If you will be visiting us... everything you need to know

This is especially for our invited guests, or just good general tips! If you are considering a trip to Pana and wonder where you might stay, check out this post first. 

PLANNING YOUR FLIGHTS: You will fly into Guatemala City (GUA).  If possible, it's best to schedule your flights this way:

• Avoid arriving or departing on Sundays, if possible, or Tuesday afternoons, since those are our meeting days.  If you can't avoid it, let's talk and we'll see what alternatives we have! 
• Arriving:  If you arrive after 3 or 4PM, you may need to stay in a hotel and travel to Panajachel the next day.  Hotels cost can be about $20 for a hostel (usually clean but very basic accommodation) or $70+ for an American-type hotel. Most have shuttles from the airport to the hotel or hostel.  Some suggestions:
• -----> Hostel: Hermano Pedro.  Two minutes from airport.  Low cost. 
• -----> Hotel:  CrownePlaza.  Should be about $60-$70 plus taxes etc. The breakfast is fantastic, and costs $15 per person or $25 for two, unless you can book it for $10 each with your reservation online.  Breakfast is totally worth it. Or, the Barcelo is beautiful and luxurious, has a pool and wonderful food. 
• Departure:  If you get a flight that leaves Guatemala City before noon, you will probably need to stay in a hotel the night before so that you can get to the airport at least two hours before your flight. 

Transport from the airport to Panajachel:

• The airport is about a 2 1/2 to 3 hour drive from Panajachel.
• You can take a safe colectiva, a shuttle, for about $90 per carload or vanload for a private driver.  We can set that up for you. Or, there are public shuttles that cost a lot less (about $20 per person) but you have to be ready to travel when they can pick you up, usually around noon, so that depends on your arrival time. As mentioned above, depending on when you arrive or leave, you may have expenses for a hotel.
• See the note below about how to navigate the airport and find your ride outside.

VISA:  Guatemala does not require a visa to enter.  Tourists can come in and stay for up to 3 months.  At that point, a visitor would need to go out of the country (like, to Mexico) for 3 days, or every other 3-month cycle, they can go to Guatemala City to renew the tourist visa. 

VACCINES:  There is a webpage from the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) about vaccinations and tips of what medicines to pack. 

• No vaccines are required by Guatemala to enter.
• For all travelers, it says just make sure you are up-to-date on your routine vaccinations.  But it also said that for most travelers, it may be good to get vaccines for Hepatitis A, and, Typhoid and Tetanus.
• As for Hep-A and typhoid, we will not be eating in places where there is likely to be questionable food.  The water here is somewhat better than in many other places in Guatemala, I think, plus you will always be drinking and cooking with bottled water. We did get those vaccines before coming, since we were to start living here with greater risk of exposure.  Bottom line? If you're cautious, it wouldn't hurt. Well, the needle stick will hurt, but you know what I mean! 
• They also mention that "some travelers" possibly may want to get something to prevent malaria (from mosquito bites), rabies (in case you get bit by a dog, which is unlikely but has happened).  We do have mosquitoes here, but I doubt if it's an issue - I think malaria thrives more in the hot areas, and we're in the cooler mountain area.  I've had plenty of bites and don't have malaria.  Plus, October to April is the dry season, so presumably fewer mosquitoes. 

MEDICINES:

• We do have drug stores here, and no prescriptions are needed for medicines they carry.  So, though the CDC webpage recommends a list of medicines to bring, there are few that you really need to bring with you, with possible exceptions, that follow: 
• Prescription medicines that are covered by your health insurance - bring along enough, because your insurance policy is not going to be accepted here, obviously, and you will end up paying more for your prescription medicines. 
• Any medicines that are unusual or very specialized.  If you have any questions, write me and I can ask at the pharmacy if they carry it.  Or, just bring it! 

INSECTS AND ANIMALS:

• Mosquitoes:  We definitely have mosquitoes.  You should bring bug repellant here to avoid them.  In the US, I wasn’t very bothered by them, but here, I am – probably because I am not desensitized to the varieties of mosquitoes here.  And maybe you could bring an anti-itch cream!
• Ants:  We have both ants that bite and those that don’t.  It is a constant fight against ants, though we just had a fumigation and for the moment, I think we are winning the battle in the house, if not the war!  
• Other creepy-crawlies:  I have rarely seen other bugs inside the house – maybe two in over a year.  There are other bugs you may see when you’re out and about – some very beautiful! 
• Snakes and rodents:  I have never seen a snake or rodent here in Pana, nor evidence of any. 
• Dogs:  Almost all of the dogs here are very very placid and sweet.  However, just a few days ago, a sister was attacked and bitten.  We are careful.

