The Guatemala Gringo

New "Mayan People" Tourism Program in Guatemala

March 4th, 2009 | Guatemala - Business, Guatemala - Travel Tips | No Comments »

Three new tourist routes are in the works for Guatemala, all of which highlight the country’s Mayan population. The three new routes, the Mayan Universe Trail, the Mayan Calendar Trail, and the Mayan Dualism Trail, will be run by the Mayan community.

As the largest indigenous people in Guatemala, the Mayans are prepared to take on the spotlight. Local Mayan businesses, cultural associations, tour operators, artists and other craftsmen will all get involved, fueling income into the poorer predominantly Mayan regions.

Guatemala is jumping on a wonderful opportunity here; designing routes that run through popular tourist locations such as main archaeological sites and sacred places and take visitors on the inside of Mayan communities really caters to the increased demand Read more

Concert in Monterrico Tonight!

February 25th, 2009 | Guatemala - Culture, Guatemala - Nightlife | No Comments »

The Cantantes Finlandeses (a Finnish choir) will be performing tonight at 7:30 pm in Monterrico at the Misión Siloé church.

The Finnish choir is composed of 22 singers accompanied by Martin Segerstråle on the piano. The choir was put together specially for the trip to Guatemala, and is made up of Swedish-speaking singers.

The tour was designed with the thought of introducing Finnish and Swedish music to a part of the world where Finland isn’t well known. The classical music is drawn from both Finnish and Swedish backgrounds, with a particular focus given to choir music. Folk music and modern music will also have a small part in the program. Some popular songs will be played as crowd-pleasers as Read more

"LA ANTIGUA GUATEMALA" not "LA ANTIGUA"

February 23rd, 2009 | Guatemala - Culture | 1 Comment »

I, the Guatemala Gringo, have committed an error common to many gringos such as myself, in calling the city of La Antigua Guatemala, simply La Antigua.

According to Rudy Girón in an interesting article for REVUE, Guatemala’s leading English magazine, this offense is common among English speakers and Spanish speakers alike.

Common mistakes include referring to the city as just Antigua; an internet search for Antigua will most likely land you somewhere in the Caribbean rather than in La Antigua Guatemala. There are others, like this old Gringo, who have always called it La Antigua, and never really given a second thought to it. Thanks Rudy!

Turns out Wikipedia even lists La Antigua Guatemala wrong! (They have Read more

Italian Food – Pizza for Americans in La Antigua

February 21st, 2009 | Guatemala - Places to Eat | 5 Comments »

As a Gringo, upon arriving in a new city, one of the things on my list of things to do is locate the best pizza in town. As far as La Antigua goes, Quesos Y Vinos has got my vote.

Sure, it has a variety of soups, salads, and pastas, but for me, it’s the pizza hands down. There are three different sizes of pizza; the small is around 50Q while the family size is about 140Q. As if you weren’t already loading up on a mountain of delicious carbs, most meals are accompanied by Quesos Y Vinos trademark sourdough bread.

Another tasty menu item is the oven baked Italian bred smothered in melted cheeses… mmm. And for dessert Read more

La Antigua is the Top City for Travel

February 19th, 2009 | Guatemala - Travel Tips | 1 Comment »

The jury is out and Antigua, Guatemala has been named the Top City in the world for travel by the UK’s Wanderlust magazine.

The Wanderlust magazine awards are based on the votes of the magazine’s readers. Wanderlust is the UK’s leading magazine for independent-minded and adventurous travelers. It provides advice from the experts on where to go, what to see, and how to get there. Even if you are reading from outside the UK, Wanderlust’s in-depth information is quite useful.

Guatemala is pleased with the announcement, and it follows a string of awards to Latin American for religious and cultural travel. (Mexico City is the top religious travel destination, and Peru is one of the top Read more

Carnival and Cascarones in Guatemala

February 16th, 2009 | Guatemala - Culture, Guatemala - Family Friendly | No Comments »

Cascarones abound in Guatemala, which can be only one thing! Carnival time is here!

Carnival is different in every country, and the way that Latin America celebrates Carnival is to be a bit like Mardi Gras. The celebrations lead up to Ash Wednesday, which will be celebrated on February 25th, 2009. Ash Wednesday leads up to what all of Latin America calls Semana Santa, or Holy Week, one of the biggest celebrations of the year.

Throughout Semana Santa every town in Guatemala boasts processions which are meant to represent the funeral march of Jesus Christ. There are also processions that depict the days leading up to Jesus’ death and the events from the point of view of Mary, who the Read more

Renting Furniture for Relocation to Guatemala

February 9th, 2009 | Guatemala - Business, Guatemala - Relocation | No Comments »

When you relocate to Guatemala, one of the most stressful and expensive ventures can be shipping your furniture to Guatemala. To minimize the cost of relocation and reduce the stress of such a move, use a company like CORT Global. CORT makes your move easier by assisting you with rental furniture.

CORT has a wide selection of furniture to choose from for those relocating to Guatemala, and especially caters toward those who are temporarily living in Guatemala. The staff at CORT are very helpful, and can be a great aid in selecting furniture for your living space. They also arrange for delivery of the furniture to your new home in Guatemala, making it even easier for you Read more

Work from Home

February 7th, 2009 | Guatemala - Relocation | No Comments »

For those who are looking to relocate to Central or South America, oftentimes one of the best ways to secure a stable income (if you aren’t retired) is by finding online work. So, type in WORK FROM HOME in your search engine, and what do you find? A long list of work opportunities… but how do you differentiate the ones that are real from the scams?

Look no further.

Molly Hallman, from Payscale.com has written an article for Yahoo! hotjobs entitled “10 Companies Hiring for Work from Home.”

The article gives the name of each company, its web-site, and for what job they are hiring and is a great place to get ideas for how to support yourself living Read more

Information for Business Owners on Guatemala Tax Law

February 2nd, 2009 | Guatemala - Business | No Comments »

Business owners in Guatemala can find reliable help for their taxes from the Asociación de Peritos Contadores de Guatemala (APCDEGUA), which recently sent out a newsletter reminding Guatemala business owners about the modifications to the tax laws.

You will find the full newsletter from APCDEGUA on Guatemala tax law below.

Spanish Business Training Seminar in Guatemala

January 26th, 2009 | Guatemala - Business | No Comments »

El Instituto para la Competitividad Empresarial is offering a 5 month training program on how to have a run a successful business. The course will begin on February 3rd, 2009 and be held from 5:30 to 9:30 pm and will be held in Guatemala City.

The course, which will be given in Spanish, will focus on equipping participants with competitive management and strategic marketing skills.

For more information on this course and others offered by the Institute visit www.icepyme.org, email diplomados@icepyme.org or call 2335–2975, 2335–2944.

New "Mayan People" Tourism Program in Guatemala

Concert in Monterrico Tonight!

"LA ANTIGUA GUATEMALA" not "LA ANTIGUA"

Italian Food – Pizza for Americans in La Antigua

La Antigua is the Top City for Travel

Carnival and Cascarones in Guatemala

Renting Furniture for Relocation to Guatemala

Work from Home

Information for Business Owners on Guatemala Tax Law

Spanish Business Training Seminar in Guatemala

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