HOW TO TAKE THE BUS IN GUATE CITY (AND FIND THE BEST ENCHILADAS)

 Eating a tostada con salsa from a street vendor

Weather these days: low in the 50s high in the mid-70s. Mostly windy and gray.

Reading these days: David Foster-Wallace's The Pale King and Ulrich Beck's The Risk Society (the first for pleasure, the second for work).

I have been sleepless in Guatemala the last few weeks because I live close to the ultramodern and ugly Dubai Center building, which is still under construction, and they have workers around the clock trying to finish it on time... on time for whatever, because the Baktun already came and went.

That means that there is hammering and slamming all through the wee hours. The Hard Rock Café at Dubai Center is also ready to open. They are promising an outdoor lounge with live music. The noise that will come with that! Lord have mercy.  But more on that some other day.

The soon-to-be-finished Dubai Center building in Zona 10, Guatemala City

Today's post is how to move around safely in public transportation in Guatemala City as well as where to find really good enchiladas and other goodies.

Taking public transportation in Guatemala can be relatively safe or unsafe, depending upon which type of transportation you take and in what area of the city you transit. What most abounds are old camionetas, the equivalent of chicken buses. These tend to be grossly overcrowded and poorly maintained. They are also subject to constant robbery and violent crime.

Though riding one does not mean certain death and can be a pretty peaceful experience, I would suggest you try to avoid these as much as you can. Unless you enjoy extreme sports.

A typical city camioneta

However, there are two relatively safe bus lines here, provided by the City government, with orderly established bus stops and security:  Transmetro and Transurbano.

Transmetro are the green buses you'll see around specific areas of the city and, in order to board, you have to insert a Q.1 (one quetzal) coin in the coin machine at the entrance of its bus stop cabins. One quetzal is approximately 15 US$ cents, so imagine riding the bus in the US for fifteen cents!

 Transmetro. Photo: Municipalidad de Guatemala

You can find a map of Transmetro routes by clicking here. The green route is very scenic and free on Sundays. You can definitely take it for sightseeing.  It takes you along the wealthier residential areas of Avenida de las Americas and Avenida La Reforma, straight to downtown Guatemala, where you must alight at Plaza Barrios and either walk from there or take the bus known as Transurbano (more on that one later).

If you get off at Plaza Barrios, which is a very wide and pleasant plaza (with some interesting monuments), make sure you visit the Museo del Ferrocarril (Train Museum) which is right there on the old Train Station, and check to see if they still have an off-and-on again exhibit titled Porqué Estamos Como Estamos.  Both are very cool!

The Transmetro red route takes you to industrial areas and working class suburbs, some of which may not be safe if you don't know where you are going. Just saying!

  Plaza Barrios and Museo del Ferrocarril (Train Museum). Photo: Chapín Urbano

The other bus with security is the city line called Transurbano, and Transurbano buses are blue.

If you alight from Transmetro at Plaza Barrios, you can walk a couple of blocks and catch a Transurbano to take you further across most of the downtown/historic center area (zona 1).  Or just walk the pedestrian avenue called La Sexta, it takes you across all of downtown right through the middle.

From what I understand, a Transurbano ride during the day costs around 1.10 quetzales and at night, 2.00 quetzales.  Bear in mind that to board on this bus, you must first purchase the tarjeta prepago SIGA, a pre-paid card called SIGA.  You can find a listing of customer service agencies where you can purchase the card by clicking here.
 

 Transurbano bus. Photo: Prensa Libre

The Transurbano ride through downtown is also pretty interesting and scenic.  You can find information about Transurbano routes by clicking here.  However, if you are just going to stay a few days and want to do some sight-seeing or need to visit government, banking or most corporate offices, you are pretty much well-served by sticking to the Transmetro line (green buses).  You don't need a prepaid card for Transmetro.

Of course, you can always hail a taxi cab. Just make sure they are company cabs!  When I don't feel like driving in Guate City's chaotic traffic, I just walk or take a cab.

Transurbano for women and children.  Photo: Prensa Libre

As an interesting aside, there is a Transurbano line specifically for women and children younger than 12-years-old, for those who want to feel safer from the prying eyes and ways of males, I guess.  From what I understand, it is very popular, moving around 25,000 women and children every time it runs.  Prensa Libre reports that bus drivers have had to fight off men who try to force their way in to ride these buses, which I found between funny and scary.

This line runs only on Fridays and only to the more far out working class suburb colonias (subdivisions) of Villa Hermosa, Nimajuyú, Justo Rufino Barrios, Canalitos and others. 

Guatemalan enchiladas

Guatemalan enchiladas are very different than Mexican enchiladas and, in my opinion, much better tasting. Moreover, they are also much healthier!  They are light in calories and refreshing.  Piled on large toasted tortillas, you will find--if they are well-made--a big scoopful of pickled veggies tinted red by beet juice. Over that, some spicy stirfried ground beef, topped by parsley, dry "Zacapa" cheese, and a slice of boiled egg.

I heartily recommend them!  Warning: They are very messy to eat. You can try eating it with cutlery, but typically you'd eat them with your hand, balancing the toasted tortilla and biting into it.

Another good thing to eat is tostadas.  They are toasted tortillas slathered with tomato sauce (salsa), black beans or guacamole, topped with dry cheese, parsley and a slice of raw onion (I hate raw onions). My favorite ones are tostadas con salsa, the ones topped with tomato sauce.

Close-up of an enchilada

Two places that sell really good enchiladas are the restaurant of Hotel Panamerican right in the midst of the Historic Center. Also in Casa Chapina in the upscale hotel district of zona 10 (they are not expensive though!). The address of Casa Chapina is 1a Avenida 13-42 Zona 10, half a block away from the Camino Real Westin Hotel and right besides the Holiday Inn.

You can find a bit more about the enchilada at the famous Antigua Daily Photo blog by clicking here.

Rellenito de plátano (plantain dumpling)

Talking of delish Guatemalan food, for dessert it is worth to try rellenitos de plátano, fried plantain dumplings filled with sweet black beans.  They are soooooo good!  The one above is from Casa Chapina.

New Year's Day was very dull around here. Everything was closed!  Moreover, it had been a very long holiday, so most everybody left the city.  It truly felt like a ghost town. You could see couples and groups of tourists wandering around all day like pale souls in purgatory, dragging their boredom after them like rattling chains.  One of the very few places open was Casa Chapina (and MacDonald's!), so that is where we all ended up.  A center of light and good food in the midst of desolation.

Casa Chapina (really good Guatemalan food and steaks)

What else is new? Another bus burning!  Today was the first day of school for many schools and universities, and alleged USAC students--that is the state university--took over and burned a camioneta right on one of the busiest thoroughfares in the city, creating even more chaos than normal in daily traffic.  I say alleged because they were all wearing hoods, so none were recognized and none were arrested. By the time authorities arrived, they had all disappeared. There were no injuries. Ah well! Never a boring moment in Guate City. 

I must confess that, remembering how I felt upon returning to school on miserable cold and wet days after winter break, I can relate to wanting to burn down something.

  
Happy New Year, you all.  May it be peaceful and healthy. Will return in a week or so!