2013 Trip to Lake Atitlan

Hi Andrea my name is Rusty and I first went to Guatemala in 2005 to see Lago de Atitlan.  Now I have several friends there.

You will find the people to be most gracious and glad to see you.

As for a driver to Panajachel, my favorite way to go is on the "chicken buses."  If time permits the day you arrive at the airport have a cab driver take you to the big bus depot in Guatemala City for a bus to Pana.  Many people will help you find the right bus but it is usually written on the front of the bus.  The fun is that you will be traveling with the natives and the driver will be playing his chosen cd's.  People will be selling treats on the bus so be sure to have some small Guate currency.  Its like a festival on wheels and certainly gets you right in to the Guatemalan mood.

If you stay at a hotel the first night in Guate your hotel can easily find you private transport to Pana.  I have hired many private people to carry me around down there but that is admittedly risky and I would avoid it if I were with my kids.  But I have never had a problem with crime myself down there.

I know a spanish teacher in Antigua I could hook you up with if you like. Antigua is a MUST STOP and perhaps several nights there would be good.  At the lake I am most familiar with San Marcos La Laguna and have things I could recomment there.

I may be found on facebook.  My profile pic right now is of a small black and brown dog curled up on my sofa. My name is Rusty Gibson on facebook.  My email is rustysr71@yahoo.com.

Good luck on your planning and on your trip.  YOU WILL LOVE IT!
I want to live there.  I'd sure love to go down for several months like you plan to.  I've only visited 5 times for 10 days to 2 weeks at a time.  (each time I've had to call the airline and postpone my flight back!  its hard to leave there!)

Rusty

Thanks Rusty for giving me more confirmation that my permanent move is the right one I am thrilled to know how much you loved it. We are driving down there from Seattle, WA in June 2013; we are meeting others in Brownsville, TX and driving down in a caravan through Mexico to Antigua. I am becoming more excited about it every day It should be quite the road trip lol

Hippie Mamma, I look forward to meeting you also when you and your family arrive -- I should have all my household goods there as well, so can show you some proper hospitality instead of cardboard boxes lol

Wow!  Are you moving down there having never been there?  I thought you were just going to visit.  Yeah I'd live there in a heartbeat but I just don't know what I'd do to make a living.  I'm fluent in spanish and could teach english maybe.

One of my friends that lives there permanently has been teaching english for 8 years there.  He is married to a Mayan woman and has two daughters.  He earns $100 per month and supports himself, his wife, two daughters and a mother-in-law on that money.

Can't wait to hear about your adventure.  Good luck!

Rusty

Rusty, it's about doing business online, no dependency on having a job in Guatemala Send me a PM and we'll talk about it. I am sooo anxious to get there and leave this mess of a country behind -- it's getting worse and worse every day -- gun control is bearing down on us, and I for one, will NOT give up my guns Talk to you soon!

Andrea,

We are going to the Pana area as well in the fall.  I will be bringing four kids with me 8, 12, 14, and 22 (I may also be coming before hubby).  I also need to find transportation from the airport...lots of people and luggage.  I'll let you know if I discover any leads... hopefully you will do the same.

Yikes! So far my information points to spending a day or two in Antigua. I believe you can take an airport shuttle to there, rest up and then head to the lake.
It's a long trip to the lake and you will need a breather before taking that long trip. Stay at one of the local hotels, I think I can find the name of at least one, but don't book the trip from the hotel, they will charge you more than going directly to an agency.
  I was told there are lots of travel agencies in Antigua. The trip can only be booked a day ahead--or so I am told. That's all the info I have at the moment. I hope that helped some.
Steve

As someone who has been living on and off in San Pedro for five years, I figured out I'd throw in my two quetzales worth.

To clarify, the trip from the airport to the lake is not long; it's just that the last shuttles tend to leave the aiport earlier than most flights get in, hence the layover in Antigua.

Antigua is lousy with travel agencies, and they usually won't take a reservation more than one day in advance. As Steve mentioned, it's better to go through an agency than your hotel; hotels tend to add on a pretty hefty surcharge.

It is easy enough to arrange a private shuttle to the lake; I paid about $100 last time I did it. I am happy to provide names, and I'm sure other people on this site can do that as well.

After my then 18-year-old daughter saw a camioneta (chicken bus for us gringos) go over a cliff, she asked me to promise I wouldn't use one. I haven't. They scare the heck out of me.

