We Finally Made it to Guatemala (Honest First Impressions)

It took us longer than expected, but we made it to Guatemala!! Throughout this video we share our first impressions of Central America with you as we drive from Chiapas, Mexico all the way to Antigua, Guatemala.

This video starts off where the last ended, in Southern Mexico just a couple hours from the Mexico/Guatemala border. A few kilometers before we officially exit Mexico, we get stopped by some police officers and, for the first time during our 8 months in the country, we get asked for a bribe. We were shocked that with just 2 kilometers left in Mexico, it finally happened. We've been asked for bribes in other countries before, so we weren't too shaken by the experience, but were pretty surprised that it finally happened.

The border crossing we chose between Guatemala and Mexico is called La Mesilla. It turned out to be a great border for us as there were hardly any other people passing through, so we didn't have to wait around at all. Border crossings with a dog and a car are always a bit stressful though, and the border to enter Guatemala was no different. We were shuffled around and had to make lots of different payments after exchanging money with a street changer, but in the end, we got it all done! Evie was a total princess through the entire process and we couldn't be more impressed with how far she's come since entering Mexico 8 months ago.

After the border, we really got our first look at Guatemala and share our honest first impressions with you as we begin driving through the country. Having driven ourselves here, it doesn't seem like Guatemala should seem that different to Mexico, and yet it's evident immediately that we are in a different country. The people look different, the infrastructure is different, and before long, we discover that the food is different too. We try our first Guatemala food (or was it Guatemalan...) and make friends with a local before driving all the way to Quetzaltenango for our first night in Guatemala.

The community that our Air BnB is in gives us an incredible glimpse into local Guatemalan life in a big city. It feels like we might be the only tourists in this part of Guatemala, and have to say goodbye to our Air BnB after just one night, but our reward is exploring an awesome nearby mall. Visiting malls around the world is one of Mico's favourite things (he blames his Filipino blood), and this mall did not disappoint!

Before arriving in Antigua, we make a pit stop about half an hour outside the city to view a potential Air BnB we might stay in after our first week in Antigua (spoiler alert, we do stay there!). Viewing this property is one of our first glimpses into regular life in a beautiful Guatemalan community just outside the main tourist attractions of Antigua. Once we enter the iconic city of Antigua, we are greeted with incredible volcano views even though dusk has set in. It's obvious that Antigua is going to be an incredible travel destination that we are so excited to explore!

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== Chapters ==
0:00 Our goodbye to Mexico didn't go very well...
7:55 Will Guatemala let us in?
10:54 First sights and tastes of Guatemala!
19:15 Waking up in a new country
23:15 Our next home in Antigua (and nearby?)

#roadtrip #travelingwithadog #travelguatemala