T minus two days

Less than two days remain now before we will be dropped at Sky Harbor International in Phoenix. Concurrent with departure, snow is forecast for Prescott and the northern one-third of mountainous Arizona. Quite a contrast to be sure. As much as we enjoy the beautiful and white blanket of the white stuff, we both prefer the warmth of the tropics and the far slower pace which we will soon be enjoying. Lows of fifty Fahrenheit and highs of perhaps seventy provide for comfort both day and night. Yes, we will be needing earplugs from time to time during the nights in order to remove the sounds of party, exploding fireworks and celebrations. Sure, we will experience power outages and the cessation of water flow but, fortunate for us, we will be staying at a compound where solar collection panels have long been employed for alternate power and also where a pressurized tank of water can supply the several dwellings with adequate water even in times of lengthy outages.

Soon we will be wandering on familiar cobblestone streets and uneven sidewalks and surfaces all the time dodging other ambulating passersby. One must be ever mindful and watchful not only for the uneven surfaces but also for the cars, trucks, tuk-tuks and motorized two-wheelers which all have priority and right-of-way over pedestrians on the streets and motorways. There is never any lolling or attitude-walking in cities of Guatemala. One must have a firm purpose and quickly execute it. Else, one could easily be among the dead and not the quick.

Some of our friends and family have wondered whether or not we may be subject to the tremors and earthquakes that have recently been felt and experienced in Haiti and now Venezuela. The answer is a firm yes. We have felt the earth shake in our sleep during past visits to Venezuela. And there is at least one visible volcano within the metropolitan area of Antigua which spews ash and other debris daily. It is common to see smoke during the day and the glow of fire during the night. One never knows when another disaster may present itself there. Antigua is no stranger to disasters of this type. Recorded devastating earthquakes since the early 1500s have visited and have resulted in utter havoc on this beautiful area of the world. The last one of consequence hit the city in 1717 and was responsible for the destruction of over 3,000 buildings. Its magnitude can be estimated at approximately 7.4 on the Richter scale.

So, with the extreme beauty and wonderful and slower way of life, there comes the possibility of danger. We are not dismayed by the possibility and do not ponder on the negative though. Instead, we look towards the slower life style and the beautiful lilt of Spanish in the streets and in Parque Central at the city square.

So, all things being equal, we expect to arrive at La Aurora airport in Guatemala City at half past eight on  this coming Monday evening. We will be met by our wonderful friends and landlords the Philippis. After clearing customs, we will lade our bags and baggage in one of their trusty SUVs and head the thirty or forty kilometers to La Antigua. From that city I will next post and also upload some photographs.