I am happy to answer private messages, think I have a pretty sound perspective, would appreciate the courtesy of a reply if I take time to answer questions.

Thanks paddyroyal for adding those refinements. I'm glad you were listening, especially since I did not relay your information to me exactly as you said it.
Didn't really know about the "Chicken Buses"! Are the private one's safer against robbers? Or is again, just the luck of the draw. I know you recommended traveling between 10am and 5pm, as being the safest times to make the trip to the lake--approximately.
But I was not sure how long the ride was to the lake--I guess I missed that. Is it just a couple of hours? What was your experience on this.--I thought it was longer.
Steve
P.S.
The airport shuttles to Antigua are a lot better than the "chicken Buses"
yes?

thank you both for for all the helpful advice. I will definitely hire a private shuttle as there will be myself, adult daughter, and three younger kids (not tho mention all our luggage). Look forward to taking more with both of you. I have read through a good many of the posts on this site and realistic perspectives are very much appreciated (some have been a little out there in my opinion).

Hi Steve
The ride to the Lake is very easy on a brand new divided highway.. If you have a private choffer it won't take more than 2 1/2 hours unless you stop for lunch or food.

Chicken buses from the airport it is not easy as you will have to take a taxi to the terminal of the buses and I wouldn't recommend it..

The ride to the lake is very safe  and the recommendation to travel during day times is not because of robbery but because at night it is harder to get help if your car broke..
I travel myself some times at night and it is not a problem

Armand has answered the question about the time to the lake as well as the point about the difficulty of getting a camioneta.

I am confused because I have never said anything about traveling between 10 and 5 nor have I said anything about being held up. My issue with camionetas is that the drivers seem to have a death wish and drive like bats out of hell.

ah, I remember the crazy taxi rides while I was in Cancun some 20+years ago. not looking forward tho that again any time soon.  what is the best way to travel from the lake into Xela?

Oops, I may have been referring to another post.My bad!
Nobodies perfect, but I do recall someone mentioning that traveling in peek traffic hours could result in "stopped traffic" which is perfect for thieves on motorbikes.Also someone mentioned buses being "flagged down" and boarded by robbers. Of-course that might have been a Colombian post about Bogota or Cali. I know that happens in Columbia for sure. I was there and it was pretty scary. Much less stable than Guatemala, from the posts here!!!It may not happen often, but if it happens at all, it does make you think twice. It is a foreign country, and as such, does not conform to the safety of most American cities.
  However, I will concede that living in Harlem, or riding the New York subways can be as dangerous, or worse than most of the areas in Guatemala!
I guess its the distance from "Known" safe areas, and the distance from native soil that contributes to a certain amount of paranoia.
Most of the people I have talked to, or have talked to me have refereed to Guatemala as a paradise, and a place you will not want to leave.
That's why I am going, to see for myself.I always try and take things with a grain of salt. No place is perfect, and you can die slipping in the bathtub ( As that beautiful legal assistant did in New york recently)! Many Americans do not venture beyond our boarders and are content with a fairly narrow view of the world. America is not perfect, there are many alternatives and better ways of life, but unless your open minded enough to realize that, you will miss the "Big Picture", and perhaps a happier existence.
With apologies--Steve

Hey, TheDQ!
Did not know you were going a mini convoy! There is safety in  numbers.
Just a little heads up you may already be aware of.
The guards on the Mexican border can be real trouble as they like giving Americans a bad time. Since you might be "packing", I am sure you have already checked to see if that was going to be any legitimate problem at the border there, but whatever the case it appears they can give you a bad time regardless of legal procedure. That is what I have read so far, because I was a little worried for you, I thought I would bring it up.--don't mention anything covert here, as the walls have ears. Just thought I would make sure you were aware of it.

Hi Rusty,
I just joined Expat.com and read your post.
I'm now living in Montreal and planning to visit Lake Atitlan area this winter. Like you I would like to live there part time if possible.
Did you stay in Panajachel and San Marcos each time or in another village around Atitlan Lake ? Which village do you prefer ?
You said that you could recommend things in San Marcos. I would like to have some recommendations about this place (hotels, yoga classes, restaurants, real estate, etc ...).
I'm on Facebook too and my name is Monique Beaufort. You could contact me there or on Expat.com.
Thanks for any information and hope to meet you one day in Guatemala !
Monique

Hi HippieMama et al.,
I plan to go down with my 15-year-old in January, looking into schools either in Pana or Antigua, really excited! Thanks for all the info on the Expat-blog!
Jules