Fully Experience the Moment

Hey, long time no see! 

I just wanted to post a little thing here about experiencing a Guatemalan moment in its entirety.

Here is a 29-second video of riding on a chicken bus. That doesn't sound like much, but watch it real quick before you read what I've written below.

When you watch the video, you can experience only a portion of what it's like to be on a chicken bus in Guatemala. You can hear what I heard and see some of what I saw.

But what is so great about actually BEING on that chicken bus is all the sensations that I got to experience.

I could smell the lady's jalapeño chips next to me, and feel her leg pressed against mine. 

I felt the movement of my body as we zoomed along, barreling around the hairpin turns, jerking forward and back with every gear change.

The pressure building in my ears as we went up up up up up the hill.

The smell of vinyl and rubber and dust.

The breeze coming in the windows cooling a bit of the heat.

The music blasting, the bus engine roaring, the gears grinding, the people talking.

And outside the window, dry jungle cliffs and an amazing vista of Lake Atitlan.

So, my faithful readers, my advice to you is... go out and experience your life!

You may not be in some exotic foreign country, but you can still be fully in the moment in your own life. To those Guatemalans on the bus, it was a completely normal day. To me, it was an mini-adventure on a Monday afternoon.

Have more mini-adventures!

Visa Run from Panajachel to Tapachula 2021

Back at the end of January, I did my first visa run since the pandemic started.

ZERO OUT OF TEN. WOULD NOT RECOMMEND.

I have done these visa runs for almost six years now and you can look back in my blog to see previous entries. I'm pretty much an expert at going from Pana to Tapa, but that doesn't make it any more fun.

If you are thinking, "How do I do a visa run to Tapachula?", well, just stop thinking that and pick a different way to get your tourist stamp! It is an adventure not worth having. Walk into any travel agency in Pana and book a nice clean shared shuttle to San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico. More expensive and actually a longer trip, but a lot safer and easier.

However, if you are absolutely sure you want to waste two travel days in dirty, dangerous, overcrowded chicken buses just to get another stamp, I can tell you exactly how to get it done.

A chicken bus driver surrounded by plastic as COVID-19 protection. (Guatemala)

First of all... what is a visa run?

Guatemala only allows tourists to stay in the country for 90 days from entry. When you arrive in Guatemala, the border official will put an entry stamp in your passport with 90 written in a box. This is the same if you arrive by air or by land, and I suppose by boat too, if that's your thing. 

After 90 days, you have three options if you want to spend more time in Guatemala.

1. Go to the migration office in the city and get an extension. This can only be done once. I haven't done this but I am considering it for my next renewal, partially just to see how it's done in order to tell you guys about it, and partially because of the painful memory of this last visa run.

2. Go on a visa run, or border run, to another country, stay out of Guatemala for 72 hours, and get a new 90-day stamp upon re-entry. Note that the other CA-4 countries don't count for this -- El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. You have to go to Mexico or Belize, or further away like Costa Rica or even back home to your own country. Also, the 72 hour thing is not found in any rule book. It's just what the border guards have been told. You can get away with 48 hours, if you're lucky, which I am not.

3. Send your passport for a new stamp with an agency. This is illegal, or at best unadvisable. Most travel agencies in Panajachel offer this service. It costs around Q500. The agency gives your passport to a driver who is going to Mexico, where they bribe the border official to get a new 90-day stamp. I'm sure you can see the problem here.

So how do I go from Panajachel to Tapachula by chicken bus?

Short and simple, here's the breakdown with my actual costs and times in January 2021.

PANAJACHEL TO TAPACHULA
Step	Route	Type	Time (min)	Cost
1	Pana to Xela	chicken bus	136	Q30
2	Xela to San Marcos	chicken bus	125	Q20
3	San Marcos to Malacatán	chicken bus	85	Q25
4	Malacatán to the border	colectivo	22	Q7
5	Talismán to Tapachula	colectivo	45	P23
			6 hrs 53 min	Q82+P23

Please note that my actual total travel time was longer than what it says in the table. I got on the first bus in Pana at 6:15 am and got off the last bus in Tapachula at 2:20 pm, so that is just over 8 hours.

