EXPLORING the CHICHICASTENANGO MARKET in Guatemala!

Hola! Bienvenidos! Welcome to bustling Chichi! Buenos dias! Good morning Country Collectors! Over our years of travel we've come to learn that one of the best ways to experience a country and its culture is through its markets. So today we are heading to Chichicastenango which is one of the largest outdoor markets in Latin America! We can't wait to show you around but before we get started make sure to hit that subscribe button and ring the bell so you don't miss out on any of our future adventures. Chichicastenango nicknamed Chichi is a Maya Town located in Guatemala's Western Highlands. And it's been a main trading center for hundreds of years with different Maya groups coming from far and wide on Thursdays and Sundays their main market days to trade their goods. From Panajachel on Lake Atitlan it's about a 40 kilometer journey north to the market. You can book yourself a tourist shuttle or do what we're gonna do like the locals and hop on a chicken bus. So you're probably wondering what is a chicken bus. Well it's actually a recycled school bus from the USA that's been repainted and transformed into local transport. It's the most affordable way to get around and dare I say most stylish.They earned this nickname because locals bring everything on them including you guessed it... chickens! We're gonna have to change transport three times to get there but from what I've read it shouldn't be too difficult. We are up here at the top of Calle Santander the main road that runs through Pana. Aupposedly the bus stop is right over here in front of Pollo Campero. It is so loud right now all the tuk-tuks and the motorcycles going. The town has definitely just woken up but we're gonna head over there and listen for Solola because that is going to be our first destination today so come with us. Look at this. We are on the chicken bus. It feels like you know the days we were back in school. Oh for sure I'm waiting to go to Miss Pagel's third grade class. I love it though there's not many people on here. So we're gonna take this to Solola. And then the police officer he said then we get off and we take a bus to Los Encuentros or you can get a bus that can go directly to Chichi. It just depends I guess upon which bus shows up. So we have made it to Solola. This is the last stop everyone's getting off so that's when you know when you should get off. It took about 20 minutes and costs 5 Quetzales. Now we're gonna head across the street probably just, probably just follow everyone and go find our next bus it is gonna be this one right here. Okay. So this guy here said this book is for Los Encuentros and then we change to go to Chichi. Wow that was a quick jump on, jump off, jump back on! And you're like the cool kid in the back of the bus. That's right. Don't you remember sitting in the back you had the biggest bumps and when you hit him you're like whoa! So these buses stop quite a bit to pick people up along the way. They're loading some stuff on top to take to the market. And this guy just got on with a box of chickens! So this is officially a chicken bus. Love it! Wooo! All right well we have made it to Los Encuentros and now we are heading to Chichi. Took about I think 30 minutes it costs 3.5 Quetzales each. Everyone is running. I don't know this guy just okay we're going! All right! That was absolutely wild! But we were on the bus right now and as you can see it is quite packed. People are trying to find a spot to sit. Well we are on our way! So we just have a little bit longer and then we'll be at the market. We'll see you there! Yeah jamming to the 80s in there! Seriously that was like a very unique experience. I love it I feel like I've already had a full day. That was an activity in itself! Oh for sure and like I said it wasn't hard to get here but it was definitely quick going from like bus to bus to bus. Yeah they saw that. So that last ride it took about 40 minutes and cost 5 Quetzales. So it was about an hour and a half total. Which I don't think like we said it's much longer than if you were to take the shuttle. And I mean you saw what we got to see. Like it was just it was quite an experience. It was. I was sitting next to this wonderful man named Juan Carlos who was telling me how great the vegetables were in Guatemala and he was so glad that we loved his country. It was so nice chatting with him. And on the last bus they had a TV and we were watching Guatemalan ladies like dancing. Doing like the little two-step and then they kicked into the 80s! It was hilarious. It was like 80s videos with movies and stuff and they were just jamming out. Yeah but we are now here in Chichi and we cannot wait to go explore this market. I don't know if we're gonna do it on our own or maybe with a guide. That'd be nice. But we shall see! All right let's go! So right here you'll see the shuttle so when you're in Los Encuentros if you don't get on a chicken bus you can grab one of these shuttles and they'll bring you here as well. And just as you get off the