I think there is a general rule that doing something in a foreign country, even if it’s something not all that extraordinary, increases the fun factor by at least 150%. This rule proved to hold true when six gringos happened upon a small street carnival in San Lucas. Judging by our excitement level you would have thought we weren’t a day over 10 years old and our parents never let us out of the house.
In all seriousness, it was pretty awesome. What made it so great? Well, it was pretty much like your average county fair mid-way, but throw in booming salsa music, churros, tacos and fried plantains instead of the typical carnival fare, rides that cost fifty cents and a ferris wheel on steroids and you have a Guatemalan carnival. Oh, and we stuck out like a sore thumb – not just because of our skin color, but also the way we gawked at and took photos of everything. I mean really… it was just a carnival. But we couldn't help it! It was a GUATEMALAN carnival!
After we had our fill of candied apples and churros we headed for the most epic ferris wheel we’d ever seen. This thing was big. And it went FAST.
While in the states you ride a ferris wheel because you want to take it easy, maybe have a conversation, enjoy the view and not get too crazy or sick, apparently in Guatemala you ride a ferris wheel to tempt death. Ok, it wasn’t that bad, but it was a RIDE. It switched directions several times, and spun at least five times as fast as what we were used to. It was insane and the highlight of the night. We loved it.
Well, except for my teammate Leanna, who remembered her fear of heights after it was too late.
Way too many pictures, a ride on the tea cups and a vicious spin on the bumper cars later, we were freezing, tired and happy gringos. It’s a blessing to be able to share fun times with my team while we’re here. Even somewhere as simple as a carnival.
