Traveling from Mexico to Antigua, Guatemala

Bus ride to Guatemala

May 2024

Traveling from Mexico to Guatemala

After two incredible months in Chiapas, Mexico, I traveled back down to Guatemala. While there are tourist shuttles that can take you in a van directly from Mexico to Guatemala, I decided to try to take the public buses which requires making a bunch of stops and changes. Everyone recommended I take a tourist shuttle, but I was interested in trying the public bus route and hopefully saving some money. I also like the public buses because you can see more of the country and the people along the way. I was a little nervous so I planned out the trip well and wrote down the names of all of the towns where I would need to change buses. Public buses in Guatemala are big school buses that they sometimes call “chicken buses.” They often have a reputation for being reckless and fast as they curve through the mountainous routes. However, in my experience I have always felt safe.

I traveled to a border called Tapachula where I crossed from Mexico over into Guatemala. I wasn’t familiar with this border and a few men were trying to “help” me by carrying my suitcase, offering me an expensive taxi, and trying to convince me to exchange my money. A sweet young woman from Tapachula, Ruby, saw me and told me not to accept their services and asked me where I was going. She was also going in the same direction as me and said I could tag along with her and her aunt. When I travel alone, people are often so kind and helpful. Ruby had worked as a babysitter in California for a few years and we spent a while in the bus talking about her experiences. In California she grew a love for camping and told me that whenever I want to come visit her, I have a home in Tapachula and we can go camping together. Kindness from strangers is such a gift, especially when traveling alone!

In total, it took me about 20 hours to arrive to Antigua, Guatemala! After crossing the border at Tapachula, I traveled through the towns of Malacatán, San Marcos, Quetzaltanago, Chimaltenango, and finally to Antigua. In total I switched buses 7 times! It a good way to see and experience the country, but I was exhausted.

In Antigua I stayed at a hotel where I received housing and meals in exchange for giving them yoga classes once a day. It gave me time to search for jobs and apply to open positions. I also got to spend some time in the touristy town of Antigua without spending much money. Antigua can be quite expensive in comparison to other parts of Guatemala.

Antigua is a cultural heritage site that has preserved its colonial structure, cobblestone streets, churches, etc. It has also attracted a lot of foreign business, and local people often commented to me that most of the centrally located houses are now owned by foreigners while locals live more on the outskirts. While the colonial structure in maintained, inside of these historic buildings you can find McDonalds, Starbucks, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, Little Caesar’s, Dominos, etc. I was surprised to see the amount of foreign fast-food chains. For me, it feels disappointing to see so much foreign influence, and I wonder why people want to travel to another country just to go to the same fast food chains that they have at home.

While I was in Antigua I found small, local restaurants owned by families to make my small effort to support local businesses. I also explored the local market and bought produce there. I’m still getting used to the local currency (the Quetzal) and figuring out how much things should cost. One dollar is currently equivalent to 7.76 Questzales and it takes me a while to get used to new conversions and pricing when I switch countries.

Antigua, Guatemala

While I was in Antigua, I did my best to continue to pursue my goals to learn about sustainable farming and community development. I visited a farm to table restaurant called Caoba Farms, which is a beautiful organic farm with a wide diversity of native species, ornamental plants and flowers, produce (lettuce, chard, arugula, squash), and animals (chickens, pigs, turkeys). They accept volunteers and pay you in lettuce and Swiss chard for your time. I volunteered and did some weeding, seed collecting, and harvesting.

Caoba Farms:

Butternut squash (or similar), passion fruit flower, Sacuanjoche flowers, production of leafy greens, and me with a passion fruit flower head

After a few weeks of feeling like a tourist in Antigua, I was very eager and excited to get to my next destination, the Mesoamerican Permaculture Institute in San Lucas Tolimán, a town on Lake Atitlan. I really enjoy small towns and rural environments with lots of nature and biodiversity. While Antigua has its own beauty, San Lucas Tolimán is more my taste!

Walking around Antigua