Fun Facts and photos from Guatemala!
Guatemala is a beautiful country on so many levels, but let’s not forget that it’s still trying to recover from a 36-year civil war (one which the US started, by the way, and continued to perpetuate via massacres across the country). Here are some fun facts and photos, but behind the fun is the reality that it can be a very dangerous country if you’re not careful.
Kodak? Yes, Kodak. When was the last time you saw one of these stores? I’m pleased to see something like this still in business because I have a pension coming from the red and yellow box. 🙂
Who loves a good, simple street scene? I do! I do! In Antigua, the uber-cool, tourist hot-spot about an hour (on a good day) outside of Guatemala City.
Fun fact: Guatemala’s postal system came to an abrupt halt in August of 2016. Public postal service in Guatemala ceased in 1998, when the government signed a contract with International Postal Services, Ltd., and then later with El Correo de Guatemala, SA. In 2014, El Correo asked the government for a five-year extension on their contract, but never received a reply. In August of 2016, the government shut them down without warning, claiming El Correo was in breach of contract. It left truckloads of mail unattended and more than 600 employees suddenly without work.
(It’s actually not that fun of a fact when you realize this means you can’t send postcards from Guatemala, nor can you send small packages or letters to people in Guatemala.)
Not-so-fun fact: Armed guards are everywhere. Everywhere. In front of outdoor malls, pharmacies, strip malls, in front of your favorite restaurant…everywhere. I once asked my driver if their weapons were loaded with real bullets. He looked at me, wide-eyed and confused, and nodded slowly. Most tourists don’t notice them because they’re supposed to blend in…but you know me. Always looking for anything and everything.
The hotel I stayed at in Guatemala City was in a gated community. This is, essentially, a community that walled itself off from the rest of the city during the civil war, so the entire area is surrounded by either a cement block wall, a steel fence, or regular fencing — all topped with razor wire. The gate is monitored by armed guards 24/7. I made the mistake of walking out of the gate once, then changing my mind and couldn’t get back in until they scanned my passport, and noted my name and where I’m staying. Any vehicle that doesn’t have an electronic pass has to stop when going in and out of the community, and the driver has to do the same — produce his or her passport or drivers license and answer questions.
Inside the community, it’s quiet. All the buildings and homes have walls around them, many topped with razor wire. The walls block out the sun inside the homes and buildings. The photo below is from the inside of the hotel to show you how tall the walls are. These windows once looked out on a small front yard, but now the property is walled in. Everywhere you go, either to a friend’s or a hotel inside the community, you have to be buzzed in.
Below: How do you know this is in Guatemala and not Nepal? Well, first of all, the baby is in a sling facing Mama, and second, Papa isn’t wearing a helmet.
Fun fact: Retired school buses are given new life as local buses, lovingly referred to as “chicken buses.” (You can guess why.) These private bus owners take their bling buses very seriously.
In the villages around Lake Atitlan, tuk tuks are blinged out the same way. No more boring blue or red, these rides will catch any tourist’s attention!
Here’s some gorgeous street art and some more scenes to give you a good feel for this amazing country.
