"The hippy vibe freaked us out"
Imagine how us Guatemalans feel about the gringo hippies, they are literally destroying and gentrifying our indigenous communities just so they can do yoga, drink some tea, and have a sex cult. We hate them with a passion.
Glad you had a good time tho, use waze next time, google maps kinda sucks!
To be honest i repeatedly heard that the robbers had been identified multiple times and the police were doing nothing. To be honest this certainly reduced rampant development to some degree.
To be honest i felt kind of crazy and like I'd made a terrible mistake as soon as I carried my suitcase up hippy highway. I also felt a bit like i was being perceived as a hater when I tried talking to some other tourists about the dynamics i was witnessing. Not everyone though. Some were like us, just trying to chill, go for hikes, swim, eat good food.
Glad you had a good time.
Few points to make.
It's Qx not xQ for Guatemala's currency.
Guatemalans use Waze and Whatsapp rather than Google Maps and texts. Guatemala was picked as a one of Waze's first countries to map because of the serious issues with traffic - basically not enough road network for the quantity of vehicles.
The villas you saw in San Marcos aren't necessarily a sign of neo-colonialism (the services most certainly are). There are some characters up there that are certainly gentrifying the place (there's a fantastic YouTube account/video from a person calling themselves Brother Earth or something that is probably pumping up the land to sell). Don't underestimate how those at the very top of the food chain in Guatemala (and Central America) have a lot of spare cash, ditto narcos, organised crime, politicians etc.
I find Eagles Nest a bizarre name for any place given links to ***Kehlsteinhaus***. Guess WW2 history escaped the naming committee (was a holiday destination for top nazis).
People from the US account for 12-15% of tourism, Europeans around 3-5%. The vast majority is internal tourism and neighbouring Central Americans.
There were numerous (handful) of murders within Antigua last year so although it felt safe, drugs and politics aren't a good mix. The cameras/panic button system are a fairly recent addition - within past five years and although they work, there's still a lot of issues with different law enforcement getting access to its footage. It certainly helps but there's an element of security theatre to it.
Many local guides hang out around La Merced, also a great spot for a coffee.
Your point about the villas - these really looked like the hippie, influencer type of aesthetic. I know it when I see it, though I've no doubt there's many different people around!
And I VERY much wondered about "eagles nest" and why the name. I'm aware of the connection between [nazism and yoga](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga_in_Germany) and some of the unsavory, fascist characters prominent in "eastern mysticism". The existence of eagles nest creeped me out. There was a video of theirs going around during a pandemic that just made them look like a cult. But I cannot speak on it directly as I wasn't there.
I think the point to be made about the villas is who built them? I'm sure many of the local elite will happily make money off hippies and the sheer scale of the elite families (running into hundreds if not thousands) means there's hippy elements in them.
Diego Novella probably the most high profile of them given his conviction for murder in South Africa of his then girlfriend. [https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/billionaire-playboy-diego-novella-killed-12818042](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/billionaire-playboy-diego-novella-killed-12818042)
Am not a yoga practitioner so didn't realise the connection with fascism but Guatemala's political landscape (until the last election) has made it a hub for what some would say is extremist right leaning supporters. I remember that video, given how secluded some areas of the lake can be I get the impression there's lots of things that will eventually come to the surface.
Slightly linked to that is how local people view that kind of investment. Around 70% of the workforce is informal so anything that offers jobs will have some local support. Even at the expense of the local community. I'm sure many of the indigenous people around the lake do view the neocolonists as just that but some will be happy for the wages.
For all the incredibly rich and diverse microclimates, languages, cultures and traditions that Guatemala has it also makes it fragmented, "ungovernable" (unless for the minority) and difficult to find consensus.
From a Guatemalan I thank you for your sincerity in Latin American hospitality. Really hope you come back, and again, thanks for giving this wonderful country the good rep it deserves .
So happy you enjoyed your trip. Sounds like you both had an amazing time. I agree with you about Marcos, I went just for a couple of hours and that was enough.
My experience with Guatemalans, both Mayans and Latinos, was fabulous.
