Double D Change Machines
Trip Start
Aug 09, 2009
1
83
108
Trip End
Oct 23, 2009
Antigua Guatemala, Western Highlands, Guatemala
Thursday, October 22, 2009
No agenda is holding me back until tomorrow afternoon when I meet my travel buddy in Quetzaltanango. That mouthful to pronounce is called Xela by the locals and is pronounced Shayla. This tongue twister name translates as Land of the Quetzals, and I know you are at chair's edge as to what a quetzal is so I will save you the anxiousness of wondering...it's the brightly colored national bird and the name of the currency as well.
And yes, this is the same friend who likes to rock the boat but I think we should be safe in Xela since it lies a few thousand feet above sea level in the Guatemalan highlands with no water taxis.
We are joining a three day hike through the highlands to a large lake though and I will definitely be staying on the shore in the highly unlikely event he should choose water transportation.
Antigua is about 30 miles and 200 years removed from Guatemala City. Like most travelers I just avoid Guatemala City and headed right on over here for the peace, quiet and safer streets. Since Antigua totally sucks off the tourism tit, it has been restored to its colonial splendor and lacks all of the cheap signs, massive bundles of electrical wires, grime, and decay of most Central American cities. The place dates back to the 1500s when it was at one time the capital but a major 1773 earthquake largely destroyed it. Luckily for us modern day travelers seeking something different, the ruins are still scattered about the city and are open to some exploration.
I wandered into two such ruins...The Santa Clara Convent dates back to 1715 but it was destroyed in 1717 by an earthquake. The nuns just couldn't catch some luck because after rebuilding, the new building was destroyed in 1773. The San Francisco Church going all the way back to 1579 fell down in 1773 as well. Walking around buildings that old (ruined or not) is what I came here for since it's an experience we just can't get at home. And besides the architecture, Antigua has some Salsa Verde I have yet to find anywhere else and the taste is one those little joys in life that makes you happy.
This entire city holds my attention for hours and I wander aimlessly up and down the streets looking at the architecture and taking in the street life. This is one of those places where walking down the same street five times means finding five different new things each time. The pastel stucco facades may look plain but that is typical for Central America. Behind those wooden doors are large landscaped courtyards with a house built around them. Homes are turned inward rather than outwards towards the noisy street.
One thing is constant though from street to street and that is the traditionally dressed people hawking fabrics and jewelry on the sidewalks. Walking ten feet is about impossible without someone hitting me up to buy crap that is probably made in some Chinese sweatshop. I love the introduction they give.."Mr. Mr. One dolluh. One dollu for necklace." Yes, one dollar does sound enticing enough to slow down and maybe buy something but that isn't the real price. I got so sick of being bombarded that yes, I took a few valuable minutes out of my day to investigate the offerings. See, only I would take the time to interpret Antiglish for everyone back home so that should you arrive here, you will be fully armed.
My short investigation revealed the actual price is usually 40 to 60 times one dolluh so in Antiglish saying "one" just means that the once mighty greenback is accepted. I almost want to hold one of them to the dolluh price they quote and see if I walk away at that price with some piece of fabric that will be absolutely useless back home. Just by turning to walk away the price drops by a quarter without any actual negotiations on the buyer's part. Actually starting to walk away gives an even nicer discount in the 70% range. But much like the food on Tiger Airways, I had no intention of buying anything and didn't go past my allotted time to see how low they will go.
The street touts may turn up the heat on unsuspecting tourists but the weather up here in the highlands cools everyone else down. High 70s during the day is such a nice change from the heat and humidity of Tikal, Guatemala back in August or even the Outback a few days ago. Just being able to walk around without turning into a stinking sweaty mess after ten minutes is awesome. Xela should be even more temperate.
Even though things are cool I needed to buy some water and found a convenience type store tucked away in one of those hundred year old buildings. I only had a 100 Quetzal ($12) note and needed 90 Qs worth of change. The woman began grumbling in Spanish while waving the note in my face. What un poquito Espanol I know told me she wanted a smaller note and now, or she was going to jump her large, Guatemalan and in charge butt right over that counter. Andele, andele, andele, agua, andele translates as Oh I know you aren't coming up in my store with that 100 Quetzal foolishness. It's much the same look you get at Taco Bell when you inconvenience the lady by having the audacity to place an order. I just need to give everyone an example now and then they can relate to back home.
I didn't walk away though because she needed the sale as much as I needed the water. While squinting at me she pursed her lips and reached right into her DD bra. I thought maybe something had slipped down in there but to my surprise she produced nine 10 Quetzal notes. I don't know how long they had been riding around inside that massive crack but they sure were soggy and warm. I need to spend those first or else I am going to have to give them a tick dip or something. Makes me wonder if I should keep them separated from my other cash or what.
Moms are always right...don't ever put your fingers in your mouth after touching money because only it knows where it has been. I have always wondered if moms overreact there some ever since my mom warned us when we were little. We'd cross into Mexico from Arizona and weren't allowed to touch anything until we washed our hands back in America because according to her the money there was filthy. Yes, now I have seen today exactly why we did things that we did back then. I've noticed that a lot of Central American women walk around with a Fort Knox jiggling right there in between their titties so be warned. I don't wish to find out where they stash the Quetzal coins and make change from with them.
Despite sweaty lingerie cash registers, Antigua is a mainstream tourist type place but also attracts a fairly sizeable backpacker type crowd. I am actually surprised by the amount of Americans down here since we are pretty rare outside the big European capitals. Most here are like me and just looking for something different. Others seem to enjoy smoking a fattie or two and they lounge around fried. As much as I have seen this around the world, I still don't understand it. Why do people spend a month somewhere getting so baked from something other than the sun they won't even remember where they were?
The flight down here is only three hours from Atlanta and I got to thinking about that. Fly three hours west of ATL and it's the same old same old but fly three hours south and it's an entirely different country and culture. My friends back home act like I am just at the end of the world in Guatemala but in reality I am closer than a flight to LA which no one considers far. Maybe exotic but definitely not far.
I can't believe I have gone from Adelaide to Antigua. Experiencing October 21st twice yesterday helped buy a lot of time to get here. Seeing the sun rise twice on the same day is one of those neat little quirks of crossing the international dateline eastbound. I woke up at 6am in Adelaide and left Sydney at about 3pm. After 13 hours in the air I was in San Francisco at 11am. Pretty neat stuff and totally unrelated to what I am doing down here now but I thought I'd pass it on anyway.
I am really looking forward to hiking 3 days starting Saturday and I'll see what I can find all day in Xela. I wonder if they have the same cash storage systems in their stores as well. I don't know...we'll see soon enough after the chicken bus gets me there.