Here is a more detailed description of how to travel from Panajachel to Tapachula, Mexico.

Step 1

In Panajachel, you can catch chicken buses near the the fire station on the main street. I happened to catch the direct bus to Xela (Quetzaltenango) across from La Palapa. It was idling there with a few passengers inside and I asked if it was the directo. The direct buses to Xela are all named Flor de Paisaje, Flower of the Countryside, but always ask just to be sure. The direct buses leave around 6:30, 7:30, and I think 10:30. You can ask in the Panajachel Community Group on Facebook for more current information. If there is not a direct bus, just take the regular chicken bus to Sololá (Q5), then to Los Encuentros (Q5), and from there to Xela (Q20?). 

Step 2

The bus terminal in Xela is just a big mess o' buses in front of the market. It's not a building or anything. It's crazy there, as you can see from this video that Bert took.

The ride to Xela is long, so you may need a bit of a break. Walk against "the flow" of buses (west) a couple blocks and you'll reach the Pradera Mall. They have a nice food court and clean bathrooms.

Your next bus is to San Marcos/San Pedro Sacatepéquez. As a tourist, the bus helpers might try to send you to San Marcos La Laguna, which is back at Lake Atitlan! Make sure you tell them either San Marcos in the department of San Marcos or San Pedro Sacatepéquez. The bus nameplate over top of the windshield will say San Marcos/San Pedro. (Curse the Guatemalans for naming all of their towns after the same damn saints.)

Step 3

San Marcos bus terminal is actual buildings with food vendors outside and clothing vendors inside. There are several bathrooms located here for Q3. This is where I often have to wait for my connection, but usually no more than 10 or 15 minutes. You want the bus for Malacatán, which is usually pretty empty so you can get a nice seat by yourself. (Funny sidenote: Guatemalans will crowd themselves three to a seat before they will sit beside a gringo!)

A chicken bus and two colectivos at San Marcos bus terminal,
Sacatepéquez, Guatemala

The ride from San Marcos to Malacatán is my favourite leg of this trip. You descend from the high pine-treed forests of the mountains down into the steamy tropical jungle, passing through a zone of coffee plantations. On the right-hand side, you get an amazing view of Tajumulco volcano, the highest peak in all of Central America.

Tajumulco Volcano peeking over the clouds on a sunny afternoon in Guatemala.

COVID-19 surprise -- the bus driver actually refused boarding to a guy not wearing a mask. Good for him!

Step 4

This is the most confusing connection of the trip. When you pay the ayudante (helper) on the bus to Malacatán, tell him you want to go to the border, la frontera. Because you are most likely the only non-Guatemalan on the bus, he will remember you and hopefully signal you when it is your turn to get off. He will drop you at a corner, nothing special, no landmarks, just a corner of two streets in Malacatán, and tell you to wait there. You are looking for colectivo, a mini-bus type vehicle. There will be a young man hanging out the sliding side door and calling out, "Tally-man, Tally-man." That's your ride. They come along every 5 or 10 minutes, so you won't have to wait long.

Step 5

The minivan will take you to the border town, which is quite small and easy to navigate. You will be besieged by guys trying to sell you pesos. The exchange rate is BAD but if you didn't get pesos in Pana before you left, you can buy some here. You can bargain with the guys, although they will grumble and complain as if you are the worst kind of thief. You will need 23 pesos for your trip into Tapachula, so get at least double that, just in case.

Here at the border, you have to stamp out of Guate, walk across the short bridge, and stamp into Mexico. 

From your bus, walk downhill past the official looking cement building with the big overhanging section. That's not for you. (I think it might be for claiming exports?) The Guatemalan migration building you want is further on, on the right-hand side, totally unassuming, easy to miss, almost all the way to the bridge. Look for white and blue paint, and a low metal barrier. There are two windows -- one for entry and one for exit -- but only one window is ever open. Present your passport and tell them you are going to Mexico. Usually, leaving Guatemala is not a problem. They don't care if you leave and don't ask questions or check your bags. On this trip, the agent did remind me that I would need a COVID-19 test to return.

