Guatemala
 

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I don't know anything about traveling in Guatemala, but what an amazing, cool, awesome thing to do. Way to live out your values.

:tumbleweed:

Ok, Guatamala is a freakin awesomely beautiful country, you've chosen well. I've never been to Puerto Barrios so i can't tell you of any things to do there, but there's plenty of cool things to do around Antigua. I would highly recommend hiking up the live volcano that's not too far from Antigua. Also, there are some crazy markets on every sunday i think that are about a 1 hour chicken bus ride from Antigua, they were pretty cool too. Lake Atitlan is only a few hours by chicken bus from Antigua, it is possibly the best place I've been to, the villages that surround the lake are just beautiful and a whole lotta fun. I don't know if you'll have time, but the Tikal ruins in the north of Guatamala are some of the best around, I would highly recommend visiting them if you can.

It's pretty hot over there year round so be sure to pack some summer clothes. I was in some pretty crazy storms while i was over there, i don't know if this is a common thing or not but i would pack a rain coat just in case. The people in Guatamala are pretty friendly. As in most parts of the world, they get friendlier the further you get from the major cities. Guatamala City itself is pretty rough, i wouldn't advise spending any time there unless you really knew what you were doing. A couple of the villages around Lake Atitlan do not tolerate tourists, so don't go to them, but San Pedro is as safe as any place in the world, the people are incredibly nice.

Also, English is pretty hard to come by over there, so take a Spanish phrase book with you.

Hope this helps.

Have fun :thumbup:

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Actually, the heat in the southern areas at this time of year isn't too bad at all, it shouldn't get over 25 - 30 degrees celsius (77 - 86 fahrenheit). It's only the northern parts that are really hot all year round. But, it is wet season over there, so it will be a little humid.

60+ sunscreen!!! I didn't even know 60+ was possible. I thought 30+ was crazy!! That sunscreen will be fine, in fact i reckon it will reverse the affects of the sun on your skin and you will come back as white as a ghost. In fact, at 60+ i think it will reverse the effects of ageing. You've got the fountain of youth right there in a tube.

Yeah, there is Malaria over there, so taking a strong bug spray is important. To avoid deet poisoning just don't drink the bug spray. But, that does have the downside on leaving you stomach open to bug attacks, so you'll have to weigh up the pros and cons of that approach.

Taking malaria pills is your personal choice. I've never taken malaria pills on any of my travels. They aren't 100% effective and they can have some seriously warped side effects. This is why I'm a big fan of strong bug spray. But, you are safer while you're taking the pills then if you're not taking them, so if you're happy taking them i would never advise you not to.

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