Today we filmed the main marketplace in Guatemala. People bustling to and from selling their wares. Its a subterranean mall with dozens upon dozens of small shops with hand made items ranging from leather bags and clothing to food of various sizes and smells. Jim (the EP and illustrious ship captain) purchased a few hand made leather bags that we are going to take back to Rogelio's village: Sumayak. In Sumayak there is a belt maker Rolli used to work for that has fallen on hard times. A talented leather-smith, our hope is he will be able to duplicate bags of a similar nature that we could purchase off of him to sell through a new nonprofit company we're trying to launch called "Third World Trading". The idea is that we would purchase hand made items off of local subsistent economies and resell them for a markup in a place that has a wider market reach, ie the US. These particular leather bags are perfectly suited to contain an iPad and journals, etc. After we recoup our costs we'd send all the profits back to the village. Poverty has a cause, not just symptoms. Hopefully this will treat it.
After the market we drove to the American Embassy. Dozens of Guatemalan's wait everyday at the American Embassy on the miniscule chance that they'll be able to get a visa to come to the US. Both front and back, the Embassy was packed with people desperate for a better life. We did our best to film it, but as with most of Guatemala City, the embassy was staffed with armed security guards. Armed security guards that do not like filming or photography. When I say security guards, mall cop is what comes to mind. I assure you, these are not your average mall cops. These guys are armed to the teeth, most with shotguns and many with assault rifles, and they mean business. They are not exclusive to the Embassy either. They can be seen in the beds of trucks on patrol or standing guard in front of store fronts all over the city. Surprisingly, I've never once felt uncomfortable or unsafe. Every "Buenos Dias" has been kindly returned and met with a smile and a nod. The only snub I've gotten yet was from another American, incidentally the only other one we've seen since we left the Airport.
After the embassy we drove through the slums. Poverty like this I've never seen in real life before. Homes are rarely more than tin shacks strung together for structural support. Nobody in these parts owns the land, they just start building. While that seems like a great idea (who wouldn't want free land?) it unfortunately comes with the unfortunate caveat that there are no building codes, regulations or rules. Add to it that many of these structures are stacked on top of one another and are built on less than sound hillsides, and it leads to a very dangerous existence. One land slide and a couple hundred to a thousand people could easily disappear. The sad and disturbing thought is who would notice if they did? Everything about the area makes you want to look away. They appear forgotten.
At 4:30 we parted ways with Jim. His boat "The Lorena" still had a few days worth of work to do on it before we hopefully set sail on the twelfth. We saw him off to the bus station and filmed our goodbyes. Our foursome has become a trio for the next few days, just Josh, Rolli and I. After visiting the marketplace one more time, and buying more bags for the Leather smith, Rolli took us to the main square in Guatemala City where we got to see a mariachi band play in the street, feed the Palomas (the pigeons) and see Guatemala's main building of governance. The architecture was beautiful, and the people were friendly. It was the perfect end to a busy day.
Michael
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