Safety in Flores, Guatemala What do other Racers need to know in order to be safe? Current safety protocols/precautions in place? Any relevant issues/concerns? Any precautionary suggestions?
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We didn’t have any problems with theft and I never felt worried for the safety of my things, but I was still mindful of where I kept my passport and where I carried my money when I was out in about.
We were never really out super late, but if you are while walking around the island, be careful of the drivers especially when turning down alleys or tight streets because it’s hard for them to see when driving on those tight roads.
Ministry Summary
Ministry Summary in Flores, Guatemala Breakthroughs? Suggestions? Concerns? On a scale of 1-4 (1 being not at all, 4 being absolutely) how strongly would you recommend another World Race team go to this ministry location & why?
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Lodging
Lodging in Flores, Guatemala Where did you stay? What were the accommodations (sleeping arrangements, toilets, showers, etc.)? Cost (per person per night in USD), Contact info.
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During our stay in Flores we stayed in La Canoe. It’s a hostel on the first street as soon as you drive onto the island. The front of it faces the lake and you can also see the bridge from the front of it. It’s sufficient with beds and a shower. Our first stay there everything was fine. We left for three days and came back and they hadn’t changed the sheets and one of our beds was infested with bed bugs. It was one of two least expensive hostels on the island, the other one being Los Amigos.
La Canoe, as long as the sheets are clean and the bugs are taken care of, it’s a good place for a World Race team to stay. Our first stay was great, our second one, not so much.
Food / Meals
Food / Meals in Flores, Guatemala What did you eat? Where did you get the food? Cost (per person per day in USD)? Contact info (if applicable).
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Hotel Isla de Flores is on the main street in Flores. It has the best wifi, and the food is delicious and well priced. You must buy food to use the wifi, you’ll find that at most places though. And they staff is really fun!
We took a day and walked around the island to look for an inexpensive place to stay and to see what our options were for food. We found that none of the hostels within our budget who we talked to had kitchens, which limited our food options. So we walked around looking at the prices of the restaurants and found that few had economical menus that were within our budget. There was one that had sandwiches and burritos for $2 a plate. I don’t remember the name, but know that those types of options do exist.There are a lot of tienda’s around including one that is nicer then most, with AC an ATM and tall glass windows. Although I can’t remember the name, it’s the only one on the island like that and it houses the only ATM. It’s good for emergency needs but almost everything you could find there you could find in other tiendas for a few Q’s cheaper.There is also a grocery store located across the bridge, so within walking distance, on the right hand side walking away from the island.Finally, there were nice stands set up along the lake on the right hand side of the island if you’re facing the bridge from 2pm to 10 pm every day where you can find good, affordable and safe street food.
Transportation
Transportation in Flores, Guatemala What transportation did you use to enter the country? Where were you coming from? What transportation was used to move throughout the country? Be sure to include the cost per person in USD and contact info if applicable.
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I forgot to mention in the last comment that the bus line we took was Linea Dorado. Traveling from Flores to Guatemala City the bus makes one 30 minute stoop at a rest area where you can buy a warm meal or snacks from their tienda. They have a bathroom on the bus and toilet paper, soap and water are hit or miss so make sure to plan accordingly.
Flores is a very small, and seemingly safe island so learning my way around did not take long at all. You might want to take a motor taxi your first time there if you are trying to find a specific place because most times the drivers will know and be able to take you to specific places, but because of the costs of the moto taxis, I would suggest taking an hour to walk around the island to explore and learn how to get to places, then sticking to walking around when you need to get around.We took two moto taxis while on the island and they charged us around $1.50 USD per person to take us to just another place on the island, which ended up being 10 Q’s per person. I’m pretty confident that we could have gotten them to lower the price but it was our first time there and we didn’t know what was good to pay or how easy it was to get around on foot. We later learned that 10 Q’s per person for such a short distance was too much.Also, the bus station, which is where you would go when interested in long distance travel, is across the bridge from Flores and then I think three blocks down. You could walk there if you have the time to do so, but it’s about a 15 minute walk after crossing the bridge to leave Flores. For the exact location, ask your hostel owner or one of the locals. It’s better to get your bus tickets a day in advanced if possible and only two or three people need to go in order to get tickets for the whole team. The whole team does not need to be present to get the tickets, just as long as the person getting them has a form of photo ID on them. We payed in Q’s every time, so I’m not sure if they take USD.Boats; to cross the lake to get to one of the other land masses, such as San Miguel, it cost us 5 Q’s per person, which is a little bit less then 1 USD. To get a boat, just walk around the edge of the lake and eventually you will come across a guy or a couple of guys with their boats and they typically list off a few different names of places where they could take you, so you just need to tell them where you need to go and they can take you there. Just be sure to ask how much before you get in or before the boat leaves. Some of the boat driver’s were very knowledgeable about the surrounding area and happy to share what they knew, but in Spanish, of course.
