Guatemala City: A Capital of Contrasts

Guatemala City is an urban capital with over one million residents. It is divided into 22 zones – which range from the historic city center which comprises Zone 1 to the upscale Zone 10 to “red zones” such as Zone 18 – which suffer from high levels of crime and violence. Like many Latin American cities, Guatemala City is a city of contrasts, from upscale malls in Zone 10 to dilapidated historic buildings in Zone 1 to overcrowded, derelict housing in Zone 18.

Zone 10 - where we are staying - has at least two ultramodern malls as well as a pedestrian plaza full of upscale restaurants and shops. There is also a mall in Zone 18, but it is not nearly as luxurious. And, it does not have a glass elevator and a restaurant with an aquarium inside.

The Patio in Hotel Uxlabil

Oakland Mall - Zone 10

We are staying in Uxlabil Hotel - an eco-hotel on the edges of Zone 10. It lies in the Colonia Oakland – a gated community with only one entrance and exit. This community is full of trees, brand new houses with lavish architecture, and fancy cars lining the streets. Colonia Oakland is a sanctuary in the city - with abundant greenery, chirping birds, and beautiful flowers.

Walking through Colonia Oakland, you could easily imagine you are not in Guatemala City. There are only a few hints that give it away:  the high gates in front of many of the residence, the security guards stationed at the gates, the women making tortillas in the store at the entrance, and the various maids walking dogs and children down the street.

In Zone 1, however, you have no doubt that you are in Guatemala City. The Plaza lies at the center of Zone 1, and boasts colonial architecture along with a few vendors of various trinkets. In general, Zone 1 is interspersed with small houses and amazing, formerly grandiose colonial buildings. After checking out the Plaza, I had lunch at Chikach – a small vegetarian, organic café, located at Calle 4-24, Zone 1. Chikach has a courtyard garden inside and delicious organic food. After lunch, I walked about a mile towards the edge of Zone 1 – towards the Casa del Migrante on Fifteenth Avenue.

Plaza Central - Zone 1

Plaza Central - Tyler purchasing a bracelet

An African-American friend of mine accompanied me on the walk from Chickach to the Casa del Migrante. At one point, she said to me – “I think we are causing a spectacle” – as everyone stared at us walking down the street. The area we were in was still fairly close to the center, but as we got to the edges of Zone 1 – towards Fifteenth Avenue – we were clearly beyond the normal tourist territory. There are very few white people in Guatemala City, even fewer back people, and it is even more uncommon to see a black and white person walking down the street together.

We weren’t sure how safe it was in the center. However, my friend and I agreed that most people were just looking at us with curiosity and it was pretty unlikely for anything to happen.

We took the Transmetro downtown from Zone 10. But, we had to walk about 2 miles from Oakland to the Transmetro station. Thus, we decided to take a cab back. Whereas the Transmetro only cost us 1 Quetzal each, the taxi was 50 Quetzales. The difference in price between the taxi and the bus gives you an idea of how unequal the city is.

As we drove through Zones, 1, 2, and 4 to get back to Zone 10, we marveled at the differences between the distinct parts of the city. It is only a few miles from Zone 1 to Zone 10, but you feel as if you are in a different world.

Five ways to keep safe in Guatemala City (and other high-crime areas)

Welcome to the second Blog Carnival of the Lonely Planet bloggers from the Blogsherpa program. This carnival centers around Travel Safety. The Carnival will be a traveling carnival that will be hosted on a different travel site every two weeks.

When I lived in Guatemala City, people constantly told me how dangerous it was. My friend who works for the United Nations told me when she got here, all she heard were warnings about street crime; she doesn’t walk on the streets. At all. Our landlady warned me about most places in the city except for the neighborhood we live in – Zona 9 and Zona 10. She was robbed in the city center, and doesn’t go there. My other friend had her cell phone stolen at knifepoint on the bus three times in six months.

I was not going to avoid going outside. Venturing out of the house was a fundamental part of my job. Plus, I’d go stir crazy. So, I did what I could, within reason, to be safe.

For example, one day, I had to meet my research assistant downtown to catch a bus to our interview in Zona 6. Unfortunately, I was twenty minutes early, and she was twenty minutes late. So, I had to stand outside at the corner of 9th avenue and 9th street in Zona 1 for forty minutes. A gringa standing outside on a corner in Zona 1 is something of a sitting duck. My strategy to avoid being robbed was first to try and stand near other people.

