The GUATEMALA CITY they DON’T tell YOU about! (con subtitulos)

Hola! Bienvenidos! Welcome to beautiful Guatemala City! Buenos dias! Good morning Country Collectors. If you've been following along you know we've spent the past two years traveling through 21 of Mexico's 32 states. As sad as we are to say goodbye we could not be more excited to be back on the road again country collecting with you here in Guatemala! In 2018 we backpacked a bit through the country and fell in love with it and I sure you will too! 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. All right let's do this! When you're coming to Guatemala you are most likely going to fly into La Aurora International Airport that is located here in Guatemala City. Most tourists choose to just bypass the city and head to another destination like Antigua due to its bad reputation. You know it has a high level of crime, it's noisy and there is a lot of traffic. I know that's what we did the first time we came here but... as Guatemala City is the largest city in Central America as well as the capital of Guatemala we really wanted to see what it was like. And if we've learned anything from our travels it's that almost every city has another side to them. So today we're going to be on the lookout for that while we're out exploring with you. Guatemala City is subdivided into 22 zones with some of them being off limits to tourists because they do have high crime levels. But everything I read said that zones 1, 4, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15 and 16 were safe zones. But you know you definitely gotta trust your intuition and use discretion especially at night. But we are starting today here in Zone one, the Historical Center and the beating heart of the city. Here at the epicenter of Zone 1 is Plaza de la Constitution. It dates back to 1776 when the original capital of the country was moved from Antigua to here after a devastating earthquake. We're here on a Sunday and let me just tell you it is so lively. You can hear the ice cream man music. They're setting off these fireworks that are making the birds fly around. You can buy bird feed. They're selling food. People are relaxing in the sun and the shade. It's a great place to come and just watch the world go by. I love those. Look at the little ice cream truck! The look like little transformer Mack trucks they're pushing around. The top opens up, ice cream comes out sounds like a dream to me. As Adam mentioned you can get some food here. Behind us these ladies are making some delicious local treats. They have buñuelos, garnaches. It all smells absolutely delicious so definitely get your butts right here and try some of it! Surrounding the plaza are many historical and notable buildings like this one right here. This is the National Palace of Culture. Also known as the Green Palace which I'm sure you can see why. Completed in 1943 this architectural Masterpiece once served as the headquarters for the president but has since been turned into a Cultural Center and museum that you can tour Monday to Friday 10 until 2 every hour on the hour. Just east of the plaza you will find the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago de Guatemala. It opened in 1815 after 33 years of construction. And it's both beautiful inside and out. In 1917 and 1918 there were devastating earthquakes that unfortunately destroyed the original dome, towers and vaults but it has since been restored and has been declared a national monument in 1968. And you can hear the bell tower ringing right now! Wow! In front of the church there are 12 pillars that serve as a monument to the hundreds of thousands of Guatemalans that were killed during their bloody Civil War here that lasted from 1960 to 1996. The majority of the over 200,000 that were killed were indigenous Maya that were fighting for equality and the right to have their language and culture included in the government. It hits me so deeply to stand here and run my fingers over this. Someone tried to commit genocide (did commit genocide). It's just a little over 20 years ago. That's still going on in our world today. How terrible. And then this serves as the reminder excuse me this serves as a reminder that this can't go out anymore. We can't have this going on in our world. We need to stick together. We need to be equal and we need to love one another. And when you're in the plaza you are going to notice the indigenous women dressed in their traditional clothes and it's such an important thing to appreciate because it's from them, it's from their culture they that all of the beautiful things that make Guatemala, Mexico the other parts of Central America special. It's their music it's their dance it's their traditions. It's why we come here. So respect them. Appreciate them. Love them. Because it is them that are the heart of what makes this so special. And just to the west of the plaza you will see this very modern looking building and passageway. This is called El Portal de Sexta and if you want the best elevated view of the plaza you can walk up the steps and take a little stroll on the walkway. So let's do that together. What did we tell you? Check out this view. I don't think it'd get much better than this just coming up here and relaxing. Something else that's very special about this spot is that this is actually right where Guatemala signed is Declaration of Independence from Spain on September 15, 1821. They even have a little building down here that has the replica of the documents in that you can go in and check out. They even have these really cool glass floor ways. Everyone's just kind of hanging out. The kids are really enjoying it and you know what it's a great place to snap a photo! And just below the beautiful walkway we were just on is the tourist information booth. They have a huge map of the city in there. You can go in and ask any questions and they