Greetings From Guatemala

We flew from Texas a week ago to Guatemala City and were met at the airport by our daughter, Courtney, her husband Josh, and granddaughters Althea, age 7, and Mirabai, age one, along with our driver. Our first stop was Price Smart, the Guatemalan equivalent of Costco. We stocked up on food and supplies as did Josh and Courtney. We were still three and a half hours from our destination, San Marcos LaLaguna. Few residents in San Marcos have cars, as the streets and roads are bumpy and full of potholes. In places they still have cobblestone roads. This is our third trip to Guatemala; last year was special because we were here for Mirabai’s birth. November is birthday time for both Mirabai and Althea. The weather during this month is perfect. The days are warm and sunny, and the nights are ideal for sleeping. After our bumpy ride from Guatemala City in the dark, we were eager to see our rental home. How would it compare with our “Garden of Eden” on the banks of Lake Atitlan where we stayed last year? The climb from our van up three small flights of flagstone steps was a challenge with all that we were carrying, but Josh was a trooper and did most of the work. A comfortable bed was all that we needed for the moment, and we enjoyed it for nearly 12 hours. The night before we had no sleep, as our check-in time at DFW was 3:45 a.m.

When we finally ventured into our living room at 9:30 a.m. we were in awe of our splendid view of Lake Attitlan from the side of the mountain where we live. Our masonry home is lovely with many tropical trees, plants and birds. We can see most of the lake with three inactive volcanoes on the other side. When we travel from town to town around the lake we take a water taxi. The beautiful lake is the greatest treasure of these towns, but the Guatemalans have found various ways to pollute it, including raw sewage and phosphates from chemical fertilizers. The problem is one that has developed over the years of abuse. The lake has no drainage. The pollutants have collected and now present a dangerous situation. Now many of the little fishing boats are idle, and just as in America, people have managed to destroy God’s wonderful creation. The central government, state government, and the U.S. are all involved in seeking solutions to revive the lake. With all of the good minds working on the problem, we are confident a workable plan will be developed soon. Other than that life is good in San Marcos, and we are having a wonderful time.