beauty of the lake, which Lonely Planet guidebook calls "one of the world's most spectacular locales, period." We lingered over lunch in an outdoor hotel cafe, drinking cold Guatemalan Gallo beer and watching boats skip across the lake's surface.

It would have been nice to spend the night, but shopping beckoned. We didn't want to miss the huge outdoor market Sunday morning in Chichicastenango. It was now Saturday afternoon. "If we hurry, we'll arrive before sunset," said Hector Herrera, one of the friends I was touring with.

In Guatemala, arriving before sunset is an important precaution for foreign visitors and residents alike.

"After 35 years of guerrilla activity, people should realize things are unsafe in some places," said Herrera, a Guatemala City businessman. "There are places you should not go. Bydusk, you need to be inside and stay there." Herrera and wife, Silvia, live in one of the city's many gated neighborhoods.

The U.S. State Department periodically issues what it calls "announcements" about travel in the country. The latest, on May 3, said: "U.S. citizens are urged to be especially aware of safety and security concerns when traveling in Guatemala. Although the majority of travelers visit Guatemala without mishap, violent criminal activity on the highways in Guatemala continues."

But regular visitors say Guatemala is no more violent than the United States. It's just important to be cautious.

We forged on to Chichicastenango. Maya traders from throughout the highlands gather here on Thursdays and Sundays, filling the cobblestone streets with stalls jammed with carved santos, embroidered bedspreads and linens, children's toys and