About sojournerEXPAT

Status:

Preparing to Move Abroad 

Currently Lives:

Citizen Of:

United States

Some Forum Posts:

Guatemala: moving to Guatemala:

I just want to point out the Guate City has 25 zones and not all of them are dangerous like people think. Get a map and label the (un)safe zones. Safe Zones to walk and drive Day and Night*: Zones, #10, #9, #13, #14, #15, #16, as well as the 50 km stretch all the way up Carretera a El Salvador. It starts from the edge of Guatemala City in Zone #15 and goes all the way down the road to El Salvador (that’s the PAN AMERICAN HWY called CA-1). You will see vast new medium and upscale developments on either side of CA-1 (this is ground zero in the real estate bubble) Safe Zones to walk and drive by Day only: Zones #12, #1 (all around the historic center, the 6th Avenue pedestrian walking area and central park areas only), #11(the upscale shopping areas: Miraflores and Tikal Futura) UN-SAFE Zones to avoid: Zones #18, #6, #2, #5, #4, #7, #8, #21, and anywhere in the adjacent city of Mixco. Note: nearly all zones are safe to drive through day and night (but if it’s a known crap area why drive through at night?) *When we say “SAFE” at night: that means take the usual precautions and don’t walk down lonely, not well-lighted, deserted streets. Dress down and use the same precautions you would use at night in your own big USA cities. As for the bad or “iffy” Zones: keep away from air B&B's and hangouts in most of these Zones unless you are with a group of people: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 17,18 and all of Mixco (note that Mixco is actually a city that butts right up to Guatemala City and has its own Zones) The above is by no means a complete breakdown. For example, there are parts of some of the more decent “good zones” like 13, 14, 16,15, 9,and 5 that have very very high-end parts yet also have some “iffy” parts I wouldn't walk through at night. Most Zones are not purely good or bad, there is some overlapping. You can drive by car through most any zone safely and you can walk around in most zones alone or with friends during the daytime. However you wouldn’t want to walk alone at night in about half the Zones unless you were with someone or a group.

Guatemala: Dialing 711:

An expat told me that If you dial 711 anywhere in Latin America (except for Belize and recently Venezuela) an ambulance will arrive for you in about 10 minutes unless your out in the boonies. Anyone know if this is true? I ride motorcycles & this could be helpful, but hopefully I'll never have to use it.

Guatemala: Organic Antigua:

Trying to find organic (labeled) food in Antigua. So far besides certain restaurants I have found: Organica store, La bedagona (the big grocery store), Caobo farm store & farmers market, and some small boutique store that was really expensive (kind of like the store at the front of the restaurant Epicure). Please fill me in on some other places. I mostly shopped at the street market, but certain items cannot be found there.

Guatemala: Good things about Guate:

I recently traveled in Guate and wanted to post about the people. The Latin locals are very welcoming to guests and friendly. This made a great impression on me and made me love the country. The locals also seem happier in general than where I come from and less stressed out. That made my trip more refreshing. Of course the roadways are a different story altogether and I'm glad I didn't drive while I was there. Generally speaking it amazes me how having less money makes you happier and less stressed, but as humans we never get it, even though we know mentally that it is true.

Guatemala: Short Lodging Recommendations:

Looking for some recommendations on short term lodging while I look for a long term rental in Antigua. I've stayed at several hostels & a hotel in Antigua, but none of them would be suitable for my wife. Not that she is real picky, but a hot shower, clean, decent bed, and kitchenette or communal kitchen is a must. Probably rent by the week until I find LT rental. I've looked at several websites including airbnb, but just thought I would ask here. Thanks in advance.

Guatemala: Rentals sitting long?:

Hello, I'm moving in a couple of months to Antigua and have been looking at rentals online. Not going to rent anything until I get there, but I have noticed that rentals seem to stay on the market for a long time. Wondering if anyone knows why? Are they fake ads, overpriced, abundant rentals, or what? I'm not referring to the expensive ones either, but rentals for Q5000/mo and less keep getting reposted. Thanks

Guatemala: Internet Help:

If your using wifi or satellite internet you should try getting away from the thick concrete walls that most of the buildings are made of there and other obstructions (metal). While I was there that caused problems for me. I went outside and it was fine or when I got a modem I placed it in a good spot away from obstructions. Still have problems? then try combining 2 internet services (satellite and wifi or plug directly into a modem for a better signal)

Guatemala: Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurants:

Samsara is the one I think your referring to. Very good food. It is on the corner of 6th Calle and 7 Avenida.

Guatemala: Looking for advice:

I took a tour of UFM with an administrator. Anyone looking into attending a University in Guate should at least take the tour and see how great this college is. UFM is the only libertarian college in the world.

Guatemala: Thinking about living in Guate:

Have you got boots on the ground yet or still planning a trip? I was ready to move to Guate & decided I better go visit first. It was as great as I thought and even better in some cases. Im still planning on renting for a year or two before I start considering buying land. Some towns you think you will like, but you will end up liking others towns more. Each town/city is special, even the capitol.

Date Joined:

3/9/2017

Total Posts:

27

Posts/Day:

0.93