STEP program:  You may wish to tell the US State Department where you are going and when at their Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).  Then if there is an emergency (civil crisis, earthquake, etc), presumably they will come look for you and us!  Here is the link to the STEP program.   When you register as going to Guatemala, they will advise you of the many ‘dangers’ here, but please know that although there are some dangers (as anywhere), the vast majority that push up the statistics are among those in drug wars.  We have rarely felt unsafe here as long as we are cautious.

PACKING for your trip:

• Women wear short-sleeved cotton shirts/tops/blouses, and cotton or similar skirts or slacks.  Dressing for the meeting is like in the States – some ‘dress up’, others wear simpler clothes. 
• Men wear cotton shirts, often short-sleeved, and slacks in service, or dockers or jeans or even shorts year round. Men do not wear jackets in service, but do wear a shirt and tie.
• Temperatures year-round are low/mid 60s in the evenings and early mornings, and mid/upper 70s in the day with a bright sun. 
• We have some loaners you can use while you're here - a variety of hats, shawls, and bags or service bags.  We also have some extra suitcases if you plan to buy some things. 
• There are no dry-cleaners here, so bring washable things. We have a washer and dryer (luxuries!) at our housing complex, so you can do laundry while you’re here.
• The evenings and early mornings are cool (60-65 degrees) so you may want a shawl or light jacket.  Plan to dress in layers.
• If you arrive in rainy season (about May through October), you’ll need some rain gear, and with rain, it may feel cooler. Otherwise, in dry season (October/November through about May), it rarely rains.
• Earplugs or sleep medicine: If you're a light sleeper, you may want earplugs. We have a gas station near our house, and at 6AM, it starts to get some traffic!
• Shoes: Bring sturdy walking shoes for service. Women do wear heels to the meeting (though at age 63 I no longer understand why… haha).  Some have advised that you bring vinyl shoes that are sturdy, because in rainy season we have mold sometimes and in some areas, and even ankle-boots since there are a lot of rocky places we may go to in service. See my blog post about shoes.
• Jewelry:  Do not bring valuable jewelry. 
• iPad or tablet computer:  Several of us use our iPads or tablets at the meetings. If you have one, feel free to bring it to reduce the amount of books to pack. 
• Electricity: Guatemala uses the same plugs as in the US, so your appliances or chargers will work fine here.
• Phone:  If you are visiting us, we can loan you a Guatemalan cell phone and put a few dollars of saldo, or credit, on it for your visit.  CDMA iPhones do not work.  We have Skype phone service to be able to call home. Or your family can call us (if you’re staying with us) at our US number, 913-738-4556.
• iPhones:  iPhones work, but ONLY those with a SIM card.  You will have to buy a SIM card here.  But be sure to get it unlocked up there where they can do it for free -  here you'll spend $40 to unlock it. 
• Your US phone: Be sure to call your carrier in the US and tell them you're coming here. Find out about roaming charges for voice, data and texts.  When you 're down here, your phone *may* work, but you might come home to outrageous roaming charges!  Just double-check, and perhaps lock it so you don't roam unintentionally.   
• Food:  We do have some American brands here, and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.  But if you have comfort foods from ‘home’ that you can’t live without – bring them with you!
• Meals:  We can eat most of our meals here at home.  If you are here for a while and want to pitch in with groceries and cooking, it would be greatly appreciated by us!  There are plenty of restaurants, too, if you want to eat out, but no fast-food except Pollo Campero (similar to Kentucky Fried Chicken).
• Credit cards and money:  You may want to check if your credit cards have international charges, and bring whatever cards may waive an international fee.  You can get cash (in quetzales, the Guatemalan currency) from ATMs here using your credit card.  Most transactions with street vendors are in cash, and many restaurants may accept cards but with a percentage fee, so cash always works!
• Also before you come, you may wish to leave behind any credit cards or identification that you won't need here.  And, for the ones you do bring, you may wish to leave a photocopy behind with friends, of the front and back, in case they get lost.  
• NOTE: Prior to coming, call your credit card company to tell them you are traveling in Guatemala, so they don’t block any transactions here!

