Moon Handbooks Guatemala

Our Review of Moon Guatemala 2010 Edition

Al Argueta, et al., at Moon Handbooks Guatemala are going to think that I forgot about them, since they sent me this book about four months ago, but after having taken the time to read every word of Moon Handbooks: Guatemala, (available in paperback and Kindle versions), my conclusion is that this is the best Guatemala travel guide I have ever used. I have traveled quite a bit within Guatemala, covering almost every region, and Al really does well in this version. First, I'll address the main characteristics of the book, then some notes about each region.

Maps

Being a bit of a map aficionado, I was very impressed with the maps included in this version. In the past, I've used guidebooks that just had maps of small sections of a city, or sometimes just a description, and that just really doesn't work.

On the first page of the book after the title page, there is a wonderful two-page map of Guatemala, including all major cities, numbered highways, and tons of Mayan sites (this is going to prove very useful for updating All-About-Guatemala.com!) Also, if you're a bus traveler like me, you'll appreciate that Al has included a large portion of Chiapas, Mexico, almost all of Belize, and about half of Honduras and El Salvador on this map. In case it's not readily apparent why this is important, it will be the first time you have to figure out which border crossing is best by comparing a map and guidebooks from two different countries (while on a bus trying not to look like a tourist or bother the breastfeeding mother next to you) and hope you don't end up in some dead end road in the middle of nowhere when you just really want to get to the capital. This map alone might be worth the price of admission :)

Since Moon Handbooks: Guatemala guide is handily divided into six sections, it does conveniently have a map of those sections on page 9, including, of course, parts of other countries to help yourself get oriented.

Guatemala City maps - WOW! The two-page spread on page 28-29 covers the whole capital - this is a map that I had to go to the Instituto Geográfico Nacional in Zona 14 to get (granted, mine is wall sized, but with the same info) when I first moved to Guatemala. You can see every section of the city, numbered even by zone, with blowup maps of several sections that have their own one- or two-page spreads. These are much more than tourist spots - a resident of the city would be well-served to have one of these in the car to get around.

Blown-Up Maps of Guatemala City

Zona 1 and 4 - The historic center of the city, sometimes dangerous, but always interesting. This map is great (pages 34-35) because you won't get lost with it, and it includes a good cross section of restaurants, tourist spot, buildings of historical significance, and even the Mercado Central, where you can get the same souvenirs as you can in Antigua, for the most part, at a much lower price. Probably not worth traveling all the way to Zona 1 for if you weren't going anyway. The map lists all the major bus companies, since there's no centralized bus station in the capital.

Two places of interest for me, anyway, are the Cafeteria Patsy at the bottom of page 34 was the first place I ever ate in Guatemala City, and if you really want a variety of free maps, visit the INGUAT office in the middle of page 35 just below the two big shaded areas. When and if the Transmetro becomes safe enough for regular travel, this Zona 1 and 4 map will be extremely useful.

Zonas 9, 10, 13, 14 (pages 38-39) - Most people who stay in the capital for a few days will get much use out of this map and the blown up map of the Zona Viva. This includes central Guatemala City and around the airport, and has several museums, many hotels, and restaurants, even the US embassy. These really are the best maps I've seen in a long time. The Zona Viva map on page 43 deserved more than the quarter page it got in the Moon Handbooks: Guatemala, in my opinion, but it's sufficient.

Zona 15, 16, Carretera a El Salvador map (p 46) - Having spent most of the last two years in these zones, it was nice that this map was included in the Moon Handbooks: Guatemala. At first glance, this map looks extremely complicated simply because of the curviness of the roads. However, once you actually drive/ride on the them, it's not as bad as it seems. Only a couple of landmarks are noted here, but that's mainly because this is a residential and university area, and almost all of the international schools in Guatemala are located in this zone (though not marked on the map). This map would be very handy for incoming teachers at the international schools.

Transmetro - These maps are perhaps the most - I wouldn't say inaccurate, most like incomplete - of the maps in Moon Handbooks: Guatemala. There's a good reason for that, and that reason is that the whole public transportation system in the capital is in flux right now. As the Transmetro, a "safe" way to use public transport in the capital, matures, expect many changes. So, use the route maps on page 73 as a guide, but be sure to ask around before you depend on it.

Also, the Transurbano, a more extensive version of the Transmetro that connects to "extraurbano" buses that go to other parts of the country, is not mentioned at all as far as I can see in this guide. Giving Al the benefit of the doubt, by the time he had to submit this for publication, there may not have been much, if any information. Hopefully this will be covered in future editions of Moon Handbooks: Guatemala, and will change the way independent travelers travel around the country.

Antigua Guatemala Maps - The Moon Handbooks: Guatemala guide does a good job with the Antigua maps, as well. There's a two-page overall view of the entire town, not just the several (nine, is it?) square blocks that make up the city. Something that was missing in the whole-Guatemala-City map that may seem trivial, but that is included here, is that the roads leading out of the city have arrows labeled with the destinations of those roads - "To Guatemala City" ,"To San Juan del Obispo", etc. This might have been handy on the Guatemala City map, but not doubt more important here for Antigua.

