MercerCramer453
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 go?"
The person looked interested, the woman 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, making 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 had been no dump. There is a set screen TV on your wall and lively Salsa music on the audio system. Clean handwoven Guatemalan tablecloths covered every table which also supported flowers. Original indigenous artwork adorned the walls.
The woman, 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 desire a Coke. Do you have Coke? Exactly what do you need to drink here?" She demanded in rapid-fire English. The bilingual waiter maintained 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, having a grand ol' time.
The drama darkens
Bottles of Coke and empty glasses promptly reached the table and again, this poor woman looked stricken. Simply appalled.
I could not imagine what the problem was, so I attempted to catch her reactions from the side of my eye.
Mrs. Visitor had personal drama happening and I found it mesmerizing. Apparently a few of the syrup had leaked out towards the top of the Coke bottle, causing a tiny dark sticky blob to look.
She checked out her husband, then at me, then at 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'd that tiny sweet dollop on her finger. She again checked out 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 has no Kleenex in her own purse? If she's been blown off course with this small and common occurrence, what's she doing driving america?"
If the innocent ooze of syrup upset her so much how her meal would go?
No disrespect intended
Since nobody was rushing to her rescue to provide her a hot, clean, wet, soapy cloth or whisk her off 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 coming to her deliverance. She was afraid and out of her element, and that i could 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 using the fringe of her comfort zone... and it wasn't pretty.
I was both stunned and completely transfixed. I'd forgotten that my twenty-two many years of world travel had trained me to place a tissue in my purse for unexpected events exactly like it.
Here are a few quick survival strategies for travel which i 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'll find baby wipes in the supermarkets. Go to the baby section, find the wipes. Put them in your purse. Then when you travel on buses, want to sit in a chair which has strawberry syrup on it or discover that you need mouthwash within the bathroom, you've got a clean wipe to come to your aid.
Put napkin or wipes down soda bottle necks. If you are eating outside in the sunshine and are having a soda, flies or bees often gather for the sugary syrup. Place napkins or said wipes down the bottle neck and you may avoid a nasty creature falling into your pop. When you are traveling overseas, it's commonplace to wipe off 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. Using a thin napkin at your table can be unsatisfying. Apply the sliced limes first then utilize your napkin. In this way you won't have tiny items of paper stuck for your fingers to annoy you extra.
Say "Provecho!" When entering or leaving a cafe or restaurant in Latin America, say "Provecho!" to other diners. This basically means "Enjoy your meal" and it's a very socially polite thing to say. It implies that you're an experienced traveler and that you are an all-around-nice person.
Don't let your safe place limit you. Life is for living. Grab a bite and relish it. Situations and circumstances aren't always the same as they are "back home" and that is not necessarily a bad thing. So what if you make an error? So what if a person lunch wasn't your favorite? A grin goes quite a distance for those around you even though you're in internet marketing give one for yourself.
