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Living in Guatemala: 3 Month Update

November 30, 2015
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This is officially my longest trip abroad. Woot woot! Here’s an overall update/how things have changed from my one month update.

Chicken buses are my main source of transportation

I remember my last trip I only took a chicken bus maybe 2 times and one of them was in Ecuador. I thought it was a near-death experience, I remember being terrified. You know those moments when you look up and say “I love you mom, I love you Dad, this is it”… it was one of those moments. I paid for a “luxury” direct bus, but halfway through the trip three of us had to change buses. The next bus was a chicken/local bus. It was full of locals with their bags of fruit and vegetables, equipped with crappy seats and a crazy driver. I thought for sure it was the end of my life.

Now, I think back and laugh about it. My trips in Guatemala are all about hot/packed buses, changing buses, locals, crazy drivers, etc. I have fallen in “like” with chicken buses. They are my favorite mode of transportation.

It’s difficult at times traveling solo

My trip is completely open which is great, but I feel anxious at times about planning what to do next. It sounds crazy. I’m in fricking Guatemala and can do whatever, go where ever I feel is right. Should I go to Cuba? Belize? A music festival in Panama? Stay in Guatemala for the rest of my life? There are so many options, so many possible paths.

I wish I had someone to help with finding hostels, work exchanges, buses, etc, someone to say I’m bored of this place, let’s go somewhere else.

Related article: Tips for Solo Travel

How do you budget?

Why is so hard not to spend money? I don’t have to pay for anything during work exchanges. Everything is free: bed, food, activities all day, and somehow I find a way to spend money. Can someone fly to Guatemala and do my budgeting for me?

I spent some time with two English girls in Mazate who spend almost nothing on traveling. They hitchhike, do work exchanges, couch surf… smart travelers. You can experience just as much culture (if not more) and extend your trip… *light bulb moment*

Related article: How I Afford to Travel

Everything I said I wasn’t going to do, I did.

I drank alcohol, had a Guatemalan boyfriend, ate too much chocolate cake, gained some traveler weight, stop practicing Reiki/meditation, my Spanish is still shitty… but it’s okay.

You go into traveling having these ideals, a beautiful mural of how your travels are going to go. Things happen, I’m not perfect. Some times I try to be perfect, but it’s not worth the anxiety at the end of the day. I’m finding that forgiving yourself is key.

Living in Mazatenango

What an experience. It was strange living as a minority in a tropical town in no where Guatemala. Working as a Zumba and yoga instructor in a weight loss clinic… how is this real/possible??? It was one of the strangest and greatest experiences I’ve ever had. Laying out in the sun, reading novels in a hammock, no wifi, vegetarian/vegan meals, working alongside locals, seeing how a Guatemalan business works… it’s all fascinating. I’ll save it for its own blog post.  

I crossed the Mexican border

After 3 months in Guate, my visa was up. Instead of paying someone to get my passport stamped (which I now recommend), I went to Mexico for a weekend. It was crazy, something I really don’t recommend doing solo. Only because if you do it with someone else, you have someone to laugh with about how absolutely ridiculous it is. Taking 13 buses, dealing with immigration, Tapachula (the border city)– it’s all just too much to swallow.  

Missing home  

It’s not that I’m anywhere near ready to return home, but I am missing family and friends. At times, I miss the consistency home can bring. Then I remember, I don’t have a car, job, or a “home” to go back to…and more importantly I have so much more to learn and experience in Central America.    

Getting sick

Getting sick has become normal. Every time I’m up all night on the toilet telling myself I will never eat street food again…no raw vegetables.. I’m going to be so careful. After I pop some antibiotics and I feel amazing, I forget the experience and continue eating whatever. It’s a vicious cycle. Pray for me. haha  

Current Situation

Everyone, please add Lake Atitlan to your travel bucket list. It is magical. I am staying with super awesome Guatemalans I found off Couch Surf.

I was only supposed to stay for 2 days…I’ve been here for 7 and counting. It is my first couch surf in Guatemala…why have I waited this long to couch surf??? Being by the lake has influenced me to start meditating again, made me realize showers aren’t THAT vital, maybe shoes and razors aren’t either…I should probably become a vegetarian Buddhist. #courtneygoestoguatemala #andbecomesahippie    

I hiked my third volcano, San Pedro. This one was just as hard. I went into almost a meditative state where I only thought about taking one more step, going very slow, but steady. I still stopped 50 million times, but I made it to the top. I will be a volcano queen in no time.

My mom is coming to Guatemala for Christmas. Ten days traveling with Mama Bear, I am so excited!! We are spending 5 days in Antigua and 5 days by the lake.  

Thank you to all my friends and family for your love and kindness. And thank you to all the beautiful souls I have met so far on my trip… I am forever grateful to all of you. Besos!!!!! Cheers to another 3 months of adventure!

More information on Guatemala and free travel, check out:

xoxo,

Court

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