will be happy to help you out. Let's keep going. And just a few steps away you're gonna find the National Library of Guatemala. It's a book lover's dream with over 150,000 books and newspapers as well as murals and a relief you can see it right out here. It's definitely a cool place to check out. But one of the best known places here in Zone 1 and I believe one of the most famous roads in Guatemala is right here this is Paseo De La Sexta, also known as Sixth Ave. It runs from the plaza all the way down to Calle 18. And back in the day when it was developed it was kind of compared to Fifth Ave in New York City. You know it was where all the big fashion stores were. Nowadays it's a little different so why don't we take a stroll and check it out together. Man, first impressions I'm really enjoying this road. People are just out having a nice leisurely stroll. You hear that music behind me? It's either a xylophone or a marimba whatever it is I like it. If you are enjoying the street performers make sure you leave them a little tip it helps them out and it makes your day a little better. There are also tons of stores and restaurants we are walking past. The aromas are in the air and I'm starting to get hungry. Let's see what we can find and keep on heading down the road! I've been looking for a Michelangelo backpack with spikes on it for years! That is cool. Something else that's really surprised me since we've gotten here is the amount of American-based fast food we've seen. McDonald's are everywhere. Burger King. There's a Wendy's on the corner here. You never find Wendy's. And right behind me here is Little Caesars or as I like to call it Pequeno Cesars! Check out this line. They actually have the same deal that we have at home the five dollar hot and ready but it's the 40 Quetzales hot and ready which is equivalent to five dollars. I think that's so cool. We have been seeing people with these cups all like down the road here. They're filled with mango and they have different toppings on them like chamoy but I saw this one up here it's mango with chocolate. So what do you say we get that. I say we do. Kind of fuel ourselves up a bit more for the rest of the day. I love it. I could not be happier right now we are at Señor Mango and we got our choco mango. Look at this. There's chocolate on top with some sprinkles. A couple of cookies there as well. And the mango is nice and cool on this hot day. I'm really looking forward to jumping into this! Wow! I would have never thought to put chocolate in mango together. Well apparently Guatemalans are geniuses. Now that we had a little sugar boost let's get back on the road and see what else we can find. So yes it seems like where everybody's just coming down and enjoying themselves doing a little shopping or getting a bite to eat. It's really nice. What I love is that it's pedestrian only so you don't have to worry about any cars. And can I just point out another thing. Do you see any trash on the road here? I don't. And we've seen a lot of people picking up that trash so that is why so thank you so much for that. But it is so so clean here. And we saw this crowd right here and of course you know we're curious so we were wondering what it was for. There's a sports store here and in the front they have this huge TV. They're playing the football game, the soccer game, so everyone's crowded around here checking it out. You gotta get your game time in! Exactly! And while you're walking down the street make sure to keep those eyes open because there are beautiful buildings all along the way that have some amazing architecture. Look at this place right behind me here. It's the Ministry of the Interior it looks like a castle out of a fairy tale or something. All right we have made it to the end of the Avenue here and it looks like there is another open air market. So you can keep on shopping. Shop till' you drop baby. That's what I was gonna say! But how about our first impressions. It was beautiful. The architecture was wonderful. I love all the indigenous women in their traditional clothes. And you know what people were just so friendly. Yes and you know before we came here we were kind of apprehensive maybe is the word. Yeah because we have heard so much negative reviews about the city. And we got here and we're like what what was that? I mean you know and we're we can only speak on Zone 1 right now. And just this little portion of it. But I can tell you we felt completely safe down there. I mean do they have city problems? Yeah. This is the biggest city in Central America. There's going to be some homelessness. There's going to be some shady characters around. We even saw a little fight break out but it didn't make us feel uncomfortable in the least little bit. It's just part of the reality in in living in a big city. Yeah and as as you know when you travel the cities what do you do you just watch your surroundings, know where you are, don't act like a drunk idiot. And I forgot to mention it again but it is so clean here. Yeah it really is. But we're gonna head to our next Zone. Zone 4. We're gonna walk over there. It's a really cool spot it's actually where where we're staying right now. Really artsy unique feel to it. So come with us! This little kid over here got the backpack I wanted. The turtle shell with the little spikes on it. It's baloney. He's a lucky little kid right there. Jealous much? I am. Cowabunga dude! While you're walking to Zone 4 you are gonna pass some notable buildings like this one right here the Palace of Justice which is home to the Supreme Court of Guatemala. As well as... Museo Numismatico which you can see behind me here. This is a free history museum where you can enter and learn about the country's currency. This is called the Quetzal. And it's actually named after Guatemala's national bird the Quetzal you can see right here. Something very interesting we learned was