Guatemala is six hours behind GMT and in the same time zone as
U.S. Central Standard Time. Hours of daylight do not vary
greatly between seasons, but daylight saving time is sometimes
observed, depending on the whims of individual governments. It
was observed in the summer of 2006 but not in 2007. Check
locally for the latest. Nearly all outlets are 110 volts, 60
cycles with outlets for plugs consisting of parallel flat blades
just like the ones found in the United States, Canada, and
Mexico. Power outages and electrical surges are common in rural
areas, especially during unusually arid dry seasons or very wet
rainy seasons in thunderstorms. Be extra careful with sensitive
equipment such as laptop computers. Like the American and
European influences on its culture, Guatemala uses a sometimes
confusing mixture of weights and measures from both the metric
and old English systems. Fruits and vegetables are weighed by
the pound, but folks weigh themselves in kilos; gas is dispensed
in gallons but distances are co