bus there is a public restroom which I recommend using before you head into the market. And definitely go before you leave on the journey here because it is a bumpy one and that little bladder is going to be in some pain. Well it looks like the entrance to the market is right here so let's head in and see what delicious delights we can find! We're just a couple steps in it's already so colorful, beautiful clothing, fruit. Anything you want I think this market is the place to come and pick it up! Wow it seems like wherever you turn there's just more beautiful handmade crafts like these. These are the huipils, I believe they're called. It's the traditional clothes that the women wear here. They are so intricate. Some of them take a month or more to make and the price is actually more than I had expected. Some are $600 even up into the thousands because of the amount of work and the hand-stitching that goes into it. It's really impressive. Like this one right here. Look how ornate it is. You have to remember it's all done by hand. We just asked what the whole outfit would be with the huipil and the corta and she said tres mil ochocientos which is around $500 USD. You know here in Guatemala you can tell where the women are from based on the designs of their outfits. Which is just so unique. I mean this is very impressive. So take the time to really get to know the textiles and their clothing while you're here. They even have one with Elsa on it right here. Oh my Gosh. Look at that. I think that is Santo Tomas. So do I. This is like right in the center of the market. They're selling flowers in front. This is sort of like the heart where everyone is. It's just surrounded by so many beautiful things. It was built in 1540 by the Spanish on top of a Mayan Temple. Nowadays it's used for both Catholic and Mayan ceremonies and it is a very holy place so show respect when you are here. And right here next to the church I noticed this guy had a bunch of wood in front of him. You know he was sanding it up and it looked like legs for a table honestly but I asked him what it was and he said they were pieces that you use to make those traditional tops those huipils which I thought was really unique. So yeah just very interesting. A few steps away from the church you will find this vendor here. His name is Diego and I just talked to him about these beautiful wooden masks here. I asked him if they were more like decoration or used in ceremonies and he said a lot of them are for decoration but four of them are used in ceremony. And that's going to be the Monkey, the Jaguar, the Deer and the Bull back here. If we were going home and we had room in our suitcase I would definitely grab a couple of these. I think but they make a beautiful souvenir from Guatemala. So definitely stop by and say hi to Diego when you're here. I'm getting hungry and there's a cacahuate man right here. From Chichicastenango. Oh look at those! He even peeled it for me. How can you go wrong. Son locales. Oh. How much for a bag? 20. Quetzales not dollars. Lady in the background: Oh, that's too much. Yes we know. Yes, but that's expensive. Yes but they are very tasty. Can you do a bit cheaper price? 18. 15? Okay we're down to 15. It's probably maybe a little too much but you know what, he let us take photos and I want these peanuts! I'm guessing those probably should have been like five or even less. I mean that was more than our whole bust right here. You know what I'm in a great mood and I'm just having a good time! So you know what I overpaid for my cacahuates it's okay! You'll enjoy every last one oh I will! And it looks like we found the Carniceria or the butcher area. Seems like this is where the locals come down to get those nice cuts of meat. You can actually hear the guy chopping in the back here. If I had a kitchen I'd be coming over here to pick up some of these delicious looking ribs. And look who else likes the butcher. Of course he does. The dogs. You'll also notice they have a ton of leather goods around like belts, hats, bags. So if you're in the market definitely come down here and pick something up. We are in the market! Well I know we're in the market I mean if they're in the market. And it's definitely a place where you can negotiate you know you want to be respectful while you're negotiating like don't go too low. But you know we're listening around and everything we're hearing say they start at 80 and they'll end up at like 30. Which is why my peanuts for 20 that I got for 15 probably should have been like five. Yeah lower. It's okay though. It is, absolutely and it's part of the fun. Not everybody is comfortable with negotiating but you know what it is it's how they work here. If you're okay with paying more don't negotiate. If you have a price in mind just tell them the price you want to pay if they say no move on. That's where the power comes from is walking away. Yeah respectfully. Of course! Sir, how much for a large bag? 10 quetzales. Thank you. He said 10 which means it probably should have been 5. That guy got