Nightmare in Guatemala

I returned March 13, ’04, from a month-long trip to Honduras, Guatemala, Yucatán and Belize with Adventures Abroad (Richmond, B.C., Canada; phone 800/665-3998). I found them very thorough in covering the architectural and cultural parts of those countries.

One week into the trip, our group of 12 plus a driver crossed the border from Honduras into Guatemala. At 11:30 a.m., about 74 kilometers from Guatemala City, a Toyota pickup cut us off on the main, busy highway and five or six armed men jumped out, shot into the air with a large gun, overtook our van and kidnapped us.

Our driver was hit on the head, shoved over the seat into the next row and replaced by the man with the large gun. I was in the front passenger seat, and another gunman entered the passenger side and put his arm around me, holding a gun in his other hand. We were told not to look, so we shut our eyes. The rest of the gunmen climbed into the back of the van, sitting on people’s laps and pointing guns at them.

They drove us into a rocky field with cornstalks and kept yelling in Spanish not to look. They lined us up against the van and did a pat-down search. They took our wedding rings, watches, any jewelry they thought had value, all of our travelers’ checks, cash, cameras, videocameras and film. They slashed suitcases and left contents scattered all over the area. They did leave our passports, airline tickets and credit cards.

The driver and I were the first to be led out and ordered to lie face down on the cornstalks, with the others soon to follow. Men were stripped of shoelaces, and their feet and hands were tied. I was protecting my face from the dried stalks, but then we had to put our hands behind us and my face ended up with some minor abrasions. It was extremely hot, and there were a lot of bugs, flies and horse manure.

They then threw blankets over our heads and said not to move for two hours (none of us had watches by then!). When we were sure they had left, we got up and began sorting through the scattered items. The van keys were found by the driver on top of the van.

We all had stayed calm and followed orders, and we were thankful we were alive and physically unharmed.

The matter was reported to the police, and the American and Canadian embassies were informed.

On arrival in Guatemala City, we spent two to three hours on the phone with American Express, who asked for every bit of identifying information possible on each person. They could only give Guatemalan cash on Monday (this was Friday) or replace the travelers’ checks on Wednesday, three cities away. We chose the latter option and lived on cash that some people were able to draw on credit card advances. The help from American Express seemed contrary to the ads they run. (See update published in the August 2004 issue.)

The next day the tourist police escorted us to the next town.

All of the Guatemalans we met expressed great sorrow at our ordeal.

I have since found that travelers can request, at least three business days in advance, a free security escort in Guatemala through the Guatemalan Tourist Board. Write to INGUAT, Tourist Protection Office, 7a Avenida 1-17, Zona 4, Centro Civico, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala; phone (in Guatemala) 502-331-1333 to 1347 (ext. 241 or 243), fax 502-331-8893 or e-mail asistur@inguat.gob.gt or info@inguatgob.gt. Include itinerary, names of travelers and model and color of vehicle to be used. This information can be found at http://travel.state.gov/guatemala.html.

BARBARA VIRDEN
Santa Ana, CA