The border of Guatemala and Mexico at Talisman.
I'm standing in Guate, the yellow building is in Mexico. Super short bridge!

After you get your exit stamp, you can just stroll across the bridge pictured above. If you peek over the left edge, you will see people wading across the river with their bags on their heads. Sometimes there are guys will big black innertubes floating bigger parcels across. This is all in plain view of both the Guatemalan and Mexican authorities.

To cross into Mexico, stay to the right and pass through a metal turnstile. You will immediately be in a more organized, clean, and professional area, totally unlike the dirty chaos of the Guate side. The fenced walkway will funnel you along to where you need to go. Show your passport to the guard and he will tell you to go inside. (The outside window is for Guatemalans and Mexicans only, I believe.)
Inside, approach a window and tell them you are entering Mexico. They will ask you for how many days; just say three days or for the weekend. They will give you a form to fill out. Fill out the top and bottom, sign and date. You will have to put in your hotel name in Tapachula. Take it back to the window and they will ask you a few more questions -- or not -- and stamp you into Mexico. They will give you a portion of the form to keep. Hang on to this! You will need it to exit Mexico. If you lose this paper, you will have to pay a fine.

COVID-19 note: I'd say mask-wearing at the border was only about 50%. I asked the Mexican border agent if masks were mandatory and she said yes. In Mexico, they call them cubre bocas, mouth coverings. In Guate, they call them mascarillas, little masks.

After you get your stamp, there will be guards outside who will check your bags. This trip, there were two separate stations and both checked my bags, one with a drug dog. The stations were only a few meters apart so I'm not sure what the point was. They're nice folks though, and sometimes like to practice their English with you.

Once you're through that, take an immediate sharp left and cut across the traffic that is crossing the bridge. Walk thru the small parking lot. You will see motorcycle taxis with red-and-white striped tops. You can take one, if you're tired or have a lot of bags, but it's just a few blocks to get to your next bus so you can stretch your legs.

Walk along the wide tree-lined street almost to the end. You will hear a guy calling out "Tapachula, Tapachula directo." Most likely he will notice you and usher you to the waiting minibus. (If you somehow get to the extremely gigantic tree on the left, you've gone too far.) 

Ride the mini-van all the way to the end, which is the Tapachula bus terminal. From there, exit and turn left, walk up a HUGE steep hill, and you will be at the central park. You made it!

The new Tapachula sign in Parque Central Miguel Hidalgo.

RETURNING

The return trip is kind of the same. You will get confused at Malacatán again. If you can speak to the helper on the mini-bus from the border, tell him you're trying to get to Xela. Hopefully, he will get the driver to drop you near the bus terminal and you won't end up at the market. I'd say this is a 50/50 chance. If you do end up at the market, take a tuc-tuc back to the terminal. It's way too far to walk. And when I say terminal, I mean a small gravel parking lot with bathrooms and one bus. 

Also, I never seem to find the direct bus from Xela to Pana. Instead, I take any bus going towards Los Encuentros and ask to get off at La Cuchilla (the knife). Then I just wait for the next chicken bus heading to Sololá, which costs Q5, I think, then from Sololá to Pana, another Q5. A bit of a hop-skip-jump but totally easy.

Where to stay in Tapachula?

I stayed at a different hotel than my usual one this trip, just out of boredom. You can see my review on Tripadvisor 👉 Hotel Cabildos. TLDR -- it was okay, but I won't return.

I normally stay at Hotel Cervantino, which is cheaper but also doesn't have hot water. You'd think that would be a problem but Tapachula's weather is scorching, so cool showers are a relief. (Trivia ... Tapachula roughly translates to "hot lid".)

What about getting a COVID-19 test in Mexico?

When I crossed from Guatemala into Mexico at the Talismán border, the Guatemalan border official reminded me that I would need a coronavirus test to return to Guatemala. I had prepared for this and researched where to get the antigen test in Tapachula. It was actually super easy.

