amusement parks of Central America are here:

Xocomil
My favorite one, it combines to of my favorite things in life, water and sliders… you will spend hours of fun in this place, I promise you.

Xetulul
Watch a replica of the mayan temple “El Gran Jaguar”, jump in one of the many mechanical games in the park… so many things to do around here that is difficult to put them all.

Peten

Tikal “The city of Voices”, visit one of the most important Mayan cities of the classic period while you walk trough the rain forest and watch wild animals.

And if you would like to stay near the Flores area, visit the park Ixpanpajul where you can enjoy of horse rides, birdwatching, mountain biking or the always fun canopy tour.

At the moment this are some of the things that come to my mind but let’s not forget Guatemala is a country with natural reserves, amazing biodiversity, beauty and full of history. If you can appreciate that, your children will too… enjoy Guatemala and please share your comments and opinions.

Useful travel web sites when you visit Guatemala

Published at September 11th, 2008 in Tips.3 Comments

Websites Guatemala
Internet is the best tool we travelers have this days, and I thought it would be a good idea to share with you some of the websites I consider really important to know during a visit to Guatemala. This websites will not be only a great source of information, but in some cases will save you money and time.

A website I discovered lately is Flightstats, which saves me a lot of time when I have to go to the airport to pick up somebody since it is really difficult to get information there this days and this way I avoid l waiting for long periods of time when the flights are delayed

And talking about flights, you should join the news letter of Taca , sometimes they have pretty good deals to the rest of Central America and since you are already here, why not check out some other place? Taca also flights to Flores in case you are short of time and really want to visit Tikal.

And if you have questions nobody cant answer, then somebody at the Thorn Three Forum might actually know it. One of my favorite places, with hundreds of members that know Guatemala and the rest of Central America pretty well.

And if you enjoy watching picture of Guatemala before, during or after your trip, then I have a few favorite websites for that as well. Guate360.com has a very nice gallery of different regions of Guatemala, or you can visit the website of Paty Wolf with amazing pictures of her many trips to Guatemala. And if that is not enough I always find amazing shots on the Flickr Website, where I spend lots of hours dreaming about leaving my office job and just grab my backpack one more time.

Planning to enjoy a Guatemalan Fiesta? Visit mayaparadise.com for the best Fiestas calendar I ever found on the internet.

Another great source of information while you are in Guatemala if you are looking for Spanish schools, volunteer opportunities, salsa lessons, apartments for rent and more is Xela Pages.

Do you speak Spanish and enjoy outdoor activities? then visit Xplorando Guatemala. You will find everything about Trekking, Mountain Biking, Rock Climbing… one of my favorites.

Need a Map of Guatemala City? need to find a bus station on that map? Google Maps

And of course if you didn’t notice yet… this is a website you should check out too

Enjoy Guatemala.

Hotel Minerva - Livingston

Published at September 10th, 2008 in Hotels and Livingston.2 Comments

Hotel Minerva Livingston
De los economicos el mejor is their slogan…. it means from the cheapest the best, but like usually happens with advertising you never get what they offer or you just get half of it and in my case I only got cheap.

Hotel Minerva could be a lovely small hotel and become one of those popular places backpackers talk about, but sadly it seems the owners do not care that much about improvements or even about keeping the place clean. Hotel Minerva cost only Q25/night per person and even is really cheap and I know I cant really expect much, I stayed in places with similar prices in Guatemala with owners or a staff that made sure to keep the place clean.

Why am I complaining you might ask? well there was really bad smell in the the front patio that could be solved with water and soap, but nobody seem to care, but the crossing line was somewhere between the big ugly stain on my blankets (when they said it was a clean room already) or the roaches that fled out when my friend was checking out her blankets for stains.

And now you might ask why I even bother about writing about such a place on this website, and the answer is really simple. It was without a doubt the cheapest place I found in Livingston and sometimes when Im backpacking money is really important, even is a only a few quetzales.

So if you are looking for the cheapest place to stay in Livingston, Hotel Minerva what you are looking for, just don’t expect much. And if things have change since the last time I was there, please let me know.

3rd Americas Social Forum - Guatemala

Published at September 9th, 2008 in Guatemala City.9 Comments

The 3rd Americas Social Forum will take place in Guatemala City at the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, from October 7th to 12th 2008. The date is symbolic to social struggles in the region and in particular to indigenous peoples. October 12th symbolizes the resistance of indigenous peoples as it marks the beginning of the Spanish conquest.

