We left Tapachula, Mexico by bus early in the morning. After a bit we arrived at the Mexico-Guatemala border and the experience was intense. Getting off the bus, registering our leaving from Mexico, walking over the border and trying to find out where to register and get our stamp. In the meanwhile, a lot of people were almost molesting us trying to exchange money for us (pesos or dollars for quetzales) or "helping" us find our way through the chaos. And in that chaos, through an open window, (like were were buying cigarettes at a kiosk) we had to fill out our entry forms and try to make sense of everything. Back in the bus we continued our way to Guatemala City.
Arriving in Guatemala City we were told to only take an official taxi to reach the city centre. And that's what we did. We went straight to the café of our couchsurfer. Not risking anything.
When we asked how safe it was to walk around the centre our host told us that we should be careful like in any other city, such as, don't walk around after dark or look over your shoulder every now and then. And that we could fearlessly walk on the 3rd, 4th and 5th Avenues with safety. And sometimes even the 6th Avenue. But only there. "Like in any other city." What the heck.
Another thing that stroke us as alarming and odd was the constant presence of shotguns being carried by a variety of people. Postmen and beer delivery guys would carry firearms for safety reasons and even cafés would hire guards with shotguns for protection. You know, just in case. After all, this is Guatemala City (!!)
Apart from the initial shock though, we spent our few days cooking for our hosts and roaming around the safe streets. We made a video for our friends and family, found a secret bookstore (Nikoletta needed a new book to read urgently) and spent lots of time writing our journals in a café. At night we just hanged out in our host's kitchen playing board games and cuddling the cat :-) On the morning of our third and last day we had a quick breakfast and took a safe taxi to the airport.
Leaving Guatemala City: 28.09. at 14:55
Arriving at Lima, Peru: 29.09. at 05:30
Yes, we had a long way, layover included, and we skipped the whole Central America. But we don't feel sorry. It was a conscious decision. There are a lot of nice places in Guatemala, in Nicaragua and in Costa Rica but we preferred to trust our guts and be safe rather than sorry.
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| Straight to our couchsurfer's café |
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| 5ta Ave en la Ciudad de Guatemala (5th Ave in Guatemala City) |
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| The entrance to a book store |
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| Leaving the house of our couchsurfer |
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