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| Corral Grande might not be the perfect place to live if you're fond of rubble-free roads... |
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| ... but if you were a banana tree, you'd be happy to live in this valley. You'd also look like an alien. |
In the afternoon, we leave Corral Grande behind and return to San Pedro for some shopping.
Q: What do things cost in Guatemala?
A: A lot less that I'm used to.
Examples (in US $):
- small fashion scarf, $2
- square of loose-woven cloth (maletera), $3
- necklace, $4
- name-brand used clothing in great condition - shirt, $1; vest, $5
- big bunch of spinach, 50 cents
- 1 banana, 50 cents
- 1 red pepper, 30 cents
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For $1 you can get two bananas and a smile. |
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These maleteras ($3 each) smelled like a barn when I bought them. They came through a cold-water wash beautifully. |
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| With a selection like this, how do you choose? |
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| The traje of San Pedro (not counting the boots). |
Where did you shop? We did most of our shopping in Pana. The prices were GREAT! Kristina sure knows how to bargain! Visiting Guatemala made me, my husband and youngest daughter, really appreciate the US even more. It made us realize how lucky we are, despite political differences. At least we can safely agree to disagree here in the good old USA!
ReplyDeleteJoy, I'm with you on the great shopping in Pana (aka Panajachel). In this blog series, Pana is still ahead of us. The photos above are from the San Pedro market. I know what you mean about bargaining; Elizabeth is a pro at it too.
ReplyDeleteI love the colors in Guatemala! Look at those maleteras! Do the vendors give gifts in the market? If you buy 2 bananas do they have something small they throw in? Are peanuts widely eaten?
ReplyDeleteWend, Aren't the colors something? One vendor did give me a colorful woven "Guatemala" bookmark as a thank you, but it didn't seem to be a common practice. I didn't observe peanuts being eaten anywhere; does that question come from your experience in Africa?
ReplyDeleteYes. When we bought food in the market they would throw in a little extra and point out that they were giving you a gift. A purchase of onions merited a free garlic. Buying flour? You'd get extra. Peanuts were a very common snack, and whenever you bought some you'd get some extra thrown in. "Cadeau, Madame." It was mainly food, not other things like scarves.
ReplyDelete