On The Road Again

Another trip looms!  And a summer of fun awaits!!

I'm leaving San Pedro today.  I've been here since the end of November (after 2 months in Mexico) and I'll miss the tropical weather, nutty people and general hijinx.

This afternoon I'm off to Antigua Guatemala, the country's original capital located about 45 minutes from the big, bad current capital.  Easter celebrations are in full swing, so Antigua is going to be crazy. 

On Friday I fly to Calgary.  It's a midday flight and doesn't get in too late.  I've got a rental car waiting and I've been invited to dinner.  Nice.  Although the weather appears to be significantly cooler than it is here.  Dammit!

And then on May 4, it's off to Nova Scotia for the spring/summer/fall.  I'm really looking forward to that.

But have no fear, San Pedro.  I'll be back -- on Nov 8. 

Cheers!

From the "winding down" dept.

Less than two weeks remain before I leave San Pedro for Calgary.  And then Halifax.

I don't like this period, because it means the return of things I've been living happily without:

- Lists
- Schedules
- Paperwork
- Packing and storing
- And saying goodbye. 

But, I am excited.  Calgary will be a breath of fresh, cold air.  And the prospect of six months in Nova Scotia has me giggling like a school girl.

I've been writing some thoughts about my time here in San Pedro.  They'll be posted here soon.

And so I goes...

Yes, Yes, I know...

... it's been a while since my last post.  Not that I haven't been writing posts.  I've actually started two - I just haven't finished them. I will soon.

I'm still in San Pedro, safe and sound.  I'm working (building blogs/social media) and enjoying the warm weather.

I just noticed that Roadspill will turn 8 next week.  8!  Go figure.

More to come.  Soon.  I promise!

Cheers!!

The Suicide Shower Explained

This is one of those times when the picture really does tell the story:

The ubiquitous Lorenzetti ducha

Unlike the comfort addled nations of the so-called developed world, you won't find a lot of hot water heaters in Central America.  Cost is the primary factor -- most families simply can't afford such a luxury.

But most people also like hot showers -- especially travellers -- though, unfortunately, this does not apply to the faux hippies that seem to think that BO somehow increases their Bohemian street cred.

Thankfully, the fine folks at the Lorenzetti ducha company have come  up with an economic solution to this developing-worldwide lack of hot water:  The Suicide Shower.

Quite simply, it is a 110 volt electric heater stuck on the end of a water pipe.  The device automatically turns on when there is water pressure.  Turn the tap, the water flows over the electric heating element and - voila! - hot water!  The temperature of the water is controlled by the amount of water pressure.  You want scalding hot?  Turn it to trickle.  You want tepid?  Turn it the tap 1 millimeter.  Careful!  Turn it too much and you'll be drenched in ice cold water.  Fun!

In my decades-long experience in using Suicide Showers, I've discovered some work better than others (if at all).  But if you get one that works well (like the one pictured above), you'll find yourself relaxing in a sprinkle of warm water and forgetting about the live wires dangling just inches from your head.

A word of warning, however:  There is a switch on the shower head that supposedly regulates the temperature.  Do not touch this -- especially if you are taking a shower.  110 volts coursing through your wet body while standing in water is not a great experience.  Memorable, yes.  But great?  Not so much.

From the "Short and Sweet" Dept.

One of the things I haven't written much about is daily life in San Pedro.  So, in what will become a continuing series, I'll cover some of the day-to-day experiences of living in Guatemala.

A very small part of Lake Atitlan

San Pedro la Laguna is located on Lake Atitlan, one of the most beautiful places on the planet.  The lake is a mountain-top caldera surrounded by volcanos.  Despite San Pedro's elevation - 5,000 feet - it never gets too cold.  About 17,000 people live here and most are of Maya descent.  There are three Maya languages spoken around the lake.  Most indigenous people in San Pedro speak Tz'utujil and Spanish.  There is very little English spoken outside of the ex-pat and tourist communities.  Lake Atitlan itself is located in the southwestern part of the country with the Pacific ocean a few hours away by bus. Volcan San Pedro towers over the town and is, hopefully, dormant.

