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Sunday 10 July 2011

Guatemala an Amazing Travel Experience


For an Amazing Travel experience
Visit 
Guatemala
my way

Last year I took an amazing eye opening trip into Guatemala.  
Aside from what I saw and experienced which was incredible
what happened to me....
 

Changed the person I was, to the person I am today.  

Changed me and for the better. 

The original purpose of my trip last year was to gain a language and then to travel further south into Nicaragua where I was planning to volunteer working with children. Plans changed as I fell in love with a country and its wonderfully warm people. Plans changed as I was allowed to experience unconditional love. 

Now I am going back into Guatemala... 
Care to join me?


What I am going to do is offer a small select group of people the chance to be involved with me on this trip to this enchanted land

To travel and to experience with me a special trip into Guatemala.  

Taking advantage of my experience and research, 
Experience the trip of a lifetime and have fun.
This is NOT a tour.


If your plan is to study Spanish, I know the best Spanish language schools to attend. I also know top quality teachers that offer private tuition and I can refer you to these people.

I will offer you advice on what to take with you, how to pack, what to pack, options of baggage, what can be taken there and what can be purchased there so much more...and how very inexpensive it is to live and to experience this wonderful place. 

I am not a travel agency, or a tour operator. I was though involved in the hospitality business (hotels and resorts) for many years so understand the importance of excellent customer service.

In Guatemala I know people in the tour business and have personal connections with these people. These people are not only awesome but being Guatemalan they have a much greater advantage over other tour operators based in the USA or Europe with no personal connection with this wonderful country.The local tour operators offer substantially cheaper rates as well.

What I am is just a traveller and a person that connects easily to people regardless of language and cultural differences.

We will meet in San Cristobal de la Casas http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Cristobal_de_las_Casas which has many hotels and hostels that cover all budget levels. I do have an excellent relationship with a hostel operation there. La Gite Del Sol .The accommodation I had last year included my own clean room with washroom for $20.00 US per night (depending on the season). The stay also included breakfast. The owner, a Canadian from Quebec married to a Mexico lady offer top quality customer service. I worked in this business and I can honestly say that what they offer in San Cristobal stands apart from the rest. 

San Cristobal is a charming city and deserves time for a visit. There are some incredible Mayan ruins a short distance away. San Cristobal also offers a its own special feeling. It is unique and has been designated a Pueblo Magico giving the tourist and visitor that magical feeling by being there. It is considered the cultural centre of the state.

This Guatemala Amazing Travel experience I want you to share with me, will depart from San Cristobal using a shuttle service (all arranged for you) cost approximately $35.00, south into Guatemala crossing at La Mesilla. The border crossing at La Mesilla is pretty straight forward with the whole process taking about 30 minutes depending how busy it is. At the border a stamp is placed in your passport which gives you a 90 day visa stay. If you want to extend your stay this can be accomplished in two ways. One will involve a visit to Guatemala city and involves a two day process. The other is to leave what is termed the C-4 group of countries (Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua) for a period of 72 hours. Most people take a short trip into Mexico. Other options would be Costa Rica, Belize or Cuba. I know of some people that do this for years, a condition that seems to be tolerated.

After crossing through the border we take another shuttle bus down travelling through and into Guatemala land of eternal spring, to our destination, Quetzaltenango.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/quetzaltenango Quetzaltenango, or Xela (shey-la) as the locals call it, is known as the cradle of culture with five universities, some 30 technical schools and as many Spanish language schools. Xela is home to 300,000 mostly indigenous Maya people who wear their traditional and colourful clothing everywhere.  

Why Xela and not Antigua?
I originally chose Xela as my base and still do because Xela does not cater to English speaking tourist as Antigua does. Therefore if learning Spanish is your aim, Xela is a far better choice with less chance of meeting and speaking English. Antigua http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigua_Guatemala though a beautiful colonial city deserves a visit as do so many other places. Xela is an excellent starting off point for many other adventures in Guatemala.

Travelling alone is not for everyone. I was warned about travelling alone and that I should not travel Guatemala as it was a dangerous country. Undeterred I went anyway.Yes it was still a little unnerving at times even with all my plans. Guatemala (Land of the Trees)  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guatemala has endured many conquests including an invasion from the Spanish as well as a 36 year civil war that ended in 1996. Despite its past, I found it to be a country of amazing qualities. It has a people that while are so though terrible poor, they are so very rich with pride. 
You can read and read endlessly about what to do and what not to do, but the actuality of being there is very different. Faced directly with an awkward situation is very different than reading it about it in a book or brochure or online. What is extremely important to understand are the traditions and the customs and the etiquette of the land. Without this knowledge it could be difficult or even dangerous for you.

