The outskirts of Guatemala City

- Zona Pradera, Grand Tikal Futura, Southeast, Concepcion Pradera, La Aurora Airport

The outskirts of Guatemala City is mixed; we entered the city form the southeast outskirts through curvy roads in the mountains, high above the central parts of the city. This was the most dramatic entrance to a big city I have ever made from the road. This part is the most wealthy part of the city, the firts impression was really modern like a North American or European city; large malls, supermarkets, glass buildings, residential areas even with large mansions can all be found here. Many of the wealthiest peope and the middle class of Guatemala City live in the mountains that surround the much poorer central parts. But even in the outskirts you find shantytowns with small self built houses that barely hold together, sometimes without tap water. With other words; the gaps between the rich and the poor are huge!

In the West outskirts you find the 20-storey Grand Tikal Futura mixed use complex, built in 1996. It has an impressive architecture, and consists of two towers with large parts in glass and diagonal lines. It features a large hotel with a large atrium with glass enclosed elevators and a futuristic skybridge, 12 cinemas, 160 stores, 27 restaurants and offices.

Zona Pradera is situated further East of Zona Viva. This district features the city's largest mall, Pradera Concepción and even more modern office buildings and highrises. This is the first district we passed on the road to our hotel in Zona Viva.

Zona Viva (click here) is the main business, shopping and entertainment district in Guatemala City. It is situated in Zona 10 in the south part of the city and is very modern. Here you find modern highrises, fancy stores, malls, luxury hotels, fastfood restaurants, bars, night clubs and good restaurants. It has a separate part. La Aurora is the international airport, and it is sitauted right next to Zona Viva, at an elevation of 1.5km above the sea! The airport, that went through a massive modernization, is only the 4th most busy in Central America (2.2 passengers a year), even though Guatemala City is the largest city.

Paseo Cayala (click here) in the Eastern outskirts is a new shopping mall and residential area that is very wealthy, and was built like a Spanish town with colonial buildings.

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