The six main themes seek to reflect the specific nature of the hemispheric agenda:

1. Scope and Challenges of the Changes in the Hemisphere: Post-Neoliberalism, Socialism(s), Civilizational Changes
2. Peoples in Resistance to Neoliberalism and Imperial Domination
3. Defending quality of life in the face of predatory capitalism
4. Diversities and Equality: challenges for achieving them
5. La disputa ideológica: comunicación, culturas, conocimientos, educación
6. Pueblos y nacionalidades indígenas originarios y afrodescendientes: el ‘buen vivir’ y sus claves para el futuro

If you would like more information and to register in the forum please visit the official website

Getting around Guatemala City

Guatemala City is the biggest capital of Central America, with almost 3 million people living there. That might make it a bit scary for a lot of people considering it is the most dangerous place in the whole country.

For people visiting the Americas Social Forum and especially if it is your first time in Guatemala City, I would advice them to take taxis to get to the San Carlos University and back to your hotels or hostel. And if you are planning to move around the city during your time here it is also the safest option and will make things less complicated. I would even encourage people to get in contact trough this blog for example because in case you are staying in the same area you can even share the cost of the cab or go in groups if you decide to take public transportation.

My recommendation if you decide to use cabs because they are safe and reliables is to call Taxis Amarillos to the following number 2470-1515. You can buy a cheap mobile phone in Guatemala for around $20 and they include outgoing local minutes (all incoming calls are free), so if you can afford one don’t think twice and get yourself one.

There is many public buses going to the University, and most of them go trough the main avenues and streets of the city. Look for the buses with signs USAC or Avenida Petapa.

Accomodation in Guatemala City

There is plenty of options for accomodation in Guatemala City from Budget Hostels to 5 Star Hotels.

If you are looking for the midrange hostels, there is many options around Areopuerto Internacional la Aurora between $12 to $17 per person. If you don’t mind to spend a bit more and would like a hotel, there is a few options around Zona Viva for $35.

If you are looking for budget accommodation, then look around Zone 1. You can find places to stay here starting at $4. But if you ask me, the only place I would recommended you to stay for those prices tough is Pension Meza, I found the other ones too sketchy for my taste.

There is one more option, and if you heard before about the hospitality exchange organizations before this is probably a great time to start using them. There is a couple of this organizations in Guatemala, but the most popular right now is The Couchsurfing Project.

If you have doubts or questions about the Americas Social Forum or Guatemala City post a comment below with it and I will answer you ASAP. And I welcome other users or people going to the America Social Forum to reply as well.

Casa Ati & Jack’s Cafe

Published at September 2nd, 2008 in Atitlan and Cafes.One Comment

Casa Ati & Jack's Cafe
A few months ago, the cultural magazine Revista Ati and Jack’s Cafe join efforts in order to bring a different proposal to Panajachel. This proposal made Jack’s Cafe the art central at lake Atitlan, with different activities everyday going from live music by several local bands, to puppets theater, poetry and Guatemalan films among others things. Casa Ati/Jack’s Cafe is located in Calle de los Arboles.

This place also offers a nice variety of drinks and food at a really reasonable prices. Definitely a place you should not miss while you visit the most beautiful lake in the world. Casa Ati/Jack’s Cafe is located in Calle de los Arboles really close to Santander Street.

Revista Ati organize as well every 2 months “El Festivalito”, a small cultural festival that brings together the best artist of the region and the country. To check the dates, places and activities of El Festivalito, check the calendar event in “Revista Ati”.

The following video is from a concert that took place last march. The Cuban song/writer Michel Peraza sings V.I.P, part of the soundtrack of the movie with the same name, one of the last Guatemalan films released. And I know… the image sucks.

Hostal El Portal (Semuc Champey)

Published at September 1st, 2008 in Verapaces and Hostels.12 Comments

Hostal El Portal
El Portal opened about a year ago, is located just 50 meters away from Semuc Champey. The Hostel is clean and they have a pretty good menu, offers different activities and counts with a really nice staff.

The dorms in the second floor are just Q35 per person and they have the best view you could ever find in hotels around this area, a really romantic budget getaway. The Dorms in the first floor cost Q40 per person and you can get a private room with enough space for 4 or 5 people for Q200. They also rent you space for tents in case you have your own, and would like to save a few Q’s.

El Portal is owned by Lico, a local guy that for many years worked as a guide in this area, which makes him the perfect person to talk about the different activities you can do around here. He actually sow different local plants around the hostel area, and every day in the afternoon when guests ask him, he takes them in a small tour where you can see plants of Cacao (in case you always wonder from where where chocolate came from), Copal three, Pineapple or Cardamom among other things.

His Wife actually makes home made chocolate, and if you are lucky enough and you stay for more than a day, she even might show you how to make it yourself.

Among the different activities you can do are: visiting Semuc Champey, Tubing trough the Cahabon river or visit the caves of Kan Ba.

Semuc Champey is one of the most beautiful places in Guatemala and Central America, and El Portal is a great option to enjoy of it.