Having lived in Guatemala makes such a difference now. Just knowing the people who live and work in Guatemala gives me an amazing advantage. When you live as a local and not as a tourist, allows you to experience life on a different level.  I gained wonderful friendships that I still keep in contact on Facebook http://www.facebook.com

Most importantly I have gained that savvy and knowledge of the people that all combine to make a future trip both safe and more rewarding for myself and those that travel with me.

My own personal strategy for returning to Guatemala includes a housing project. Here I am working alongside a group of prominent professional people to accomplish this. Our shared passion is to create housing that is not only sustainable but safe for those that cannot afford this. Another project that I offer  support to is a Montessori school, that has recently opened in Xela. http://micasitamontessori.wordpress.com


There are many Tour operators offering group travel to Guatemala. With my present knowledge of the costs of staying and living there, I am appalled what some tour operators charge. They offer trips crushed into one week as tourists are rushed from one hotel to another hotel and never being allowed to really experience Guatemala for what it is. They will visit a market town such as Chichicastenango (Chi Chi)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chichicastenango, the Maya ruins in Tikal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tikal, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lago_de_Atitlan Lago Attilan and before they know it these people have left on their plane ride home. 

No one can see any country in a week.  

No one can experience Guatemala in a week. 

Typical pricing examples you may experience in  Guatemala are the following.
It is not uncommon to find Hotels ranging in pricing from as low as $11.00 a night in Xela.


Hostel pricing from $ 3.00 up per night per person is typical. I paid $100.00 a month for a fully furnished room in a shared apartment with maid service, full kitchen, hot water showers, Wi-Fi and TV, 24 hour security, all close to the city centre. A one bedroom fully furnished apartment can be had for as little as $150.00 near the city centre. 


Home Stays range in pricing from $40.00 and up per week,your own private room with three meals a day six days a week. They are with Guatemala families where it is a great way to improve your Spanish language with total immersion.


Spanish Language Schools vary in pricing anywhere from $100.00 to $250 per week. Each school will offer a one to one teacher to student ratio, five hours a day for five days. Some schools offer more in the way of social activities like field trips, cooking classes, salsa dance classes, as well as volunteering opportunities, etc. All the schools will encourage students and teachers to experience not just the class room setting but also to take the lessons to the streets. There are also private Spanish language teachers available. Private teachers rates start at $5.00 per hour. All Spanish language teachers are university trained.


Meals will vary from simple street food at Q5.00 (65 cents) to Q100.00 (12,00) for a simple meal for two.
You can always pay more as Xela offers a variety of restaurants with ethnic foods from many countries as well as several fast food outlets operations, just like you would find at home. There are also many traditional eateries offering true Guatemala fare. Or you can also visit street markets like democaricia or minerva and barter for food at incredible low prices. When I first did this, I wondered if I was being cheated or not, but did not worry as the costs where so low anyway. Later I enjoyed the barter process which is all a party of living in Xela.
 
Transportation by Bus. Guatemala offers more than one level of first class travel service including the luxury three seat across variety which are truly heaven. The luxury buses in Guatemala are far better than those found in the USA or Canada and certainly very inexpensive in comparison. For example a trip on a first class bus from Guatemala City to Xela is $10.00.


Shuttle Bus travel will range in price according to where you are travelling to of course.The trip from San Cristobal in Mexico to Xela in Guatemala (6 hours) costs between $35 and $40 dollars. From Xela to Panajachel costs $30.00. My route out of Guatemala last year on really wonderful luxury bus travelling from  Xela to Belize City (over night trip) cost me $60.00.


Chicken Buses are the cheapest and the best way to communicate with the real people of Guatemala. For tourists they are a must do and fun experience. Chicken Buses are actually older school buses from the USA that are used as the basic form of transportation in Guatemala for the people. They are wildly and garishly  painted and dressed in bright chrome, play loud Latin music and have drivers that all must be training to become race drivers. The prices vary but you can easily figure on a cost of  1/3 the price of a shuttle bus. Another great way to practice your Spanish.

When I went from Xela to Panajachel on Lago Attilan it cost me only Q35.00 ($4.25). The boat trip across the lake (chicken boats as we Gringos call them) from Panajachal to San Pedro a  (30 minutes crossing) should cost you Q30.00 ($4.25). The boats have no particular schedule and go when they are full.. They also drive very fast. On the chichen boats there is a tier system so do not be surprised if you are sitting next to a local person who has payed a lot less than you. To assure that you only pay the Q30.00, do not give large bills but give the correct change only, assuming the mannerisms of someone who has travelled this way before, or you could be paying more still. Argue if you have to.

You do not need me to do this trip. 

But if you are someone that wants a little help along the way, then travel with me.... it all makes everything easier.







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