me! And you know it's not just artisan goods. You can come down here and also get stuff like sweatpants, socks and underwear. Like we said they have it all! And it is such a maze back here. And it's like this assault on your senses. There are all these different smells and sounds and colors everywhere. Remember Thursday and Sunday are the big days here but this is here every single day of the week so you come here on a Wednesday or a Monday and you know have a little slower experience. Yeah it looks like on the right here is the food market so why don't we head in and try to get some. We just sat down. Behind me here there's a little vegetable market and then over here there's some women making handmade tortillas and Adam saw something that he has been dying to try ever since we got here. I know you've heard of KFC but have you heard of GFC? That's right, Guatemalan Fried Chicken! It is super popular here all over the country they do it so well. Just sits in this giant pot of oil frying up oh man it's so hot it's burning my fingers! I'm gonna jump into this! Yeah we see this literally everywhere. Places selling Fried Chicken. How is it? How's it compare? It is so crispy. There's not that like hard outside on it that you get where they put a lot of breading. It's just kind of fried and the chicken is so tender and moist inside. This is a winner. And what else did it come with? It came with some vegetables, rice, Papa's fritas and handmade tortillas that they were just hand making right over there. Love it! And just one block away is the poultry market. It's live poultry. There are chickens, ducks, all kinds of birds out here. You can buy eggs, feed, cages. They're about 200Q for one turkey or chicken. I think just the chicken the turkeys are probably more. You know what turkey sandwiches do taste better than chicken sandwiches. And it looks like they're packing up right now it's about 12 o'clock so it must be an earlier activity to come down and pick up your poultry. You know what they say the early bird gets the chicken! We kind of just stumbled upon this place by accident. We walked into it and said Municipal Market so we were curious look what it is. I think if you're looking for your vegetables this is the place to come. What I think is really unique besides just like the color I mean you've just been looking down here kind of in awe by what's going on - is that when this leaves it's their basketball court! You can see over here you got the basketball net and then the scoreboard up there. Visitor and local, the local team which is just yet another unique thing. You got to keep those peepers peeping because if we didn't we wouldn't have seen this! Oh my gosh and it happened again! These beautiful ladies down here they wanted to get a photo with me. I know I love getting photos with Heidi too so I totally understand! But it's just like I don't you can see I cannot stop smiling they're just so sweet and welcoming. And walking through this I wish you could smell what we're smelling everything is so fresh and the colors are so vibrant! We were just talking about how back home you know you go to the supermarket and everything looks the same and like the tomatoes sometimes they don't taste that good. Unless you go to like a farmer's bar or something like that. Here oh my gosh like you buy your produce from here and you're gonna take one bite of it and just be blown away! This is how everything used to be grown back home. And I can definitely say that we're quite jealous walking through here. As much as we're enjoying this we better get back out there and see what other fun stuff we can find. There you are! I thought I lost you! It is getting a little busy in here! I feel like as the day goes on it does get much busier. So if you come earlier in the morning you're gonna have a little more elbow room to move around. Let's keep going. It looks like even the dogs are lost! Yeah I can understand why. This is a maze. Amazing! Amazing you're right! You saw earlier Adam got some fried chicken well it's my turn to eat! And as we've been walking around quite a little bit I am a bit famished here so we stopped at this place. When you're walking around you're gonna see all these little stands with these big pots and they're covered so it's kind of like a mystery what's in there. Well I heard that caldo de res was something that we had to try. It actually translates to beef broth. You can see in here there's a big chunk of beef as well as some vegetables like carrots corn and I'm not sure what this is... maybe some pumpkin. Yeah squash. And then of course it comes with those beautiful tortillas and a drink all for 30 Quetazles. Let's jump into this! Yum. It's so good. It tastes like a dish that would just like heal you you know when you're sick like chicken noodle soup or something like that. Absolutely love it. What I love is you can taste like I always say this the homemade food you can absolutely taste the love. And what's really funny is all the ladies are watching us record this right now and they're kind