User:AbagaelShropshire498

We were enjoying our meal at a popular open-air restaurant around the main tourist drag in Panajachel, Guatemala, when some tourists about our age walked slowly by. Billy says "Hey, the food's great here, why not give it a try?"

The man looked interested, the girl looked horrified.

I chimed in with "Order the Amuerzo Economico and you'll pay half the marked menu prices."

The person took two seconds to select this great deal, making a proceed to sit at a table alongside ours.

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Spousal opposition

"We're going to eat here?" The wife questioned.

Clearly she held potential to deal with entering this clean, brightly decorated eating establishment.

I'm telling you it had been no dump. There is a set screen TV on the wall and lively Salsa music around the audio system. Clean handwoven Guatemalan tablecloths covered every table which also supported flowers. Original indigenous artwork adorned the walls.

The girl, who was noticeably beautiful and well-kept, had her hesitation distinctly written throughout her scrunched up face.

"I hope they speak English here," she said by having an audible sigh as she flopped down.

"I want a Coke. Have you got Coke? Exactly what do you need to drink here?" She demanded in rapid-fire English. The bilingual waiter maintained with her rush of questions pretty much.

"You have chicken or pork? I'll go ahead and take pork. Honey, they've chicken or pork."

Meanwhile, the husband and Billy were chatting away about retirement, finance and travel, using a grand ol' time.

The drama darkens

Bottles of Coke and empty glasses promptly arrived at the table and again, this poor woman looked stricken. Simply appalled.

I could not imagine exactly what the problem was, and so i attempted to catch her reactions out of the side of my eye.

Mrs. Visitor had personal drama going on and I found it mesmerizing. Apparently a few of the syrup had released at the top of the Coke bottle, creating a tiny dark sticky blob to look.

She checked out her husband, then at me, then in the bottle, then at her husband, then at me, then again at the bottle. She disgustingly ran her finger at the top of the bottle and today she'd that tiny sweet dollop on her behalf finger. She again looked at her husband (who had been ignoring her right now), then at me, then at her finger, then at her husband, then at me, on the other hand at her finger!

Right now I am thinking "She has no Kleenex in her purse? If she has been blown off course by this small , common occurrence, what's she doing traveling in america?"

If this innocent ooze of syrup upset her a lot how her meal would go?

No disrespect intended

Since nobody was rushing to her rescue to provide her a hot, clean, wet, soapy cloth or whisk her off to a Five star restaurant complete with apologies, eventually Mrs. Visitor looked to her left, then to her right, and rather guiltily, wiped the syrup off on the tablecloth. I do not imagine it ever occurred to her to inquire about the waiter for a napkin.

Part of me felt badly because of not coming to her deliverance. She was afraid and out of her element, and that i often see her frustration towards her husband for taking her here to Guatemala. Lost in desperation without any help from her spouse, this well-groomed woman was face-to-face with the fringe of her comfort zone... and it wasn't pretty.

I had been both stunned and completely transfixed. I'd forgotten that my twenty-two many years of world travel had trained me to put a tissue within my purse for unexpected events exactly like it.

Here are a few quick survival strategies for travel which i hope you find useful:

Bring baby wipes. Women have babies all over the world. If you are someplace with a semblance of civilization, you will find baby wipes within the supermarkets. Visit the baby section, discover the wipes. Insert them in your purse. Then when you travel on buses, wish to sit inside a chair which has strawberry syrup onto it or discover that you need mouthwash within the bathroom, you've got a clean wipe arrive at your aid.

Put napkin or wipes down soda bottle necks. If you're eating outside in warm weather and therefore are having a soda, flies or bees often gather for that sugary syrup. Place napkins or said wipes down the bottle neck and you may avoid an awful creature falling into your pop. When traveling overseas, it's commonplace to wipe off the mouth of beer and soda bottles even just in upscale locations.

Use sliced limes to clean your fingers. Platters of fish or shrimp are often served whole at the beach and eating seafood can leave your fingers messy. Utilizing a thin napkin at your table could be unsatisfying. Apply the sliced limes first then utilize your napkin. In this way you won't have tiny items of paper stuck to your fingers to annoy you additional.

Say "Provecho!" When entering or leaving a cafe or restaurant in South america, say "Provecho!" to other diners. This basically means "Enjoy your meal" and it is a very socially polite thing to say. It shows that you're an experienced traveler and you are an all-around-nice person.

Don't allow your comfort zone limit you. Life is for living. Grab a bite and relish it. Situations and circumstances are not always the same as they're "back home" and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Who cares if one makes a mistake? What exactly if one lunch wasn't your preferred? A grin goes quite a distance for those who are around you and while you are at it give one on your own.

You deserve it for being brave enough to consider an opportunity.