Weather:  Winter and spring are dry.  It seems it's always sunny.  Cool nights (mid-teens) and warm days (high-20s).  It gets warmer during the day as we get closer to summer. The summer and fall are wet.  The temperatures are warmer, but it rains every afternoon.  Last year it rained so much that there were a number of mudslides around the lake. This time of year is perfect - cool nights, warm days, no rain.  It's like groundhog day.

Banking:  There are two bank machines connected to the outside world.  There is now a third, but it is for local bank customers only.  You can take out 2000 quetzales per transaction.  That's about $250 at the official exchange rate of about $1-Q8.  Money is usually available, but sometimes there is a run on the weekend.  Luckily, I am able to run tabs at most businesses if I run out of cash.

Cost of Living:  I spend about $1000 a month.  That is actually high for living here, but not outrageous.  I am living in a hotel that costs about $190 a month.  The rest goes to eating out 2-3 times a day, a few groceries, coffee, laundry and general entertainment (beer).  If I had a kitchen, I could likely reduce my expenses by 30% if not more.  Last night I spent about Q150 ($18.75) at a local pub.  I was there for many hours using their internet and chewing the fat.  I had 2 imported Guinnesses, a couple of local beers and a plate of nigiri sushi.  My tab also included a 10% propina (tip).

In San Pedro you can eat cheaply (3 for 10Q tacos) or expensively (white table cloth dinner with wine $10). But at the end of the day, nothing is really expensive at all.

More to come...

from the "house hunting" dept.

So...

I've been Guatemala for nearly six weeks.  If you've been following along, you'll know that this wasn't planned.

I've been living in a $6 a night hotel (2 beds, cable TV, hot shower, free pure water) that's reasonably quiet.  Although the cleaning staff start sweeping around 7am.  And the third floor is under construction.  But other than that, it's quiet.

I've been thinking about another place to live, as I'll likely be here for a while.  Cost really isn't a factor.  Noise is.  In the developing world, there is lots of noise.  One has to be careful in one's long term housing selection.

There are so many sources of noise, especially early in the morning.  In no particular order, they are:

- Loud televisions
- Loud stereos
- Evangelical churches
- Chicken buses
- Delivery trucks
- Schools
- Dogs
- Roosters
- Cantinas
- Stone chippers
- Construction
- TukTuks

It is all but impossible to find a home without several of the above.  And that's where I find myself:  Looking for a quiet place conducive to working from home (writing, website stuff).  Do I tempt fate and trade the devil I know for the devil I don't?

On Tuesday I plan to look at a 2-bedroom bungalow with a kitchen.  It's cheap ($212/mo) and conveniently located.  I'd save a ton of cash because I'd be able to cook at home.  But, at the same time, I may lose what peace and quiet I have already. 

But I suppose I will roll the dice with caution.  Rent the bungalow for a week as a test.  And keep my hotel room as a back-up.

And you thought living in the tropics was easy!  Ha!

Cheers!

An epiphany for Christmas

After nearly a month back in San Pedro la Laguna, Guatemala, it has become apparent that I belong here and not in Mexico.  The reasons for this are many, but the main ones are:  warmth, friends and comfort. 

There is nothing wrong with San Cristobal, but it seems that I'd be better off visiting it -- rather than living there.

Apologies for the lack of posts over the past few weeks.  It's been busy (!) and I've been slack.  But I have a nice collection of photos and will post them soon.  I'll write more too.

Hope you're having a fab holiday...

Cheers!

Going Abroad

 

San Pedro Redux

I've been in San Cristobal for just over two months -- and it's been (and is) great.  But after a long, tough week, I've decided that I need a break.

Early Sunday morning I'll board a shuttle.  Eight hours later I should arrive in San Pedro la Laguna, Guatemala.  The plan is to recharge my batteries, swim and relax.  I'll head back to San Cristobal in about a week.

It'll be fun going back to San Pedro after a year away...  I can't wait!

Cheers!

from the "breaking news" dept.

Now this is a strange story:

U.S. to apologize for intentionally infecting people in Guatemala with gonorrhea, syphilis more than 60 years ago.

Here's MSNBC's take: http://tinyurl.com/2aqn4dj

from the "getting down to business" dept.

Today marks the beginning of my second week of not having to go into the office. And, somewhat oddly, it is also Labour Day.