I went to a place called MediLab. It is close to the central park, Parque Central Miguel Hidalgo. The address is 69A 6th Avenue North. Basically, go to the park, find the Scotiabank, and walk north from there. It's just a few blocks on the right-hand side. 

Check the current hours for MediLab on their Facebook page. They weren't open on Sunday, so I had to go Saturday to get my test done for my departure Monday. The test results are good for 48 hours, I believe. Prices can change too so just message them on FB if you need to.

The receptionist had no idea what I was talking about when I asked for a test to travel to Guatemala. She called in the doctor, who told me I needed a PCR test, which would cost MXN 2990. Um, nope! I told him I only needed the antigen test (nose swab), which costs MXN 1100. They asked me to pay upfront and gave me a receipt. I waited less than 10 minutes before the doctor called me, swabbed both my nostrils -- not painful, just made my eyes water -- and then they told me to come back in two hours for my results. When I came back, the receptionist gave me an envelope with a single paper inside saying my result was negative. Yay! 

TIP: Get a photocopy of your test results. The Guatemalan border official asked me for that, which I didn't have. There are photocopy places at the border but might be easier to just have it done before you arrive there. 

WHY THIS PARTICULAR VISA RUN WAS SO VERY AWFUL 😭

At the start of this post, I mentioned that this trip is zero out of 10 stars. I was literally in tears at several points on the way home to Pana. 

First of all, and worst of all, the Guatemalan border official didn't want to let me back into Guatemala. It was horrible! I was standing at the stupid plexiglass window trying to talk to him through a hole that was covered with more plastic. I could barely hear a thing he was shouting at me, but I could tell he was super upset. He looked at all my stamps and said what I was doing was illegal. He asked about my job and where my money came from and where it went. I tried to answer him honestly but he just kept getting madder and madder. He yelled at me for probably 10 minutes. I was struggling to hold back my tears and frantically thinking to myself, "What do I do?"

I finally asked to be let inside to talk. He opened the side door and asked again about my work and was just overall angry about something. He finally threw up his hands and told me to go back to the window. He stamped my passport and waved me away. I think he only let me go because he could see the lineup of 10 people behind me, all staring, and he was tired of me saying, "No entiendo. Por favor, puede usted hablar mas despacio?" ("I don't understand. Please can you speak more slowly?") I triple-checked the stamp to be sure he gave me 90 days. I had heard from other people on the Facebook groups that sometimes the guards get upset and only give 3 days and tell you that you have to start your residency process within those three days. I don't qualify for residency, so this would be impossible for me. 

After that disaster, I stumbled up the road to get in the mini-bus to take me to Malacatán. I was grateful for my mask which hid my face. I was trying so hard not to cry! I have never had a customs official get so upset with me, and I have never come so close to being refused entry. 

What would I have done if he told me I couldn't enter? I guess... walk back to the Mexico office and tell them. Probably get stamped back INTO Mexico, then take a bus over to the other border crossing at Tecún Umán and try again there.

When I posted this story on the Panajachel Facebook group, a few others said that they had had troubles but not a single person had ever said they'd be flat out refused entry. Many commented that the guy was probably looking for a bribe, a multa, but I don't think that was the case. Bert said that probably the guy had relatives who had been deported from the States and he was just mad at foreigners. Another person said that he had spoken with migration officials in the city and was told that border guards were being advised to "watch out" for people like me, people with multiple entry stamps over many years. So perhaps the time of visa runs is coming to an end. I'm honestly not sure what I'm going to do for my next visa run in April. Maybe take my own advice and go with a group to San Cristóbal.

Another awful thing that happened on this trip is that the bus from Xela overcharged me BIG TIME. The trip from Xela to La Cuchilla should only cost Q20 or maybe Q25 since the prices have gone up. I gave the helper Q50 and then he tried to ignore me. I said I wanted my change and he waved me away. I insisted on change and he gave me Q10 back. I was furious! I said that it doesn't cost Q40 and he told me the prices went up. I told him I just did this trip on Friday and the direct from Pana to Xela cost only Q30 so why would this bus cost Q40? He told me that the bus was empty so he had to charge me double. A nice Guatemalan lady tried to help me and backed up my complaint by saying that the bus should only be Q20. But the guy wouldn't budge. He just laughed and turned away. 

