Americana with a side of local cheese...

I am sitting in a coffee shop here that could pass for any indie coffee shop in America.

and I must say, this is the best Cafe Mocha I have ever tasted.

We also hit up the local Pizza joint for dinner last night (after 3.5 weeks of eating off the same limited hotel menu, we needed something different.) While I hesitated at getting the "Veggie Max" special (Soya crumbles, pineapple, mushroom and "local cheese"), it certainly was one of the best pizzas I have had in a long time. (And whatever the difference is between local and improved cheese, I could tell no difference.)

While I have thoroughly been enjoying the local cuisine (I could live on curry and copious amounts of pineapple alone), it is nice (comforting?) to have a taste of America every once in a while.

If you live or have lived abroad, what do/did you miss the most? What is your can't-live-without piece of Americana?

The low-down on the shopping scene...

It is really what y'all have been wanting to learn about, right? 

Each foreign country is different on what resources it has (both natural/local and imported) and Guyana has been both a surprise and expected on what we have found. {Full disclosure: we certainly haven't found everything there is to find yet!} We knew that imported goods could be found but at a premium. And that has certainly been found to be true: everything has about a 25% mark-up then the regular price at a good ole' Walmart. And you have to check the expiration dates to make sure things are still good. (Well, I think alot of expiration dates are partly used as marketing tools to get you to buy more sooner than you need but that is another story.) Often when you find something, you should go for the gusto and buy multiples because you may not find that goodie again for a while. 

All of that was expected. As was the lack of regular dairy milk in the grocery stores. (You either do powdered milk, UHT or get crazy and pasteurize your own.) I wasn't expecting there to be a nation-wide shortage of chicken. But overall, I have been pleasantly surprised at the fact that you can find almost anything you want.

Case in point:

We hit up the local "mall" and I found the "O Navy" Store. Full of, you guessed it, Old Navy (Outlet) clothes. I bought a basic polo off the clearance rack for about $7.00 US, just because I could. (But it will be great for work!) 

Alot of my upcoming posts will be resource round-ups of all the cheats and do-it-yourself projects that I will be utilizing to substitute for stuff I have been missing or to help curb paying inflated prices. While it is nice to know that I can buy familiar products, I welcome the chance to try to get creative and provide some of these things myself. 

I can't wait to share and experiment and I hope you join in on the fun!

Shots from Guyana {Photography Highlight}

{All photographs by Nikhil Ramkarran}

{Sunday Dreaming} Mosquito Netting

                                     Source: blissfulb.blogspot.com via Keri on Pinterest

Sunday dreaming of how beautiful I picture our {mandatory} mosquito netting will be in our home... 

{I am ignoring the fact that they recommend soaking the nets in Deet before hanging them up...yuck...}

                           Source: milenachka.tumblr.com via Andrea on Pinterest

                                       Source: thebooandtheboy.com via BrownPaper on Pinterest

                         Source: sfgirlbybay.com via Michelle on Pinterest

A girl can dream, right?

Georgetown date night options

Georgetown Seawall at night {Source}

While searching in our little Guyana tourist guide, I ran across these little gems of Georgetown nightlife...

Direct from the guide:

• Celina's Atlantic Resort: resort it is not, but Celina's is the city's only waterfront restaurant and bar...Let the sunset and capuchin monkeys distract you from the sometimes slow and aloof services.
• Club Latino: area just off the lobby at the Pegasus hotel is transformed into a happening nightclub complete with DJ and Latin dance music.
• El Club Latino:  (Note: do not confuse with above) Popular west-end hangout with large bar and separate dance floor.
• Buddy's Nite Club: A popular and safe pick, this ever-growing complex features a disco, pool hall, Chinese restaurant and exercise gym (not necessarily best enjoyed in that order.)

Buddy's, you had me at "disco."