Coming to Guatemala to live? Here's suggestions to pack

Several friends are coming to stay in Guatemala, and I thought it might be helpful if I made some suggestions on what to pack.  Depending on your airline, you may have one bag free and you may have to pay for a second bag (of 50 pounds each), but I'm assuming you'll have two bags.


Air travel
To get to Panajachel, the best airline we've found is American going to Guatemala City (GUA).  From our research thus far, we have found a Saturday flight from Kansas City that leaves 6AM and arrives in Guatemala City at 1PM (connecting in DFW).  Weekday flights seem to run with longer connections and arrive after 8PM in GUA. Because that's rather late to drive back (and nights run more risk of highway robberies), if you arrive late in Guatemala City, we recommend staying in a hotel that night and coming to Pana on the next day.

(Another option to see someone in northwest Guatemala, like the Santizos in San Marcos or Malacatan, would be going to Tapachula Mexico airport via AeroMexico).

Clothes

You'll want to dress here in layers, since days are warm (70's), and evenings can be cool (60s or even 50s).  I tend to use a shawl or sweater for evenings. Also, I haven't found a dry cleaner yet, so I'd suggest machine washable clothes.  I don't recommend a heavy coat, though a light jacket or windbreaker would be good. 

There are stores here with clothes for sale.  Some sell second-hand clothes that come in large 'bales' from US.  Also, there are stores with clothes and shoes, in larger cities like Xela (though Xela is a pain to get to). 

Shoes: Since the roads are very rocky and uneven, I recommend sturdy shoes.  You may not want sandals (because of the cooler weather), though I sometimes wear them.

Rain:  May through October is the rainy season, with rain for a few hours daily.  You may want to bring rain gear (or buy it here).  During the dry season, it rarely rains.


Electricity
Guatemala uses the same plugs as in the US. No need for adapters. However, you may want to bring 2-prong to 3-prong adapters since most outlets are two-prong.


Plumbing
There is modern plumbing most places here, though usually there is only hot water in the shower - not in kitchen or bathroom sinks.  Sometimes the hot water in the shower is propane-heated, but sometimes it is an electrical device that attaches to the shower head (a bit less reliable, but works generally).  On the coast where it is hot, having even a hot shower is rare!


Pests
There are a few mosquitos in Pana, but I haven't seen snake or rodents.  On the coast, there are MANY mosquitos.  There are loose dogs but I haven't found any that seemed particularly dangerous. 

Medicines

There are pharmacies here, but not all medicines may be easily available.  And, prescription medicines may not be any cheaper in Guatemala than in the US, although if you make a trip to Mexico, they are cheaper there. Of course, no prescriptions are needed here for anything.


Kitchen, Linens and Housewares

There are stores (like Walmart) nearby in Quetzaltenango (Xela), about two hours' drive away where you can get basic housewares (pots, pans, linens, cleaning supplies, etc). However, as mentioned, it is a challenge to get to Xela.

Large appliances or better American brands tend to be more expensive in Guatemala, but most apartments tend to furnish kitchen appliances (but not washer/dryer).  

You may wish to bring an electric blanket with you (or look for one here), since there is no heating in most apartments in Pana.  As a special treat, you might also want some high-threadcount sheets (if you know the size bed you'll have).  They do sell heavy warm woolen blankets here at the artesenias, but I find them scratchy. 

Car

Honestly, a car is not really needed here.  There are "tuk-tuks' (moto-taxis) that take you anywhere for 5 quetzales (about 64 cents).  There are 'colectivas' (vans) that are safe and can take you to nearby cities, as well as 'chicken buses' that are cheaper, though less safe but quite an adventure!

If you choose to bring a car, there are some options - either container-shipping (more expensive but more safe) or having someone tow it down through Mexico.  Either way, you can pack your car full of stuff to move.  However, because of the expense and the fact that public transportation is so readily available and cheap, it is truly not really necessary (unless you are moving down here for a significant amount of time and you just really want your own car). Let me know if you want more information. 

Shipping stuff to Guatemala

There is a DHL office in Panajachel.  I've also heard about two other services: cargosa.net (though I haven't tried this personally).  Also, we were told about AeroCasillas.com which seems to be a service that you can use to order a product from someplace like Amazon.com, and ship it to their address, and they will forward it to you (if I understand the service correctly).  I'm still working this out, so stay tuned. 

I understand that there is mail service, so if someone sends  you a piece of mail, you supposedly will receive it - the mailman (supposedly) will bring it to your door.  However, there is no regular postal route as you see it in the US.  It's a little mysterious to me.  

Banks

Banks - This gets complicated. Most life here uses cash, though you can also use credit cards in some places (like sit-down restaurants).  Here are some banking options: 

• We got a bank account in Guatemala (Banrural), but also have an account in the US with Bank of America.  We found that BoA has the most internationally-friendly policies, though it costs $40 to transfer money to a Guatemala bank.  We have Social Security auto-deposited to BoA, then we can transfer from BoA to BanRural (though we need to have a transfer done by someone in the US).  
• Some American friends in Guatemala just have a US bank account, and use the neighborhood ATM to withdraw money.  I'm not sure what the fees are and whether it's better or worse than having a Guatemala bank account. 

TV and entertainment
The apartment where I'd stayed used a local cable service, and carried English channels, including network feeds from New York City for CBS, NBC, ABC, as well as national channels like History Channel, A&E, CNN, PBS and others. Plus we brought down some movies (we ordered cheaply from Amazon).

Other tips:

• ID card: You may wish to get a legal address in the US (with a relative, for example) set up well in advance.  Then, have some official mail (like a bill for something) sent there.  Then get a new drivers license with that address.  That may facilitate getting a new ID down here, since your US identification will have your legal address. 
• US phone:  We got a Skype phone number (913-738-4556) for something like $60/year for it.  Our friends can call us on that number, and when I'm on my computer with Skype open, it rings on my computer (or they can leave a message).  A similar service can be gotten through Vonage or MagicJack.  This makes it easier to receive calls from friends, and to call people in the US through your computer.  It's easy to set up.  

I will continue to work on this posting as I think of things.  If you have any suggestions or questions please leave them in the Comments section below, and I'll build this out.  AND - be sure to come visit!  We'd love to see you down in Guatemala!