So what did I do? (Besides FUME 😡?) When I got off the bus, I took down the license plate number and reported the bus to the authorities. I had seen a sign on another chicken bus that said you can report COVID-19 protocol violations by calling 1532. (The shortened number is like a 1-800 number.) I was worried I would have to speak in Spanish on the phone, so instead I went to the DGT website and sent them a message through the contact form. I entered the bus license plate number and reported that not only had they overcharged me but also neither the bus driver nor ayudante were wearing masks. I'm fairly certain nothing will come of it, but it helped me to think I did something to fight back.

Here is an article about reporting chicken buses (autobuses extraurbanos) to the transportation ministry, DGT.

So, yeah, this trip was a disaster and when I finally got home to my weird little pink house in Panajachel, I burst into tears! Bert was totally shocked and listened sympathetically to my story. On top of the problems I had, I am always super sore after riding chicken buses. The seats are not big enough for an adult person, or at least not anyone taller than 5'5". My knees are always bruised from bashing against the seat in front of me, my butt sore from hitting speed bumps, my arms tired from clenching the rail to prevent myself from sliding off my seat on sharp corners, and overall muscle aches from the terrifying speed that chicken buses go, regardless of rain, fog, darkness, traffic, safety, whatever. 

Final Thoughts

Don't take chicken buses for a visa run. It's not worth the pain.

Book a nice shared shuttle to San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico, through Magic Travel at the top of Santander. I've blogged about this trip before (click here) although it has been years. The journey takes about 12 hours, which is loooooong, but the drivers are generally safer, the border guards don't harass you because you're in a nice group of gringos and have a guide, and you might even be able to wear a seat belt. It is worth the extra cost.

On top of that, San Cris is a nice city with lots of things to see and do, while Tapa is a dirty, boring city that is stifling hot.

Until next time. 👋

A Mexican YouTuber Discovers Chicken Buses

I came across this great video by Luisito Comunica. He is Mexico's second-largest Youtuber with 35.2 million subscribers. 😲 He visited Guatemala in 2019 and recorded his "mind-blowing" discovery of chicken buses, the proper name being autobuses extraurbanos (intra-city buses) but what Guatemalans commonly call camionetas or burras (female donkeys). His rapid Spanish is quite a challenge but it's fun to see his delighted expression as he learns about these cool refurbished American school buses.

He talks about all the regular chicken bus facts that I've come to learn first-hand...

The buses are old school buses from the States that have been pimped out.

They go really really REALLY fast.

The put three people per seat on each side plus one person standing in the middle.

The helper climbs all over the bus while it is moving. 

And they're a super cheap way to get from city to city around Guatemala. 

For another fun video from Luisito's visit to Guatemala, click here to see him try some street food:

Probando Comida Callejera en Guatemala

Day Trip to Xela

After 9 months of staying home, Bert & I finally decided to take a trip to Quetzaltenango, more commonly known as Xela (SHAY-la). It was good to get out of town for a bit and see the "big city" but also a bit weird with all the COVID-19 restrictions still in place. Masks are mandatory still, of course, and the buses had dispensers of antibacterial gel bolted to the side of them. Technically, only one person was allowed per seat but only one of our buses actually enforced this. The driver was also behind a plastic sheet, yet the ayudante (helper) who collects the money walked freely thru the bus touching everything.

Most of the buses had some form of sticker indicating where you could sit.

The bus driver behind his plastic. You can see the blue mandatory mask sign as well.

We had thought about taking a private or semi-private shuttle but decided to take chicken buses because they're super cheap and also give you plenty of time to reflect on your life choices as you hurtle at 100 km/hr along twisty mountain roads with no guard rails. 

The prices have increased since I last took this trip.

Panajachel to Solola Q5

Solola to Los Encuentros Q5

Los Encuentros to Xela Q30

So it was Q40 per person one way to go from Panajachel to Xela. The trip normally takes about 2.5 to 3 hours.

