Dear Friends and Family, 8/2/12
We have
arrived at our permanent home in Panajachel, Guatemala on Lago Atitlan. We stayed for 10 nights in Antigua with Paul
and Ruth Philippi in one of their small casitas (house) while we took Spanish
classes and visited with our friend Jane Lombardi who lives in a larger home on
their property. Paul and Ruth, along
with Bruce Swanson a friend from Arizona drove us here on Monday. We came the “back” way, which is an old old
road that has very little traffic except for farmers moving their cattle to
another grazing area. So when you come
around a hairpin turn, you run straight into some cattle on the road. This road
is full of hairpin turns and steep mountain rises and descents. When we finally arrived in Pana, I was a
little car sick, thus the delay in writing to all of you. It has taken me a few days to adjust to another
new place to sleep. Rest assured that
when any of you visit us, we will take the modern Pan American Highway, and
drive 60 MPH.
The Las Buenas Nuevas Compound, or LBN as it is
known as here, is situated directly on the banks of Lake Atitlan. If I am facing the lake, looking at the
volcano, I have 2 hotels on either side of me.
Both are beautiful and well equipped with 5 star amenities (5 star by
Guatemalan standards), 3 or 4 by Dallas standards! In the Lonely Planet Guidebook, on the map of
Panajachel, Las Buenas Nuevas even has a street named after it. So we are easy to find. The Hotel Posada de Don Rodrigo is one of the
famous hotels next to us. The grounds
are breathtaking, the view is spectacular, and the food is excellent. They use the native décor so the hotel is a
top choice for those picky visitors who like high end accommodations. Porta Hotel del Lago, is on the other side of
us. It backs up directly to our little
house. They also have lovely accommodations,
but it is more modern in design. Think
back to the old James Bond movies where they show a modern style hotel. This could be one of those. It is about a 6 story building. If we get tired of my cooking it is easy to
find a very good place to eat. You can
find anything from a club sandwich to Dover Sole on the menu and they have
wonderful desserts. Plan on spending anywhere
from $10 to $35 for a great meal for 2, including tip.
Now for our
compound, LBN is on about an acre. It is
surrounded by a very high brick wall, that is covered with blooming vines and bugenvillia. When we arrived, the gardener’s were trimming
back the vines. The climate is like spring all year round, so
everything grows lusciously year round.
The temperature ranges from a low of 55 to a high of 85, but neither
last very long depending on if the sun is high in the sky or if it is night
time. The natives mostly dress for the
cooler climate, Steven and I on the other hand find the cool times to be
refreshing so far. We have a fireplace
for when and if we get cold.
LBN is a
missionary group retreat center. Any Christian missionary group is welcome to
stay here. It is run through CAM,
Camino Global as it is now known. We have 2 large houses, one with 5 bedrooms,
and one with 4 bedrooms, plus we have several smaller houses, and some new
apartments that are not yet completed.
Our job here is to welcome guests, and make them feel at home, plus help
them find places and things here in Panajachel.
We also will be making sure that the staff here keeps all the houses in
tip top shape for groups that will be coming in. I will be doing some decorating updates in
the houses, because they are like getting in a time machine and going back 40
years or so. Painting, changing out the
drapes, adding a few newer pieces of
furniture, that sort of thing will keep me busy for a while. Steven is enjoying pruning the lush landscape
and helping out the garden staff.
So far, we
have been going to bed early and rising with the roosters. At this time, we only have our computer for entertainment,
plus a few games. We plan on getting a
TV and a satellite dish but that is another project on our list of things we
need. Comfort comes first, then
entertainment. I write as I sit on the
hardest padded chair I have ever sat on in my life. It is like the chairs I sat on in high
school, then it did not bother me, but now, I can only take a few minutes of it
at a time. My VPN is working well on the
internet, so I can get HULU and fool the control that I am still in the states.
We have
several grocery stores here in town that so far seem to have the basics. When I go into Guatemala City, I will stop at
yes, WALMART and be able to get anything else we need. Our diet here is very different from that fat
filled menu we would consume at home.
Fresh fruits and vegetables fill my fridge here. We both hope to drop some serious pounds in
the next several months. A big change of
diet and all the walking we are doing should kick start our plan to shed those pounds. It is funny to me, but the air here makes me
not feel NOT hungry. It is cool and
crisp and gives me energy.
When I want
to go up to the local store, I can walk about a mile, or I can stand at the
front of the compound and wait for a tuk tuk to come by. Yesterday, I waited 2 minutes, and one came
down the narrow street. I hopped in and
told him where to take me. Cost? 10 Q’s,
which is about $1.25. After I finished
shopping, I just stood in front of the grocery and another tuk tuk came
along. Tuk Tuk’s are the standard mode
of transportation here. They are like a
little motorcycle with a seating area instead of having to swing you leg up and
over. It can carry 3 adult passengers
without any problem, plus the tuk tuk driver. The drivers are usually young men, and so far, everyone has
been very helpful. They make their
living by helping the tourist, so we have not had any problems.
Our little
casita is very comfortable. We have 2
bedrooms, and one bath with a large walk in shower. The kitchen is large compared to the small
one we had in Antigua. I have a modern
refrigerator, and automatic gas stove. I
say automatic because that is a luxury here, and I had great difficulty
learning how to light the oven in our house in Antigua. Our living area is a very nice size. We have a fireplace and plenty of space for
everyone who visits to sit and be comfortable.
We will have to work on replacing some of the furniture in our house. The sofa is way past its normal stage of use.
It is so ugly, that I took the bedspread off the second bedroom bed and
covered it up! Now we can sit on it, but
you have to have someone pull you up when you get ready to stand up, because
you are down in the hole when you sit. My
friend Julianna O’Conner who lives in Guatemala City is going to help me find
some better used furniture pieces.
We will be happier and more comfortable when that is done. We do have a nice desk area for our computer
and ample space to store our office/desk stuff.
My computer connection is good, our magic jacks are working great and it
sounds just like we are still in Dallas when we talk to everyone. Our phone numbers are still the same. Susan-469-879-7532 and
Steven-214-505-2612. Please call us, we
love to hear them ring.
Yesterday,
we experienced both the loss of electricity and water. Early in the morning we heard a loud boom,
something caused the transformer to pop and it went out. That only lasted a couple of hours, and the
same with the water. No big deal, we
just had to wait to do our laundry and wash the dishes. But who cares? Down here, we are not on a tight time
schedule.
Steven has
now finished with the two flower beds in front of our house, and he is ready
for a shower. No Water. So he will sit and wait for it to come back
on again. I made us sandwiches for lunch
with a fresh cantelope I purchased in the market yesterday. Now the water is on, and we will go to the
bank and then try to find a paint strore
this afternoon. I want to refinish an
old wall cabinet that is small enough to hang in our bathroom to use for a
medicine chest. No sense wasting it, but
it does need some help in the beautification department.
All for now.
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