From a local market to Walmart

A couple Fridays ago a group from my school went to this famous outdoor market called San Francisco El Alto. It is a town above Xela that transforms into one giant market on Fridays. The streets are closed off except for a few to let the buses come and go, but otherwise it is a giant sea of vendors. Because it is so crowded I was advised against taking my phone so I don't have pictures, but apparently you can find anything there. We saw a section of people selling livestock (cows, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, turkeys) and another section for puppies, kittens and birds. Lots of fruit and vegetables, different types of meat including crocodile!! Plenty of clothes, shoes, household items and I saw a few people selling rocks. It was quite hectic so we walked around for a bit, had a snack and then left. The buses for longer trips, that leave from Xela are old school buses from the states. They are usually decked out with colorful paint or decorations. They are called "chicken buses" because there is a rack on top which holds the cargo of the passengers including chickens :) Personal space has a whole different meaning in most countries outside of the US so I can tell you the bus was FULL! Luckily, with people and not chickens, but wow.

Over the weekend I went to the hometown of my teacher which is about half way between Xela and the Mexico border. There was a big sale like Black Friday in a Mexican town about 45 minutes from the border. I need to leave Guatemala very 3 months to renew my visa so this was a good opportunity. We travelled all the way to Mexico to go to......Walmart! I couldn't get over the irony, but they did have good sales. The peso is weaker than the quetzal so prices that were already cheaper in Mexico were even better during the sale. I only bought a coloring book for the kids in the park, but my friends stocked up on soap, shampoo, make up, etc. There were people with some overflowing carts proving that "black friday sales" appeal to the consumer in all of us. Whether this is good or bad, I'm not sure but apparently "good deals" cross cultures.