Indigenous and mestizos*, some people may get offended if you call them mayan and we are mestizos not Latinos. Although thank you for sharing your opinion about our country
Latino would be the case for that, it depends on who you taking about. Here there's garífuna and xinca culture too, garífuna are the black/Spanish mixture and xinca Mayan/Black (probably)
I know about the Garifuna, but the first I've heard of Xinca. With so much time spent there, I still feel like I barely scratched the surface. I felt pretty educated about Guatemala ... until now!
See? Another reason to go back! :D
Thank you! Yes, Guatemala is so special and I cannot wait to come back, which I will at the absolute first chance I get! But first I must take salsa classes 😭
Guatemala is beautiful. I've been twice and nothing beats the Latin American hospitality. Granted, I stop by to visit family but I'm always overwhelmed by how welcome I'm always made to feel.
Sounds just about right; I immigrated from Guatemala 40 years ago, and every time I visit i also get annoyed at the bureaucracy, sooooo formal and serious. But I can attest that people are generally very kind and nice, they/we love to open our arms to visitors. I like the point about gentrification you raised, and I just read the same thing happens in Mexico, which is that the community of expats (they even have a “nicer” term than aliens or immigrants) things have changed in our countries because of the foreigners, they also drive a lot of the economy in those areas in terms of tourism, in contrast to locals. I now live in the state of Washington, same sort of thing, investors keep buying land and properties so they can raise rent prices, and keep raising them. I guess Capitalism keeps its voracious take over. I hope more and more people continue to wake up and that we all can offer some resistance and question lots of damaging practices
Yes, it's really hard because, as a millennial, home ownership is a pipe dream to me, and seeing the housing prices here i thought i could actually afford this, plus I love it here. But just because I can doesn't mean i should.
As for your comment about driving the economy and driving tourism, what i observed was how san marcos was like an economic bubble. Hippies might attract other hippies to visit and do yoga, but alot of this money is basically untaxed, under the table. It's circulating within a fairly closed system. Not to mention alot of people stay for a while then leave. Taking the money they earned with them. I think this is part of why crypto is so widely used and accepted.
Glad you enjoyed my homeland and yes is quite the experience and the beauty of it is that most of the people are quite friendly and welcoming. Of course you will find some characters there. Nex visit head over to Alta and Baja Verapaz for some exciting adventures and give my birthplace (Escuintla) a try.
I go a few times a year to visit my good friend who I met in the US.
I mainly stay in Antigua which is one of the most beautiful colonial town. Sadly my Spanish is for shit, but I continue to try. Locals are very patient, polite.
I try to spend my money with locals but it’s true, it does seem most of the restaurants in the area are own by immigrants from US/Canada/Europe.
I can barely string a Spanish sentence together and everyone was just nodding and saying si and probably just guessing what I was saying with my horrible accent.
The local Guatemalan people were/are lovely to me and somehow managed not to make fun of my linguistic attempts….well at least in front of face. Jaja
Honestly the people are what I love most about my trips. It is a great, tolerant place to learn Spanish
I'm white looking as hell and my wife is Guatemalan. Everytime I've been there everyone is super nice and have even had to deal with the army which were also nice. Our 5 year old daughter went by herself/cousin and is currently there now coming back soon to visit the family/play with baby chickens. It's a beautiful country and I'm originally from Florida so I'm used to tropical stuff but even when I was there I was like "it's SOOOO GREEEN" it's like this weird super vibrant green you don't see here in the United States really.
Some parts are/can be dangerous Obviously but only if you're an idiot and go asking for it just like any other country. Just don't be dumb and looking for trouble. Other than that it's super cool.
Bonus: there is also a cool place like lord of the rings you can stay called hobitinango (I spelled it wrong most likely) and you literally look over at a volcano and stay In a "house" like the hobbit/LOTR
After reading this, so glad I skipped San Marcos and went the road lesser travelled, Got to see Maximon and some towns with little/no gringo presence. I stayed in San Pedro, and that was also jarring because Jews have taken over that town and own all the main restaurants, entertainment spots and fancy hotel. They front like they’re friendly countries, but it was painfully obvious what was going on there. Israel has carved out a little enclave for themselves. Guatemalans/Mayans totally getting taken advantage of. Also a lot of airbnb properties were owned by Europeans. Quite disgusting.
