Market Day in Chichi

At 8 AM, we were picked up and driven to a huge Maya Indian market in the neighboring town of Chichi. It cost 110 quetzales per ticket. The market is only held on Thursdays and Sundays. Just before we entered the town, we had to pass through a checkpoint to ensure we weren’t bringing certain types of fruit into the market, as they wanted to avoid the spread of fruit flies. Apples, pears, oranges, and lemons were among the items that couldn’t be brought into the town. They were confiscated. We were, on average, about half a meter taller than all the locals, so spotting each other was a breeze. The prices were quite high. You really had to negotiate down to about a third of the asking price to make a good deal. We bought a mask from a Maya Indian woman for 40 quetzales, and a gift for Lotte and Troels’ little Noah, whom we haven’t met yet. We also picked up a couple of T-shirts for Honny and his nieces, so they have something to look forward to. An American guy who was on the same bus as us warned that if you buy coffee down here, you shouldn’t put it in your checked luggage. The drug-sniffing dogs will catch the scent of the coffee and think you’re trying to hide drugs. He once got stopped and had EVERYTHING in his luggage searched. So, always remember to keep the coffee in your carry-on. Later in the afternoon, we were back in Panajachel. Feeling pretty hungry, we headed to a local fast-food joint called Tacos 3 x 10. For 10 quetzales, we each got 3 tacos. Here, the tacos are small, flat, soft tortillas with toppings. Around 6 PM, we strolled down to the lake to catch the sunset over the volcanoes. We were soon joined by a couple of older ladies selling their wares. They were so sweet that we felt a bit sorry for them. However, they wouldn’t budge enough on the prices of their woven goods, so we figured they were probably doing just fine anyway. By 8 PM, we headed into town for dinner. A Uruguayan restaurant had received great recommendations for its grilled dishes. We ordered two large main courses—beef and chicken topped with cheese and bacon—along with salad and all the garlic bread we could eat. Yum! :) It came to about 220 quetzales, including a bottle of red wine and water. We wrapped up the evening at a bar that had an American jazz band playing. Honny ended up buying a T-shirt, so he looked just like one of the bartenders! :)