However, we ran into a bit of trouble this time. There was construction at Cuatro Caminos so our bus took a detour. Suddenly, we stopped at the side of a four-lane highway and the helper motioned to a few of us to get off the bus. He told us to cross the road and get on a different bus to go to Xela. We bolted, terrified, across this extremely busy highway and got on a new chicken bus...which then proceeded to wander through a strange town I'd never seen and dropped us off by a blue arch and a McDonald's. The guy said something in rapid Spanish that I didn't understand as we got off the bus. Another guy immediately tried to push us onto a packed minivan but we hastily declined and spent a few moments just catching our breath and trying to find our bearings. Eventually, we found a taxi and decided it would be better to pay Q30 for a ride to our destination rather than try to walk around lost on steep and unfamiliar city roads. 

Finally at the Pradera (Walmart) mall, we washed our hands in the stupidly crowded bathrooms (keep your distance?? How when there are a dozen women in one small room?) and then had a quick lunch in the food court. I had Panda Express Chinese food, mushroom chicken & rice plus two yummy spring rolls for Q46 (about $7.50 Canadian or $6 American) and Bert eventually decided to have McDonald's, which he didn't like and ended up sharing my Chinese. 

Christmas Tree in the mall.

After fueling up, we began to walk down to the Dollarama at the Utz Ulew mall a few blocks away. We had forgotten how chilly it could be in Xela (higher altitude) so we stopped at a sidewalk vendor and bought Bert a lightweight Adidas hoodie for only Q40 (cheaper than my lunch!). 

Passed this ginormous Xmas tree on the way.

Weird giant fake Christmas tree in Xela.
They were selling real pine trees nearby.

We hiked down to the other mall solely to shop at Dollarama. However, we found that the prices weren't nearly as cheap as we expected them to be and the selection was poorer than we remembered from last time. (Although that was a different location.) We picked up a few things that are hard to find in Pana and walked back to the Megapaca. Megapaca is a giant second hand store that's behind the Walmart mall. It's HUGE. You could spend hours in there shopping but we didn't have that much time, so we kinda hurried through the racks and managed to find a nice pair of sandal-shoes for Bert.

Just one part of Megapaca in Xela.

A quick trip into the Walmart to look for anything else we missed and we were back on the bus to head home. The problem with doing a day trip to Xela is that it takes so long to get there and back, that you have little time for relaxed shopping. We had left Pana at about 9 in the morning, got to Xela at around noon, and were back on the bus just past 4. We reached home after dark at 6:30 and trudged home to be greeted by our overly ecstatic dogs. 

However, as I said, it was nice to get out of town and see the beautiful countryside. Traveling around Guatemala always reminds us that we are in a foreign country. That might sound weird but living in Panajachel has become so mundane, it seems just like normal life now. Even a little bit of travel makes us both feel inspired and adventurous. Time to start planning for another trip... but to where?? Hmmm...

Bert took some GoPro video for you to enjoy.

La Aurora Airport in Guatemala City

Whenever I travel, I'm too self-conscious to film it but this guy had no problem! Sorry, this is Spanish only right now. Hopefully, someone will submit English subtitles soon. It's a good video showing some recent upgrades to the airport, including a small upper level food court right at the entrance (before going thru security) as well as a short portion at the very end about what the arrivals area looks like so you know what to expect if you're getting OFF a plane here in Guate for the first time. Enjoy!

Sharing A Great Video of Lake Atitlan

I had to share this awesome 10-minute video of Lake Atitlan and Panajachel! The drone footage is spectacular. For any family & friends who haven't visited me here yet, this might be the thing to make you finally decide to book your flight. 🛫

Visit their channel on YouTube to see more cool videos of their travels 👉 Our Million Adventures

A Day Trip to Tecpán and the Iximché Ruins

My sister is visiting from Canada and we thought we'd take a trip to see the nearest Mayan ruins, which are just outside Tecpán. I've blogged about them before but this trip was a bit different. We didn't rent a fancy private shuttle. We took chicken buses!