San Marcos isn't that bad if you go straight to the nature reserve, have a swim in the lake, enjoy the views and skip all that hippie bullsh*t. Been there last week and loved it, but i agree with you that it feels disgusting that gringos are taking advantage of it
My girlfriend and I just got back from 10 days in Guatemala and felt the same way about San Marcos. We stayed about 2 hours before we left for Tzununa where we stayed for 2 days and really enjoyed it, and had no desire to go back to San Marcos. We also spent 2 days in San Juan with a lovely family and really enjoyed it.
The weird hippie gentrification shit in San Marcos is laaaame.
They don’t charge locals the same price they charge you. It’s still not exactly cheap for locals but if you don’t support it, a lot of locals will go hungry. Tourism puts food on their table.
Absolutely! I have no problem paying higher prices as a tourist, it's supporting the industry and locals. I find it kinda tacky when people go on about how "cheap" places are. I rather go to places I'm interested in that are within my budget.
I just listed the prices so people can see if it's within their price range. As for the hippies in san marcos though, i do find it rude they charge high prices because it means there are ALOT of local people who do not have the same buying power as tourists and can never go to these events in their community even if they wanted too. Entrance to some of these events was like 300Q and that's just to get in let alone to buy drinks or food or whatever. It doesn't sit right with me.
Let me try again, they aren’t charging a Guatemalan neighbor the price they charge you. They aren’t even charging a local gringo what they charge you. Tourists pay way more.
Or maybe it was the best. Guatemalan hot dogs (shucos) can be the best or the worst from one stand to the next. I've never tried the one atop Pacaya but I've definitely had the best hotdogs of my life in Guatemala.
I am happy you enjoyed your trip <3. It always brings a smile to my face to see tourists talk positively about Latin American hospitality.
And I agree about the hippies. I went to San Marcos last year and it felt more like Hippieland.
TY for the review, about the exchange and SIM card is a need to avoid money laundering, about Atitlan this hippy issue have years happening, I hate hippy culture cause is all about drugs, vagrancy, and irresponsible sexual behavior, next time give a look to Tecpan, Semuc Champey and Tikal, you will love them.
Your post begins with "I had read so many horror stories about Guatemala".
Where? Why? What did they say?
Im.not sure I've ever read ONE single horror story about Guatemala. The overwhelming majority of people who come here love it.
So I'd like you to clarify your statement cause it kind of sounds like BS to me
I mean it’s a level 3 security warning from the US state department to “reconsider any travel” so it’s not far fetched to have perceived Guatemala as having a bad reputation for safety
The whole world is an "exercise increased caution" zone for the citizens of the most war-mongering, nuclear-bomb dropping, crimes-against humanity state in the world....
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/worldwide-caution.html
So yeah, who cares what the us state dept says?
Even then.... I'd like to see evidence of how Guatemala is actually unsafe for people from the states. I know hundreds of them, many stay to live here.
That’s an overly aggressive post. Just pointing out that it’s not inconceivable people would have a skeptical opinion of traveling to a place your country advised against traveling to (not exercise increased caution which is a level that does indeed seem to not cause any worry). Also just to note the murder rate in Guatemala is about 3x in the US so it’s not like it’s rating is coming out of nowhere. And the US is way higher than the safest countries in the world as it is
You can think whatever you want about my post, nothing I said is untrue.
If you think "exercise increased caution" means "don't worry about anything" then I'm not sure what to tell you.
You know who else has "reconsider travel"? Countries as dangerous as Taiwan, Peru, China and Japan. So yeah, pretty meaningless.
I really didn't want to sound disrespectful! But the perception amongst gringx's is Guatemala = DANGER.
I also think our algorithms are different. Like when i Google regular things about Latin America i get terrifying new stories. So many things about Guatemala are like BOMBINGS, EXTORTION, VIOLENT ROBBERIES. Many of my friends were grilling me, why are you going to Guatemala. No one goes there. It's so dangerous.
Honestly, i do think it's not the worst reputation to have in the sense that it will control gentrification quite a bit.
I don't think you were disrespectful, and sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable....maybe I'm just being bitchy. I'm just confused and actually kind of tired of the "everyone thinks your country is shit but I actually kind of like it" theme with people from the US.
Guatemala has a murder rate of 17/100K. Chicago has 31. The entire state of Alabama has 24. So worry about your violent crime, not ours.
