AmelinaSevigny210
We were enjoying our meal at 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 don't you give it a try?"
The man looked interested, the girl looked horrified.
I chimed in with "Order the Amuerzo Economico and you will pay half the marked menu prices."
The person took two seconds to decide on this good deal, and made a proceed to spend time at a table alongside ours.
Spousal opposition
"We're likely to eat here?" The wife questioned.
Clearly she held potential to deal with entering this clean, brightly decorated eating establishment.
I'm suggesting it had been no dump. There is a flat screen TV on the wall and lively Salsa music on the stereo system. Clean handwoven Guatemalan tablecloths covered every table which also supported flowers. Original indigenous artwork adorned the walls.
The girl, who had been noticeably beautiful and well-kept, had her hesitation distinctly written throughout her scrunched up face.
"I hope they speak English here," she said by having an audible sigh as she flopped down.
"I want a Coke. Have you got Coke? Exactly what do you need to drink here?" She demanded in rapid-fire English. The bilingual waiter kept up together with her rush of questions pretty much.
"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, using 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, so I attempted to catch her reactions out of the side of my attention.
Mrs. Visitor had personal drama going on and that i found it mesmerizing. Apparently a few of the syrup had released at the top of the Coke bottle, causing a tiny dark sticky blob to appear.
She checked out her husband, then at me, then in the bottle, then at her husband, then at me, then again at the bottle. She disgustingly ran her finger towards the top of the bottle and now she had that tiny sweet dollop on her behalf finger. She again checked out her husband (who was ignoring her right now), then at me, then at her finger, then at her husband, then at me, then again at her finger!
By now I am thinking "She doesn't have Kleenex in her purse? If she has been blown off course by this small , common occurrence, what is she doing driving this country?"
If this innocent ooze of syrup upset her so much 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 filled with apologies, eventually Mrs. Visitor looked to her left, then to her right, and rather guiltily, wiped the syrup off around the tablecloth. I do not imagine it ever occurred to her to ask the waiter for any napkin.
A part of me felt badly because of not visiting her deliverance. She was afraid and from her element, and I often see her frustration towards her husband for taking her here to Guatemala. Lost in desperation with no the aid of her spouse, this well-groomed woman was face-to-face with the edge of her safe place... and it wasn't pretty.
I was both stunned and completely transfixed. I'd forgotten that my twenty-two years of world travel had trained me to put a tissue within my purse for unexpected events such as this one.
So here are several quick survival strategies for travel that I we do hope you find useful:
Bring baby wipes. Ladies have babies all over the world. If you're someplace that has some semblance of civilization, you will find baby wipes within the grocery stores. Visit the baby section, discover the wipes. Insert them in your purse. Then when you travel on buses, want to sit inside a chair which has strawberry syrup onto it or find that you need toilet tissue in the bathroom, you have a clean wipe to come to your aid.
Put napkin or wipes down soda bottle necks. If you are eating outside in warm weather and are having a soda, flies or bees often gather for the sugary syrup. Place napkins or said wipes on the bottle neck and you may avoid an awful creature falling to your pop. When traveling overseas, it's commonplace to wipe from the mouth of beer and soda bottles even just in upscale locations.
Use sliced limes to wash 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 your table could be unsatisfying. Apply the sliced limes first then utilize your napkin. In this manner you will not have tiny bits of paper stuck to your fingers to annoy you further.
Say "Provecho!" When entering or leaving a restaurant in Latin America, say "Provecho!" to other diners. This basically means "Enjoy your meal" and it's a really socially polite aspect to say. It implies that you're an experienced traveler and you are an all-around-nice person.
Don't let your comfort zone limit you. Every day life is for living. Grab a bite and relish it. Situations and circumstances aren't always the same as they're "back home" and that's not a bad thing. So what if you make a mistake? What exactly if one lunch wasn't your favorite? A smile goes a long way for all those who are around you and while you're in internet marketing give one on your own.