For those travelers wanting just the details on how to get from Panajachel to Iximché ruins in Tecpán, here they are! (Prices are per person)
1. Chicken bus from Pana to Sololá Q3
2. Chicken bus from Sololá to Los Encuentros Q2.50
3. Chicken bus from Los Encuentros to Tecpán Q7.50 to Q10. (We were charged one price on the way there and a different price on the way back.)
4. Tuc-tuc from the highway into the Tecpán Plaza Central Q3
5. Tuc-tuc from Plaza Central out to ruins -- this was when it helped that I was prepared. The tuc-tuc driver asked for Q25 a person. NO WAY! I had read in another blog that it should be Q10 per person, so I paid them Q20 for both of us. On the way back from the ruins to Tecpán central square, we took a collectivo (shared minibus) for only Q3 a person. Much better deal!

Getting from Pana to Iximché should have only taken about 2 hours. It took us 4 hours! See pictures below for the reason. 😁

The ruins cost Q50 for foreigners to enter. There is no extra cost for the museum. They are open 9am to 4pm, I believe.
The ruins are not very big and can be seen in an hour. If you hire a guide, the tour is about 45 minutes.

All good days start with a good breakfast!

Can't forget the coffee! Cafe Loco, Panajachel, Guatemala

Just when we were getting on our way -- PARADE! We were stuck in Sololá for about an hour.

For some silly reason, the people of Sololá decided it would be fun to have a costume parade in the middle of the main street for an hour. Not sure why. It was kinda weird. We watched a bit of kooky dancing people, ate some yummy coconut with lime and pepitas, and my sister read her book.

A few chicken buses and tuc-tucs later, we were in downtown Tecpán. A bustling city! We snapped a few pics of the church (we went inside later that day), and then found a cute little restaurant to have some BBQ lunch.

The beautiful church in Tecpán. So amazing inside! High carved wood ceilings and intricate wooden altar thingies with paintings. No pictures cuz it felt disrespectful. Well worth a visit if you're ever in Tecpán.

Huge coniferous tree outside the church. Any ideas what it is?

Veggie Spaghetti Soup!

 Our lunch was only Q35, or about $6 Canadian or $4.50 American. It was super yummy.

Super delish and colourful churrasco (BBQ) lunch.

The ruins are quite a ways out of town. As mentioned above, the tuc-tuc tried to charge us a LOT more than they should have. I'm not sure how you would find the collectivo (shared minibus) from the city to the ruins, but on the way back, it let us off near the central park by a bakery. It had "ruinas" written on the window. I think if you asked anyone in the square, or perhaps the policia, they would point you in the right direction.

Iximché ruins are quite spacious.

My sister contemplating some ruins.

We didn't hire a guide this time, although English-speaking guides are available for an extra cost.
I tried to recite all the info that they told us last time!

A beautiful place. Simple ruins, nothing too fancy.

That tall tree was FULL of indentations, and almost every one had an acorn stored in it! We saw three woodpeckers making the holes, but we didn't see who was filling them with nuts!

Way at the back of the ruins is the working Mayan altar. It is very mystical.

Offerings to the gods, both Catholic and Mayan.

My sister playing tourist. 😄

Smoke thru the trees at the altar.

Last time I was here, we didn't go in the museum. We went in this time and I have to say it was quite informative and fascinating!

A diarama of how the ruins looked before they were ruins!

Some of the museum displays.

DUDE! There were some fascinating items found at the ruins when they were excavated.
I didn't take pictures of them all cuz I don't want to spoil the fun for anyone!

This is as we were waiting for our chicken bus from the highway near Tecpán, heading towards Los Encuentros.
I took this so that anyone planning a trip can recognize the turnoff to Tecpán. The driver called it super-something. Maybe super-salas? Not sure.

The sun was heading down fast as we got our series of wild chicken bus rides to get back home to Pana. We had to make one last fun stop though. The Xmas tree in the central square of Sololá was too awesome to pass up!

Our last chicken bus from Sololá down home was packed. My sister surfed in the aisle like a pro!

