Antigua – Guatemala
My One Big Problem with Guatemala
On FB I recently ranted about how much I love Guatemala… the comfortable climate, polite people, delicious food, beautiful landscapes and the gorgeous architecture of Antigua. In last week’s article, My First Impressions of Guatemala, I further detailed my many favorable impressions of this wonderful country.
Despite all that, there is one thing I greatly dislike about Guatemala thus far. Something that’s been causing me a lot of distress, discomfort and even lack of sleep at times…
Noise!
In particular, loud, nearly non-stop roaring traffic. And particularly so in Antigua.
traffic on cobblestone roads of Antigua
You see, Antigua is full of cobblestone streets. All the delivery trucks, public buses, trishaws, motorcycles, taxis, private cars, shuttle vans and horse-n-carts make an enormous racket clattering across all those uneven stones.
And all that traffic is practically non-stop. Only for a few hours in the middle of the night are the streets free of heavy traffic.
To make matters worse, those cobblestone streets are all lined by solid walls. Solid, unbroken walls of adjacent shops, hotels, restaurants, homes and galleries. I theorize that these un-separated lines of buildings create more or less a tunnel of noise as the never ending vehicles clatter along the roads.
busy streets of Antigua
It’s so bad that during my first two weeks in the country, I’ve had my earplugs in almost continuously. No exaggeration. I even stopped to consider exactly how much I’ve worn them.
I’ve concluded that I’ve taken them out less than a total of 20 hours. In two weeks. That’s 20 hours out of 336 hours in 14 days. Which amounts to wearing earplugs about 95% of the time!
I was able to take them out on three mornings at the crack of dawn – from 5:30-7:30 – while watching sunrise at Monterrico Beach. Then for 1-2 hours while visiting large 5-star hotels and art galleries in Antigua. And for a few minutes while showering. Then for 3 hours while touring a coffee plantation and traditional music instruments museum in Jocotenango, on the outskirts of Antigua. And that’s about it!
Guatemala public buses
In all fairness, I have to point out that I’m probably more sensitive/irritated at traffic & various other noises than most people. I’ve noticed during my travels over the years that I seem to be much more sensitive to various human-induced noise than just about everyone else I meet. I have a very low tolerance to noisy traffic, screaming children, construction work and rowdy people.
I’m continuously amazed at how zoned out other travelers – and local people – are to outrageous levels of these noises. How is it everyone else doesn’t even notice all that noise pollution, let alone have it not bother them? City living? Dense populations in Europe?
That having been said, Guatemala has to be one of the worst countries I’ve ever visited in terms of roaring traffic. It’s right up there with Vietnam and Java, Indonesia. In fact the only time I remember having to wear earplugs 24/7 for a week or longer is when I traveled around East Java in 2012.
delivery truck in Antigua
In direct contrast, last year I barely wore earplugs at all while traveling around lightly populated New Zealand, Australia and Fiji. So perhaps Guatemala’s loud noise levels seem even more drastic after one year of nearly noise-free living.
In any event, I’m assuming – and hoping and praying – that this horrible noise issue is specific to Antigua. I hope that once I travel on from there I’ll reach more tranquil places.
Antigua’s architecture and design are unique to Guatemala. The town was built by the Spanish from the mid 1500s to 1700s. Antigua is also one of the country’s most visited destinations, popular with international travelers as well as Guatemalans. That creates a lot of traffic.
So I’m assuming and hoping that the other towns and cities of Guatemala will be much less noisy in the traffic department. But that remains to be seen. I’ll keep you updated!
QUESTIONS:
Do you get aggravated by loud noise too?
If so, which noises bother you most?
What’s the noisiest country you’ve ever visited?
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You might also like:
My 1st Impressions of Guatemala
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Hi! I'm Lash, an American nomadic world traveler who's been traveling solo since 1998. I’m passionate about traveling the world nomadically and then sharing it all with you. I hope to inspire you to travel the world, to entertain you with tales from the road, and to help you reach your travel dreams. Welcome! 