Since arriving in Vancouver Friday, I have been poking away at things. Getting my papers in order for the upcoming tax season (talk about getting an early start!), sorting through the detritus of my life that resides in a distant storage unit, and buying small things to make living abroad easier (velcro!).

This week will see the white-boarding of the next year. Formulating a game plan, if you will. Crossing out distractions and focusing on a single goal: Income. It's going to be a bumpy ride, but thankfully, a slow one.

In just under 3 weeks, I'll head south to San Cristobal, Mexico, armed with firm goals and a financial buffer. Then the hard work begins.

As I prepare to return to the coffeelands, I am glued to the computer, following the tragic news coming out of Guatemala. Rain, landslides, death. It's not pretty and there seems to be no end in sight.

My friends who live around Lake Atitlan have an additional worry: The lake is rising. Fast. Businesses along the shore are threatened and there is little they can do to hold back the water. If the rains don't let up soon, the towns and villages that ring the lake could be in serious trouble.

While it is wet in San Cristobal and Chiapas state, they don't seem to be suffering the same problems as Guatemala. This is likely due to better infrastructure.

The landslides in Guatemala mean that travelling on almost any highway is now very dangerous. The earth is saturated and very unstable. The latest death toll is estimated at 50. Not good.

This also means that visiting San Pedro likely won't happen for a while. If whole hillsides keep collapsing on the main roads, there will be no way to drive down. And there is no direct air service other than a circuitous route involving long bus rides and flights through neighbouring counties.

So in the interim, I have toes and fingers crossed for the people of Guatemala. And I continue ticking off items on my "to do" list.

And so it goes...

Living on Guatemala Time

My story on living in San Pedro. Originally for the Chicago Tribune.

I’m in a small water taxi — a lancha — bouncing across Lake Atitlan in the highlands of southwestern Guatemala. Surrounded by Maya women wearing traditional colorful skirts and blouses, I do my best to blend in with the bicycles, sugar cane, bags of potatoes, and appliances. The women giggle at my flowery shirt and embarrassingly white legs. I smile back; happy to be returning to what I think is one of the most beautiful and affordable places in Central America. [the rest of the story]

May 8, 2010

May 8, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Bar cock in Santa Elena (Peten), Guatemala.

April 28, 2010

April 28, 2010
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Photo of the Day: ¡Armas! ¡Municiones! Santa Elena, Guatemala.

from the "earache my eye" dept.

The little bastards!

Sometimes, when the extraneous noise is loud enough, I use a pair of in-the-ear headphones with my radio, computer and/or television. They're comfortable and really isolate the outside world.

My pair has little rubber ends on each bud. These are removable and interchangeable with other little rubber ends to ensure the perfect fit.

The other night I was isolating myself from the outside world and didn't realize that when I pulled the headphones out, one of the rubber ends remained in my ear. I didn't feel anything in there until I went to bed. I usually wear earplugs at night and when I jammed in the right one, I noticed that it a) didn't go in as far as the left and b) hurt like bleedin' hell.

I went to sleep.

The next morning I noticed that my ear still hurt and that one of the tips was missing from the headphones. Oh oh.

I poked around with my finger. Nothing. I poked around with a Q-tip. Nothing. I poked around with some tweezers (BAD idea). Nothing.

Maybe the tip fell to the floor?

Later that day I was at the pool and had someone, armed with a flashlight, look in my ear canal. They couldn't find anything -- not even my brain.

About a week later the ear felt weird. When I swam, the water would take longer to drain. And there was still occasional pain.

This morning I went to the local clinic and had a Spanish speaking doctor have a look. This wasn't as easy as it sounds.

ME: Mi espanol poco.

DR.: (Something in Spanish)

ME: Headphono in my ear-o.

DR.: (More in Spanish)

ME: Del oido... auditivo... auricular...

I then pulled out my headphones and did a pantomime to try and explain my predicament. Being an educated man, the doctor soon realized what I was going on about. He took his little ear flashlight thingie and peered deep into my head.

DR.: Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Now, I may not understand much Spanish, but I certainly could translate what he was saying: "What in the hell does this idiot have jammed in his ear? What is he? Four?"

At least it wasn't a gerbil.

Then he had me lie down and roll over. I waited for the snap of a rubber glove. And with little warning he inserted some sort of spreading device into my head, followed by a disconcertingly large pair of tweezery things.