Medical
Medical in Flores, Guatemala Information on local hospitals / doctors / pharmacies. Where would someone go in a medical emergency? (addresses and contact info).
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Communication
Communication in Flores, Guatemala Did you have cell reception / Internet service? Where? Carrier / Provider, where did you get phones / SIM cards, cost? Country code?
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Financial
Financial in Flores, Guatemala Location of banks or ATMs, notes about transaction fees, best places to exchange money, and other money related advice.
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There was one ATM on the island of Flores and it is located inside the only mini mart store that we had found, this doesn’t include tiendas. If you ask around someone can point you in the right direction. Your best bet would probably be to ask someone who works in a hostel, restaurant or cafe.
Of the island, across the bridge on the left side there is a shopping plaza and it has several ATM’s to choose from including one right inside of the grocery store.We didn’t run into any trouble in Flores with having things stolen but I would still recommend not walking around with a lot of stuff and keeping your money in a secure place while walking around.
Translators
Translators in Flores, Guatemala List any local translators – name and contact information, languages spoken
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Off Days / Fun Activities
Off Days / Fun Activities in Flores, Guatemala What activities did your team experience? Recommendations? List locations/contact info. Any locations to be avoided? Any extra safety tips for off days?
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For one of our off days, 4 out of the 7 of us went to Tikal and it was awesome! If you like nature and the thought of getting to see and explore ancient ruins excites you, I would recommend going to Tikal.
There are a couple different Tour Guide, I guess you would call them shops, Tour Guide shops (?) and they can give you a list of prices. As I said, there are a few different ones, so you could probably shop around.
We got our bus tickets for this excursion through the owner of one of the hostels we stayed in, he doesn’t work in tourism though. He was just being kind. We payed 80 Q’s per person for the bus there, then 150 Q’s per person at the park entrance which got you into the park, then because we were camping there for one night and doing the tour the next morning, we had to get out of our first bus at the first park entrance and pay an additional 40 Q’s for another shuttle to take us to the second entrance. At the second entrance we payed 350 Q’s in total to reserve an English speaking guide for the morning, and then 200 Q’s in total for our camping spot.
Because we chose to camp over night and we got there before the park closes, which is 6 p.m., we had time to explore the ruins ourselves and then go back and finish setting up our tents and eat dinner, which consisted of food that we had brought with us.
There is a cafeteria there where you can get a cheap plate of food for 25 Q’s, which consists of rice, beans, eggs, and tortillas.
At night, if the sky is clear, there are thousands of beautiful starts visible from the camp ground, and lightning bugs fill the field of the camp ground. There are bathrooms with running water, toilet paper, showers, and sinks, but you will want to bring your own soap to wash your hands. It gets very dark at night, so take your headlamps. It does get cooler at night in the jungle in November, so pack accordingly, but during the day on a sunny day it gets hot. If you camp, you will wake up to howler monkeys, and the sounds they make can startle you if your not aware of what your hearing. You will see monkeys, toucans, and possibly Jaguars, although we did not see Jaguars, just monkeys, toucans, and other exotic birds.
It was beautiful. I recommend it. It’s safe enough in the park to leave your tents unattended but we did carry around the rest of our valuables such as our money, passports, and cameras.
There are nice bathrooms within the park itself with soap, water, and toilet paper and even little snack stands.
If you go, have fun! The guide who speaks English with a Brooklyn accent is very knowledgeable and passionate about the history of the Mayan’s and the Mayan ruins. He works with the Jaguar Inn but you don’t have to stay there to book a tour with him. Every guide I ran into though was more then happy to share their knowledge and all seemed very knowledgeable.+
Other Important Contacts
Other Important Contacts in Flores, Guatemala Additional ministry opportunities, local pastors, etc. Relationship & follow up suggestions
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Tips
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Additional Info
Additional Info in Flores, Guatemala Anything we’ve left out? Any additional suggestions to make travel easier for others?
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A couple of my teammates and I like running so we would go for afternoon runs across the front of the island, across the bridge, down the road to the right at the end of the bridge then come back and do it again. The area is nice to run in and apparently you can swim in the lake, but we didn’t get the chance to. The water is supposed to be very clean. So, enjoy! If you love it, do it!