Guate Guate Guate

Facts, factoids, and just plain observations about Guatemala:

1. The money used in Guatemala is the quetzal. Two or more of them are quetzales.

2. Most of the things you buy have two prices. One is the local, Guatemalan price. The other is the gringo price. I think you can figure out which one is higher.

3. If you have 7.5 quetzales, that is equivalent to one dollar. If you have 800 quetzales at one time, or $100.00 that is equivalent to stupidity.

4. Guatemalans love blonde-haired people.

5. Many Guatemalans speak English, yet they are always happy to help others with their Spanish.

6. For all the negative media Guatemala gets, I´ve loved almost all of the ones I have met.

7. With that said, there are only a few zonas in Guatemala City which are safe to walk in alone. Luckily I will be living in one of them. Phew.

8. The water is not safe to drink, but it seems to be all right if you want to brush your teeth with it.

9. $650 for an apartment goes a long, long ways.

10. If you want to say Sexy in Spanish, you just say Sexy.

11. Smog checks haven´t really taken effect quite yet.

12. I feel tall here, and I´m only 5´10 or 5´11 depending on the shoes I´m wearing. The people are vertically challenged.

13. Gallo is a far more popular beer here than Budweiser is in America.

14. There is an Applebee´s, a TGIFriday´s, a Holiday Inn, and a McDonald´s not far from the hotel I´m in. Naturally, I´ve stayed away from all four.

15. If you are from Guatemala, and you´ve lived here your whole life, you are referred to as a Puro Chapin.

16.  There are fountains with women carved carefully into them, and water is pouring out of their chests.  (Remember, this is just an observation…oh, and the picture above provides proof.)

17. I´m sure there will be more to come.