In addition to the overall map, there are two 1 1/2 page maps, one of accommodations and one of nightlife and restaurants. Very well done.

Section Maps

Within the sections of Moon Handbooks: Guatemala, each department or section has its own full page map, labeled with attractions, Mayan Ruins, highways, you name it. Also, many cities have full page maps, as well - very useful for getting around instead of some guidebooks that just say, "head north from the bus station" or something similar. After all - who knows which way is north after riding a Guatemalan bus?? You're lucky to still be standing! Anyway, these are some of the sections and cities for which you'll find a full-page map in the Moon Guatemala Guide:

Chichicastenango (1 page)
Huehuetenango (1 page)
Quetzaltenango/Xela (2 pages)
Pacific Coast (1 page)
Monterrico (1 page)
Map of Eastern Guatemala/Izabál (1 page)
Nice Map of the Copan Ruinas - actual ruins with some explanation (1 page)
1 page map of Copan Ruinas, Honduras
Puerto Barrios (1 page)
Livingston (1 page)
Verapaces (1 1/2 page overview)
Cobán (1 page)
Petén (1 1/2 page)
Flores and Santa Elena (1 page)
Flores (1 page)
Tikal Region (1 1/2 page)
Nice 1 page map of Tikal itself
In the background section of the book, there are also several good physical, political, and protected areas maps of the whole country.

Ok, enough about maps!

As I think is normal, there's a "Discover Guatemala" section in the beginning of Moon Handbooks: Guatemala - about 15 pages' worth - that gives sample itineraries for various lengths of stay from a few days to several weeks. One thing that I would add on the 2 or 3 week list is to stop by the Copan Ruins in Honduras for a day at least. It's not as big as Tikal, but in my opinion, it's just as interesting. The guide has you practically in Copan's backyard when you're heading up to Tikal, so you may as well stop by and see this archaeological marvel. Definitely take a look at these sample itineraries.

Section highlights:

Each section includes a breakdown of many different places to stay, study Spanish, how to get there, and activities to do in each region, department, town, and in the case of the capital, in each major zone. The guide does a great job giving a good overall view of each place, and (finally!) a guide that includes ample email addresses as well as websites, as in previous years - not necessarily talking about Moon here - the only thing provided, if at all, was telephone numbers, which don't do a lot of good if your Spanish is rusty or you're not familiar with international calling.

Individual section Notes

Notes on Guatemala City section:

Safety (or the lack of it) is a serious part of every Guatemala resident's life. If you just spend most of your time in Antigua, you may be tempted to play the part of the oblivious foreigner - please do pay attention, no matter where you go. The safety section on page 31 does touch on these things, but really, it could be displayed more prominently, and I'm no alarmist. This is mostly true for the capital - to a lesser extent for the rest of the country, but do be careful.

Mercado Central in Zona 1 - I really find this place fascinating. The guide only has one paragraph on page 36 and another blurb on a page I can't find at the moment, but this place has any kind of souvenir you'd want. The guide claims that there are Mayan textiles to be found here, but in the many times I've been here, I've never seen them. This gives me hope, though, so be sure to ask around if you visit here.

Hotels: Hotels in Guatemala City and more so in Antigua can be surprisingly expensive (in excess of $200/night!) so the inclusion of the $10 and under accommodation section for most areas is quite welcome. Thanks, Moon Guatemala! When I do my solo jaunts around the country now, I will definitely be consulting with this. The only $10 place I had found before now was stopping at someone's house and asking to stay the night.

Addendums:

Food - the guide mentions several good steakhouses, but for whatever reason, left out La Estancia, which has locations all over the city and is about half the price of El Portal del Angel. The ambiance is usually quite great - no plastic chairs here!

Airport - the airport has a new rule that anyone not traveling cannot even enter the airport. The guy at the door didn't even want to let me help my pregnant wife with her multiple suitcases! Well, I got in (probably due to the fact that I'm more than twice his size), but he didn't like it, so if you don't have a really good reason, be prepared to say a quick goodbye at the door or use an airport shuttle service.

Page 71 - Excellent list of bus lines.

Conclusion:

There are so many things to see and do in Guatemala I would have to write another book just saying how much I like this one. You can tell the author really has traveled in Guatemala and likes it. I can only imagine how much legwork must go into a book like this, but I have to admit, I'm a little jealous that he gets paid to travel around Guatemala and I don't!

The personal recommendations really make the book, from Spanish schools that he has met/studied with personally to hotels, activities, individual tour guides - you name it. It makes me much more comfortable traveling with this guidebook that one that just appears to be a laundry list of hotels pulled from the phone book. And the background section - you know, the one people skip over? - is pretty interesting and written in an engaging style. Check it out. Good job, Moon, and Al - I give this however many thumbs-up it takes to get you to buy it. Buen viaje!

Other Moon Guides from the region:

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