frequently asked questions
● What are the physical requirements of the week?
● What is the status of Covid protocols?
● Travel Documents and Immunizations
● Air Travel to Guatemala
● Book Arrival and Departure Times
● What happens if I need to cancel?
● How do I change money in Guatemala?
● What’s the weather like? Are there a lot of bugs?
● Can I bring my laptop? What is the electrical current?
● What if I get sick? Is there a doctor or hospital nearby?
● Is there an Internet connection? How do I make telephone calls to U.S.?
● How much money should I bring?
● What is provided in my room?
● Is Guatemala Safe? Are there robberies?
● Is the water safe for swimming?
● Non-Profit projects our Retreats/ Workshops support in the village
What are the physical requirements of the week?
While you don’t need to be an athlete, the week does require a lot of walking. The first night and day in Antigua requires walking on flat cobblestone roads. Tuk Tuks (small motorized vehicles) are available for hire. The trip to Casa Paloma requires stepping into a small boat to travel to the property. Once you’ve arrived at Casa Paloma, you will need to step up out of the boat onto the dock (Joyce’s staff is there to assist). Casa Paloma is built on the side of a hill so there are steps to take you from one casita to another, from your casita to dinner, down stone steps to the massage, up steps to yoga, etc. On excursions to neighboring lake villages, there may be uneven walkways and sloped roads. There are Tuk Tuks available to hire by the lake as well. As a participant of Joyce’s retreats, expect to be walking and climbing stairs every day.
What is the status of Covid protocols?
As of now, Guatemala is NOT requiring proof of a negative Covid test taken 3 days before departure, or proof of vaccination. In the interest of transparency, not everyone in the local Mayan indigenous community who is working at Casa Paloma has chosen to receive the vaccination. That being said, in our two years of hosting groups post-Covid, there has never been an issue.
What About Travel Documents and Immunizations?
You will need a passport to enter Guatemala. If your passport is within six months of expiration, please renew it before you leave for Guatemala or you may encounter problems. We do recommend that you bring a photocopy of the first page of your passport and keep it separate from the passport itself. You do not need any special vaccinations to enter the country, although it is always wise to be up to date on tetanus, hepatitis, and rabies vaccinations when traveling to less-developed countries.
Air Travel to Guatemala
Retreat participants are responsible for booking their flights. Direct flights to Guatemala City are available from Miami, Newark, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Charlotte, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. For those flying to Guatemala from other cities, a change of planes will be required. Book your flights early because sometimes they sell out or get expensive the closer you get to your departure date.
In-country transportation to the lake, shuttles to and from the airport, and boat rides while at the
lake are included.
Booking Arrival and Departure Times
Please make sure that your flight will arrive in Guatemala City no later than 4 p.m. to make it on time to dinner in Antigua. When booking your departing flight, only book something that leaves after 12:30 p.m. on the date of your departure. You will need time to travel from Lake Atitlan back to Guatemala City that morning.
What happens if I need to cancel?
Full refund (minus $500 admin fee) if cancellation is 8 weeks prior to retreat start date. 50% refund if cancellation is 6 weeks prior to the retreat start date. No Refund if cancellation is after 6 weeks prior to the retreat start date. You can purchase private travel insurance to reimburse you should you need to cancel after six weeks. We have had good experiences with the following travel insurance company:
Happy Extraordinary Travels
Bettye H. Ridley
Travel Insurance Advisor
Direct Phone: 1 - 888 - 474 - 0387
Office Hours: 9:15 AM - 5:30 PM EST ( M - F )
Email:bettye@travelinsurance.com
Website:www.travelinsurance.com
Reviews:www.trustpilot.com/review/travelinsurance.com
How Do I Change Money in Guatemala?
There will be a bank at the Guatemala City airport when you arrive that offers a standard exchange rate on your American dollars. (Currently around 8 Quetzales to the dollar.) If your flight arrives late at night, you can use an ATM at the airport. There are no ATMs or banks in San Marcos, so I encourage you to get the money you need in Antigua. If you find yourself needing additional cash over the week, you can make a quick trip to the village of San Pedro, or take the boat to Panajachel. If you bring Traveler checks, they should be American Express only. Credit cards are not accepted in the village of San Marcos.
What’s the weather like? Are there a lot of bugs?
Lake Atitlan is not in the tropics. There is no Malaria. One of the many great things about the region of Lake Atitlan is that there are almost no bugs. An occasional scorpion has been spotted, but they are not lethal if you are stung by one. There are harmless spiders and at night the trees and the sky sparkle with fireflies. The weather at Lake Atitlan in February and March is typically sunny skies with temperatures in the 70s by day, cooling down to the 50s at night. in the mornings and a little cooler at night. Please bring a sweater or shawl for evenings outdoors under the palapa.
