Thursday, October 21, 2010

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

This is our first joint post. Get excited. As we get ready leave Guatemala this weekend, we've quickly reviewed some of the highlights and low-lights of life here in the Guate.

The Good
-Living in a rugged, green country with many mountains and hills
-Ridiculously large amounts of nachos for only $10
-Cheap laundry service
-We are usually the tallest people wherever we go
-Everything is cheaper here than in the US, except for Taco Bell
-When someone gets mad at you, you can pretend you don't understand
-People are always ready to help you find something in the store
-You can carry your bag into the supermarket because you are a gringo while the natives have to leave theirs at the door

The Bad
-The fitted sheets are about a 45 thread count and WILL NOT STAY ON THE MATTRESS AT NIGHT. We promise we're not that bitter ...
-No hot water that comes out of the faucet
-You can't drink the water from the faucets
-When you do have hot water in your shower, you cannot adjust the temperature
-Toilet paper cannot be thrown in the toilet
-Skittles are overpriced (Jim taught a native how to say "ripoff")
-The internet is pretty slow
-The milk is fake and thin
-The historic cobblestones in Antigua are terrible for running
-Nobody can give directions to save their lives


The Ugly 
-Dudes peeing in the street
-Black clouds of exhaust from the buses
-Some of the old Mayan women don't shave their armpits
-The police and national guard need the semi-automatic weapons they carry ... so does the guard at the North Face store?
-The occasional tourist, always American, who sticks a giant telephoto lens in a poor child's face to get a better picture
-Vendors perpetually trying to get you to pay a "gringo premium" for everything at the market.
-Outside of Antigua, the number of houses that are pieces of tin tied together. Thank goodness there's no frost here.

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