Home » Guatemala » Into Guatemala 1989 [Part 4 of 11 Parts]

Day 6 Lake Atitlán, Sapphire of the Maya Highlands (continued) 
Day 7 Sololá, Panajachel, and off to Quetzaltenango 
Day 8 At the Summit 
Days 9-10 A Good Rest at La Capital

Into Guatemala 1989 [Part 4 of 11 Parts]

Jo
2004-03-05 22:49:55

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$100 per person, but we were planning to save drastically on food and lodging (more on this to follow).

We spent an entire morning at the bank. Lines were long and many, and computers were slow and few. We soon lost track of the number of forms we had to fill out. This was our not our first taste of Guatemala's justly infamous redtape; besides, Roberto had forewarned us to summon great reserves of patience for the occasion. Although it was a painful wait, we were cheered on by the recent fall of the quetzal against the dollar. One of our our green bills could command about two of its lesser counterparts.

When my turn finally came, I quickly forgot about what had brought me there in the first place. I did not even count the money neatly handed to me by the teller. Comically enough, all I could think of was her strikingly beautiful face, and vague plans of opening up a conversation in a language I hardly knew. There was no harshness in her bright eyes and angelic features, but she had an unmistakably aristocratic bearing (delicate hands, upturned nose, aloof demeanor, etc.) that made me feel uncomfortable. I mumbled a hasty gracias-- the pathetic peak of my eloquence. In a firm but elegant voice, she gave the customary de nada.

As we left the building, I asked Roberto if he had noticed the gorgeous "princess". But my more experienced friend was blunt. "If she were so aristocratic, then she wouldn't be working in a bank," he remarked cooly. I began to understand that the rich and powerful in Guatemala, whatever their occupations, did little, if any, work. (Princess Di, in her role as former kindergarten teacher, would have appeared plebeian in comparison.) Roberto's remark did not lower "her highness" in my eyes, but instead, made her seem much more approachable. Unfortunately, this would be our first and last visit to her bank.

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