Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sleeping & Eating
The flour tortillas stuffed with meat from the little roadside stands around the plaza are
delicious, and a bargain at Q20.
Guest House Paxil de Cayala $
( 7880-3129; s/d without bathroom Q50/100)
Half a block from the plaza, La Democracia's only
place to stay is OK for the night, with big, mosquito-proofed rooms.
GUESTHOUSE
FAST FOOD
Burger Chops $
(mains Q25-45;
8am-9pm)
Located just off the square, this is as close as the town gets to a
restaurant.
Getting There & Away
The Chatía Gomerana company runs buses every half-hour from 6am to 4:30pm, from the
Centra Sur terminal in Guatemala City to La Democracia (Q20, two hours) via Escuintla.
From Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa, catch a bus 8km east to Siquinalá (8km) and change
there.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Sipacate
An hour and a half down the road from Santa Lucía is Guatemala's surf capital. Waves
here average 6ft, the best time being between December and April. The town is separated
from the beach by the Canal de Chiquimulilla. Oddly unexploited, the beach here has only
a couple of hotels.
Budget
El Paredon
( 4994-1842;
www.paredonsurf.com
; campsite/dm Q30/80, s/d from 240/320)
is a rus-
tic little surf camp to the east of the village. It's run by a couple of Guatemalan surfers.
Board and kayak hire, surf lessons and good, simple meals (Q50 to Q80) are available.
Book in advance. To get here you can catch the daily bus from Puerto San José (departs
1pm Monday to Friday, Q20) or a
tuk-tuk
/pickup to the El Escondite pier from Sipacate,
then a boat (Q20 one way) to El Paredon.
Straight across the canal from Sipacate,
Rancho Carillo
(
5517-1069;
www.marmaya.com
; r
)
is a short boat ride (Q10 return) from town. The only
Q500, 6-person bungalow Q1000;
