My market trip in Guatemala

     My trip to Guatemala was just the third time that I have been out of the country. I have been to Canada, Haiti, Guatemala, and lastly Curacao. This was my first outside trip with an adult passport, which I believe is an underrated achievement. This trip wasn’t random, and the goal of cousin’s wedding (whew that’s a mouthful). I was employed by BestBuy at the time, and I saved more than enough of my PTO (paid time off) for this trip and was set to be there for 10 days, so it was enough time for not just the wedding, but to scratch my exploration itch. I was able to receive local treatment as I was staying with my ex and that allowed me to see a view that many others wouldn’t usually get. I will be sticking to things only relative to the trip and not go in-depth with those “other” details (I am not going into any drama basically) Now, I shall feed you the most important spoonful of information about my time in Guatemala.

     First-hand local experience in Guatemala involved us having to wake up early and go to the marketplace. I have experience with marketplaces but this one was different. We reached there by walking, and even though the distance wasn’t far, it didn’t feel close either. I was informed that they also had people from surrounding countries who were selling their foods/goods there as well. Now I have been to my own fair share of different market styles, so I wasn’t new to the outside market (Thank you grandma for taking me to the market when I was younger in Haiti). It was packed and there were several separate inside areas. I stood there looking in each direction and all I can see is rows of vendors and their customers. Some of these vendors were clearly more popular while others were attempting to persuade customers to come to them. They were obviously speaking Spanish and since I don’t, I just followed along until we got the vendor we set out for.

      Our intent was to get some breakfast and I was being shown to one of their favorite spots. I had pupusas with cheese. The best way to describe their look would be like circular flatbread, so wasn’t very flashy look-wise. When I tell you I was taken aback by how good they were, I am not exaggerating. I was flabbergasted. To clarify, the shock wasn’t because I didn’t think that they would taste so good. I was surprised that I got an opportunity to get food as fresh and as close to the source as possible, especially one that wasn’t from my own culture. American currency goes far in Guatemala, so I was fully aware that spending to get some more wouldn’t hurt me much. So, what did I do? I went back multiple times, and it tasted fresh and delicious every single time. Now, this was before dairy became a nemesis, or to be more precise, before I discovered it to be my nemesis. Turns out I am lactose intolerant and didn’t know for sure until recently. But let us get back to the topic at hand, which is that they were extremely delectable. To wash it down, they were making fresh smoothies as well and if you know me, Claudlin loves his smoothies. Everything being fresh worked as a great combination with the pupusas causing my stomach and I to smile. We finished up and they grabbed anything they needed additionally (groceries and such) and I got to try the lychee fruit for the first time. Became a big fan of those as well.

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