Initial impressions - Guatemala

I don't think I'm going to see as much of Guatemala as I'd like to, as we only have one week on this project and on Saturday we'll fly to Nicaragua. It's a hard life, I know!
It's a pity though, as I'd love to see Antigua Guatemala or some of the Mayan ruins around here.
Even though I'm only going from the hotel to the plant and back and out to the local restaurants, I'm still enjoying being somewhere so different. Last night we went for dinner with one of the locals and enjoyed lots of discussion about cultural differences. (I'm on this project with two Brazilians.) I mentioned that I thought the Central Americans were generally very open, friendly and helpful. Our colleague said that this was probably true for most Central Americans except Costa Ricans - the common perception is that they think they're superior. I heard an interesting perspective on the UK too...that average salaries are the highest in Europe but the quality of life is one of the lowest. I'm not sure how true that is. What do you think?
I'm really enjoying the food here - lots of fresh guacamole, refried beans and meat dishes. And, like the Hungarians, they like to start a meal with soup - perfect! Maybe I'll set myself a new goal....to discover the world's best soup!
One thing that has really struck me, as it did in Mexico and Honduras, is the terrible traffic and the subsequent pollution. It seems that these major cities are so over-populated but still many people have cars and many more ride the bus. The trouble is that the cars are generally older and poorly maintained, creating a lot of noxious fumes, and the buses (yellow school buses imported from the US) are 20-30 years old and equally polluting. The roads are completely jammed during rush hours and the government probably doesn't have the funds to improve the infrastructure.

For me, it's a real pity as all three of these countries are really beautiful (as I'm sure are countless more with the same problem). The cities are often surrounded by mountains, rain forests and lakes. I read somewhere that Guatemala has around 15 different eco-systems - swamps, mangrove forests, lagoons, ocean front etc. From just outside the plant we can see the Pacaya Volcano - it's beautiful and dominates the skyline.
I suppose that until these countries are better developed economically (difficult with corrupt governments etc.), protecting the environment isn't too high on the priority list. I think that the people, some of the warmest I've met on my travels, deserve better and I wonder what we can do.
Hmm...heavy stuff...I promise to end the next post on a more upbeat note. Hasta luego!