bb205
8/16/2016 13:48 EST
We will be moving to San Pedro Las Huertes at the end of September. Thanks to responses from my first post, my husband plans on renting office space at Impact Hub in Antigua to work. He will need to commute via bus daily. Are there monthly bus passes? How does that work? Also, my son needs braces to correct his overbite. He is 10. Is there a good, English speaking orthodontist in Antigua? also, do you file something like that with insurance or just pay out of pocket? friends of friends of ours had braces for their kids when they lived in Peru and they said it was under $1000 total cost for 2 kids!! Speaking of money, in order to pay rent and security deposit, can it be in Us dollars or do we need to have everything in Q before we get there?
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armandatitlan
From: Guatemala
8/16/2016 14:26 EST
Great glad you are choosing Guatemala..
no such things are monthly passes.. not even in the Guatemala City Public transport. You pay cash every day every trip. There is good orthodontist in Antigua I use a lady in Guatemala city , doctora Colina, you can buy medical insurance here and have the dental work include but most of the times it is cash.. I don't have insurance and pay cash each time.. it is cheap by all means unless you go to an expensive dental clinic in zona 14 - 10;
For rent and secure deposit.. most landlord want $ if you want to pay in Quetzales they will ask you to change it at the highest rate of the bank. So bring $ that you can put into a bank account here .
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bajasur
8/16/2016 14:27 EST
Yes there are Orthodontists here in Antigua, English speaking not sure of but most likely. My girlfriends daughter has braces and the total cost for 3 years of treatment was 5,000 Q paid in monthly installments of 500Q. No bus passes, pay as you go. 2-3q per ride. If the landlord accepts $'s then pay in $'s. I pay rent by US Bank check and deposit it each month in the owners US $ account or pay cash in Q's.
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bb205
8/16/2016 14:30 EST
Gotcha. Thanks so much!!! Is Guatemala city safe? I know there are more gangs there....that is why I was planning on dealing with Antigua mostly for doctors and dentists...
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bajasur
8/16/2016 14:50 EST
You'll do just fine using local Antigua Doctors and Dentists no need to go to GC for those services. Saves the hassle of getting a chicken bus, taxi, shuttle to get around in GC.
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kgriff
8/16/2016 17:34 EST
As with US insurance, the cost of dental insurance usually doesn't justify the paltry benefits it gives. Medical insurance here doesn't cover a lot of stuff like it does in the US, and dental insurance here covers even less. It is so inexpensive that you can usually save money just paying for the insurance yourself.
As far as paying rent, I live in San Pedro Las Huertas and I pay my rent in Qs because that's what the landlord wants. It all depends on the landlord.
There are no bus passes here. Bus fare from San Pedro Las Huertas to Antigua is Q2 and the drop offs are a few blocks from Impact Hub, so he should be prepared to walk every day, rain or shine. If he gets to know the bus drivers and ayudantes, he may be able to pay for his entire week's worth of bus fare at one time, but this would require him to catch the same bus at the same place, at the same time. The buses start from Parque Central, so if he's close to that, it might be possible. This would only apply to his inbound trip to Antigua; outbound would not guarantee the same bus, even if caught at the same place at the same time.
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souix
8/17/2016 15:08 EST
Pay in quetzals of course! Easily changed at banks or use ATMs.... Pay everything in Q. WHY?
You're in Guatemala.
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zaqwsx
8/17/2016 21:12 EST
The bus fair into Antigua is only q2 less than a quarter you sit down and pay the helper BUT he still is going to have to walk. He can buy a good used scooter for $500.00 and when he gets used to Guatemalan driving he can put the whole family and a weeks worth of groceries on it. No one is going to question a U.S. drivers license.
As for a dentist I use Luis Ramirez 6732 6002 He has state of the art offices on the main road just as you come into the city. His English, German, and Spanish are perfect. You can find cheaper in Antigua but he is well trained and has better equipment than my old dentist in the states.
Rent in Dollars or Quazeles... for the most part dollars are worthless so are q100 or larger notes you need small local denominations for most commerce. The U.S. $20.00 bill does not meet international counter-fit standards and even with years of accounts my bank will only take $200.00 a month from me. The U.S. $100.00 bill has to be new and pristine or the banks will not take it. Before you leave the U.S. go to your bank (hopefully it is a big one like Wells Fargo) and set up international internet banking. Usually the local bank employee will let you sign the papers and give you their direct dial telephone number and let you call them with the bank account number after you get here. You then set up a checking account with a debit card at BAM, Banco Industrial or G&T. Personally I like G&T they are Bank of Texas in the U.S. their people are nice and the lines not as long. You may find however the landlord might want dollars deposited into a U.S. account.
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