that back in ancient times the Mayas used the Quetzal's tail feather as currency so they have adopted that little bit of culture into their currency which I think is just really neat. 20 quetzales this is equivalent to about two and a half US dollars. I believe right now the exchange rate is eight quetzales to one US dollar. I love it. Look how pretty it is. Welcome to Zona 4, or Zone four. It's diagonal streets are filled with trendy restaurants, bars, cafes and shops. As well as beautiful street art like you can see right here but it wasn't always this way. I read that this urban renewal project started back in 2001 with local entrepreneurs wanting to transform this once rundown area into a cultural meeting place where people would want to come here and enjoy time with their friends and family instead of just passing through. And they definitely achieved their goal! Like I was saying before keep those peepers peeping people because it seems like around every corner there is another beautiful piece of unique art. It really enhances the neighborhood and it's something that I find to be one of my favorite things when you come to a city. And you're also going to want to keep your eyes open for the sculptures in this Zone. They're really neat. This one behind me is La Fuerza de la Conectividad. The power or strength of connectivity. Referring to those technologies that have united humanity and transformed our world. Right here in the center of the zone you are gonna find Via 5. This is a pedestrian walkway feels like the kind of the beating heart of this zone right here. Up and down it you're gonna find a lot of restaurants that are just covered in this beautiful greenery which I love seeing in a city. There are also a lot of cafes and I know Adam is ready to get some caffeine running through his veins so let's go find one together! After sugar, coffee is Guatemala's most important agricultural export. Which means fortunately for us they have a very nice coffee culture here. We just stepped into the coffee district and I got myself this delicious looking cappuccino right here. I can't wait to taste this one out. And it smells so good! Oh man. Wow! The roast is perfect. The milk is nice and warm and frothy. And while I'm enjoying it check out the view over here it's absolutely beautiful. They have this little garden you can sit in and just relax. I'm digging it here. I thought I would let Adam enjoy his coffee in peace so I took a little tour of this place. So The Coffee District is just one of many businesses that are in this house here. This is called Casa del Aguila, The House of the Eagle. It was built back in the 1800s and originally was a Tile Factory but since then it's been restored and it's now home to these restaurants. There's also a brewery here. Downstairs they have a courtyard where you can go enjoy a beverage. So yeah when you're in this zone definitely make a point to stop by here and enjoy the beauty of it and enjoy some time with your friends or family or just on your own! Oh yeah! That coffee hit me good baby! Oh my gosh. I love that they have these little workout stations on the corner right across from a brewery so I can work out have a beer. And we also ate at this delightful vegan restaurant yesterday called Moonrise that was just delicious. And I know what some of you are thinking, "how in the heck did you get Adam to eat some vegan food?" Well I had to trick him I didn't tell him. But it was delicious. We ended up getting the magical corn, the spring rolls as well as the Yala Yala Bowl. Very big portion so just be aware. If you're looking for some vegan food or just some nutritional you know some nutritious food to really give you some good energy we definitely recommend Moonrise. All right let's head over to where we are staying and show you some more. Some along. Does anybody know of a good hotel around here? No. All right let's keep going! Just behind us here is the building we are staying in it's called A4. Edificio A4. We booked it on Airbnb for $39 a night. Our apartment features a nice open living room and full kitchen as well as a nice comfortable bed and full bath. It also has two sliding doors that give us a great view of the city. But the absolute best part of the Airbnb is definitely the terrace up here. There's a seating area where you can just sit down, relax with the sun on your face. And make sure to look out because you will see volcanoes in the distance. That's right. Guatemala City is located in a valley surrounded by four volcanoes. I believe the country has 37 in total and this one back here was just erupting. That's Volcan Fuego. When we go to Antigua we're going to talk about the volcanoes a bit more. I'm actually gonna hike this one right back here and take you along with me. So can't wait for that! All right well let's get back down on the streets and keep exploring. Just across from our spot you will find several more luxurious and modern apartment buildings. It kind of forms this little village kind of feeling. Right here is a courtyard that's filled with restaurants and bars as well as a market and gym. Right in front of me is Mercado Dealado. I went to Bululu Arepas the other day and had this delicious handmade arepa that was stuffed with fried plantains, black beans and pork. Not only was it incredible but it was huge as well! I definitely recommend coming down and having something to eat at one of the many different restaurants they have here because if you don't you're going to be missing out! Well that is our tour here of Zona 4. Please let us know what you think about it. We love it! Yeah we do. And the day actually took a little bit longer than anticipated we were having such a good time so we're gonna have to continue this tomorrow when we take you to some more of the beautiful zones in the city. Yeah which I'm excited. We get to film for two days with y'all! Amazing. Well we