Can I Bring My Laptop? What is the Electrical Current?
Yes, by all means, bring your laptop. Instead of carrying around a computer bag, you should use a simple backpack. The electrical current is the same as back in the U.S.
What if I Get Sick? Is There a Doctor or Hospital Nearby?
There is a doctor and a small hospital run by Americans in Santiago, about 45 minutes away. San Marcos is a very health-conscious town, but the orientation in the village leans toward preventive medicine and alternative healing. There is a doctor in a nearby village, and the Clinica Naturista in the village is led by an American nurse, but the nearest hospital that I would want to go to would be in Antigua. Several people with health problems have joined our retreats over the years. We kindly ask that you let us know about any health issues you have so we can help accommodate them.
Is There an Internet Connection? How About Telephone Calls to the U.S.?
There is a good internet connection at Casa Paloma. The best way to communicate with loved ones in the U.S. is on WhatsApp, which uses wifi for free messaging and calls. Family can use WhatsApp to makcallu or Manu (Casa Paloma retreat manager) for no freet is also the way to communicate with your retreat group and Gina, Megan, Manu, or Martha (travel coordinator in Guatemala) before and during the trip. The airport wifi is not always dependable. To troubleshoot this, it is recommended you bring a prepaid calling card. It can be costly to make international calls otherwise.
How Much Money Should I Bring?
Tuition to the workshop is all-inclusive, with the following exceptions:
● Tips for helpers
● Healing Work: You should know that the village of San Marcos offers a vast range of
alternative healing and massage practitioners. A ninety-minute massage will cost $30-35.
Most other treatments are similarly priced.
● Phone: around a dollar a minute without your cell phone.
● Shopping budget: Your costs there can go from $4 for a pound of freshly picked and
roasted local coffee or chocolate, to a couple hundred dollars if you want to fill your
suitcase with textiles.
What is provided with my room?
● Soap and Shampoo
● Towels for shower and swimming
● Laundry service
Please note: there are no hair dryers in the rooms.
Is Guatemala Safe? What About Robbery?
When you tell your friends you’re coming to Guatemala, many may express concern that it’s a dangerous country. If you visit the U.S. State Department website you will see that Guatemala is still one of the countries with a travel advisory in place.
Guatemala earned its “dangerous” reputation during the 30 years of brutal internal war. In the years since the 1996 signing of the Peace Accords, the country has struggled with corrupt leaders, as many countries do. As with most cities, there are parts of Guatemala City that are unsafe. There have also been robberies on the highways and back roads around the countryside, but you will not be taking these roads at night.
The vast majority of the Mayan people in the village are peaceful, friendly, and trustworthy. They are the kind of people who would return a hundred quetzal notes they found in the pocket of your jeans when doing your laundry (as has happened to me). When traveling anywhere outside your country, be mindful not to flaunt expensive jewelry or cameras. It is recommended that women attending the workshop carry a backpack or a shoulder bag (there are beautiful ones for sale in Guatemala). We have never had a retreat attendee be a victim of physical violence.
Non-Profit Projects Our Workshop Supports in the Village
A part of the proceeds from the retreat always goes to worthwhile projects and groups in the villages of San Marcos La Laguna and Santiago. Your attendance at a retreat or workshop in Guatemala provides the best kind of help to the Mayan indigenous community: bringing jobs and tourism to an area that has experienced hardship over the years. Let us know if you are interested in any volunteer projects around the village and we can help facilitate that.
Poverty in Guatemala: Families in Guatemala do not go hungry, but in the villages, there is very little in the way of material possessions and comforts. While this may be difficult for Americans to see or understand, please know that a lack of money and possessions does not have any bearing on their happiness and ability to have fun. Guatemalan kids don’t have toys, but they tenderly care for babies and old people, and have a deep connection to earth. Little boys in the village roll hoops and catch fish at dawn. Girls help their mothers make fresh tortillas. One thing hardly ever hear in this community is the sound of a crying infant or child.
One thing we always ask of participants at my retreats and workshops which does not have to involve any expense: If you are not using your full two-suitcase luggage allotment, it would be much appreciated if you could bring with you a bag of used clothing, particularly sneakers for kids. Some students bring down one or two pairs; others collect them from friends or buy up a pile of shoes at the Goodwill and come with ten pairs or more.
Every year we have a giant shoe giveaway in town. One of the great things about living in this little village is that it’s a small enough place for your actions to make a difference. So, the month after the workshop, it’s easy for me to spot the effect of your time here. Children whose toes used to be sticking out of their sneakers can be seen jumping around in used but still-good Nikes. For a child here, shoes are among the few possessions that matter.