kricau Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 My husband (an electrician) has been doing side jobs for a man, who owns a charter fishing company, for years now. And he has been trying to get hubby to go to Guatemala to do work on the boats there. We were seriously considering it. It would be a GREAT learning adventure for the kids. And a HUGE financial benefit for us all. So last night I looked up a little info about Guatemala on the U.S. Embassy website. Well, I was shocked by what I found. They have so many warnings for tourists! Drugs, Violent Crimes, Kidnapping, Carjacking, Protest Demonstrations, etc.... So, what I am asking is : Are the warnings true? Has anyone been there? Or know someone who has? Thanks for any advice you can give :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i.love.lucy Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Well, Dayle in Guatemala lives there and has posted some real adventures, especially it seems about the weather! Hopefully you can find her to pm or she will see this post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfgivas Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 we check travel warnings from other countries to see if there is a real concern. here is a link to the canadian one: http://www.voyage.gc.ca/countries_pays/report_rapport-eng.asp?id=112000 it says there is no official warning.... but they do have some interesting reading. eg. It is highly recommended that Canadians inquire about local security conditions before travelling to the Department of Izabal, especially the areas of Lake Izabal, RÃo Dulce, Livingston, Puerto Barrios, and El Petén (including the tourist site of Tikal). Protests and civil unrest have recently occurred in these areas. Travellers to these popular tourist sites are susceptible to violent carjackings and robberies. In south-eastern districts close to the borders with El Salvador and Honduras, and in northern districts along the border with Mexico, drug-related violence has led to a number of armed attacks. Violence related to drug trafficking has also been reported in Guatemala City as well as other major cities in the country. Foreigners and tourists are not usually targeted but should nonetheless remain vigilant at all times. Military and police forces, deployed along the border with Mexico to combat organized crime and improve security conditions, are conducting random vehicle searches. hth, ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 I hope you're doing okay. I just saw six threads started by you with a :o face. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kricau Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 LOL I am fine :) I just like to use the purple smiley (or I thought it was a smiley?) face so I will recognize my own threads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kricau Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 Oooh!!! I hope she see's this :) Well, Dayle in Guatemala lives there and has posted some real adventures, especially it seems about the weather! Hopefully you can find her to pm or she will see this post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatA Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 I see that face as the "i farted" face... Probably just me though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 I have a friend from there. She doesn't go home to visit, she has her family come here. She says it is a very dangerous place to live and has no plans to return. Her neighbor was kidnapped, and didn't come back. :( Her parents were professionals, and I guess that sometimes makes it more dangerous for the professional, because it is assumed that the family has more money to pay ransoms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Our family visited Dayle for 11 days a few years ago. Our trip was lovely. Yes, the concerns are true. Theft is a major concern, and kidnappings do happen. We were warned by MANY people not to go off on our own outside of town. If we wanted to do a zipline or hike on a mountain, we were advised to have an armed guard accompany us. It was a little weird, but we did adjust to having a guy with a large gun tag along. The larger concerns are generally related to theft. On the other hand, it is different from what people fear. Dayle has raised her family there for years. Her daughters go to the mall and do other fun things with friends. They do take precautions, but they seem to find plenty of ways to enrich their lives and enjoy themselves. When our family was there, we felt fine being out and about. We shopped at the local market and tooled around town just fine. We took language lessons, visited many wonderful sites (ruins or historic places mostly), enjoyed time at the park. I lived for fourteen years in an impoverished, high crime, African-American section of a large city. My neighborhood was considered to be "not that bad," though I had (have) dear friends in much rougher areas of the city and am familiar with some of the roughest neighborhoods in the country. I had to take precautions raising children in that environment, certainly. They were never allowed in the front yard alone, for one thing. There were ugly city issues that we lived with and dealt with--drunks, drug dealers, crime, government corruption, etc. It wasn't really "safe," yet we had a very good life there. We had many neighbors we cherished. We had really fun block parties. We went Christmas caroling with neighbors each year and played with neighbor kids on the front lawn. And so on. When we visited Guatemala, it was eye-opening to realize that America's inner cities are really no different from life in a third world country. We certainly didn't see much difference between some areas of Guatemala and some neighborhoods in Chicago. Pray about it and see how God leads. I believe wholeheartedly that it is possible to live well in Guatemala or other places like that. The more people live well in such a place, the more that place changes for the better. The only place I would really, really resist going is somewhere there is an active war. That would probably include ongoing gang warfare for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kricau Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 Wow!!! thanks :) that was very informative. Yes, will definatly have to pray about it. I just like to have all the facts (control freak) before I start praying. LOL Our family visited Dayle for 11 days a few years ago. Our trip was lovely. Yes, the concerns are true. Theft is a major concern, and kidnappings do happen. We were warned by MANY people not to go off on our own outside of town. If we wanted to do a zipline or hike on a mountain, we were advised to have an armed guard accompany us. It was a little weird, but we did adjust to having a guy with a large gun tag along. The larger concerns are generally related to theft. On the other hand, it is different from what people fear. Dayle has raised her family there for years. Her daughters go to the mall and do other fun things with friends. They do take precautions, but they seem to find plenty of ways to enrich their lives and enjoy themselves. When our family was there, we felt fine being out and about. We shopped at the local market and tooled around town just fine. We took language lessons, visited many wonderful sites (ruins or historic places mostly), enjoyed time at the park. I lived for fourteen years in an impoverished, high crime, African-American section of a large city. My neighborhood was considered to be "not that bad," though I had (have) dear friends in much rougher areas of the city and am familiar with some of the roughest neighborhoods in the country. I had to take precautions raising children in that environment, certainly. They were never allowed in the front yard alone, for one thing. There were ugly city issues that we lived with and dealt with--drunks, drug dealers, crime, government corruption, etc. It wasn't really "safe," yet we had a very good life there. We had many neighbors we cherished. We had really fun block parties. We went Christmas caroling with neighbors each year and played with neighbor kids on the front lawn. And so on. When we visited Guatemala, it was eye-opening to realize that America's inner cities are really no different from life in a third world country. We certainly didn't see much difference between some areas of Guatemala and some neighborhoods in Chicago. Pray about it and see how God leads. I believe wholeheartedly that it is possible to live well in Guatemala or other places like that. The more people live well in such a place, the more that place changes for the better. The only place I would really, really resist going is somewhere there is an active war. That would probably include ongoing gang warfare for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kricau Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 cool :) thanks we check travel warnings from other countries to see if there is a real concern. here is a link to the canadian one:http://www.voyage.gc.ca/countries_pays/report_rapport-eng.asp?id=112000 it says there is no official warning.... but they do have some interesting reading. eg. It is highly recommended that Canadians inquire about local security conditions before travelling to the Department of Izabal, especially the areas of Lake Izabal, RÃo Dulce, Livingston, Puerto Barrios, and El Petén (including the tourist site of Tikal). Protests and civil unrest have recently occurred in these areas. Travellers to these popular tourist sites are susceptible to violent carjackings and robberies. In south-eastern districts close to the borders with El Salvador and Honduras, and in northern districts along the border with Mexico, drug-related violence has led to a number of armed attacks. Violence related to drug trafficking has also been reported in Guatemala City as well as other major cities in the country. Foreigners and tourists are not usually targeted but should nonetheless remain vigilant at all times. Military and police forces, deployed along the border with Mexico to combat organized crime and improve security conditions, are conducting random vehicle searches. hth, ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 In big cities one area can be very different from another. I would research the particulars and pm Dayle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kricau Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 Yeah, my hubby is going to ask the guy where exactly it would be. Thanks In big cities one area can be very different from another. I would research the particulars and pm Dayle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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