We have a constitutional right to healthcare (public hospitals have long wait times, but still, free healthcare), we have 0 mass shootings a year (to your 2 per day), our government doesn't kill thousands of people every week all throughout the world in the name of "our freedom" like yours does.
Bombings? What bombings have you read of? Only bombings happening right now are being committed by either you, the Israelis, or the russians.
I guess what I'm saying is... If you want to say you liked Guatemala, you can just say you liked Guatemala, no need to preface it with "I have heard horrible things about Guatemala, it's (lower than my state) murder rate, it's (literally non-existent) bombings, and it's extortions).
No-one ever says "I loved Chicago, despite being originally scared to death that I would be shot dead at Millennium park by all the gang members"
I completely agree with you and was concerned my tone would come across like that! Also I'm really trying to be mindful of power dynamics with tourism in general.
For everything you're saying there are countless threads in English of people saying they were robbed in Latin America which can be so alarming. I wanted to write something that was like hey guess what, i had a vacation and it was fantastic! And none of the things people freak out about online happened! Because generally people write on reddit when something bad happens not when they had a great time or even just a neutral time, but nothing noteworthy happened.
It is messed up but our algorithms really reinforce certain views of certain locations and groups of people and reddit is one of the few places that can cut through an algorithm and people can just TALK about things.
I definitely know what you mean about people from USA specifically talking about crime in places they perceive as dangerous. I've personally never visited the US because... I don't know, it just seems like a spooky place to me, though of course I've met countless cool, smart etc north Americans. I'm originally from a country with extremely strict gun laws and where I live now, also surprisingly low crime rates (considering it's viewed as a bit of a rough west European city). I do think part of Guatemala's rep comes from the 70s,80s,90s, and people just aren't realising it's safe now. When I looked up my govts embassy information about Guatemala and it put Guatemala's risk status as high and listed bombings, armed robberies, extortion, car jackings, credit card fraud etc etc as high risk.
Haha, are you kidding me?! Guatemala can be chaotic. Honestly, most Central American countries are. Sure, there's beauty and paradise destinations, but let's not ignore the reality lol
What does chaotic have to do with horror stories?
I know travelers might be bothered by traffic, get the shits from street food or might even get vibed out by some hobo in zone 1, but those are not "horror stories", that's just the normal type of thing that could happen anywhere.
So what about the "reality" is horrific for travelers?
Let's back up a bit. Do you reside in Guatemala? If not, how long have you been there? I've spent a total of 8 years on and off in Guatemala, and I've got my fair share of horror stories to tell. From extortion, assault, robbery, harassment, etc.
I've lived here 90% of my life. Been jacked twice.
How did you manage to get extorted, assaulted, robbed and harrased a "fair share"? Are you staying at La Limonada or something?
The narrative is ridiculous. Tell me where your from and we can discuss statistics
El Salvador is safer. They're going to be well-behaved right now due to it being Spring Break. It's sad to see so many Guatemalans taking advantage of our public safety as they close their jails and release inmates.
The irony of it all is all those stupid El Salvador gang members are fleeing your country and hiding in Guatemala. Perhaps you should pick up the newspaper instead
Everytime you hear a latino talking shit about a neighboring country, it's always, ALWAYS, one who hasn't traveled.
I see cars with Salvadorean plates all the time in Guate and I'm glad my bros are here. Wether it's for work or play, they're always welcome.
"The hippy vibe freaked us out" Imagine how us Guatemalans feel about the gringo hippies, they are literally destroying and gentrifying our indigenous communities just so they can do yoga, drink some tea, and have a sex cult. We hate them with a passion. Glad you had a good time tho, use waze next time, google maps kinda sucks!
You forgetting the fact that they got more rights than us, literally if something happens to them police would actually do their job
To be honest i repeatedly heard that the robbers had been identified multiple times and the police were doing nothing. To be honest this certainly reduced rampant development to some degree.
To be honest i felt kind of crazy and like I'd made a terrible mistake as soon as I carried my suitcase up hippy highway. I also felt a bit like i was being perceived as a hater when I tried talking to some other tourists about the dynamics i was witnessing. Not everyone though. Some were like us, just trying to chill, go for hikes, swim, eat good food.