of all just standing back there smiling watching me eat it. It's so cute it is delicious. Thank you! We just finished up that delicious meal and let me just say I could take a nap! And I think we are in a place for it as we just walked a couple blocks and found the Maya Inn. There's this really beautiful garden here with some nice flowers and we just talked to the staff a bit and they seemed really friendly. Absolutely. But while we're here we would love to give a shout out to our newest patrons: Lindsay, Mackenzie, Rob, Aaron, John and Raquel. Thank you so so much for everything. This Market day today is for you! We are so grateful that you are part of our family and that you're here with us on these adventures because you make them that much better for us! Yes thank you so much! And if you would like to become a part of our Patreon community we'll put the link in the description below! Well all right we have one more spot to take you to today and it is just down the hill and so come along! On the western edge of the city you will find one of the most colorful and unique cemeteries that we've ever seen. Let's go take a wander around together and check it out. Upon entering you're gonna see these great big mausoleums. It's so peaceful here. And besides the mausoleums it seems they also have more simple individual graves as well as just dirt ones. I'm guessing this is a lot like at home where the more money you have the bigger gravestone or the better your plot is whereas here they just sort of are all intermingled. And then they run all the way down the hillside here and it looks like it goes back pretty far. This has been here for almost 150 years so you're going to see generations of graves. This one right here is particularly beautiful. It has the Virgin day Guadalupe at the bottom and at the top is a jaguar. And when you're here you might see some fires burning as well some copal you know see the incense going. That could be a shaman, a Mayan healer who is doing a traditional Maya ceremony. We just actually saw one going on. They asked you not to take photos or videos because it is a question of respect. But it really was very deep you could hear from the power of His words that what he was saying you know goes back so long. And it just is so important to the people here. Yeah well I think we are gonna just continue out of here a little bit and head back to the market area so we'll see you over there. And I know I said we would see you back in the market but I had to show you this right here. Look what is even at the cemetery. The ice cream man. He's everywhere here in Guatemala! And we just realized where we showed you all that poultry from earlier if you continue down this road it'll take you to the cemetery. We went around so we kind of got like... I think this guy's stalking us! It is the ice cream man again! He's everywehre we can't escape it! But as I was saying we went around so we didn't realize that. But now that we were just walking up we were like oh it makes sense. So if you see this you can just keep heading down and get to the cemetery. It is quite steep but they do have tuk-tuks here if you can't walk it you can always take one of those. Well I guess that's the market day for us. Yeah we had a lot of fun thank you so much for spending time with us here. It really was an experience. I mean this place is huge and we could have wandered around for hours more. And that's what we were talking about. If you're looking for that experience and you want to learn more about the culture we recommend coming here. But if you're just searching for souvenirs you can find those back in Pana. Yeah and if you're looking for like a medium adventure take a shuttle here, walk around, pick some stuff up, enjoy some negotiations and then head back to town in your shuttle. I really loved how we did it. The chicken bus was so much fun for me. It's one of those like special experiences that really makes you feel like you're in Guatemala. Yeah so now I think we're gonna head back to where the shuttles are gonna take us back to Los Encuentros and then get a bus to Solola. So we're doing you know the trip here just in reverse. And when you're here you know I think if we did it again we would probably get a guide. Absolutely and it just happened this time that we didn't bump into one. But I think if we had looked harder we probably could have found one. Yeah so they can just you know show you around a bit more show you yeah just a bit more about the culture. Give you some explanations. So yeah but thank you again so so much for being here with us. It would have been nowhere near much as much fun if you hadn't been here to share it with. So thank you so much for that. And thank you to everybody who lives here in Chichi for having us. Yeah thanks so much for being so kind and smiling. Taking photos with us and sharing that delicious comida! If you enjoyed this video please give us a big thumbs up, subscribe, comment and don't forget to DLING, DLING, DLING, DLING the bell! We'll see you, next time! Adios.