He dug around for a while and I pretended it didn't hurt -- which was easy, because it didn't

After a few minutes of poking around and tsk-tsk-tsking, he pulled a small circle of rubber out. So it WAS in there.

I shrugged and thanked the good doctor. He charged me 150 Guatemalan Quetzals ($21) and sent me on my way with a prescription for ear drops -- to ward off any infection.

And I learned a lesson: Ear canal headphones suck and any removable tips should be Superglued in place. I also learned that San Pedro has a great clinic.

Just another day in paradise...

Cheers!

from the "picture this" dept.

I've taken some photos (finally) around my new San Pedro home, San Pedro and Lake Atitlan. You can see them by clicking on the slideshow to the right or right HERE.

Enjoy!

from the "rainy season" dept.

I'm back in San Pedro la Laguna and have moved into my comfortable new home that I will be housesitting for the next few months. I still have my charming rustic spot, but will likely let it go at the end of this month -- unless I find a tenant.

The rainy season has definitely started here. Rain overnight. Sunny hot mornings. Rainy afternoons. Rainy evenings. If you schedule around the downpours, it's easy to live with. And everything is dust free and green. Apparently there is a 3-4 week period in June where the rains stop. Here's hoping!

Since returning to San Pedro I've discovered the pool (La Piscina). Since returning, I've been spending 45 minutes swimming and doing watery aerobics. This is the hopes of kickstarting my turtle-like metabolism. I've also sworn off the beer, but as I write this a bottle of Red Breast Irish Whiskey is tempting me.

The plan for this trip is to write more, exercise more, and hopefully continue to earn a living. So far, so good.

Lastly, sad news about my Macbook. First the drive failed and now the whole thing seems dead. I may have to spring for a new one as I have some work that I must do asap as I've already been paid.

And you thought living in paradise was all tropical drinks and bikinis! Ha!

Cheers!

from the "Bloodcouver" dept.

Oh, this isn't good.

An article in the UK Independent throws light on a subject that the champions of Vancouver would rather you didn't know about.

The headline:

From heaven to hell: 18 die as drugs war rages on streets of Vancouver

Not only does the civic PR machine have to counter such brazen journalism, it also has to deal with the homeless, the heroin and Vancouver's returning to the status of "no fun city."

But first, the blood:

"As it prepares to host the 2010 Winter Olympics, what it's got now is not cuddly, eco-friendly publicity, but blood-spattered streets littered with shell casings and corpses... [MORE]"

Man, I am so proud of my city. But wait... I live in Guatemala, where it's much safer:

Street gangs target and kill bus drivers in Guatemala

"In a country as bloody as Guatemala, the last two weeks have stood out. In the last several years, bus drivers have became targets for street gangs seeking extortion money. But the thugs are not breaking the drivers’ kneecaps — they are blowing their heads off. The number of bus drivers killed was around 80 last year.... [MORE]"

Jeez. Can you tell the difference? I can't tell the difference.

from the "day one, four days late" dept.

January 1, 2009
San Pedro la Laguna, Guatemala

And so it begins.

"It" being a three-month project to see if it possible to eek out a living as a freelance writer living in a tropical semi-paradise. The chances seem as strong as the local coffee. And, with both feet now firmly planted in the depressingly named "middle age" stage of my life, I reckon I have little to lose.

At the same time I have an urge to find a page-bound home for the cast of characters that I met here late last year and continue to meet on a regular basis.

My friend Brent, who lives next door in Belize, came up with a pretty dandy opening line last night as we prepared to welcome the new year.

"I'm sitting in a bar looking at Albert Einstein as he chats with Germaine Greer."

I admit that I had to Google Germaine Greer to be reminded of who she is.

That opening line just scratches the surface of San Pedro's resident ex-pat population. Not to mention the local Guatemalans and the collection of short-term tourists who pass through San Pedro's orbit.

So, in addition to making a living, I feel challenged to find a home for these characters. An arc. A beginning, middle and end.

And, unfortunately, I really can't open that story, whatever it might be, with someone else's line. Unless Brent becomes a character too.

"Look over there," Brent says, while finishing off a ridiculously cheap double Cuba Libre, "Albert Einstein is talking to Germaine Greer. That would make a good opening line."

I agree, disappointed that I didn't come up with it myself.

-30-