There was a bus stop on the corner, so I made my way over there, and stood between the other people waiting for the bus. I was constantly aware of my surroundings, although I tried not to appear too paranoid. When three fairly unsavory-looking characters crossed the street towards me, I walked a few yards down, and went into a store. I pretended to browse until they got on a bus and were off.

Once they were gone, I realized I could stand in the very large storefront door and that I was fairly safe there. After about twenty minutes of waiting, I began to let my guard down. There were plenty of people milling around, and there were lots of interesting things going on.

For example, two gay men walked by. One playfully jabbed the other, and then put his arm around him. It was nice to see that they felt comfortable expressing their sexuality in public.

Across from me, there was a large metal door. Every so often, people would approach the door and knock. Someone would open up a small opening and let people through. I have no idea what was going on inside, but it was easy to imagine all kinds of things that might be going on behind that large, metal, unmarked door.

Couples, mothers, children, families strolled by. Others waited for their bus and then were off. I noticed that almost all Guatemalan men use hair gel. Funny how I never noticed that before. I focused my attention on trying to find a man who didn’t. Finally, a hippie couple walked by that was gel-less. They were both super skinny. The girl had her dark brown hair in two plaits, and the guy had big, curly hair that clearly didn’t have an ounce of gel in it.

After forty minutes on the corner, my friend showed up and we got on Bus #3 to go to Mega 6 to meet an interviewee. This experience has me thinking about a few tips on how to keep safe while traveling in high-crime areas.

1) Always carry the least amount of valuables possible on your person.
2) Avoid carrying a purse or bag with valuables inside. Instead, keep valuables in a small bag inside your shirt or in a money belt.
3) Be attentive – do not wear earphones while walking down the street, for example.
4) Do your best not to be worried about what might happen. If you are noticeably scared, it will show and make you a more likely target.
5) If you really are scared and can’t hide it, sometimes it is best to just run. For example, if you accidentally come upon a dark street, one strategy is to just run down that street until you get somewhere that is well-lit.

You take your kids to Pizza Hut in Guatemala City??

In Guatemala City, the places we most often take the children are chain restaurants – Pizza Hut, Pollo Campero, Wendy’s, and the like. Although I am not generally a fan of taking my children to places where the food clogs your veins and makes you fat, in Guatemala City, we have done this, perhaps more than anywhere else we have lived. We do have our reasons for this.

The first reason is that each of these places has an indoor playground. When we take the kids there, they meet other children, and have a blast running through the purple and green slides and mazes. Within walking distance of our house in Zona 9, there are at least five different chain restaurants with indoor play places. When we take the kids there, I can relax, read a book, and even get online. Most of these chain restaurants not only have play places; they also have free Wi Fi. The food, I know, is bad for you. My solution to that is to not buy too much of it. That makes these places some of the cheapest entertainment for children in Guatemala City. That brings me to my next point – it is inexpensive.

In most places I have lived in Latin America, the chain restaurants are much more expensive than the local restaurants. In Guatemala City, that is not necessarily the case. The cheapest meal you can find in Guatemala City is Q15 (about $2.00). A decent meal will usually cost you Q20 or Q25 – up to $3.00. A nice meal usually runs at about Q40. At Pollo Campero, they have bargain meals for Q25. And, at Pizza Hut, the whole family can eat for Q79 – less than $10. That includes a pitcher of soft drink, a medium pizza, and dessert. For US$10, the whole family eats, and the kids have a blast, making it a real bargain.

Another reason is safety. Luckily, we have not had any unfortunate incidents in Guatemala City. However, there must be some reason why every store with anything of value has an armed guard stationed outside. Walking down 15th Avenue in Zona 13 with my daughter yesterday, I noticed that even small taco joints have their own personal security guard, with a typical long shot gun, stationed outside. Inside well-lit chain restaurants with their own armed security guards outside, we feel pretty safe.

The final reason is that it gets dark very early in Guatemala City – around 6 pm during the month of October. The only playground near to us – a very nice one on Avenida de las Americas – is not well-lit. It is not really a good place to take children when it is dark outside. This makes indoor playgrounds ideal for evening play for children.

During the day, when it is sunny and warm, we don’t take the children to chain restaurants. We take them to the Parque Central to feed the pigeons, to the playground on Avenida de las Americas, to the Aurora Zoo, or just to walk in the Parque del Obelisco. None of those places, unfortunately, are suitable for evening activities. That is why we end up at the chain restaurants.