Guatemala, Mexico, or Socal

Trying to plan out the next few months and looking for advice. I've just gotten back into climbing after a 2 year hiatus.

I have 2 goals for the next few months:
-learn spanish
-climb as much as possible, and progress as much as possible

I won't have a car, or a partner, and looking to spend as little money as possible. I was thinking cheap spanish school in guatemala, then make my way north.

Any suggestions on areas to climb, means of transportation, or anything else would be greatly appreciated!

I lived in Gautemala for a couple of years and have a few insights. First there are great spanish schools in a really cool town called Xela (Quetzaltenango) with some hard sport climbs nearby, mostly 5.10b to 5.13 range. A lot of people go to Lake Atitlan for spanish schools and it is a really beautiful location that has a lot of hiking, but no rock climbing. The best place for rock climbing in Gaute is just outside of Gautemala City at Lake Amatitlan. It has a few easy and several moderate to hard sport routes, although a lot of suspect bolts when I was there from 2007- 2009. Somewhat nearby lake Amatitlan is the excellent cultural and backpacker local Antigua with plenty of good spanish schools and lots of night life. My one big advice is to stay out of Guatemala City it is a cesspool of crime and poverty that makes the most dangerous parts of Mexico look like the safest places on earth.

I would not go to Guatemala as a place to work on and progress in rock climbing. It just is not that well developed there, but what there is there for climbing supplements the excellent hiking up beautiful volcanoes, site seeing mayan ruins, and the beautiful Guatemalan culture (aside from the rampant gang issues that grip the capital and poverty that grips the whole country).

Guanajuato, in central Mexico is an awesome small city with numerous good Spanish schools and lots of good sport climbing within easy walking distance of town. The climbing area is called "La Bufa" and would be plenty to keep you busy for a few months; it should be pretty easy to meet partners there. I believe there are many more climbing areas within reasonable weekend distance but I'm not sure.

Guanajuato would be perfect and then you'd be just a short bus ride from El Potrero Chico, World Capital of Big Wall Sport Climbing!!

My friend Manuel is from Guatemala, and he has climbed, bolted, and guided there. Send him a message, he might be able to give you some information.

mountainproject.com/u/manue…