I thought you might enjoy what I call, "a day in the life in Guatemala". I did this a while back for some other friends in another site, but thought I might share it here.
Wednesdays and Fridays we have the service group meet in our house since we live a couple blocks from the dock. Wednesdays, shown here, we meet at 7:45, and go to San Pedro. Fridays we meet at 8:20 and either go somewhere in Pana, or we go across the lake to San Marcos or Santa Cruz.
This is us getting our living room set up for the service group. We watch news (NBC New York) until the doorbell starts ringing.
This is us getting our living room set up for the service group. We watch news (NBC New York) until the doorbell starts ringing.
Here's the closet and get-ready place and...
... our bedroom
. It needs some paint and decorating! We have some nice windows out onto the garden, with a lovely view.
We have our C.O. this week! They all look either pretty serious, or tired, here! (Since we have the CO, we met 'late' at 8:20!)
Walking down to the dock down the street from us. Wednesday
we go over to San Pedro across the lake. It's about a half hour boat ride.
The San Pedro dock. There are public lanchas (boats) that costs 20q, about $2.60, for regulars; 25q, just over $3, for tourists. But when we have at least 14 or so people, we make it a private lancha and we can leave right away.
These
are all our brothers.
It's a cloudy day. Since we're at 5200' elevation it may be literal
clouds.
Here's the town were heading for
, San Pedro. It's known mostly as a party town with lots of foreigners, and particularly a lot of Israelis. (The town we go to on Fridays, San Marcos, is more known as a new-age center). You can see the dock we'll sit at at the left/center here.
Getting off the boat.
Getting off the boat.
Our CO and wife, Ruben and Kathy Garcia from Brooklyn/Queens; she's from Antiga in the Caribbean.
Setting up the stand
. It fits in a backpack, and we assemble it onsite. This bench is where we'll sit, a few feet away from the stand. We'll sit there from 9-12AM, then someone else comes for the afternoon. This helps a lot because the city is very hilly and rocky, and it gives Bill's poor knees a break!
Me by the stand.
Looking from the middle of the dock up the hill.
Our view as we sit. Note under the Mariscos sign, there are windows. This used to be the first floor of a building. It shows how much the lake (Atitlan) has risen over the years. However, just a month or so ago, as I recall we could only see maybe two bricks above the water, now we see four and a half. The lake has dropped a bit, amazing considering its 50 sq miles (about the size of the Sea of Galilee). It will most certainly go up again, because the general trend is for it to rise.
Our view as we sit. Note under the Mariscos sign, there are windows. This used to be the first floor of a building. It shows how much the lake (Atitlan) has risen over the years. However, just a month or so ago, as I recall we could only see maybe two bricks above the water, now we see four and a half. The lake has dropped a bit, amazing considering its 50 sq miles (about the size of the Sea of Galilee). It will most certainly go up again, because the general trend is for it to rise.
So, we sit and watch the goings on. Today they are entertaining us... there's some blues music playing, and, some locals are redoing this building, putting on an additional level. They cut a bunch of tree trunks to the right length to support the roof, then they'll pour concrete. I don't know if you can see it, but there are already dozens of tree poles inside, every three feet or so. This one used to have a straw thatched roof, and the restaurant above/behind it had a nice view over the roof - but this building will soon block the other's view, and they aren't happy about it! We may eat at that restaurant, D'Noz. It has a great Thai Curry. Stay tuned.
Out of respect I won't take a pic, but a family just came
down for a boat. An old old crippled man was being carried in the arms of a younger man.
There is a younger woman, several little ones (all in traditional dress) who
are giggling and thrilled with looking into the water, and an ancient grandma
with about four teeth, all sticking out but with a big smile. They're all
speaking Tzutujil, Maya language.
Here the kids are. They've collected some rocks and they're
watching them sink.
A guy just arrived on a boat and walked by, followed by a man with a machine gun. Maybe he's someone important being guarded, protected. Or it's just a guy with a gun going to work. Seeing guards with machine guns (?) is not uncommon here.
Very international here. Just heard some tourists pass with maybe an Australian accent. There are also a LOT of Jewish people who come here. There's a community center here for Jews. I once asked a Jewish man, after a nice friendly visit, why so many come here. He smiled and said, "Honey, I think it's for the weed...".
I just struck up a conversation with a woman waiting for a boat. She's from Israel. Hippie-like, long dress, curly hair dyed maroon, maybe my age. We talked about a recent news event about Jews getting kicked out of a town on the lake and she said they were really extremely religious, really a cult, and that she supported it. They would bathe nude in the lake and refuse to pay bills. She said she was living here 8 years but only during dry season and she asked about us. So we explained we retired here and have a great community as Jehovah's witnesses. She asked what made us different, and we said, Jesus is the Son of God, not part of a triune God, no burning hell, our our stand of neutrality. As an example of the latter, I told her than many many Jehovah's witnesses were in concentration camps in the Holocaust, and they were the only ones that could have walked out free by simply recanting their faith. I gave her a tract with the website to learn more. She had a warm smile throughout, and it may have been her first real conversation with a Witness.