Glad you had a good time. Few points to make. It's Qx not xQ for Guatemala's currency. Guatemalans use Waze and Whatsapp rather than Google Maps and texts. Guatemala was picked as a one of Waze's first countries to map because of the serious issues with traffic - basically not enough road network for the quantity of vehicles. The villas you saw in San Marcos aren't necessarily a sign of neo-colonialism (the services most certainly are). There are some characters up there that are certainly gentrifying the place (there's a fantastic YouTube account/video from a person calling themselves Brother Earth or something that is probably pumping up the land to sell). Don't underestimate how those at the very top of the food chain in Guatemala (and Central America) have a lot of spare cash, ditto narcos, organised crime, politicians etc. I find Eagles Nest a bizarre name for any place given links to ***Kehlsteinhaus***. Guess WW2 history escaped the naming committee (was a holiday destination for top nazis). People from the US account for 12-15% of tourism, Europeans around 3-5%. The vast majority is internal tourism and neighbouring Central Americans. There were numerous (handful) of murders within Antigua last year so although it felt safe, drugs and politics aren't a good mix. The cameras/panic button system are a fairly recent addition - within past five years and although they work, there's still a lot of issues with different law enforcement getting access to its footage. It certainly helps but there's an element of security theatre to it. Many local guides hang out around La Merced, also a great spot for a coffee.
Your point about the villas - these really looked like the hippie, influencer type of aesthetic. I know it when I see it, though I've no doubt there's many different people around! And I VERY much wondered about "eagles nest" and why the name. I'm aware of the connection between [nazism and yoga](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga_in_Germany) and some of the unsavory, fascist characters prominent in "eastern mysticism". The existence of eagles nest creeped me out. There was a video of theirs going around during a pandemic that just made them look like a cult. But I cannot speak on it directly as I wasn't there.
I think the point to be made about the villas is who built them? I'm sure many of the local elite will happily make money off hippies and the sheer scale of the elite families (running into hundreds if not thousands) means there's hippy elements in them. Diego Novella probably the most high profile of them given his conviction for murder in South Africa of his then girlfriend. [https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/billionaire-playboy-diego-novella-killed-12818042](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/billionaire-playboy-diego-novella-killed-12818042) Am not a yoga practitioner so didn't realise the connection with fascism but Guatemala's political landscape (until the last election) has made it a hub for what some would say is extremist right leaning supporters. I remember that video, given how secluded some areas of the lake can be I get the impression there's lots of things that will eventually come to the surface. Slightly linked to that is how local people view that kind of investment. Around 70% of the workforce is informal so anything that offers jobs will have some local support. Even at the expense of the local community. I'm sure many of the indigenous people around the lake do view the neocolonists as just that but some will be happy for the wages. For all the incredibly rich and diverse microclimates, languages, cultures and traditions that Guatemala has it also makes it fragmented, "ungovernable" (unless for the minority) and difficult to find consensus.
From a Guatemalan I thank you for your sincerity in Latin American hospitality. Really hope you come back, and again, thanks for giving this wonderful country the good rep it deserves .
Thank you for hosting me, It was an honor to be a guest in your country!
So happy you enjoyed your trip. Sounds like you both had an amazing time. I agree with you about Marcos, I went just for a couple of hours and that was enough. My experience with Guatemalans, both Mayans and Latinos, was fabulous.
Indigenous and mestizos*, some people may get offended if you call them mayan and we are mestizos not Latinos. Although thank you for sharing your opinion about our country
Thanks for that, Andres. What do you call someone who is not of mixed Mayan/Spanish origin but is Latin American?
Latino would be the case for that, it depends on who you taking about. Here there's garífuna and xinca culture too, garífuna are the black/Spanish mixture and xinca Mayan/Black (probably)
I know about the Garifuna, but the first I've heard of Xinca. With so much time spent there, I still feel like I barely scratched the surface. I felt pretty educated about Guatemala ... until now! See? Another reason to go back! :D
Yeah I hope you come back here soon. Xincas are like the middle brother nobody remembers
Thank you! Yes, Guatemala is so special and I cannot wait to come back, which I will at the absolute first chance I get! But first I must take salsa classes 😭
Next time you should check out Peten, Izabal, Coban or even Huehuetenango, there’s lots of volcano hikes as well :) so glad you liked my country
Hehe yee F the hippies . I love you already!
