Safety Tips in Antigua Guatemala

How romantic! And a total waste of your time and MONEY. I have rushed into the Antigua Guatemala post office in February, 2010. Attached proper postage to 7 postcards to the U.S.A and a European country. Well, folks!.... we're in September 2010 now! My cards are still "traveling". Most likely on the bottom of a Guatemalan thrash can, 'cause why to bother?! For a record: I have mimicked the above behavior in the neighboring Honduras. No problems there. Cards arrived at their destinations! Happy travelling!

Watch out! Keep your valuables safe as there are teams working at the local mercado who slash bags and pick pockets! This happened to my wife recently. They take credit cards and use them to make purchases very quickly. They work in teams which include vendors where they use the credit cards. Try not to carry important documents with you, if you have more than one credit card split them up i.e. leave one in a safe place when you go out or carry them on different parts of your person. Antigua feels safe but thiefs are watching you. Beware of being crowded out by people when you are on the street & near tourist atractions. Local police are helpful and will let you use their phone to report stolen cards.

Avoid the mercado on Saturdays!

Take care and have fun.

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Ever present from all vantage points during a clear day, the reason for Antiguas' frequent earthquakes is obvious. Antigua is ringed by active volcanos. The closest of these is the Agua. Its height towers to 9,000 ft above the city.

Don't walk around at night - take a taxi or a tuktuk (though don't get in one if the driver looks dodgy). If you're staying any further than a couple of blocks from the main square just don't risk walking around after dark - it really isn't advisable. Muggings are very regular and if you don't have anything on you worth taking, things could get nasty. Street crime increases around the build-up to Easter's Holy Week (Semana Santa) and other religious festivals, when people need money to pay for the festivities.

Don't take risks just because everyone else does.

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Don't pay more than 10Q for a Tuk Tuk. They will try and charge you 15Q if you are a gringo/a but it should never be more than 10Q. If you start at the beginning of the line in front of the ones at el mercado, and the first guy says 15Q, if you go to the next one he will not say less. ALWAYS ask before you get in otherwise you had better be able to argue in spanish!

Watch out on the chicken buses also. And in el mercado. They will ALWAYS try and charge a gringo/a more. Ask an ex-pat before you go.

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We awoke in the middle of the night to the rattle of the windows and door. Actually the whole building shook....and that's saying something as its made of thick stone walls. It was an earthquake...no big deal to the locals. It gave us reason to pause however....since we had just spent the whole day veiwing ruins!!

Be prepared for long lines at empty ATM's and long lones at banks. We waited an hour and a half at an ATM , only to find it was out of cash! We later learned all the ATM's were out of cash for the whole weekend. Also they wouldn't accept our visa or bank card at some banks . We found the Bank Industrial that would give us a cash advance on Visa . We should have had some extra US dollars or travellers checks!

I have been to many developing countries and have see human waste on the streets before, but in Antigua I also saw people doing it in front of me:) So, just a word of warning...it is common in this town.