It was a long and fun-filled day. I must remind everyone that is traveling in Guatemala and really anywhere -- it's great to plan; it's even better to be flexible. Life can sometime throw parades in your way. Enjoy! 😊

It's Tuc-Tuc Time!

I love tuc-tucs. 😍
What's a tuc-tuc, you ask?
Officially, they're called auto rickshaws, and the word is sometimes spelled tuk-tuk, from the original Thai word that was actually just an onomatopoeia for the sound their little engines make as they putter around.
How 'bout I just show you?

A typical tuc-tuc in Guatemala.

Tuc-tucs are the personal public transportation of small towns in Guatemala. Here in Panajachel, they cost Q5 per person within town. If you leave town, it's Q10 and up. If you get one really late at night, like after 10pm, they'll charge you Q10 per person as well. Other towns have different rates, so be sure to ask before you get in.

Oftentimes, there are so many available tuc-tucs that they'll pass by you and offer, "Taxi?", especially if you're a white woman standing on the side of the road with bags of groceries. 😀 If you need to hail one, you put your arm forward from your body, not above shoulder height, and flap your hand. It's weird. Watch the locals to see how they do it! You don't raise your hand over your head like hailing a cab in New York City. 

Most tuc-tucs in Pana are red, but occasionally you will see a yellow tuc-tuc.
The tuc-tucs of the traffic cops are lime green!

This tuc-tuc has a spoiler. HA HA!
Also, it has advertising for the grocery store. The tuc-tuc owner gets paid Q125 per month to have this put on his tuc-tuc.

A tuc-tuc with an ad for booze. Ha! 

This tuc-tuc has its rain flaps on. They don't really work so well. Ha! Water still splashes in when it's really pouring out but, hey, it's better than walking.

Some useful Spanish phrases you'll need to know when using tuc-tucs to get around:
A dondé vas? - Where are you going?
No estoy disponible. - I'm not available. (The driver is off the clock or waiting for another passenger.)
a la derecha - to the right
a la izquierda  - to the left
un poco mas lejos - a little further
allá, allí -- there (Spanish speakers have many words for "there". Watch this video from Butterfly Spanish)
aqui - here
cerca de - near to
hacia de - towards

Another really cool thing about the tuc-tucs in Panajachel is that many of them have been painted and customized. I've spent many, many months taking pictures of them to show you!

This one is good! Captain America

Dragon Ball Z

Superman and Batman

I'm not sure why it's #89 but also "The Number Three"

The back of the tuc-tuc above. I think it's a Transformer. And bullet holes too. 

I don't know what Parza is. 

Cool mods to the front of this tuc-tuc

Scary alien robots are cool.

An impressive Hulk tuc-tuc

The back of the Hulk tuc-tuc

Wolverine!

A rather sad looking Thor.

Suicide Squad!

The absolute BEST art on a tuc-tuc I've ever seen. Predator vs Alien
(Hey, who's that skinny white dude to the right?? 😄)

A tuc-tuc modified to look like a chicken bus! Adorable!

Another SUPER cool things in Pana that I absolutely LOVE is the tuc-tucs get all lit up at night. I think it's so adorable and fun, though some people find it tacky. There is even a tuc-tuc with a disco ball inside it! 🎇

I made a short video of tuc-tucs in action in Pana, including at 1:01 my favourite night-time tuc-tuc, the kitty-cat tuc-tuc! Take a look.

My favourite tuc-tuc...because of the driver! :D 

This is my good friend, Victor, tuc-tuc #88. He gave me the answers to all my tuc-tuc questions!
Gracias, Victor!

My friend, Victor, told me I could put his phone number here and anyone who visits Pana can call him for a ride. If he's not available. he can find you a driver who is.
VICTOR (502)5557-9701
If you have WhatsApp, it is a free call (I think. I don't use Whatsapp.) If you are calling from an American phone, you will need to use the 502 area code.
Victor speaks really good English and is super friendly and helpful. He can also arrange for tours in the area and take you to all the local sites, even out to Santa Catarina and San Antonio, which is a beautiful drive. Tell him Cristel sent you! 😊