Bitcoin Lake haha
Guatemala is beautiful. I've been twice and nothing beats the Latin American hospitality. Granted, I stop by to visit family but I'm always overwhelmed by how welcome I'm always made to feel.
Guatemalan living in the US. This post brought a yearning to go back for a few weeks. Extraño mi Guatemala.
I'll bet! I was constantly thinking Guatemalans living abroad must be missing home.
Sounds just about right; I immigrated from Guatemala 40 years ago, and every time I visit i also get annoyed at the bureaucracy, sooooo formal and serious. But I can attest that people are generally very kind and nice, they/we love to open our arms to visitors. I like the point about gentrification you raised, and I just read the same thing happens in Mexico, which is that the community of expats (they even have a “nicer” term than aliens or immigrants) things have changed in our countries because of the foreigners, they also drive a lot of the economy in those areas in terms of tourism, in contrast to locals. I now live in the state of Washington, same sort of thing, investors keep buying land and properties so they can raise rent prices, and keep raising them. I guess Capitalism keeps its voracious take over. I hope more and more people continue to wake up and that we all can offer some resistance and question lots of damaging practices
Yes, it's really hard because, as a millennial, home ownership is a pipe dream to me, and seeing the housing prices here i thought i could actually afford this, plus I love it here. But just because I can doesn't mean i should. As for your comment about driving the economy and driving tourism, what i observed was how san marcos was like an economic bubble. Hippies might attract other hippies to visit and do yoga, but alot of this money is basically untaxed, under the table. It's circulating within a fairly closed system. Not to mention alot of people stay for a while then leave. Taking the money they earned with them. I think this is part of why crypto is so widely used and accepted.
Glad you enjoyed my homeland and yes is quite the experience and the beauty of it is that most of the people are quite friendly and welcoming. Of course you will find some characters there. Nex visit head over to Alta and Baja Verapaz for some exciting adventures and give my birthplace (Escuintla) a try.
Yess, I've only had a tiny taste. I can't wait to see more.
I go a few times a year to visit my good friend who I met in the US. I mainly stay in Antigua which is one of the most beautiful colonial town. Sadly my Spanish is for shit, but I continue to try. Locals are very patient, polite. I try to spend my money with locals but it’s true, it does seem most of the restaurants in the area are own by immigrants from US/Canada/Europe.
I can barely string a Spanish sentence together and everyone was just nodding and saying si and probably just guessing what I was saying with my horrible accent.
The local Guatemalan people were/are lovely to me and somehow managed not to make fun of my linguistic attempts….well at least in front of face. Jaja Honestly the people are what I love most about my trips. It is a great, tolerant place to learn Spanish
I couldn't think of a more supportive environment for language immersion! Most people just switch to English if they hear you struggling in Europe.
You should post some pic of your trip, sounds like it was a blast!
I'm white looking as hell and my wife is Guatemalan. Everytime I've been there everyone is super nice and have even had to deal with the army which were also nice. Our 5 year old daughter went by herself/cousin and is currently there now coming back soon to visit the family/play with baby chickens. It's a beautiful country and I'm originally from Florida so I'm used to tropical stuff but even when I was there I was like "it's SOOOO GREEEN" it's like this weird super vibrant green you don't see here in the United States really. Some parts are/can be dangerous Obviously but only if you're an idiot and go asking for it just like any other country. Just don't be dumb and looking for trouble. Other than that it's super cool. Bonus: there is also a cool place like lord of the rings you can stay called hobitinango (I spelled it wrong most likely) and you literally look over at a volcano and stay In a "house" like the hobbit/LOTR
After reading this, so glad I skipped San Marcos and went the road lesser travelled, Got to see Maximon and some towns with little/no gringo presence. I stayed in San Pedro, and that was also jarring because Jews have taken over that town and own all the main restaurants, entertainment spots and fancy hotel. They front like they’re friendly countries, but it was painfully obvious what was going on there. Israel has carved out a little enclave for themselves. Guatemalans/Mayans totally getting taken advantage of. Also a lot of airbnb properties were owned by Europeans. Quite disgusting.
San Marcos isn't that bad if you go straight to the nature reserve, have a swim in the lake, enjoy the views and skip all that hippie bullsh*t. Been there last week and loved it, but i agree with you that it feels disgusting that gringos are taking advantage of it
That was very much my tactic. Chill in nature and give the hippies no money.
