One Guatemalan city that looks like the GTA game.

Xela is most likely the second oldest town in whole of Guatemala. Its buildings and ancient ruins or monuments strongly resembles Antigua - the most famous and visited place. It was my third day here and due to inconsistent weather I had to compromise and improvise on my activities.

Visiting few more volcanoes is always an option here, but after a long hike up to Santa Maria - 3772 m, I had enough for the moment. I had to find some easy things to do and at the same time try to understand the local culture.

So let me take you on a random walk over the terraces of this fabulous city...

Because this part of Guatemala is still fairly unexplored one is often the only gringo on the street. This creates amazing moments and friendly locals like to show of quite a bit. Many of them greet you with smiles and "Buenos dias" everywhere you go. Some are posing for you when you take out your camera. I am new to taking pictures of strangers and because I myself don't like to be photographed by unknown people I tend to be careful with my camera. As on the picture the bus driver's assistant is going wild knowing I will take a picture of him.

This clearly speaks out for the local people. Many are curious about us visitors and are eager to find out where do we come from. "Estados Unidos?" is another common question. We are all gringos in their eyes. In fact anybody with European look is.

I have set off for my lazy hike around the city surroundings and "sketchy" neighborhoods. Hiking my way up to catch some views I felt like in the game GTA. Slum like atmosphere, old american cars and fast motorcycles reminded me of the times when I used to play this rather addictive game.

My days in Quetzaltenango (Xela) were followed by cold and rainy weather so most of the day had to be squeezed into the morning/early afternoon. When I started my descent back to the city it was already lunchtime and hunger kicked in. There are many places that sell "economico" food which is often also very delicious but this time they ran out of the chicken soup that I wanted to enjoy on the cheap. So I had to visit the market and cook on my own again...

Before you know it I stumble across a barbershop and feel like I could use an upgrade on my looks. The local "kids" actually knew what they are doing and even though they were very young they totally understand my request and showed me google images to be sure what we are going to make. I ended up spending about four dollars and walk away like a new person.

Afterwards I have joined forces with Jovani - a local guy to make some quick and healthy food. We had leftovers of spinach, tomatoes and sausages from the other day and with a little improvisation it ended up a very tasty food which we enjoyed on the hostel's rooftop terrace. Jovani shared very valuable information about Guatemala and the region I am now in. I have listened carefully not to miss anything important on my future journey - most likely to somewhere in Southern Mexico...

All the best,

Global Local