Plus, I get to ride in my favorite form of transportation: a camioneta (chicken bus). These are repurposed school buses from the US, and they're super cool because they will also be decorated like tuk-tuks. They're called chicken buses because on the top of the buses, the ayudantes (assistants) will put luggage that can't fit in the bus on top. At certain times or in certain parts of Guatemala, you can see the chickens being put there.
To me, this is a very interesting place, and it's called a Mega Paca. Pacas are terms for second-hand stores or thrift stores like Goodwill. A lot of second-hand clothes from the US are sent to countries in Latin America. Plus, it's very common to see local pacas selling American-style clothing. For me, it's vital to see what's inside a paca. If you remember what I said about my unfair height advantage, you might be seeing where this is going. Most clothing stores in Guatemala sell clothes to fit the normal-sized Guatemalan, which is about a foot shorter than I am and not as broad. As a result, whenever I need to buy new clothing, I need to hope that I can find second-hand clothing that is about my size.
As I mentioned earlier, this week is Semana Santa, otherwise known as Holy Week. This makes travelling hectic. During Semana Santa, Catholics have a religious practice of having a procession mimicking Jesus carrying the cross. On Fridays during March and the key dates of Semana Santa, you'll see Catholics taking turns carrying a float of Jesus and taking a part of the burden of Jesus' journey with the cross.
