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Latin America - part II

Tikal, Antigua, Lake Atitlan

Hector Yague
2005-10-11 10:31:03

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note: the waitress at the restaurant hosting the BBQ was a friendly Spanish girl called Rocio who told me that her wages are 5 Quetzals (50 cents of a euro) per hour. That more less amounts to a total of less than 100 euros/month full time. That should clue you in as far as the tight purchasing capacity of those living in rural Guatemala.

And that's about it really. On the 3rd of January I backtracked all the way San Pedro - Panajachel - Antigua on my way towards Copan, a small town right behind the Honduras border famous for the nearby Mayan ruins. So the next day early in the morning I finally crossed the overland pass into a whole new country to explore: Honduras.

Country's high-light!

Dancing the New Year's eve away by the pulse of brazilian percussion music at the remote lake of Atitlan, in the Guatemalan Highlands, proved definitely being an unusual way of spending such a traditional date. I had a good time there in San Pedro.

Country's thumbs up!

* The views of the Lake Atitlan from any of the settlements by its shore are just amazing!

* Antigua, with its colonial architecture and its volcano-climbing facilities, is worth a few days in itself

* Guatemala is a very cheap country. Small money lasts a looooong run

* Tikal's Grand Plaza with its twin pyramids facing each other is a pretty cool sight, despite the fact that everything else has been almost lost to the jungle

Country's thumbs down!

* Guatemala, specially if venturing away from the touristy main spots, didn't feel safe to me which waters down the traveling experience because you are safety-concerned 24/7. At least that was my case

* The capital, Guatemala city, is a dodgy pit-hole with little of interest to offer. Stay well away

* I wished I had had a bit more of time to give Guatemala a deeper bite, but I just didn't have it so my whole stay felt a bit rushed up