Monday, March 30, 2020

Home Sweet (temporary) Home!

Today marks 2 weeks at my new COVID-19 home here on the shores of Lago Atitlan in Guatemala.  Me and my new family members are settling into life here.  We are both both sad to have lost but happy for those that have left us to be in there real homes around the world.  I imagine in another week or so we will be at our final count of those that will ride this out for the long haul.  I have, from time to time, considered if I should try to drive home but always come to the same conclusion that I am very safe here in a nice environment surrounded by great people and to leave this place and try to make my way through Guatemala and particularly Mexico in these times may be risky.  Sooo, here I will stay for an undetermined amount of time.  The Guatemalan government has extended border closures and curfews until at least April 12th.  My hunch is it will be extended again but time will tell.

So in the meantime, life goes on here!  Here's a sampling of my now current life here.

Food delivery!







Movie nights.


Group meals & parties.




Late night piñata construction and the joy of kids breaking it open.


Great people!






Laundry days (no es divertido)...


Scenery and fun photos




Flora and Fauna













Sauna (wood fired) night at the lake.


A short video tour of my new surroundings.


Until next time, stay safe and let's get through this little world blip so we can get back to whatever it is we all want to get back to.

Sunday, March 22, 2020

The New Norm

We all have a new norm in this strange situation the world world has found itself in and for me and all the other travelers like me in Central and South America it may look a little different than for my friends and family back home.

I am extremely fortunate to be confined within a beautiful compound on the shores of Lago Atitlan in Guatemala with my new family of other stranded travelers.

After finishing up my Spanish class in Panajachel my plan was to make a run for the Honduras border before they closed down with the naive hopes of making it all the way to Costa Rica before everything closed down.  Those plans weren't to be as Honduras totally closed its borders the day that I finished my class.  I was aware of a highly rated camp around the other side of Lago Atitlan, made a call to see if they would have space for me (yes, I can squeeze you in) and within 4 hours I was in what will be my home for an undetermined amount of time.

My Spanish teacher Sindy.

Some sights around Panajachel.



Typical public transportation across the lake to other towns.

The main gate to the "compound" that is now my home.  It is a rather secure place.  Ring the bell (which is right next to my van now and quite loud) and someone will check who is there with a little "face window" in the bigger gate.  Remember Romancing the Stone?  A little like that.  Once they confirm you belong here, they open the big gate.

Two days later we were above capacity and everyone was getting along great but the owner here was getting concerned of the local government coming down on him for "harboring" (for lack of better words) so many tourists.  We did a bit of camp restructuring to lessen the appearance of so many people being here and a few folks in three vehicles decided to make a run for Mexico to ride things out there before the borders shut down.  I'm happy to say that after a long long day, they successfully made it into Mexico and are hunkered down in various locations.

A group photo before the 3 vehicles made a run for Mexico.

Our "family members" that made a run for it and made it.  We miss you!



We have now settled into our new norm here.  Procedures for acquiring supplies (food and such), medical attention if / when needed (including coordinates to give if we need a helicopter evac), social event organization and everything else to live in our new little community is well under way.  We have instituted a rule here that no more than three people can walk to town before 3PM each day.  We pretty much agree that it is not in our best interest to preserve our health here so trips to town will be very limited.  The Guatemalan government has also just instituted a 4PM to 4AM national curfew where you must stay in your house.

I have registered with the US Embassy so they know that I am here and precisely what my situation is.  I am getting regular emails from them now.  Below is a sample of some notices I got today.

U.S. Embassy Guatemala City, Guatemala - (March 22, 2020)

Location: Guatemala

Event: On March 21, President Giammattei announced that, effective Sunday, March 22, a nationwide curfew will take effect. The curfew is from 4:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. and is scheduled to be in effect until March 29. Everyone in Guatemala, including foreigners, is expected to remain in their homes during curfew hours.  The only exceptions are for police, private security, medical professionals and ambulances, food delivery drivers, and certain other essential personnel. While food delivery service will continue during the curfew, grocery stores are expected to close before the curfew takes effect.  The Guatemalan police and security forces will enforce the curfew.
President Giammattei also said that the Ministry of Health has the authority to move any individuals, including foreigners, into quarantine or isolation if deemed medically necessary.
Foreigners will continue to be allowed to exit Guatemala via land border crossings into Mexico and Belize, as long as those countries permit their entry.
The State Department continues to work to help American Citizens in Guatemala seeking to return to the United States. ...

Health Alert: State Department Charter Flights for U.S. Citizens start on Monday, March 23, 2020

Location: Guatemala

Event:  The U.S. Embassy in Guatemala has coordinated charter flights – the first two flights departing Monday – from La Aurora airport in Guatemala City to the United States. We do not know when civilian flights will resume in Guatemala after these U.S. government-coordinated charter flights, but urge travelers to continue to check the availability of commercial flight options.

Under U.S. law, passengers on a U.S. government-organized charter flight are responsible for paying the cost of their ticket, which may be higher than standard commercial fares. You must sign a promissory note before boarding.  No cash or credit card payments will be accepted.  You will be responsible for any arrangements or costs (lodging, onward destination or local transportation, etc.) beyond your initial destination in the United States.  Exact departure time and routing are subject to change.

If you have not done so already, and you want to depart on a U.S government charter flight from Guatemala City, please email the information, requested in the bullets below, to AmcitsGuatemala@state.gov. Do not send an additional request if you have done so previously.

Flight seats will be prioritized for U.S. citizens and their eligible family members (including those with identified health concerns), Legal Permanent Residents of the United States, and then others as seats may become available.  Please do not call the Embassy to confirm receipt of your email -- we will contact you if you are confirmed for a seat.

Despite being a very poor 3rd world country I think that the Guatemalan government has and is doing a good job at protecting the country.  They shut down airports and borders quickly when this started.  They have set prices on certain items to prevent gouging and have established procedures.



On the bright side (there is always a bright side), my new home here is a little slice of paradise and I am surrounded by wonderful people (someone just brought me warm apple cake while I'm typing this.  YUMMMM!).  My days now consist of yoga (we are blessed to have 2 yoga instructors here) looking out over the lake at a volcano (and active Volcan Fuego erupting in the distance), then paddle boarding and swimming before the wind picks up (consistently around 10:30AM), some socializing and lunch, maybe a nap in the hammock, more socializing or other projects I come up with for myself, more socializing, happy hour, maybe some reading then bed.  Wash / Rinse / Repeat.









There are some nice places here.  This is just on the other side of the fence from me.

So, life is great for me given the shitty situation the world has found itself in. 

First view I have every morning looking out of the van window.

Home Sweet Home!

View from my front yard.

One of yesterdays projects was washing all the jungle mud off of the van.  I'm now a respectable member of the community!

Another project yesterday.  My solar doesn't get enough sun on it through the day and I didn't bring my cable for the van so had to hardwire from a borrowed cable direct to the plug.  This is up to Guatemalan electrical standards ... trust me.

Send more tequila please!  No tengo más!

Don't expect any new posts of fantastic new adventures or locations any time soon.  I'll try to come up with interesting things to let you know about.  When the time comes to move on (I have absolutely no idea when that could be), I don't know if that will be to the South to continue my journey or North back home.

Until next time, stay safe and smart so we can bring an end to this and get back to our lifes!