Just checked my blood sugar. It's 75. Heading down... If it gets between 50-70 I need to eat something fairly quickly. I will get shaky, sweaty and unable to think. So now I need to make a plan. We won't be relieved for an hour and a half. I have a candy for emergencies in my purse, but I'd rather make a better plan. Hmmm. Going up the hill to see what I can get.
Getting a coffe mocca and an oatmeal cookie
.
People who want to go to one of the other towns on the lake have to just sit and wait for the boat to get full, could be up to an hour.
It's kinda boring sometimes. Like now. Haha.
A guy just passed by, whom I've seen before. Ick. He's a white guy, has bleached blond hair with dirty dreadlocks, no shirt, with low slung very short shorts and a hot pink THONG showing above his shorts! Shudder.
A big group just landed on the dock. They shuffled around getting organized. The tour guide was on the phone, speaking half Spanish, half Maya. As the group hovered around the stand, one noticed the QR code and tried to click it... Then off they went!
At least the nearby store is still playing blues music. Other days it's been reggae (which was fine) or hard rock/rap/whatever, which gets old. Today is good.
Here's the roof of the dock. Made of palm branches tied to a frame.
I'm kinda bored but feel better.
Cool plant. Under trash, under the construction.
Two girls who are supposed to be selling nuts which are in bags in the plastic containers. They're bored and arguing over a cell phone. Maybe 14 years old. No sales.
Still bored. So, just want to mention that Guatemalans, especially the more indigenous, are known for being short. I don't know why I wanted to say that. There was a short guy drinking a giant can of beer an hour or so, and I don't think it was his first. Haha
.
Where two girls are, more teens will gather. Now there's a number of them talking and giggling. Even the kids and teens wear 'traje tipico', traditional dress. Speaking Tzutujil. Sounds like Klingon.
When they (or others down here) sell nuts to foreigners, they say 'cashew?' All nuts seem to be called cashews here.
There was a big nut of some kind that fell on the ground. The bird couldn't pick it up so I stepped on it gently to break it up. He came back!
My boat! (Not really; my name is Nancy.... )
We get a replacement in 25 minutes.
We get a replacement in 25 minutes.
(Now, a friend of mine who had been following this "day in the life" account issued a challenge - a photo scavenger hunt challenge: "Find fish, crab, toes, person opening publication, red flower, red wagon or car, cloud shaped like an animal, tourist that looks like an insurance salesman, shortest Guatamalan in town, best smile you've seen all day. "
I replied: You're ON!
Toes. Check.
I told her that we are reluctant to take pix of Guatemalans. They don't
really appreciate it, and it’s not respectful. Plus we live here and will see
them again. Maybe from a distance.
Short Guatemalan, sitting on her haunches as she
waits.
Red 'car', Guatemala style. Check!!
Closest to fish and crab. No fish were visible off the
dock.
So I snapped a menu!
Not a red flower, but a flower at restaurant D'Noz.
This is from the restaurant balcony, of the mountain and 'the nose' (hence, D'Noz) in profile. You can also see the construction from above.
Soon their view is gone!
Restaurant. Menu
Best smile I've seen all day ...
Heading home after a yummy lunch. Here's a shot of the
sisters at the lit stand this afternoon. Can't see them well. And we're the
first ones on the boat, so we just missed one and we'll have to wait a while
til this one fills up. Ugh. Maybe up to an hour. Plus the afternoon waters are
always choppier than morning, so ... Nerves and discomfort. At least this boat
has life jackets. I rarely get one down unless it's horrible cuz I want to not
seem like a dopey tourist. Haha.
... Or living on side of mountain.
Some shots on the way back, grey and choppy, though not as bad as some trips.
Imagine farming on sides of a mountain. These people are hard working.
... Or living on side of mountain.
Or here. These pics aren't coming out as cool as they look like in real life.
The dock again! Yeah! We made it!
Up the hill from the dock to our street, Calle del Embarcadero.
Up the hill from the dock to our street, Calle del Embarcadero.
Walking on a flat and paved (!!) street home. We live at the end of this street.
And our front door
on the street.
And inside, the door to our place.
Some flowers in our garden.
And inside, the door to our place.
Some flowers in our garden.
And.... Relaxing! Whew! Time for ice water and reading new magazine.
PS After the scavenger hunt, the next day I was sitting at the public witnessing table in Pana and I saw truly one of the tiniest people here in Pana. She always walks barefoot, hunched over, selling trinkets. You have to respect that she is not walking around asking for a handout, she’s offering something. She's very sweet. Check out her size compared to a kid's bicycle.
Thanks for letting me take you along. I hope you enjoyed it! It was nice to share. We truly have the best life ever!
Delightful post!
ReplyDeleteAll the best.