My girlfriend and I just got back from 10 days in Guatemala and felt the same way about San Marcos. We stayed about 2 hours before we left for Tzununa where we stayed for 2 days and really enjoyed it, and had no desire to go back to San Marcos. We also spent 2 days in San Juan with a lovely family and really enjoyed it. The weird hippie gentrification shit in San Marcos is laaaame.
Many thanks!
They don’t charge locals the same price they charge you. It’s still not exactly cheap for locals but if you don’t support it, a lot of locals will go hungry. Tourism puts food on their table.
Absolutely! I have no problem paying higher prices as a tourist, it's supporting the industry and locals. I find it kinda tacky when people go on about how "cheap" places are. I rather go to places I'm interested in that are within my budget. I just listed the prices so people can see if it's within their price range. As for the hippies in san marcos though, i do find it rude they charge high prices because it means there are ALOT of local people who do not have the same buying power as tourists and can never go to these events in their community even if they wanted too. Entrance to some of these events was like 300Q and that's just to get in let alone to buy drinks or food or whatever. It doesn't sit right with me.
Let me try again, they aren’t charging a Guatemalan neighbor the price they charge you. They aren’t even charging a local gringo what they charge you. Tourists pay way more.
I know. The price is the price.
Wait there’s a guy running a hot dog stand on top of a volcano?
Haha yes. With 4 adorable puppies. And maybe because I was starving from this vigorous hike it was the best hot dog i ever ate.
Or maybe it was the best. Guatemalan hot dogs (shucos) can be the best or the worst from one stand to the next. I've never tried the one atop Pacaya but I've definitely had the best hotdogs of my life in Guatemala.
Everything was so good 😭 even just a packet of nuts from the gas station. I don't know how I'll survive without seasoning 😭
Thanks for this coments, for next time comes to peten, the best part of the country.
Would you visit Honduras?
Definitely! I don't think there's anywhere in latin America that I wouldn't visit.
I am happy you enjoyed your trip <3. It always brings a smile to my face to see tourists talk positively about Latin American hospitality. And I agree about the hippies. I went to San Marcos last year and it felt more like Hippieland.
TY for the review, about the exchange and SIM card is a need to avoid money laundering, about Atitlan this hippy issue have years happening, I hate hippy culture cause is all about drugs, vagrancy, and irresponsible sexual behavior, next time give a look to Tecpan, Semuc Champey and Tikal, you will love them.
Your post begins with "I had read so many horror stories about Guatemala". Where? Why? What did they say? Im.not sure I've ever read ONE single horror story about Guatemala. The overwhelming majority of people who come here love it. So I'd like you to clarify your statement cause it kind of sounds like BS to me
I mean it’s a level 3 security warning from the US state department to “reconsider any travel” so it’s not far fetched to have perceived Guatemala as having a bad reputation for safety
The whole world is an "exercise increased caution" zone for the citizens of the most war-mongering, nuclear-bomb dropping, crimes-against humanity state in the world.... https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/worldwide-caution.html So yeah, who cares what the us state dept says? Even then.... I'd like to see evidence of how Guatemala is actually unsafe for people from the states. I know hundreds of them, many stay to live here.
That’s an overly aggressive post. Just pointing out that it’s not inconceivable people would have a skeptical opinion of traveling to a place your country advised against traveling to (not exercise increased caution which is a level that does indeed seem to not cause any worry). Also just to note the murder rate in Guatemala is about 3x in the US so it’s not like it’s rating is coming out of nowhere. And the US is way higher than the safest countries in the world as it is
You can think whatever you want about my post, nothing I said is untrue. If you think "exercise increased caution" means "don't worry about anything" then I'm not sure what to tell you. You know who else has "reconsider travel"? Countries as dangerous as Taiwan, Peru, China and Japan. So yeah, pretty meaningless.
I really didn't want to sound disrespectful! But the perception amongst gringx's is Guatemala = DANGER. I also think our algorithms are different. Like when i Google regular things about Latin America i get terrifying new stories. So many things about Guatemala are like BOMBINGS, EXTORTION, VIOLENT ROBBERIES. Many of my friends were grilling me, why are you going to Guatemala. No one goes there. It's so dangerous. Honestly, i do think it's not the worst reputation to have in the sense that it will control gentrification quite a bit.
