oh my oh my oh my!

So can I tell you that my trip to Guatemala City and Antigua was completely spontaneous and was so magnificent! Can I just tell you that I am a planner! Especially when I go on a trip out of the country, I like to look for activities to do, sites to see, and get to know as much about the country as possible. Well this wasn’t the case with my trip to Guatemala! At the very last minute I planned a trip and was off to my very first visit to Guatemala.

Guatemala is located in Central America, near one of my favorite countries, Belize! Guatemala City is divided in Zones and and I stayed in Zone (Zona) 10 near the Oakland Mall!

 

Habla Espanol? Well I know a little Spanish and I got around fine. Majority of the country speaks Spanish. This wasn’t like Cancun where I could find a lot of locals who spoke English. I definitely felt the need to go back home and learn Spanish. Nonetheless everyone was helpful and I got around fine with the little Spanish I knew! Also I met a solo traveler (just like myself) and she knew more Spanish than me, so that helped a lot.

Okay, let’s get to the good stuff right! What did I do? Well because I was only there for 3 days, I saw a lot but no where near all of what the country or even the two cities I visited had to offer.

The first place I visited was Oakland Mall! Y’all this mall was huge. I counted the number of floors a few times and I believe the number I care up was 8! Yes you read that correctly 8 floors! So if you’re a shoppaholic it’s a must you stop by the mall and get your fix! The mall has a plethora of restaurants on the ‘rooftop’ – not exactly on the roof FYI, it’s just that floors name’

The highlight of my Guatemala City visit was the mall. In Zona 10 there’s a bar and club area. Literally all within walking distance or an  UBER. <—- That’s a great Segway to transportation.

Guatemala public transportation- Guat has buses and Uber (super cheap) however I was advised against riding the Local buses due to the danger (FYI I went to Guatemala solo and not once did I feel threatened) in fact there’s plenty of police officers and security guards with guns and that helped with me feel more safe in the foreign land!

Guatemala’s money- There exchange rate was about 7.6 Q to the U.S dollar. I went to the bank in the Oakland mall to exchange my US dollars for Guatemalan Quetzal. You can pay with U.S dollars in Guatemala as well. But just to ensure I received the correct change and to avoid confusion, I paid with Guat’s Q or my debit card!

GUATEMALA CITY to ANTIGUA!

My plan was to take a tour from Guatemala City to Antigua but the tour companies would only take 2 minimum for the tour. But I’m so glad I was denied because my alternative route was much better! I googled and found a blog about Guatemala and low and behold Claire wrote a blog on how to get from Guatemala City to Antigua. And she mentioned ÇA Express. Aghhh this bus was the fanciest shuttle bus I’ve ever been on. They have a small bar, snacks/beverages for sell and free WiFi!!! And the owner Pierro (who is fluent in English) was so helpful. He is responsible for our smooth transition from his bus into Antigua! He knew the town and recommended all the hot spots. Pay the extra dollar or two and get the comfort, WiFi and amazing deets on Antigua!

Okay let’s jump to what is now my favorite city on EARTH! #Antigua ❤️

Antigua used to be Guatemala’s Capitol city but now Guatemala City is and OH MY it is full of culture, surrounded by volcanos and gives off great vibes! You can literally walk from one side of the city to the other side in 20’minutes!

Fast forward to a beautiful Farm to Table restaurant called Caoba Farm . Funny story because I wasn’t paying much attention to the name ‘Farm to Table’ as we were exploring the farm, I saw animals like sheep, chickens, pigs and turkeys. And I said, ‘Wow it’s like a small zoo!’ As I’m snapping photos. I was reminded by Jennifer that those animals will be someone’s dinner! #Wow 🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️ Lol How did I miss that?! 😂😂But VEGANS don’t worry the farm had plenty of meal selections for you too!

Caoba Farm was my first ‘Farm to table experience and it was so grand. It’s a must you go there for lunch, breakfast, or dinner. Prices are reasonable as well. The average meal was around $10 to $15 USD. We visited on a Saturday and there was live music.

Okay as I mentioned in the beginning that I didn’t spend enough time to get out of the country everything it has to offer but just because I didn’t doesn’t mean you can not. I have listed some other tourist spots in Guatemala. And of course I am going back so I’ll definitely update this blog post accordingly.

Atitlan Lake (2 hours from Guat City)- Considered one of the most beautiful lakes in the World!

Pacaya Volcano (1 hour from Guat City)- Most frequently climbed Volcano. Views are amazing. I saw pictures from a girl that I met in a hostel and she was literally above the clouds. One of the reason I have to go back ASAP is to hike this Volcano. It’s a two day trip. Definitely worth it so alive heard!

Semuc Champey (6 hours from Guat City) -Natural pools

Chichi Castenango (2.5 hours from Guat City) Considered one of the largest indigenous market in the whole region!

Well that’s all folks! Thank you for checking out my blog post about my trip to Guatemala. Feel free to browse around. Just FYI, my blog is about my spiritual journey as well as my Earthly journey:-) Feel free to drop a comment. Until next time #WhereInTheWorldIsSherryCherryBerry. Who knows where I’m going next! ✈️✈️✈️