Buses and Shopping

Chilling at the bus station, I meet a nice man as I am waiting for the Western Union to open. He's a bus driver and he works 7 days a week. This is common you will hear that bus drivers and taxi drivers work 7 days a week.  People don't realize what a hard job it is, which is what I emphasized to him. 

We are standing there waiting a line about 20 of us. It is 9:05, 9:10, and 9:45, this girl finally comes strolling in late. This should really not happen with Western Union because people need their money. She tells me that mine is not there yet and I sigh loudly.  My friend tells me about a mall across the street that also has a Western Union.  

I walk out to the hot weather and cross the street to find a huge mall full of everything you could imagine-every brand, yogurt places, Americanized restaurants, Starbucks-it was pretty much like a mall you would find in US.  How genius is it to put a huge mall directly across from the main bus station. What a money making idea. 

 

While I heard the shopping in Panama was good, this was great. I chilled out until I picked up my money and I went shopping. This probably could be the worst location for me to pick up money-worst. I snacked on some candy, frozen yogurt, and a Mrs. Field's cookie. 

I bought some new dresses that were super affordable at the Conair. It was surprising they had this store from New York. The stores were loaded with dresses, shorts, jumpers, skirts, pants, scarves, jewelry, accessories-you name it, they had it. 

They had some department stores with amazing prices and good quality. Not to mention, they were packed with women ready to shop. These women seriously shop! They have huge baskets and carts full of stuff-it's like there will never be shopping again. I can't recall ever seeing a woman buy that much unless it was a store closing or maybe a sample sale. 
For lunch, I decided to be an American go to TGIF Fridays where I enjoyed some nice salmon with rice and beans. As mentioned, the people working at American restaurants have total respect for their job and they take pride in their work. They want to impress you and make you feel good when you are an American.  They could not be any nicer and cuter at this restaurant. 

 

It was around 5pm and I was still there walking around. It was clearly time for me to get over to my accommodation.  I found a nice taxi driver who was fair with his price and knew where he was going- thankful.  While I wanted to go to the Hard Rock, I was going to go there all disheveled. I decided to go to the famous hostel that's found in different cities all over the world. With it's reviews, I was definitely interested knowing that they had a spot for me and it was clean. 

San Ignacio Market

This was such a lovely market with all kinds of produce, women selling tacos and quesadillas, fresh juices( tamarind and piccaya), clothing, jewelry, and more. 

Most people were speaking Spanish as the population is mainly Spanish. The population is largely Mestizo, Kriol, Mopan, and recent increase of Chinese. 

I spoke with some lovely people as the market usually is my best place for interaction. A man and I spoke about too faith and his love for Jesus. He said, "Sometimes people lose their faith and its sad when they live a life this way." Those who don't believe in anything are always a concern for me and especially for believers like him. 

Another girl I met with the dog 

 was selling puppies. She had four kids and talked about going to medical school in the US. She received a scholarship yet she would need money for living expenses.  She was inquiring about New York and the different places to live with her four kids and her boyfriend. I commended for her braveness going to the US with 4 kids-traveling with kids is a totally different ballgame than traveling solo.  She shared that it was important for her to go to fulfill the dream of her parents. It is common for people in Belize to aspire to be a doctor or a lawyer and many go the med school abroad.  It just seems like a bit of a leap in my opinion to strive for a career when many have such big families.  It is great if these careers are their purpose, but if the are being pressured into it then it's not the best idea. 

This young one seemed pretty content with her decision so I didn't say much about it.  I just helped her in thinking about a realistic place to live and some possible part time jobs.  When I asked about her boyfriend working she said he might not want to work. No comment
I spent the rest of my time wondering around the market I drank a fresh coconut juice and bought my favorite fruit-the dragon fruit. I had not seen one of these since Guatemala.e 

     

  Tacos and pupusas

                       

    Food carts 

Chi Chi Market

Chi Chi market is short for Chichicastenango.  It is the most famous market in Guatemala holding it's market days on Thursdays and Sundays.  The city itself is a small mountain region with a largely indigenous community.  