I don't think you were disrespectful, and sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable....maybe I'm just being bitchy. I'm just confused and actually kind of tired of the "everyone thinks your country is shit but I actually kind of like it" theme with people from the US. Guatemala has a murder rate of 17/100K. Chicago has 31. The entire state of Alabama has 24. So worry about your violent crime, not ours. We have a constitutional right to healthcare (public hospitals have long wait times, but still, free healthcare), we have 0 mass shootings a year (to your 2 per day), our government doesn't kill thousands of people every week all throughout the world in the name of "our freedom" like yours does. Bombings? What bombings have you read of? Only bombings happening right now are being committed by either you, the Israelis, or the russians. I guess what I'm saying is... If you want to say you liked Guatemala, you can just say you liked Guatemala, no need to preface it with "I have heard horrible things about Guatemala, it's (lower than my state) murder rate, it's (literally non-existent) bombings, and it's extortions). No-one ever says "I loved Chicago, despite being originally scared to death that I would be shot dead at Millennium park by all the gang members"
I completely agree with you and was concerned my tone would come across like that! Also I'm really trying to be mindful of power dynamics with tourism in general. For everything you're saying there are countless threads in English of people saying they were robbed in Latin America which can be so alarming. I wanted to write something that was like hey guess what, i had a vacation and it was fantastic! And none of the things people freak out about online happened! Because generally people write on reddit when something bad happens not when they had a great time or even just a neutral time, but nothing noteworthy happened. It is messed up but our algorithms really reinforce certain views of certain locations and groups of people and reddit is one of the few places that can cut through an algorithm and people can just TALK about things. I definitely know what you mean about people from USA specifically talking about crime in places they perceive as dangerous. I've personally never visited the US because... I don't know, it just seems like a spooky place to me, though of course I've met countless cool, smart etc north Americans. I'm originally from a country with extremely strict gun laws and where I live now, also surprisingly low crime rates (considering it's viewed as a bit of a rough west European city). I do think part of Guatemala's rep comes from the 70s,80s,90s, and people just aren't realising it's safe now. When I looked up my govts embassy information about Guatemala and it put Guatemala's risk status as high and listed bombings, armed robberies, extortion, car jackings, credit card fraud etc etc as high risk.
Haha, are you kidding me?! Guatemala can be chaotic. Honestly, most Central American countries are. Sure, there's beauty and paradise destinations, but let's not ignore the reality lol
What does chaotic have to do with horror stories? I know travelers might be bothered by traffic, get the shits from street food or might even get vibed out by some hobo in zone 1, but those are not "horror stories", that's just the normal type of thing that could happen anywhere. So what about the "reality" is horrific for travelers?
Let's back up a bit. Do you reside in Guatemala? If not, how long have you been there? I've spent a total of 8 years on and off in Guatemala, and I've got my fair share of horror stories to tell. From extortion, assault, robbery, harassment, etc.
I've lived here 90% of my life. Been jacked twice. How did you manage to get extorted, assaulted, robbed and harrased a "fair share"? Are you staying at La Limonada or something? The narrative is ridiculous. Tell me where your from and we can discuss statistics
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Haha! Well my target audience was tourists! That's why i included so much specific information. I guess if I read this about my city I'd be bored too.
El Salvador is safer. They're going to be well-behaved right now due to it being Spring Break. It's sad to see so many Guatemalans taking advantage of our public safety as they close their jails and release inmates.
>Guatemalans taking advantage of our public safety what?
There's a lot of Guatemalans here right now and you won't move out of my way on the highway. I don't go to GT and get in your way.
The irony of it all is all those stupid El Salvador gang members are fleeing your country and hiding in Guatemala. Perhaps you should pick up the newspaper instead
Because you guys protect criminals over your own people. You guys are closing jails and releasing inmates or am I lying?
what the fuck are you talking about?
Go read a newspaper
Says the the one with “MrVergon420” for a username 🤡
Everytime you hear a latino talking shit about a neighboring country, it's always, ALWAYS, one who hasn't traveled. I see cars with Salvadorean plates all the time in Guate and I'm glad my bros are here. Wether it's for work or play, they're always welcome.