Security in Guatemala

This is an important topic to breach considering Guatemala is, unfortunately, in the headlines quite a bit for insecurity issues. About two weeks ago the country elected a former general who has been suspected of war crimes in the '80s as President. This when 15 years ago the country was fed up with the military and drastically reduced its size. But today, the biggest problem the country faces is the crime that results from the fight over controlling the market for the U.S.' continuing appetite for illegal drugs from Colombia and other countries, and so the former general was elected.

Luckily for us,security risks are mitigable. As a Peace Corps Volunteer and now an officer of a U.N.-related agency, I have received security messages and trainings ad nauseum. And the lessons are simple for you all to follow:

1. Stay out of Guatemala City. Most of Guatemala is very calm; for example, where I live most people leave their doors unlocked all day. Lake Atitlan, thank God, is also safe. But the capital is another story. I've been the victim of two robberies on public transportation in the capital. I have to work in the capital quite often, but good news for you, there's no reason at all for you to be in Guatemala City as a short-term visitor except as a transit hub. We will take people directly from the airport in Guatemala City to Lake Atitlan, and as an alternative use Antigua (which is SO much nicer, with cheaper accomodations!) as a central hub. If you are planning to spend time in Guatemala City on your trip, please talk to me about it before reserving anything. Unless you think that you are going to get a huge craving for Quizno's or KFC while in-country, you can probably do without the visit.

2. Remember that in developing countries, not everybody has an iPhone or BlackBerry. I recently got a BlackBerry and just learned how handy they are, but in rural areas of developing countries, they stand out a lot. In Guatemala, few people have cell phone plans, so everybody buys the cell phone at its actual cost. An iPhone goes for $750 (the minimum monthly white-collar salary is $250 per month...) Don't go walking down busy streets with your head buried in the latest story from the New York Times.

3. We'll choose our public transportation use carefully. I am all about public transportation, as you all know, but here you do have to choose carefully. I'm sure many of you will want to take the famous "chicken buses" which I became very familiar with over 2 years as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Do it, but don't take a lot of valuables with you, and please don't go all the way to the capital. If you want to take a taxi, that's completely acceptable - they're way way way cheaper than in the States.

4. Don't go overboard on the alcohol, and don't be out alone late. Should be pretty self-explanatory. Peace Corps records show that a high percentage of security incidents involving Volunteers occurred when people were drinking, and at midnight or later.

Everything near the wedding site will be very safe and you won't have to worry at all. 99% of Guatemalans are the NICEST people you will ever meet, including my future in-laws, and you can predict where the 1% will be. Using common sense we will all have a very nice visit without any incidents. Any questions, feel free to ask me.