Checked into the Hilton and went right to bed. The 4 hour flight between LAX and Guatemala City was too short for any chance of real sleep and way to short for sleep aids. A nice 5 hours of sleep at the hotel let me get caught up and back in sync with the rest of the day.

Pretty much every resource comments on the dangers of Guatemala City. First mission of the day was to go out and access the area to get a feel for how to manage risk. For me, this includes checking with the reception desk to ask for the local perspective. The next step is to simple dress inconspicuously, carry no touristy purse or backpack and then simply venture out in the middle of the day. 

Today’s reconnaissance provided the following insights:

There are tons of police in many different forms in the area. Pairs on bicycles, lots of cars in the traffic, guards outside of stores and business buildings and standing on street corners. to me, their presence was not a sign of overt threat but more an indication that protecting people is important. Anytime the gap between having and not having is big, there is more risk of aggression. For me, the very visible police presence was reassuring.

The traffic was noteworthy, especially when crossing broad boulevards without the benefit of crossing lights. Even so, the chaos was more the result of density than aggressive driving. For the number of cars and motorcycles, it felt more manageable than other big cities I have visited. 

There are shopping centers as well as lots of little grocery stores nearby. the streets had very little trash and people were just going about their day and not overly interested in me. I like that. 

I was glad to have used the ATM at the hotel when I saw the very long, slow moving lines at the bank ATMs. Even with a designated guard at each location, it didn’t look like a fun way to spend 20 minutes.