BEING ‘MULES’ FOR US:  Since there are some favorite brands or products that we can’t get here, we may ask if you are able to bring us a few things. If you don’t mind, we may have a few things to ask if you might obtain for us, or we can buy online and ship to you.  But – all legal stuff, of course - the 'mule' comment is a joke! 

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IN THE AIRPORT ON ARRIVAL:  You will pass through the following steps on your way out of the airport. We cannot come into the airport to help you, so here is what to expect, in order: 

Currency-exchange counters: You will pass these counters as you walk from the plane, and they often have people trying to draw you in to change money. If we are meeting you, do not change your money at the counter in the airport. They charge a lot. If you are taking a shuttle to Pana, or will be on your own for a time in Guatemala, you may wish to change a bit just until you can get to a hotel or an ATM. 

Immigration Control:  You will need to go through Immigration where they will stamp your passport and look at and stamp the form you filled out on the airplane (about what you are bringing into the country). From there, go to luggage claim.

Luggage claim: You’ll proceed to get your luggage.  

• There will be men trying to help you… for a tip … so if you don’t need help just smile and say no. You might be able to find a luggage cart – free – but they are rare and often used by the porters. 
• If you accept help from the porters, be ready to tip them at the end.  Plus, if you use them, make sure they take you all the way to the outside and not hand you off (and thus you would tip twice or more).  If they try to hand you off, be insistent that they take you outside. At the sidewalk outside, tip them, about $1 per luggage. You can use American dollars.
• If you don’t accept their help, just grab your luggage and get in line.

Customs ("Aduanos"): Once you get your luggage, you’ll get in a line to go through Customs.  It amounts to a person at a bottleneck looking at passports and taking the customs form from you. Once you go through the person looking at your paperwork: 

• They might point you to go through the customs inspection (x-ray and manual inspection of your luggage).  If so, be cooperative and friendly, obviously.
• If they point you the exit, you are free to go to the sidewalk outside the building!

Outside the airport: Once you step outside the glass doors, it can be a madhouse!  There is a semi-circle of Guatemalans awaiting their family members, held back by some kind of rope.   There are also hotels or drivers holding up signs for arriving passengers. 

• If we are meeting you – please just a couple steps LEFT on the sidewalk and STAY INSIDE the area for arriving passengers, to your left (our right) of the main doors, but inside the rope.  WE WILL FIND YOU THERE. Even if we are delayed, you are better off inside that semicircle than in the confusion outside. 
• If you are being met by a hotel or a shuttle driver, look for a sign with your name, or a van from the hotel.
• Watch your suitcases and purses when you’re outside.  It is a bit chaotic and you could be an easy prey. 

In case of emergency: If you are delayed or miss a flight, or if we are delayed in picking you up, etc:

• We will try to watch the arrival times about delays.  Don't stress.  We'll be fine! 
• Call Bill’s cell phone 4104-0579, if possible.  It’s local from within Guatemala – just find some kind-looking person and ask to borrow their cell; you might offer $1-$2. 
• If something happens to us (or, to your shuttle driver) on the way to pick you up… STAY PUT.  Wait.  Flat tires happen, or landslides etc.  Stay at the airport inside the protected area.  If it’s a big emergency, we will contact someone in Guatemala City to come find you, and if so, they will have your name and will be safe to go with.

OTHER NOTES:

The altitude may affect you and make you tired and short of breath. It is 5500 feet here; higher up in the mountains where you may be in service. Just so you know... it still affects us and our energy. We'll take it at a nice pace and enjoy our time together here! 

Tipping: Tipping here is about 10% at restaurants or for services, though many servers add it in, even for small groups. Tips for helping with bags is about $1/bag at most.  Overall, people tip less here, perhaps half than in the US. 

Money:  Guatemala uses Quetzales (singular, quetzal), which is also the name of a gorgeous national bird here, though rarely seen.  Anyway, there are about 7.5 quetzales to the dollar.  So, a taxi ride in Panajachel is 5Q, about 62 cents, per person.  And so on. American brands are more expensive than in the US, and fresh produce is cheaper.  Restaurants are about the same as in the US - some cheaper, some the same.  

If you have other questions, PLEASE let us know!  If you are wondering about something, big or small, I guarantee that others wonder too, and I'd like to post it here.  Just email us or post a comment below.  

And - welcome to the Land of Eternal Spring!