In the market, vendors sell handicrafts, food, flowers, pottery, wooden boxes, condiments, medicinal plants, candles, incense, lime stone, grindstones, jewelry including granite and amber, different types of masks used for traditional dances, comedores  (small eateries to have food). 

With my visit falling on a Sunday, the first place I had to visit was the Church of San Thomas
Next to the market is the 400 year old church.  It is built atop a Pre-Columbian temple platform and the steps originally leading to a temple of the pre-Hispanic Maya civilization remain venerated.  K'iche' Maya priests still use the church for rituals burning incense and candles.  In special cases, they burn a chicken for the gods.  Each of the 18 stairs that lead up to the church stands for one month of the Maya calendar year.  

Another key element of Chi Chi is the Cofradia of Pascual Abai, which is an ancient carved stone venerated nearby and the Maya priests perform several rituals there.  Writing on the stone records the doings of a King named Tohil(Wikipedia). 

I arrived around 830 to the Chichi Market and I was hurrying along asking each local where I could find the church. This one older gentlemen on my path looked he had been living in the village his whole life. Of course he knew informing me that I could possibly make the 9am.  I quickly ran through the market and up the stairs to see women selling flowers and a beautiful ritual is occurring in front of the church door. The men were dressed traditionally and the women had towels on their head. They stayed outside while I walked in ready to see a bunch of people and the Pastor about to come through. Instead I saw a baptism to my left. 
It was not my preference, but I decided to sit in and watch their traditions. 
The babies were dressed beautifully with big, white fluffy dresses-adorable.   

It was beautiful to witness these babies coming into the World of Christ. The family members looked beyond proud standing and watching. While I was not dressed for the occasion, I tried to stay in the back.  

As usual, tourists were sitting on a tour listening to the history of the church and taking photos-no attention to their surroundings.  It´s fine, but I can only hope these people explore their surroundings better other than photos and shopping.  

When you arrive at the Chichi market, there are a couple things that stand out in the aura of the market. 1.) the colors 2.) the energy 3.) the desire to sell

In general people are not very pushy when selling in Guatemala. They are friendly and helpful and if you don't buy they don't have a fit about it rather they have grace and dignity and say "Thank you."
This is not really the case for Chichi as it is a touristic place to sell and make money. Rather than learning about the culture and how they make their product, they just want to talk money and prices. When I asked a man about the significance behind his art piece, he kept saying, "How much you pay?" "How much you pay?" I have no interest in buying artwork that someone can't share their ideas or thoughts about for one minute. This is clearly not the case for all vendors, but most had their agenda to sell.  Mouths to feed and money to earn. It's understandable especially when with tourists.  

What is outstanding about the market is the colors and how beautifully they blend together in their different bright shades of pink, purple, blue, orange, and yellow. The tribal patterns are very common whether on blankets, table cloths,  purses, belts, bags, sheets- they make literally everything. The quality of the product can vary from vendor to vendor, but overall they have incredible hand work and beautiful patterns.

                       

In the market, I met a lovely, lovely young lady and her kind family.  It was her Grandma and Grandpa, who initially caught my eye. They were innocently sitting and eating their lunch. No one else would think this is such a sight, but I just love people and especially older generations, especially older couples.  The elderly of new cultures with their kind smile, wrinkles, and unawareness to what is going on-it's adorable. Her Grandma was enjoying her lunch and asked me a couple questions. One included: "Why am I traveling alone and not with my husband?" That's a good question. I just told her that I have a distant love and I hope he can travel with me one day-truth.  She looked at me quite puzzled probably not understanding why I was traveling alone.  

Their granddaughter Marissa was not so different from me as she studied abroad in Brazil for her MBA and she enjoys traveling as well.  She went to the US two times and plans to go again soon.  She helps with her family business selling different colors of yarn for sewing, but her passion is Aesthetics.  

She was helping out with their family business, but she was working in aesthetics with foreigners. She received her MBA in Brazil. She is currently learning how to speak French and she already speaks Portuguese, Spanish, and English.  She has a 7 year old boy who stands behind her in a shy manner. His name is Omar. She is also interested in philosophy and multi-cultural studies where she works on a project for the indigenous community. She stimulated my mind and made me question my own theories and beliefs.  She gets the Stamp of Inspiration approval from Pris.  She truly is a independent woman who cares for her family while taking care of her child, educating herself, traveling, and involved with the rights of her people.  It is empowering to meet a young Guatemalan woman with such passion, motivation, and charisma.

