Room upgrade and curfew (Day 199 + 200 of the world tour)

21.03. + 22.03.2020

Yesterday morning I dared to infiltrate the unofficial WhatsApp group of waiting Germans in Guatemala. There are over 170 participants and of course there is a lot of speculation and nonsense written, but there are also a few 'real information', so I stay logged in ;-)

Many who speak there discuss or share their plans to leave via the land border to Mexico. Some have already done this and have successfully either driven 24 hours with the ADO bus from the airport in the Mexican border town to Cancun (we have our own opinion about ADO buses since the theft :p :D), or flown from there to Mexico City.

There are already repatriation flights from Cancun by Condor and there are also regular flights to Frankfurt. From Mexico City, you can travel via the USA or Canada. Contrary to some news, transit through the USA is still possible. You just need to bring a lot of waiting time and you need an online visa for both countries, which you have to apply for in advance.

So, in principle, it is really possible to leave Guatemala and even make it to Germany, but Jonas and I have decided to stay here in Guatemala and continue to wait.

Either we wait for the government repatriation flight or we use our already paid and non-refundable flight to Mexico City on April 4th and see how things go from there.

We don't want to flee to Mexico now and then be on a waiting list at the airport with so many others. The main reason is that we are doing pretty well here. The weather is great (warm but really pleasant in the shade), we moved to a new accommodation today with a huge rooftop terrace (luxury and even a budget-friendly price!) and besides the fact that there are still less than 20 cases here: the supermarkets are fully stocked!

You can get fruit, vegetables, pasta, and even toilet paper ;-)

Our new accommodation even has a kitchen that we can use, so we'll probably cook spaghetti with beans, tomatoes, and spinach tonight - just like in the good old 'Chetumal times' :p

Yesterday it was announced that there will be a curfew starting today; but only from 4:00 PM to 4:00 AM, so you can still go out and do your shopping etc. in the morning and early afternoon.

I think some locals are unsettled and financially threatened by the situation, but the people we meet - especially our new host Irving - always say that they are glad to be here and advise all tourists to stay here. Because returning to the USA or Europe is currently associated with more restrictions and 'inconveniences' than staying here in Guatemala...

Let's see how long we have to nest here, but our morale is still high and of course we wish everyone who is reading this all the best, good nerves, and good health! :)