Driving in Guatemala is an interesting ride.
Our friends were good enough to lend us a pre-2000 Toyota Landcruiser wagon. It was a bruiser of a cruiser; dark tinted windows, steampunk bull bar. It drove like a Sherman tank but was a big dog on the road, and when driving in Guatemala being a big dog comes in handy.
The Roads
The roads are a mixed bag. On the main thoroughfares, they’re great, but the quality falls away in the rural areas, in some cases literally. On one trip where I was a passenger, we took a terrifying goat track. We took a sharp turn and had to drive over a part of the road that had fallen off the side of the cliff. Our front and then the rear tire was literally hanging in mid-air.
Police
Police are rarely seen in rural areas however roadblocks are common in built-up areas, particularly Guatemala City.
Guatemala Police can be a bit daunting as they tend to team up with military personnel, so there are big guns, lots of camo, and serious faces.
We didn’t really have any hassles with the Police. Sure, we heard stories, some good and others not so good. Thankfully the Police have more than enough to do. Unfortunately, they do tend to set up roadblocks on the busiest thoroughfares and at peak times. Often we would wonder if there must have beeen a major accident ahead as it was common to hit traffic jams coming into Guatemala City; no, it was just a Police roadblock.
We were advised by friends to expect that the Police might require an on-the-spot cash ‘donation’ but we were lucky, and we didn’t have any such challenges.
Roadworks and Speed Humps
Warnings before arriving at roadworks and speed humps isn’t a priority in Guatemala. Not so much a problem on the rural roads however it can get quite hairy on highways. Driving along at 80 km per hour and ‘surprise’ a single road cone in the middle of the road warning that the lane is merging with oncoming traffic.
Speed humps are hilarious. Just about anyone can put a speed hump on a road. A Guatemalan speed hump can be high or low and are seldom marked. It’s an unexpected thrill to be cruising along a poorly lit road and encountering one of these beauties. That’s why they’re called ‘speed humps’.
Chicken Buses
The most abundant form of public transport is the chicken bus. These are imported from the USA, ex-school buses. They’re refitted with a beefed-up motor and they’re fast. The rules don’t apply to chicken buses. If a chicken bus wants to do something it does it, and you had better give way.
We didn’t have the pleasure of riding on a chicken bus. The seats are generally modified so that they’re crammed in. When the bus is full the ticket seller climbs over passengers and seats to collect fares.
Road Rules
The initial challenge was to get my head around driving on the wrong side of the road. I was surprised how quickly it was to adapt, but occassionaly my concentration lapsed. Thankfully my passengers gently reminded me by way of blood-curdling screams and flailing of arms. From a legal perspective, I was ok because it’s not unusual to come across people driving on the wrong side of the road. Don’t hit a cow, a pedestrian, or another car and you’ll be ok.
I assured myself that in time I would learn the rules; but my assurance morphed into a sobre acceptance that there didn’t seem to be much in the way of actual rules. I asked my friends many times about areas of road etiquette that I was puzzled about. I would generally receive a reply such as ‘The biggest vehicle has the right of way’.
The only rule I was constantly reminded of was that I must not collide with any cattle, and if I did I should leave the scene before the owners turned up. I thought this was a joke, but they were serious. If a gringo hits a cow it’s entirely acceptable that the farmer may demand some exorbitant price for his loss. The formula was the price of cow x 50 or something like that.
It’s also not advisable to collide with a pedestrian. The prevailing advice was that if that did happen you would most likely be jailed until the matter was settled in court.
The Guatemalan Driving Mindset
Surprisingly, I adapted to the Guatemalan way of driving. I realized that my mindset had changed from when I was driving in NZ. Instead of being hung up on rules, it was more a case of just doing what seemed to be the safest given the circumstances.
If a larger vehicle comes toward you on a narrow stretch of road, just pull over, and let it pass. Don’t try to figure it out, do what feels safe. Despite the chaos, most Guatemalan’s s adopt this principle…and it works most of the time.
Accidents Do Happen
I was a party to a traffic accident, and the outcome was interesting. A friend was driving, and he attempted to overtake a stationary truck. Without warning, the truck turned into us and took out our side mirror. My friend stopped and had an animated chat with the truck driver.
I was expecting things to escalate, but to my relief, the discussion ended with both parties laughing. The truck driver took the mirror, and off we went. My friend explained that the truck driver would arrange to have the mirror repaired. I laughed; the mirror was damaged and repair wasn’t an option. A week or 2 later the mirror was returned, the plastic had been welded and the mirror looked almost as good as new.
Guatemalans are incredibly resourceful. If something breaks or malfunctions, they’re inclined to do everything to repair it rather than replace it. This was just one of their admirable qualities.
Disclaimer: No passengers fell off the roof. We were located in a sleepy village in Guatemala. We would often walk faster than you drove!
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[…] Guarani or the ‘people’s language’, along with Spanish is the official language of Par…. In 1967 Guarani was declared a national language and in 1992 it was endorsed as the official language of Paraguay.An estimated 70% of the 7.5 million Paraguay citizens habitually speak Guarani; 90% of the population speak a hybrid of Spanish and Guarani, which they call jopará.But not everyone is entirely happy about jopará, as it’s regarded as a degraded form of the Guarani language.Guarani is a member of the Tupi-Guarani branch of the Tupi family that originated in Brazil. Guarani is also spoken in Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil by an estimated 6.5 million people.Franciscan and Jesuit missionaries developed the written version and based it on the Latin alphabet.Guarani has been regarded as an act of defiance and a symbol of independence from the Spanish influence. Public figures are gauged by whether or not they speak in Guarani and various characters have skilfully utilized the language to provoke a sense of national identity.The fact that an indigenous language has survived and prevailed is incredible. Throughout South America and the world, scores of languages have been assimilated and consumed. […]
Thanks for all the great info 🙂 One of the many things we love about Paraguay is that their culture is still part of their everyday life!