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A quick recap for those who might want to travel to Guatemala in future
Currency
Bring USD. We changed $200 worth of GTQ in Canada for almost 8% commission at TD (cheapest I found in Vancouver, unfortunately), but this was unnecessary as if you bring USD, you can get by with USD until you can find exchange place outside Guatemala airport. Exchanging CAD to USD will typically cost you less than 1% in Vancouver if you use decent currency exchange place(VBCE, Charlie, etc..) and exchanging USD to GTQ in Antigua will cost you ~1.5%.
I recommend using one of two banks in Antigua near central park for best rate. Please note that each bank will only exchange up to $500 USD per person per month. We brought USD in all high denomination, but do bring some smaller USD. Surprisingly, there were few shuttles/tours/hotels that charges you less in USD.
People
I find Guatemalans much more friendlier than Mexicans. 99% of the people I met on the street greeted me with a smile. They also don't hustle you nearly as much as Mexicans do. Typical haggle went like this:
me: How much do you charge for a trip from x to y?
driver: 20 GTQ.
me: Too expensive. How about 10 GTQ?
driver: ok, let's go
me: ..... wow that was easy..
I never had to haggle back and forth. Either they quote you very fair price or when you tell them what you think it should be, they usually accepted the offer right away. Many shop owners and travel agency gave me discount even before I asked for one. Even when the deal didn't go through, they always smiled and thanked me.
Although almost everyone you meet will be extremely friendly, be cautious and always be respectful. Tourists have been attacked, and even burnt alive by angry mobs in the past when they felt threatened.
Restaurant
TBH, food sucks in Guatemala. Don't expect top notch service from fine dining restaurants. Although they might charge you the price for the fine dining (~$100CAD for lunch), their service was worse than ones you would normally get in a cheap Chinese restaurant here. Pricier restaurants also tends to includes tips in your bill, so be sure to check bills whether tip was added automatically before adding extra tips on top of your bill. Local food tastes were mediocre at best as I find them lack flavors.
Hotels
Depending on when your trip is, if you plan to travel during off season, there is no need to book hotels in advance. A hotel I stayed in Antigua that was considered popular (9.2 rating on booking.com) was completely empty during my two days of stay and I virtually had the whole place on my own. Cheaper hostel style accommodation had few more people, but still, there were plenty of rooms available. It is usually cheaper if you go in without booking in advance and haggle your price.
If you are visiting Antigua and Lake Atitlan like I did, do shop for your souvenirs at Lake Atitlan. Many stuffs were twice the price in Antigua when compared to towns around lake Atitlan.
Below are costs of items I can remember. Hopefully, this will help future travelers to plan their budget a bit
Antigua
Sliced mango sold on street - 10 GTQ
Charcoal grilled corn - 6 GTQ
Typical private 2 bed room with shared washroom - 200 GTQ
Typical private 2 bed and private washroom and balcony - 425 GTQ
Handmade leather bag - 90 GTQ
French bistro - Lunch special 65 GTQ, dinner 130~200 GTQ per order
Other typical western/oriental restaurants - 80 ~ 150 GTQ per order
Bottle of water 2L - 12 GTQ, Coke - 6 GTQ
McDonald ice coffee (ones that sells for $1 in Canada) - 25 GTQ ($4.50 CAD)
Lake Atitlan
Sliced mango sold on street - 5 GTQ
3 big avocado on the market - 5 GTQ
2km rides in Tuktuk - 10 GTQ
30 min boat ride from one town to another - 25 GTQ
Typical hotel with private bathroom by the lake - 120~150 GTQ depending on length of stay
Typical hotel with private bathroom on the hill - 60~80 GTQ depending on length of stay
Typical western restaurant - 30~80 GTQ per order
Local charcoal BBQ meal - 20 GTQ per order
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