NesbitCrossman858
I was enjoying our meal in a popular open-air restaurant around the main tourist drag in Panajachel, Guatemala, when some tourists about our age walked slowly by. Billy says "Hey, the food's great here, why not give it a try?"
The man looked interested, the woman looked horrified.
I chimed in with "Order the Amuerzo Economico and you'll pay half the marked menu prices."
The person took two seconds to decide on this great deal, and made a proceed to sit at a table alongside ours.
Spousal opposition
"We're going to eat here?" The wife questioned.
Clearly she held resistance to entering this clean, brightly decorated eating establishment.
I'm telling you it was no dump. There is a set screen TV on your wall and lively Salsa music around the audio system. Clean handwoven Guatemalan tablecloths covered every table that also supported flowers. Original indigenous artwork adorned the walls.
The woman, who was noticeably beautiful and well-kept, had her hesitation distinctly written all over her scrunched up face.
"I hope they speak English here," she said with an audible sigh as she flopped down.
"I want a Coke. Have you got Coke? What do you need to drink here?" She demanded in rapid-fire English. The bilingual waiter maintained together with her rush of questions pretty well.
"You have chicken or pork? I'll take the pork. Honey, they've chicken or pork."
Meanwhile, the husband and Billy were chatting away about retirement, finance and travel, having a grand ol' time.
The drama darkens
Bottles of Coke and empty glasses promptly arrived at the table and again, this poor woman looked stricken. Simply appalled.
I couldn't imagine what the problem was, and so i tried to catch her reactions from the side of my attention.
Mrs. Visitor had personal drama happening and that i found it mesmerizing. Apparently a few of the syrup had leaked out towards the top of the Coke bottle, creating a tiny dark sticky blob to appear.
She checked out her husband, then at me, then at the bottle, then at her husband, then at me, on the other hand at the bottle. She disgustingly ran her finger at the top of the bottle and today she had that tiny sweet dollop on her finger. She again looked at her husband (who had been ignoring her by now), then at me, then at her finger, then at her husband, then at me, then again at her finger!
Right now I am thinking "She doesn't have Kleenex in her purse? If she has been blown off track with this small and common occurrence, what's she doing traveling in america?"
If this innocent ooze of syrup upset her a lot how her meal would go?
No disrespect intended
Since nobody was rushing to her rescue to give her a hot, clean, wet, soapy cloth or whisk her away to a 5 star restaurant complete with apologies, eventually Mrs. Visitor looked to her left, then to her right, and rather guiltily, wiped the syrup off on the tablecloth. I do not imagine it ever occurred to her to inquire about the waiter for a napkin.
A part of me felt badly for not visiting her deliverance. She was afraid and out of her element, and I often see her frustration towards her husband to take her here to Guatemala. Lost in desperation without any the aid of her spouse, this well-groomed woman was face-to-face with the fringe of her comfort zone... also it was not pretty.
I had been both stunned and completely transfixed. I'd forgotten that my twenty-two years of world travel had trained me to place a tissue in my purse for unexpected events such as this one.
Here are a few quick survival tips for travel which i hope you find useful:
Bring baby wipes. Ladies have babies all over the world. If you are in a location with a semblance of civilization, you will find baby wipes within the supermarkets. Go to the baby section, find the wipes. Insert them in your purse. When you travel on buses, want to sit in a chair that has strawberry syrup onto it or find that you need toilet tissue in the bathroom, you have a clean wipe arrive at your aid.
Put napkin or wipes down soda bottle necks. If you are eating outside in warm weather and are using a soda, flies or bees often gather for that sugary syrup. Place napkins or said wipes down the bottle neck and you can avoid a nasty creature falling into your pop. When you are traveling overseas, it is commonplace to wipe off the mouth of beer and soda bottles even just in upscale locations.
Use sliced limes to clean your fingers. Platters of fish or shrimp in many cases are served whole by the pool and eating seafood can leave your fingers messy. Utilizing a thin napkin at the table can be unsatisfying. Apply the sliced limes first then utilize your napkin. In this manner you won't have tiny items of paper stuck to your fingers to bother you further.
Say "Provecho!" When entering or leaving a restaurant in South america, say "Provecho!" with other diners. This basically means "Enjoy your meal" and it's a very socially polite thing to say. It shows that you're an experienced traveler and that you are an all-around-nice person.
Don't allow your comfort zone limit you. Life is for living. Grab a bite and relish it. Situations and circumstances are not always just like they're "back home" and that's not necessarily a bad thing. So what if one makes an error? What exactly if one lunch wasn't your preferred? A smile goes a long way for those who are around you and while you're at it give one on your own.
You deserve it to be brave enough to take a chance.
