Lanquin, Guatemala

Manners in Guatemala are impeccable. People always greet each other on the street, in stores, in restaurants or on buses. It is friendly, courteous, genuine and fun. In rural areas, the men routinely wear cowboy hats, gumboots and carry a machete: work means long, hard hours of clearing brush, trees and grass for farming. Corn is a vital staple here and the Maya considered it sacred; too bad the tortillas all tasted a bit funny.