I used to live at 5000 ft with no difficulty. Is it my age or for the fact that I lived at sea level for so long that I have had more difficulty than usual at close to 8000 ft? Age could be a factor here of course and the fact that prior to arriving here in Guatemala I had a bug of some sort.
BUGS!!!
There are bugs here. I am not speaking of the kind that crawl or fly about and become a menace. Yes Guatemala has those as well, but they are mostly on the two coastal or more tropical areas. What I am talking about the kind that invade your very being. The kind that make you ill. You can decide to get all manner of shots prior to coming here, the very fact is that you will have to get your body, your immune system, adjusted to the bugs that live here.
There was a big decision I had to make last year before my trip to Guatemala on whether I should get the HEP A/B shots. There are arguments both sides,. The one thing that is for certain is that the drug company that makes the drug is very keen on you getting it. The drugs are expensive. This little nasty beastly bugs are famous and have a fantastic marketing program that has one believing that laying on the sand in any tropical country will have you contract the condition. The very simple fact is that you can contract this condition at home.
The PHARMACIA!!!
Get sick, get ill, get hurt and need meds??? Solution. Here in Guatemala just go to the Pharmacia and tell them what you need and your meds will be given to with a payment. The danger is of course not knowing what you need. The second danger and bigger danger is not being able to tell them what you need. If you already have a prescription of your drug of choice and need it refilled then that is usually no problem at all. The one thing for certain whatever you get at the Pharmacia will be a lot cheaper than what you are used to paying at home.
KEEPING WARM!!!
While it does get cold here (where I am) in Xela, Guatemala there is no snow. The temperature is temperate at 2330 metres. During November to early February it can get into the low single digits Celsius with signs of frost, but NO SNOW.
Cold is many things to many people. Here in Guatemala at this elevation cold is felt as a dry cold. Most houses and hotels and hostels do not have any form or source of heat.The windows are single pain so no insulation value there. What the places here do have for that source of warmth at night is wonderfully warm woollen blankets and lots of them.
What you need to bring if you are going to be here in Guatemala during the colder dry season is warmer clothes. Two items that I was advised to bring and did, was a pair of light gloves and a toque.
This was great advice which I followed last year and yes now on this trip as well. A sleeping bag liner sheet can also give you some added comfort. This year I brought along what is termed a tropical sleeping bag. The bag has a sheet on one side and minimal loft insulation on the other side. Depending on the value of warmth needed you decide which side is on the up side, the sheet or the loft. The difference here in Xela, Guatemala is that while is it on the coolish (brrr) side at night, during the day it will be in the low twenties (C) so really warm.
METRIC MEASUREMENT!!!
All temperatures written here are in Celsius. Most of the world including Guatemala uses the Celsius scale of temperature measurement. Distances are in the metric system here as is measurement of volume and sizes.
So if you are from the USA, which does not use the metric system, get a good conversion table or or device or better still just adapt to the way it is here.
The MAYA civilization, a people well ahead of their time used a very accurate form of measurement, the decimal or metric system. The Maya were able with closely and with great accuracy chart the stars and constellations, develop both a short count (still used today) and long count calender. Remember according to the Maya calender the world will end in 2012. Or is that the long count calander will end and ready to start again?
The Maya also invented the wheel, but discarded it as useless except for toys for children.
DANGER!!!
I an still astounded by people that think that Guatemala is the most dangerous place to travel to or live in. Yes there is danger. Yes there are killings. Yes there is violence. Yes there is corruption. But all this happens in every country in the world.
Your country is dangerous. Your country has murders. Your country is violent. Your country is corrupt.
GUN CONTROL!!!
Yes Guatemala has a gun and registry law. Purchasing a gun here in Guatemala is relativity easy even for a tourist. You can purchase a gun and carry a concealed gun here in Guatemala. The gun just needs to be registered. You will have to undergo a criminal record check to get a gun. You CANNOT carry a gun in plain sight. You CANNOT own or use any form of military gun or ammunition that is armour piercing. Ammunition for guns has a restriction on the amount of ammunition you can purchase for that particular gun.
GUARDS!!!
There are more armed guards than there are police officers. There are more guns in the hands of private people than the police forces have. Am I speaking about the USA or Guatemala? The fact is the situation is the same in both countries so I am speaking about both countries.
SPANISH!!!
Spanish is the official language of Guatemala. Saying that the Maya people have a language collection of their own. There are approximately 23 different Maya languages used in Guatemala. Each is specific to a different areas. There are also a spattering of other world languages spoken here by tourists and travellers.
Spanish and the relevance of the language is important here in Guatemala. Yes you can get by with a few Spanish phrases and words. Yes you can adapt parts of Spanish and mix that with something termed Spanglish. What you will miss by doing this is an amazing culture and people of Guatemala.
If you want to get by on just English or just a little bit of Spanish, then go to either Belize or Costa Rica. The latter, Costa Rica is now over run with English speaking expats. What happens to a country when that happens is that so much of the value of the country is lost in the process. What also happens is that the cost of living goes up and housing becomes so expensive that only the expats can afford to live in some places there. What also happens is that crime increases.
Speaking only some Spanish here in Guatemala mans that you miss out on so much. Yes I am still struggling.
ADJUSTING!!!
It takes time to adjust to many things here in Guatemala. You will need time to adjust to the Elevation, the Bugs, the Climate, the Metric system (for some), the chatter about Danger, the need for a Gun, the observance of armed Guards everywhere and yes learning Spanish.
Adjusting is also about slowing down.
Adjusting is about not rushing off to do everything right away. Adjusting is all about about getting into that "lets do it tomorrow" attitude, about not planning for everything.
GUATEMALA
Remember you cannot see Guatemala or experience what Guatemala is in few days or weeks.
If you are planning a trip here to Guatemala and only have a couple of weeks to do that in, it is important to keep in mind that Guatemala is just so special a place that just two weeks will not do it justice.
Do some research, choose a few locations within Guatemala (or let me help you there) and yes please come here and experience what this amazing country has to offer.
What you really have to do when you come to Guatemala is just chill out, learn to smile a lot and yes relax and have fun. Most importantly though please learn to adopt the feeling of if we cannot do it today.... "lets do it tomorrow."
Guatemala!!!
"land of Eternal Spring"
I love it here.
