Remember the package that Tyler requested? We were blessed with a custom delivery service.
Our dear friends the Haydens came to our rescue offering to hand deliver a package to Tyler. Jennifer Hayden visited Guatemala for a month for study abroad, knocking out two college spanish courses while there!!! Way to go. She graciously carried Tyler's package to him! Piling on the friendly service, she carried a package back from Tyler to us ... which included scoffs for Jeremy, Chase Bleyl and me to wear. Thanks again Jenn!!!!!
Also, I wanted to share some info Tyler sent to Jenn to help on her visit.
Hey Jenn! I just got your dearElder a few days ago with the news! So exciting! Oh my goodness you have no idea how wonderful Guatemala is. I think you’re really gonna love it! :)
Ok so you’ll probably want some of the detes on what to do in Guatemala :D. I don’t know what your itinerary is going to be like or anything, but I’ll write a few tips here that you can keep in mind if you’d like, or share with your professor if he gives you any leeway on what to do.
1.You’ll almost definitely be going to Antigua, and if that’s not on the list, then add it! Antigua is about an hour outside of Guat City. It’s everyone’s favorite. Its one of the most beautiful cities in Guatemala. Its very safe and very tourist friendly.
Lots of:
a.Cathedrals—beautiful. There is one called the Cappuchinas that is really famous, its an old convent that you can walk through and its way cool. There’s another one that my companion and I found the last time we went, it’s a hidden treasure. Its called “La Recollecion” or something like that, and when you go to Antigua, they give you a card that shows you where it is. It was destroyed by 3 earthquakes a long time ago, so you can go in and climb over all the rubble. WAY cool. As for others, you just kinda have to look around and get lucky. There are literally like a million cathedrals, so you shouldn’t get bored! :)
b.Artisan’s markets—there’s the big one in the middle, and it is the coolest thing. You can get all kinds of souvenirs and whatever. And LOTS of ropa tipica, that’s my favorite part :) Be sure to always fight for good bargains; they try to take advantage of the gringos. It helps if you go with someone who looks latino, or who speaks Spanish. Ask for ½ of what they say the price is, and then fight your way a little higher up. Its fun!
c.Regular markets—haha. You should probably not buy anything in these, but they are fun to see! This is where Guatemalans buy what they need (food, clothes, electronics, etc) and the one in Antigua is kinda nasty. But its fun to walk through at least once. Definitely consider it!
d.Restaurants—ok, I’m not as much of an expert here, because we always go to the same place. MONO LOCO. Its delicious! They have nachos as big as your head. Its definitely worth going. But there are tons of cool places, I’m sure anything you try will end up being quite good.
e.ATMS—So I’m not sure if this is true, but our financial secretary just told us that we should avoid using the ATMS in Antigua, because some of them will scam your card and steal money. I don’t know how true this is. But it’s probably best to take out money somewhere else before you go. In Guat City there are ATMS everywhere, in Hiper Pais, Pais, Torre, Price Smart, and all of the malls have them as well. As for what you should do with money, a debit card is always good to have, and possibly a credit card if youd like. If you want to save on fees, its good to take out about 1000Q at a time. But NEVER walk around (in the capital) with more then 250Q on you, just incase you get robbed. You can leave the rest in your suitcase or something. They’ll probably be having you in safe places in the capital, but always be precautious!
2.Panajachel. Ok if they don’t send you here, you’ll be missing out on like, the best thing about Guatemala :) Haha I guess I’m kinda biased. Panajachel is the most touristy of the villages on Lake Atitlan, (which is rumored to be the waters of Mormon!) And let me tell you, that lake should be one of the natural wonders of the world. It is BEAUTIFUL. And so blue! Its surrounded by 3 volcanoes (inactive of course!), and ah. I just cannot explain how wonderful it is. The people are so beautiful and do not speak very good Spanish :).
Ok things to do:
a.SEE THE LAKE. When you go into Pana, they’ll send you through Solola, a village higher up the mountain. And you can take a bus down to Pana, but the BEST thing is to take a flete. There are tons of trucks that you can ride in the back of (trust me, theyre safe) for 3 quetz. Oh my goodness it is amazing. I wont tell you about it because it will spoil how wonderful it is. That’ll take you down to the main street, and then you’re on “tourist street.” (missionaries call it that.). Anyways, as fast as you can, go all the way down tourist street and you can see the lake. And it is so wonderful. You can see Santiago on the other side of the lake, that’s where I served for 9 months :)
b.Go to Santiago. Haha ok now I’m definitely biased. But depending on how much time you have, you might like to do it. It takes most of the day, from like 9 to 2 if you end up going. Theres tons of boats (lanchas), you might have a group of you that wants to go. And its like a 20 minute ride across the lake, and ive heard its INCREDIBLE. Santiago is the coolest village in the world The people do NOT speak Spanish unless they are street vendors. They have cool corte, there’s a really famous cathedral there, its great. Another lake village you might like is San Pedro. Its SOOOOOOO BEAUTIFUL. And its also available by lancha. Anyways. Talk to your professor, he might be interested in going!
c.Tourist street. This is a lot like the artisan market in Antigua, but cheaper. Always fight for good bargains!
d.Restaurants—Pana is great if you want really good Guatemalan food. There’s a restaurant called Lazzaronis that the missionaries LOVE because we get a discount. Ive never really tried anything else. But theres lots!
3.Transportation. Ok Im not sure how much you’ll need this because it might be provided by your class. But here’s a quick sketch just incase. There are 5 types!
a.Red buses. These go just about anywhere in the capital. They are the most dangerous. NEVER get on a red bus without someone who knows what theyre doing! :D
b.Blue buses. These are way safe, and go most places, but not everywhere. You have to use a metro card to get on them, so you’d have to get one of those at a mall or something. Again, don’t get on unless someone knows where they’re going.
c.Green buses. These are my favorites! They are like the metro. There are only two lines of these, and they go in a straight line, so you can’t go too many places. But they do have maps, so if you don’t know where to go, it will tell you. These are the safest! Also—all of these buses cost 1Q to use (12 cents. Its awesome).
d.Taxis. These are great, but kind of expensive. They’ll take you wherever you need to go. Don’t let them charge you more than 100Q, most rides are about 50 to 60. Very useful!
e.Chicken buses. Ahh I love these! These leave the capital and go to the coast or to the mountains. For example, they may send you to Antigua/Pana on one of these. We call them chicken buses because Guatemalans bring boxes of live chickens on them. And they go FAST. And they play crazy music. Very fun!!!
4.The temple. They had better send you there! :) Its so beautiful, you will love it. Definitely hope you can get to do baptisms. There isn’t a visitors center but the MTC is right down the street, and they have a guest hotel there. They might have you stay there a night or something. Ahh I just love the temple!
5.Tiendas. Ok you will come to LOVE these. They are everywhere, like literally every three houses. They are stores and you can get all kinds of food. Most people buy what they make for dinner at the tiendas. And you can get all kinds of Guatemalan snacks. One you should remember—Tortrix! Oh goodness it’s the best. And there are lots of others, I’ll let you look around and find the good stuff :D Also, you can buy refried beans in a bag. It’s the coolest thing.
Anywho if I think of anything else I will let you know! Feel free to keep sending dearElders if you have more questions. I cant wait! Youre really going to love it. Enjoy every minute!!!
Buen viaje,
Tyler
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