After staying here in this beautiful Lake Atitlan for a week and getting used to the beautiful landscape, it was hard to say goodbye. But we must move on in our lives, and there will be a new place and a new journey in future that will probably be as exciting as this one.
Yesterday we bought the bus ticket at Nexway Travel that’s including a boat ride for the cost of $23 per person. They told us to get to the boat by 8 am, and to be at Magic Travel by 9 am for the bus ride. When we got to the boat at 7:50 am, we didn’t have to wait for long.
Panajachel to Guatemala City by Van
The ride was smooth, with no stopping anywhere else but straight to Panajachel jetty, and the journey was just about twenty-two minutes. However, we arrived at a different dock, and it wasn’t at the place where we first took the boat to San Marcos.
With still plenty of time before our van scheduled to depart, we had breakfast at Restaurante Delicias del Lago next to the travel agencies. We finished our meal just when the van arrived. However, we didn’t depart straight to our destination. We drove around Panajachel town to get the others.
Yesterday before buying the bus tickets, we asked the staff if it was direct to the city or stopping at Antigua, and the worker told us that it would be straight. However, on the bus, I overheard others saying that they were heading to Antigua, and I was a bit worried that we’d have to make a stop in the town, which would make the travel time longer.
It turned out that those who were going to Guatemala had to get off at some point and take another van. Our van this time was a smaller one with only six of us in it, but I didn’t mind it as long as we were not stopping anywhere else.
Our van driver asked where we were stopping, and some of the passengers were heading straight to the airport. The driver drove us straight to the hotel, and we were the first ones to get out of the van. It was great as we didn’t have to take a taxi to the place.
The journey from Panajachel to Guatemala City which was 110km away took about four hours drive including stopping to get passengers around Panajachel town and transferring to another van.
Barcelo Guatemala City
When I first arrived at this hotel, I immediately fell in love with the place. The staff was polite, and the bed was so comfy that I didn’t want to go anywhere else. It had been more than ten days since we had such a comfy bed.
The hotel also has a swimming pool with a gym next to the pool, a sauna, a free shuttle bus to the airport, souvenir shop, ATM, and other facilities. And most importantly a great selection of food for breakfast!
We didn’t have time for sightseeing because when we arrived at the hotel, we had just about five hours of daylight left. What we did was explore the area to find some food.
Steak House La Plazuelita
The other restaurants that we walked past were quite expensive, and this one was reasonable. It was quiet with only one couple in the restaurant. We paid for our meal in Dollars which cost $35 and spent the rest of our remaining quetzals in McDonald’s to get a Coke and Mc Flurry.
Some of the Food and Drink Prices in Steak House La Plazuelita
Cerveza GTQ 6 - Michelada/ Chelada/ Ojo Rojo GTQ 16 - Tarro Modelo de Barril GTQ 25 - Moza/ Moza Gold/ / Brahva/ Brahva Extra GTQ 26 - Gallo/ Gallo Light/ Dorada Ice/ Dorada Draft/ Cabro GTQ 28 - Negra Modelo/ Modelo Especial/ Heineken GTQ 30 - Monte Carlo/ Cabro Reserva/ Corona Cocktails GTQ 30 - Pina Colada Virgen GTQ 35 - Pina Colada/ Sangria/ Margarita Frozen o Coctel/ Vodka Tonic/ Gin Tonic/ Cuba Libre/ Ruso Negro/ Bloody Mary/ Tom Collins/ Mojito GTQ 40 - Martini
Starter GTQ 30 - Frijoles con Nachos GTQ 40 - Sopa de Frijol GTQ 45 - Mollejas de Ternera GTQ 50 - Champinones al Ajillo/ Champinones a ala Mantequilla/ Chorizo Tipo Argentino GTQ 55 - Queso FUndido - con Chorizo/ con Champinones/ con Tocino GTQ 60 - Queso FUndido con Camaron Meats GTQ 95 - Puyazo de 1/2 Libra Individual GTQ 105 - Lomito de 1/2 Libra Individual GTQ 130 - Entrana o Costilla sin Hueso 1/2 Libra Individual GTQ 180 - Puyazo de 1 Libra (2 Personas) GTQ 185 - Mixto de 1 Libra (Para 2 Personas) GTQ 190 - Lomito de 1 Libra (2 Personas) GTQ 260 - Entrana o Costilla sin Hueso 1 Libra (2 Personas) GTQ 295 - Super Mixto (1/2 Libra Lomito, 1/2 Libra Puyazo, 1/2 Libra Pollo y 1/2 Libra Lomo de Cerdo) GTQ 330 - Puyazo de Libras (4 Personas) GTQ 335 - Mixto de Libras 1 de Puyazo y 1 de Lomito (Para 4 Personas) GTQ 340 - Lomito de 2 Libras (4 Personas) GTQ 510 - Entrana o Costilla 2 Libras (4 Personas) Todos nuestros platos incluyen una guarnicion de: Ensalada, Pure o Papas Fritas
Salad GTQ 45 - Ensalada Mixta (Tomate, Lechuga, Zanahoria, Cebolla y Aguacate GTQ 50 - Ensalada de Aguacate/ Ensalada de Palmito GTQ 55 - Ensalada de Aguacate y Palmito GTQ 65 - Ensalada Caprese Extra GTQ 12 - Porcion de Pan/ Porcion de Tortillas GTQ 20 - Papas Pequenas/ Ensalada Pequena GTQ 25 - Porcion de Frijoles GTQ 30 - Porcion de Guacamol/ Papas Medianas/ Ensalada Mediana GTQ 40 - Papas Grandes/ Ensalada Grande GTQ 65 - Porcion de Chorizo (8 Onzas)
Address: 12 Calle 6-41 Zona 9
Phone: 2362-6551 / 2331-1429
Website: www.laplazuelita.com.gt
Safety Concern in Guatemala City
Like any other big city, crime is a big concern. The hotel that we stayed located in Zon 9, away from the most dangerous zones in Guatemala City which were zone 3, 6, 8 and 21. While walking around the hotel’s area, we noticed that even the restaurant or shop was guarded by security guards with guns in their hands ready for any possibility.
I didn’t dare to take my phone out frequently to snap photos, and only when I saw police nearby that I quickly snap these pictures.
The next morning after we had our breakfast, we took the free shuttle to La Aurora airport at 9 am. WiFi was available in the shuttle, and it only took fifteen minutes for the journey of 1.3km.
Guatemala to Bogota
There’s nothing memorable in the flight back to Bogota, just that when we stopped at Panama airport for our connecting flight, the seats in our gate were not enough to accommodate the passengers, and we weren’t even allowed to sit at other’s gate’s empty seats.
Travel Date: 7th ~ 08th January 2019