I was recently in Latin America—Mexico and Nicaragua, to be specific. My first stop was in Mexico City for business meetings. To my shock (and pleasure), there were two Starbucks right next to my hotel, literally about one minute away from each other. Being a coffee lover and a big fan of a caramel macchiato, I almost started skipping across the street to partake in my favorite coffee drink and pastries. One evening I slowed my pace and decided to try something different and wandered into a little café that was almost empty. It was not a big chain or well known internationally, and I must admit the coffee and pastries were not as tasty as my Starbucks treats, but there was one big plus provided—there was camaraderie.
Here the staff was interested in me, a complete stranger. They wanted to know where I was from and to trade stories. The server and manager even waited expectantly as I took my first sip of cappuccino and bit into my piece of pie. They were waiting for affirmation that I made the right choice by stopping into their “unknown” establishment. This little “hole in the wall” place made me feel more like an acquaintance than just another traveler stopping in for their java fix. That was a treat more unexpected than a splendidly made caramel macchiato.
Later during the week, I was still a little bummed from a disappointing and expensive meal at a touristy restaurant located by the Pyramids in Teotihuacan, Mexico. I decided to stop into a mall back in Mexico City and ran smack into one of the common American chain restaurants. Though I knew the food at this restaurant would probably be good, not too pricey, and would not disappoint my palate, I told my local companion I wanted to go somewhere I would not be able to go to at home, some place known to the locals. That led us to the restaurant El Pendulo and one of the most scrumptious appetizers and smoothest mango shakes I have ever tasted. This was more than just a restaurant; it was an experience. It was a hang out spot that included a book shop, music store, and a cozy café all-in-one, and most importantly, not a tourist trap. It will be on my list to stop into the next time I am in Mexico City.
When I arrived to my next stop in Managua, Nicaragua, I was excited to see what it had in store for me outside of the Holiday Inn where I lodged and had meetings at. The unexpected treat there came in going to the Metro Centro—the mall where the locals hang out at. There was a salon that had a sign up for pedicures and, after all-day meetings, I felt I deserved a little pampering. I scooted right into the chair, picked out my color, and now I have pretty bright pink toes to show for it—for the bargain price of $7 U.S. dollars! Now if I had waited until I had gotten home a couple of days later, I might have had my feet submerged in a soapy whirlpool bath, but I would have spent almost triple the amount and been rushed in and out. I would not have been out on the town, practicing my broken espanol, but instead in my hotel room (with my chipped toenail polish on) tucked into my own little world, not experiencing a little of someone else’s.
The point of sharing these unexpected treats is no matter how short your trip—whether traveling for business or pleasure, on a budget or lux-to-the-max—whatever comforts you are used to having at home, be it your morning Starbucks fix or whirlpool pedicure, when you travel it’s an opportunity to get out there, experience something out of your ordinary, meet new people, exchange stories, try to butcher a different language … or just be a goodwill ambassador of your hometown to someone who may never get there. The good news after all is, if you don’t like it, your comforts await you back home, but at least now you have a cool travel story to tell, maybe a new recipe to try, and pretty toes to show off!