will see you then. Good morning and welcome back. We are starting here today in this beautiful Botanical Garden. It is such a wonderful thing when you can come to a city and kind of get away from it all and back to nature. You can hear the birds chirping. There are squirrels eating in the trees. The walking trails are gorgeous and you can really get a good sense of the Flora and Fauna that you can find here in Guatemala. Yeah it's located just south of Zone 4 about a five minute walk from where we're staying so it's been a nice little escape for us like Adam said while we've been here. Yeah it was 10 pesos to get in so just a little bit... Not pesos he's stuck on pesos because we were just in Mexico for so long. That's right. It was 10 quetzales to get in and that includes entrance to the Natural History Museum where you can see things like fossils, insects, reptiles mammals. They even show you how Central America was formed. It's really cool with some great information. Yeah we love it so definitely stop by here when you are in the city. It's open what Monday to Friday from I believe eight until three. Okay wonderful. All right we are now gonna hop back on Avenida La Reforma. It's one of the main roads that cuts through the city so come along. As you're exploring the city you're going to notice some beautiful statues and monuments like this one right here, Torre Del Reformador. It was built in 1935 to honor the ninth president of Guatemala and stands 72 meters tall and spans across the entire intersection. It kind of reminds me of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Right now we are standing in the median of the beautiful tree-lined Avenida Reforma. It was built in 1897 and inspired by the Champs-Élysées in Paris. There's some French inspiration going around here. It actually connects the northern zones to the southern zones and separate Zona 9 and Zona 10 right here. And unfortunately you're not going to be able to see any of the original buildings due to the earthquake but it is still a great place to come down and take a stroll or... Take out your bike because there is a beautiful bike path that runs right down the center of the street. And while we're enjoying our time here we would love to give a shout out to our new Patrons: Michelle, Brian, Tina, Tracie Jordan and Elina. Thank you so much for all of your support. This adventure is better because you're on our team and we cannot thank you enough for it. Yeah and this is our first Patreon shout out in a new country here in Guatemala how cool is that? Oh lucky you! And if you would like to join our Patreon community we'll put a link in the description below. All right let's keep going! As we've continued down Avenida Reforma we've noticed that Zone 9 and 10 seem to be the financial or commercial districts. I mean look at these huge buildings behind me here. There are a ton of banks as well as some fancy schmancy hotels. So why don't we head into Zone 10 and see what we can find. Wow look at the sidewalks. They're marble here. I mean if you're looking for an upscale place to stay this is definitely the spot for you. And while we're waiting for our room at the Westin to be prepared. I'm just kidding we're not going to be staying at the Westin it's just a tiny bit out of our price range. But standing right here I can look out and see a Marriott, Radisson, a Hilton, a Hyatt. They have motels, hotels and there's even a Holiday Inn. So if you need someplace fancy to stay this is definitely where you want to come! Holiday Inn! And if you're into shopping it seems like Zone 10 is the place to do it as there are a few plazas here like this one Plaza Fontabella. We stopped in here the other day and let me tell you we were blown away. Inside it's like this open air mall with a lot of luxury shops and some very upscale restaurants. There's even some fountains in the middle, some beautiful courtyards. We absolutely loved taking a stroll through there. And we are pretty hungry right now so we're gonna head into this restaurant right here so come with us. We just sat down here at Tre Fratelli and let me tell you the variety of food on that menu and it's a picture menu too which I love - it was very hard to choose! As soon as I opened it up my mouth was just instantaneously watering. And we were gonna go for some Guatemalan food but I know throughout this series here in Guatemala we're gonna have a lot of local cuisine so we thought why not treat ourselves here and get some Italian. Well I mean this is Guatemalan Italian right? So I guess we are eating Guatemalan food. Yeah but we're out here on their little deck. Surrounding it is this beautiful water feature. It's pretty cool. Yeah it feels really nice. So we are just waiting for our food. We actually saved a seat for you too right over here. You can't have any of my pasta though I'm sorry you have to get your own. So we'll see you when the food arrives. I got the Pasta Inferno which is linguine with housemate sausage and shrimp with a cream sauce that has a nice little picante kick to it. Let's jump in. I just prepared the perfect bite right here. Let's taste this out. Wow! That sausage is perfectly seasoned. The shrimp is nice and firm. That sauce has just enough spice to give it that little oomph in the mouth and the pasta is a perfect Al Dente! This is a winner for sure. And I went kind of the opposite way of Adam I got a chicken dish. The chicken cacciatore, is that how you say it? It's my first time having it and it is so good. The chicken is very moist. On the side normally comes some pasta but I decided to just get double veg. And it's a nice little medley here. So yeah this is definitely a winner as well. We have just found this beautiful bench underneath this shady little tree right here just sitting enjoying the fountain in front of us and letting our stomachs digest that food. I'm stuffed. Yeah me too. But we