Too many gringos

I arrived in "Guate" two days ago after suffering through three flights from NY. Guate is cold. Panama is hot. I am holed up in Antigua, which is supposed to a beautiful city. I am not too impressed as it has turned into Gringo central. Gringo inflation has made the cheapest beer I can find $2+. When beer costs $2+ that has to be a sign of development. There could be a new poverty measurement, beer prices. One of those "I" variables in econometrics.

Screw the Nuba mountains and typing out a blog via a solar panel and satelite internet. I am typing mine at a "Bagel Barn" via free wifi after just slurping down a pineapple milkshake. Every other store is an internet cafe or a travel agency pushing some kind of tour. Being around Gringo travellers puts me in a bad mood. Especially when I have to listen to one scream into her laptop, sharing her whole conversation with rest of the customers in the Bagel Barn. I share the town with a 1000 college students studying spanish or just hanging out. Tomorrow I will climb a live volcano to around 10,000 feet. Then, finally Monday I will start "working", which means meeting and discussing more paperwork. I feel like I am already under a mountain of paperwork. At least my boss is interesting and a local, so I will get an inside visit to most of the country hopefully.

My first night in Guate I spent with my boss's sister's boyfriend. He offered to let me crash at his place and I accepted a free bed of course. This free bed was found in a huge penthouse apartment, probably 2000 sq. feet at least and included my own bathroom with hot water. His mother is a famous poet, but I saw the books she had published and they looked more like trashy romance novels. I can now brag that I have stayed at the house of the Danielle Steele of Guatemala. I was really roughing it in the morning when the maid asked me what I wanted for breakfast and then the chofer drove me around to complete all of the errands I needed. Nothing like living with the people you are trying to help.

I finally feel like I have kind of dropped down to their level by staying in a really simple hotel. Shared bathroom and the 10x10 room only has a really rickety bed with a mattress that has to be 20 years old, a table covered with a dirty table cloth, a chair, one bare light bulb, and a floor that hasn't been swept in a month. I think I might have some traveler's diahrria, but I am waiting for a day or two more to confirm that. Nothing that a little Cipro from the local doctor won't fix.

Beat that Bartolozzi and screw Milan, Liverpool played a better game...