I arrived in Guatemala in Mid-May, which was the start of their rainy season. I spent 4 days in Coban exploring the Semuc Champey, a coffee plantation tour, caves and the national park before heading to Antigua to volunteer for 3 weeks. I learned a lot about myself and Guatemala during my stay. I'll skip over what I learned about myself and get to the part about Guatemala.
Toilet Paper is a prized commodity. One time I found the TP in the common area of the bathroom...after I went to the bathroom. At my homestay, I was given 1 roll of TP and informed if I needed more I would need to purchase it myself. I had to remember to bring my roll with me to the bathroom each time as well as soap (they didn’t have some available - gross!). TP is such a prized commodity people want to keep it around some longer. Instead of being able to flush the TP, you have to throw it in a trash can. It took me over a week to get used to this concept. Still holding true thus far in South America and still struggling to remember everytime.
Cold water (my favofrite) is a thing of the past. My homestay, spanish schools, and friends houses were stocked with the big water jug dispensers. Unlike the ones I have back home at work, these only had one (room temperature) option. While you could buy water bottles at the stores (i.e. Tiendas), I did not find these to be very cold either.
Be aware of your surroundings. Cars, buses, and motorbikes do not stop for you. They honked when I was in Coban to let you know they were nearby, but in Antigua it seemed to be a free for all. Make sure to look both ways before jumping out into an intersection or street...like I was doing here before this man snapped my photo!
What it’s like to use public transportation…
To start, I used public transportation because I like to be frugal and was up for the adventure. Often I regretted this decision and wished I paid the extra $5-10 to use a private service.
Use your ears to figure out which bus you need because the money collector is always shouting their destination out of the bus.
Buses don’t have times. Buses wait until they are full. If you ask the Company or your hotel, they may tell you a bus leaves at 8AM. This means at 8AM, the bus allows passengers to board. The bus will leave once the bus has enough passengers to make the trip worth it. This exact thing happened to me going from Coban to Guatemala City. I showed up at 9:30 thinking I would be early for the 10AM bus, yet ended up being one of the last passengers on the 8AM bus. I also once waited until 7:45AM to take off on the 6AM bus (arrived at 6:05AM).
Local rides/ Microbus’ (shuttles): cheap and fun (Q1.5-Q5 for local rides). One of my favorite memories was taking a Microbus in Coban with an employee from the hotel to the nearby coffee plantation. My knees were sticking at least 4 inches out past everyone else. The bus was so crowded I think my knees could have been used for another person! The money collector will cram as many people in as possible. Your bag may get thrown on top of the bus on the racks. Each row of seats usually has an arm rest that can be pulled down as an extra seat - pretty clever!
Chicken Buses*: this is an authentic Guatemala mode of transportation. These are old school buses that are painted bright colors and decked out with lights. These buses will take you all over Guatemala. I took one from Guatemala City to Antigua for Q10
Monja Blanca Public Transportation**: This is an actual public transportation Company that runs between Guatemala City and Coban. My ride to Coban was cheaper (Q45) than my ride back (Q65) because it was a microbus vs. a charter bus.
Conservative culture: the weather was warm (mid 70 degree Fahrenheit) and humid, yet nearly every Guatemala wears pants. The only exception I noticed were women wearing the native skirts. If you want to fit in, wear pants and avoid tank tops. Here is a photo of my home stay mother (Violetta) and son (Fernando).
Say hola/buenos dias: Guatemalans are a happy and polite group of people. Say hello and good morning/day/night to people as you pass them on the street. Every day in the day care we went over the *palabras magicas*. You should say "con permiso" before entering a room and walk in once you hear "adelante".
Tip for Antigua's cobbled streets - wear good walking shoes! One time on my way home from Common Hope, I heard cries from up ahead and several bystanders staring at an incident. As I approached, I saw that it was a girl who had twisted her ankle… By the time I reached the corner, someone had set both of her high heels next to her. Don’t be dumb like she was.
Carry small dollar amounts - it is possible for people to be unable to make change.
Be careful with your phone- Several people warned me upon arrival in Guatemala City to be careful with my phone. Although I never had an actual incident myself, there were several times (mostly at night) where I was on high alert.
Since my time in Guatemala, I can now say many of the things I learned apply for all of Latin America. I have been to Colombia, Peru Argentina, and Brazil. You still can't flush your toilet paper. People are generally very nice and friendly. They are also rather curious. So go ahead and say "hola" and "¿Como estás?". The drivers are crazy. I am shocked I have not seen any accidents. I wish I packed more pants since that seems to be what everyone wears.
More helpful info if you find yourself in Guatemala. I wish I had this before I went. Good luck!
*In order to find the correct Chicken Bus, listen for the city the money collector is shouting and read the front of the bus. I took a taxi to from the Monja Blanca Public Transportation Stop to the Antigua Chicken Buses because the driver knew where to go in Guatemala, City. In Antigua, the Chicken Buses drop you off behind the Super Market.
** When I went from Guatemala City to Coban on Monja Blanca, I started at the Centre Norte (Centra Norte, Carretera CA-9, Guatemala). On the way back, I was dropped off in Zona 1 (8A Avenida 15-16, Guatemala). In Coban, the station was located at 2a Calle 3-77, Cobán 16001, Guatemala.