thought we'd give you some more of our recommendations from the area. Oh great idea! The first two are right here in Zone 10. They are both museums that are definitely worth a visit. The first one, I might butcher the name a little but it is it Museo Ixchel del Traje Inigena. It's a wonderful museum where you can go and learn about Guatemala's Mayan textiles through their many exhibitions of dress, arts and crafts. And the next one is Museo Popol Vuh which documents Guatemala's indigenous culture and history through its statues, masks, burial urns and other artifacts. And what I really liked about the both of them is the information is in Spanish and English which is really nice. And you know when you're coming to a country it's also it's always very important to learn as much as you can about the history. Just to get a better appreciation of the people and the culture. As well as a Central Market that's located in Zone 1 right behind that beautiful church that we showed you. It has everything that you want in a market. Great local goods. It has produce, meat, a very nice looking food court. I went to Doña Mela and actually got some delicious treats. I have no idea what I got I just said give me something that is very traditional and she did. It was all delicious but at the end I asked about one particular dish. It had some chicharrones on top. And she said oh es Ceviche de Cerdo. And I'm like Ceviche de Cerdo... Oh it was the stomach of pig. And I'll tell you what. I'm glad I didn't know what it was when I ate it because it was actually good and I probably wouldn't have gotten it had I known before I tasted it. Also if you're hanging out in town there keep those peepers peeping people because you will see a small herd of goats that are being led around by these two young ladies. And you know what they're doing? I couldn't figure it out at first they're actually milking the goats and giving people fresh frothy glasses of warm goat's milk. I got one I didn't actually drink it I gave it away to a local that was sitting next to me laughing at me when she saw me buy it. But it seems to be really popular. And they were getting stopped all the time so that's definitely worth checking out as well and a great picture opportunity. And our last recommendation is here in Zone 10 at the Oakland Mall. We're not huge shoppers but let me tell you when we came in here our jaws dropped to the floor. Absolutely gorgeous. There's like five or six levels here. Has everything you could want from back home. So if you're looking for something in particular you can come here and find it plus much more. Right now we're out here in this rooftop lounge area. I just looked up and saw that the ceiling actually retracts so that's the sky right there. So you can enjoy this fresh breeze. They also have a carousel and a movie theater so some activities for the family. So yeah if you're looking for maybe it's a rainy day and you don't know what to do you can come here to the mall or if you love shopping shop till you drop. Well unfortunately the time has come. We have to say our goodbyes but before we do we would like to you know talk a bit more about our first impressions of the city. I mean first impression one of the cleanest cities I feel like I've ever experienced. Like not one scrap of trash. And this is the biggest city in Central America. That's pretty awesome. And I know we just explored you know Zone 1, 4 and 10 a little bit of 9. We're in Plaza Espana right now that is really nice. So we can't talk about the entire city. Just our experiences here. But yeah super clean. And also I just wanted to say you know when I do my research to go to a place I'm sure maybe you do too you check out some blogs online. Every single one I read said not to come here. And it wasn't because those people had come here and had some experience they hadn't even been here. Yeah it was somebody else's story or somebody else's story that somebody else had that then they shared with them. I mean you need to go out and experience things for yourself. We're not saying there aren't dangerous parts here in the city. But you know what. You are a traveler and you can choose where you want to go. Go to the nice parts of the city and you're probably going to have a great experience. If you go to the dangerous parts of the city you're probably not going to have such a great experience. Yeah. It's completely up to you. And the last time we were here we definitely followed people's word and didn't come to the city but I'm glad we changed our minds. You know well we we're free thinking. We were like let's go to the capital of Guatemala. Why would we miss that? And we're so glad that we did. So I hope this video just showed you that other side of Guatemala City. I mean and that is such an important lesson about life and travel. Keep an open mind. I mean keep your head on your shoulders. Make sure you're making safe and correct decisions. But you know don't just shut something down because you heard a rumor that maybe something wouldn't be good. That zone we're staying in in Zone 4. It is so cool. We were actually talking about it would be a great place to even live like there is such a great little community and culture there. Where you can just kind of hang out and enjoy yourself. So many great restaurants and it feels really safe. And what I like is that you still get that culture here, right? There are some really new modern restaurants but also you're walking by some ladies on the street selling tamales. So it's just yeah it's we love you tamale ladies! Yeah it's been really nice being here. And so yeah thank you so so much. It would have been nowhere near as much fun if you hadn't been here to share it with so thank you for that. If you enjoyed this video please give us a big thumbs up, comment, subscribe and don't forget to DLING, DLING, DLING, DLING the bell! We'll see you, next time! Adios!