Guatemala City

Our walking tour of Guatemala City was canceled this morning—the guide had twisted her ankle. We tried to find another, but everything was either fully booked, only in Spanish, or unavailable. To add to it, many of the major attractions were closed for the weekend, including the museums in the botanical gardens, which we would have loved to see. It all felt a bit surprising.

So we decided to explore on our own, walking from Zone 4 down to Zone 1, the historic district. Both areas are considered relatively safe, though many parts of Guatemala City are not. Along the way, we passed countless shops and locals going about their day, and at no point did we feel unsafe.

We did feel like we stood out. Scotty, because of his height, and me—maybe because of my hair color. Most people didn’t pay us much attention, though one couple stopped and asked, “Canada or America?” When we answered “America,” they smiled and said they were from Canada.

Our first stop—no surprise—was a panadería. We had visited one with the same name near the Holiday Inn earlier in the trip and remembered the pastries fondly. One thing that stood out: there were two armed guards inside. In fact, nearly every store seemed to have a guard at the entrance, usually carrying a gun.

Walking through the city felt very different from any U.S. city I’ve experienced. These are simply observations, as I don’t fully understand the culture or context behind them:

• Street vendors were everywhere, actively calling out to attract customers.
• The streets were busy and loud, filled with constant movement and conversation.
• Many disabled individuals were asking for money.
• We saw a baby with a cleft lip, which reminded me of what our host in Antigua shared about a clinic there that helps treat cleft palates.
• Mothers carried their babies in beautiful woven slings—quietly and closely. I never once heard a baby cry.
• English was rarely spoken. At one pizza place, a young boy knew just a little. Not having Wi-Fi made ordering and understanding menus more challenging.
• Churches were full, and the people inside seemed deeply engaged in prayer—heads bowed, some with tears on their cheeks.
• People didn’t mind being photographed, as long as I asked first, especially for close-up shots.
• Children stayed close to their mothers, whether mom was running a booth or selling goods on the street.
• Very few women wore traditional Guatemalan dress. Most dressed modestly in long pants; I didn’t see shorts or dresses. 

This is the closed museum. Ridiculous that they’re closed on the weekend!!

We bought two of these small red bananas. They tasted slightly sweeter than our yellow banana, bananas, in the fruit almost had a pinkish tint to it.

Chickens in the market.

After watching the movie, we headed out for dinner to San Martin. This was the same bakery, where we got our pastries this morning. The menu was quite extensive and we were at a loss. We each ordered a combination meal and a drink only after I discovered it was Wi-Fi. Did I realize we had just ordered two tea drinks. Now that I had a translator I was able to request another fruit drink rather than tea I do like my sleep. Dinner was absolutely delicious, probably one of our better meals because it came with a fresh salad. We’ve been hesitant to order fruits or vegetables at the local stands and felt more confident in this chain like restaurant 10 out of 10 for this restaurant!