Lake Atitlan should be amongst the wonders of the modern world. The pristine volcanic lake is the deepest in Central America and renowned as one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. Surrounded by Atitlan, San Pedro and Toliman volcanoes, this lake is a truly unique site. Toliman and Atitlan are still active, although its been several hundred years since either has erupted.
The lake is also surrounded by many Mayan populations, most of them isolated. Reachable only by boat. Most Mayan inhabitants in the area belong to either the Tz’utujil and Kaqchikel peoples. These are ancient civilizations that have kept their language and culture alive throughout the past centuries. Though remote and secluded the natural and cultural Read more
Who says time travel is impossible? Between Volcan de Agua, Acatenango and Volcan the Fuego sits a city that allows us to travel back in time into Guatemala’s past, La Antigua Guatemala. This city was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1979. Antigua was Guatemala’s capital until a major earthquake hit in 1773. The city suffered great damage and much of the population moved away from the city, reducing its population by nearly half. The city has preserved its colonial charm boasting great ruins, churches and even the The Captain General’s Palace. However, Antigua still caters to those of us living in the 21st century.
Antigua is home to Guatemala’s best Spanish Language Schools, which Read more
Outside of Guatemala but looking to buy some Guatemala coffee that hasn’t been processed by The Man (Starbucks)? Check out the new online shop from La Azotea.
La Azotea uses the Arabica variety of coffee, and actually reserves some of the good stuff for local and internet sales, unlike most companies which send the good stuff to their major suppliers and leave the not so tasty coffee for the local crowd. Azotea is an environmentally friendly plantation that uses an organic pest control system, if you are worried about pesticides.
La Azotea is hosting their coffee selling online endeavors through www.AroundAntigua.net. You can currently purchase ground Guatemala coffee as well as whole bean coffee. In addition, they also Read more
Tourism may be down around the world, and although some businesses in Guatemala are suffering, the outlook isn’t as dim here as it is in other Central and South American countries. Why? Well, Guatemala is seen as a cheaper option for vacation than the ever popular Costa Rica and Panama. And to be honest, Guatemala is less expensive.
Nowadays, flights to Central American countries from the United States all hover at about the same price, so picking your destination, if guided by your budget, may mean choosing a country that has cheaper accomodations and activities. (For a search of international flights, try www.kayak.com.)
Guatemala not only offers high quality tourism, it does so at better prices. There are the Read more
Nowadays many people take prescription meds for a whole variety of reasons. So what do you do when you come to Guatemala? If you are only coming for a short trip, bring your meds with you. If you plan on living here, you may want to investigate the possibility of obtaining meds locally. Some things are more expensive, but others are actually cheaper. And, if you can go off the brand name drug and onto the Latin American version, all the better.
If you know exactly what you want, you can actually just head straight to the pharmacy and get it. That’s right, no need for an Rx or anything. Pretty crazy, right? What’s even crazier is this: if you Read more
You can send gifts to Guatemala easily through www.streetdirectory.com/florist/guatemala. They are open 24 hours a day, and are running a Father’s Day special right now.
You can also call +65 64791033 for more information or help.
If you are looking for a little adventure and fun for the whole family in Guatemala, then head to the Petén region.
The Petén region is famous for its many lakes, each with a different composition, which causes them to vary in color and transparency. The Petén region is part of an incredible rainforst, and the lakes are the perfect place to cool off and enjoy the view.
As you would expect in the rainforest, the birdwatching is particularly excellent, and with the many lakes canoeing is a very popular things to do in Petén.
The area of Petén spans almost the whole northen section of Guatemala. It is a “Protected Area” thanks to its abundant rainforest vegetation and animal life. Read more
Guatemala City is the capital of Guatemala.
It is the largest city in Central America.
Guatemala City is separated into at l.east 21 different zonas.
Zona 1 is the Old City
Zonas 9 and 10 are the New City, and are very popular for tourists.
Guatemala City is surrounded on three sides by low hills and volcanic cones, which make for great day trips.
Guatemala is famous for its textiles and many are sold in the Mercado Central in Guatemala City.
Guatemala City became the country capital in 1776 after the destruction of Antigua.
We interrupt this tour of Guatemala City to share with you an important update from the Guatemala Gringo and his other Gringo affiliate sites (see the blogroll)…
The Gringo has worked to create a system that puts readers in touch with valuable people in Guatemala and other Latin American countries. If you need an English speaking driver, real estate information, legal services and so on, all you need to do is this:
The hippie-ish Festival Atitlan is back and it’s happening this Saturday, March 14th, 2009 from 12 pm – 12 am.
Music, Art, Dancing, Theatre, Camping, Family and Peace in the Open Air are all advertised as being the events main features. The event is being hosted by Santiago Atitlan, and is the largest alternative cultural event in Guatemala. This year’s festival is the sixth of its kind since the celebrating started in 2001.
The event raises money for Hospitalito Atitlan, and this year the Kendida Foundation is getting involved as well; they have agreed to match any funds raised for the Hospitalito, making the ticket price go twice as far.
Arts and music are the entertainment of choice Read more
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