Guatemala left an indelible impression on Lithuania: he told what he remembered the most

“Latin Americans, local Guatemalans, I found extremely nice and hospitable people, maybe because I traveled with the locals,” U. Zubavičiūtė, who is from Klaipėda, began to tell.

In Guatemala, I was called “gringa”, which translates to “foreigner, typical American or British” by the local children who have not yet been squeezed into the framework of society.

“Because they don’t know much anymore or they don’t get as many visitors from other foreign countries, and for them the USA is a country of dreams and opportunities to get out of poverty.” This is any light-skinned woman, and even if she has light, long, “blonde” hair, she is simply a goddess!” explained the Lithuanian woman.

Both stroking hair and touching skin are extremely curious for Guatemalan children.

“White people are rich people for them, so when I was with my local friends, I was usually a ‘target’ – something to offer or to show in order to buy (in tourist places)”, U. Zubavičiūtė shared her memories.

It is also interesting that in Guatemala locals bathe mostly with clothes on.

“At first, I didn’t understand why, because even my friends said they didn’t know much, everyone bathes, so they too, so as not to stand out. Maybe she doesn’t want to show off her naked body, or maybe she’s hiding her belly. Maybe because you don’t want to tan, because you’re already brown, and white skin is “desirable”. So I had to buy a big shirt when I came to swim, because I felt the need to hide my body,” said the traveler.

What she remembered most was that in Guatemala, the windows of all cars are tinted, but so much so that it is absolutely impossible to see that someone is sitting at the wheel.

“As far as they explained to me, it’s safer not to see a young man behind the wheel of a car, because he can stop at the wrong time and place and ask for money with a gun or knife, and, of course, steal. The strange thing is that I didn’t feel unsafe at all, but my local friends always asked me to close the windows when driving through the center of town, where there are more people.

Even if there was a traffic jam, and the reason for that is a car that stops in the middle of the road and does not maneuver, do not try to help in any way! Because it’s like an interpretation, and they may not like it and they can still play with a gun (at least that’s how they explained it to me). Therefore, there were also such situations when I had to wait for an hour while baking at 36 degrees and still in the machine. I was cooking until the police arrived to help maneuver… and our destination was just 300 meters away,” the interviewee shared the details of the trip.

“When I returned to Lithuania, I used to tell my friends sarcastically that I felt like a monkey in a zoo that everyone was staring at. It seemed that they were counting the bites, watching how I ate, what my manners were like. And by no means am I saying that as a bad thing! Such a very unusual experience, considering that when I travel I like to blend in with the crowd, to feel like a local. So I didn’t feel that in Guatemala.

And since my hungry eyes wanted to observe, see, feel everything, there was more than one time when a family of locals greeted mine with collective stares. I smiled and continued chewing. By the way, those looks accompanied me to and from the toilet. (Here is a strong impression from the first days that has remained with me)”, said U. Zubavičiūtė.

The Lithuanian emphasized that the nature in Guatemala is extremely beautiful. The volcanoes left a particularly strong impression – while driving along the road, we had to observe more than one smoldering wonder of nature.

“I was also fascinated by the lagoon, surrounded by volcanoes, the towns are located around the lagoon, where the only communication is with boats and small boats. It’s fun entertainment for tourists, and it’s everyday life for them,” the traveler shared her memories.

Guatemalan street art, food, people, language also stuck for a long time…

“Guatemala for me is a magical place that remains in my heart. The best recommendations!”, the Lithuanian woman recommended to others to visit this country.