Along with this woman, I met another man who sells handcrafted belts and I bought one for a friend. I also bought a $1 handmade eyeglass case and was tempted to purchase a $25 hand crafted backpack.  My eyes were open for the perfect designed backpack, but this backpack had a weird flower design at the top, which did not interest me much.  The man wearing overalls and a cowboy hat was so sweet and eager to sell it.  He kept showing it's best features like Vanna White selling a car.  It made me sad to say, "No gracias." But it was just not the bag for me.  The perfect bag will definitely speak to me.  

As for food, well I had two glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice at different times.I drank one cup and it was so good I had to spin around the market again to get another. I was feeling a little under the weather so I also took my chances on some homemade chicken soup.  I sat with a police officer and shared my soup asking him about the local crime.  He said there are problems with youth and robberies, but it was not such a bad city.  I wanted to take a picture with him to remember the moment, but he got a phone call and he had to leave quickly.   

Being dropped off at 8:30, we only had until 1:15 and of course I cut the time a bit close because I was wondering around and talking.  I had to be at the bus at 1:40, but I forgot where they parked it. In a panic, I was asking where the tourist bus is and how to get there.  People lead me to a main area, but this was not where they parked.  Fortunately, there was a man who knew the direction and pointed about 2 streets down where I was suppose to go. I was literally 5 minutes away from it and I was in a panic-ridiculous, but I did not want to say goodbye to all my stuff as they left to Guatemala city without me! 

Always an adventure, especially at the markets! 
Eating, shopping, talking, listening, learning, locals! 

Bright Colors Spreading Love

Many Latin American countries love COLOR! Not just any color rather they love BRIGHT COLOR and Guatemala is one of these countries. When they create, they use a wide range of colors, but many are bright shades of pink, purple, orange, yellow, green, etc.  They weave different colors together in threes and often I sit on the street just watching them with admiration-a bit like a proud mother.  It's one of the most beautiful sights watching someone engage in their craft.  

It's interesting that these women choose such similar yet different patterns for items.  One bag may have one pattern of stripes and the top may have a flowers and a new pattern.  I always wonder how they choose their specific patterns for quilts, bags, clothes, shoes, etc.  

The color choice always seems to be bright giving a sense of joy in the item.  It's a nice feeling to have something colorful and I believe colors contribute towards our mood state.  Those who wear color have a tendency to be happier and brighter people-people whose spirit just shines a bit more.  

Colors can positively impact our mood without us even being conscious of the meaning or impact. We can choose certain colors based on our mood and many of those in a Spanish culture like bright colors due to their internal happiness.  This would be from my experience and the many people I have met and know from Central and South American.  

Here are some examples of the beautiful work: 

Cuanto Cuesta?

When you ask a person, “How much is it?” in Panajachel, Guatemala.  The price is not final and there is some room for negotiation depending on the product. All vendors are dressed traditionally in their Mayan clothing, which includes a traditional skirt and a square over sized top with a belt.  Everything they wear is full of color including their head band, belt, top, and skirt. The men wear tribal pants, an apron looking skirt, and a long sleeved button down top with tribal colored pattern.  Everything they are wearing they are usually selling.  When they are selling an item, they are willing to negotiate, but what is interesting is there explanation of the origin of the product. They give you background stories on the item and always tell you the amount of time it took to make.  For example, mi amiga Ana selling a traditional Mayan shirt says that it took 6 months to hand weave the knit woven shirt.  They use many different colors when sewing producing weaves of beauty.  It is easy to believe that this cost 300 Quetzal because it took 6 months to make. 

Also, another vendor pointed out the time spent painting a handmade ceramic cross. He pointed out the detailing used when painting the various colors. When you buy something from Guatemala, it can be made my machine or made by hand.  When it’s made by hand, the price is more expensive and the quality is priceless.  One woman who had been coming to Guatemala for years said that she always buys everything hand made and she has never had one item fall apart, rip, or tear.  It seems to be very clear with the quality of work and the quantity of time.