The financial report is in: the numbers look good, it’s time to invest. And we’re like: what new destination should we open next? Can’t be bothered doing the same thing as everyone else—you know us, we love to uncover hidden gems and take you off the beaten path… safely, of course. We settle on an idea, and inspired by the incredible Rigoberta Menchú, we build a team and head to Guatemala! To do things right, we hire private drivers. There are ten of us going, so we need to be organized to fully explore the country and validate the destination.
So on December 26th, we fly out of Amsterdam and land around 7:30 PM local time in Guatemala, after a quick layover in Houston—which I definitely don’t recommend. Traveling through the US is just way too complicated. For our first and second nights, we decide to explore Guatemala’s former capital: Antigua. It’s absolutely stunning. But it’s also far from the image we had in mind—prices are high. That said, the people are super welcoming, really open, and we had no trouble at all communicating with locals. The only small surprise? Seeing guys with shotguns or semi-automatics in pharmacies or other “at-risk” shops. I’ve got to admit, the first time it really catches you off guard. But once you start traveling more, you realize it’s common in many places, and you barely even notice it after a while. We explored Antigua with a guide who told us the city’s story through visits to churches and other religious buildings. There’s a local legend that you can ask Hermano Pedro for miraculous healings. I tested it out—I’ll let you know if I keep having cluster headaches or not! He was canonized by John Paul II, and he’s a real local celebrity. We walked a lot, through rich neighborhoods and some very poor ones too—no trouble at all. People are super approachable, happy to chat or give you directions.
Next, we head to Pacaya to hike the volcano. Well, they did I stayed at the bottom. Climbing with my 7-month-old daughter didn’t seem like a great idea, no need to take risks. So I hung out in a little café or rather, three slabs of concrete pretending to be a café chatting with the drivers and some local kids and parents. Definitely not four hours wasted: once again, the people were super friendly, full of laughs and conversation. The community and the people were incredibly warm, even though they live in much tougher conditions compared to ours… That’s actually what inspired us to launch a project to help fund education for local kids! But that’s a whole other story you’ll hear about it soon. In the evening, we make our way to San Pedro, a remote village on the lake near Flores. That’s where we meet Edwin, our driver for the next few days total legend. We’ll give you his contact if you’re ever in the area. San Pedro at night, though? Massive disappointment. The accommodation is disgusting literal crap on one of the mattresses, hornets in one room, spiders big enough to give you nightmares just by looking at you… But we had no choice, so we stayed. Ten of us crammed into one room, braving the night like warriors. The next morning, on the owner’s advice, a few of us went for a swim in the lake. A few days later, we found out that just a few months ago, a guy had his hand ripped off by a crocodile in that very lake. Lovely.
The next day, we set off to explore Tikal the stunning ancient Mayan city, but also home to wild turkeys, birds in every color imaginable, tarantulas, and other surprising creatures like howler monkeys, which scream so loud you’d swear 18 jaguars were tearing apart a wild boar. The Mayan ruins are truly breathtaking, and our guide, Elda, was an absolute gem. Super knowledgeable, warm, and even offered to watch over Alba so I could climb to the top of a pyramid. The tour lasted the whole afternoon, and honestly it’s a must-see!
And now, it’s off to Belize which, spoiler alert, we won’t be offering as a destination. Is it safe? Absolutely. No problems at all. Is it paradise? Yeah, pretty much. But it’s clearly a U.S. enclave. Everything is super expensive, and the food? Pure junk. If you’re craving something decent with, I don’t know, maybe *a vegetable*, the best you’ll find is a hot dog at the supermarket. Giant 4-liter tubs of sauce, aisles stacked with chips, fat everywhere you gain five kilos just walking into the store. And the sugar… everything is way too sweet. Like, if you’re diabetic, your life expectancy probably takes a hit just being there. The scenery is gorgeous, no doubt. But connecting with locals is noticeably harder than in Guatemala. So yes, as Madonna once sang, La Isla Bonita lives up to the dream but would we spend weeks or months there on a project or internship? We’re not so sure.
And that’s where this travel recap of Guatemala comes to an end. So—ready to take the leap? Before you go, test your English level e here. . And if you have any questions or need help organizing your internship, don’t hesitate to reach out to us here. We’re here to guide you through this incredible adventure!