10 Random Observations on Latin Travel
Here are some stupid unrelated observations and rants I’ve had while traveling in
- The queue is a figment of the North American imagination… or perhaps gringos are invisible due to our blinding white skin. I swear I’ve never been in a line that a local hasn’t cut me off in–even while in mid-conversation with the help behind the counter. Cultural? Rude? or both? This also seems to be the only time anyone is in a rush (other than when driving).
- No one anywhere has change–ever. If lunch is $3.50 and you hand over a five they will hem and haw as if you are trying to buy a 5 cent stick of gum with a hundred dollar bill. In one nice hotel we paid $22 a night and needed to pay each day–and each time it was a tremendous effort to get change when handing over $25. I guess they drop any money they receive into a concrete vault buried 600 ft below the building, or Big Jose is sitting in the back and collecting his protection money as fast as it comes in.
- Occasionally we meet someone that speaks rapid fire Spanish (like my old buddy Raul). We’ll ask: “Habla mas despacio por favor” (speak slower please). I think they get nervous or something because they reply even faster with a much longer and even more confusing explanation.
- Someone that does speak English suddenly doesn’t speak any when you confront them with a problem–and they don’t understand your Spanish either.
- I have a love hate relationship with Lonely Planet. They really do a great job of covering a country, but any hostal or hotel lucky enough to make it into their book feels they are entitled to a price increase. The list of excuses are as follows:
“Old that’s an old book” hmm.. really? It’s the latest edition.
“We’ve upgraded.” Looking around at the scrap wood and dust covered 2×4’s in the lobby I ask “Really?” “Yes, we’ve put new doorknobs on all the doors–it’s $10 more a night.” I find this greedy as hell–being in the LP guidebook drives tremendous business (and profit) to you. You can at least honor the price you quoted to get in the book.
“The dollar has declined.” Ugh.. don’t remind me.
6. Wi-Fi Internet access should be free in hotels and coffee shops and usually is, but occasionally someone thinks it shouldn’t be. “Oh, but we have to pay for it.” Yup, whether I use it or not. It’s a perk to attract business–make it free and I’ll buy lots of coffee.
- The slower the internet access in a lab, the higher the cost.
- Toilet paper costs 1 million dollars per roll and cannot be found anywhere but your hotel room–and you have to ask for it.
- Toll collectors on the buses are really honest–cabbies almost never are.
- It seems everyone has a puppy but no one has a dog… and there are a lot of strays.
KaraYtravis said:
I would have to agree on all counts! Particularly the people who speak decent English until there is a problem and then don’t understand any language. My favorite is a woman who quoted us a price on a hotel room in English and then after we had paid and were about to leave a local came in and, in Spanish, got a room for a couple of bucks less. When we asked her, in Spanish - which she didn’t think we spoke, all of the sudden she didn’t understand ANY language until we gave up and accepted it as a gringo tax.
I have some catching up to do reading the blog but should have time as Kara and I are back from our trip and slowly readjusting to life over here in NYC. We have been lazy on the blog but plan to keep it going in the next few days as we get our groove back. Enjoy your journey and keep writing.
-Travis
And 4 Traits that Make Us Not So Good Travelers | Lives of Wander said:
[...] as if the priest is going to run out of wafers. In a post about Latin America, fellow travelers at WanderingWhy confirm that this is also true in the countries south of the [...]