Horrifying News

Last night, a large number of street dogs were poisoned in San Marcos La Laguna. I am heartbroken and horrified, as are many others. My lovely friend, Selaine, who runs AYUDA Para la Salud de Perros y Gatos, who has worked tirelessly for years to stop this barbaric practice, who had an agreement with the mayor of San Marcos that this would STOP, is hurt and angry and sad and frustrated. She has put so much energy and time and money into trying to educate people about the humane treatment of dogs, proper care of dogs as domesticated animals, and how to manage a street dog population, which, yes, does include sometimes having to make the decision to euthanize a troublesome animal. But throwing poisoned chicken on the streets is NOT ACCEPTABLE. Many Guatemalans own dogs for protection and companionship yet can't afford to properly feed them. They often let their dogs out to roam the streets for food. Those dogs died too. So many dogs died.

Here are some quotes from Facebook:

"Am só sad...lóts of dogs got killed overnight😢😢; bocado 😢😢😢. A neighbour from barrio 1 had 2, neutered dogs, but they both died. Also big dogs from his neighbour, also neutered. He said the muni did not let notice... He saw at least 15 dogs dead"

"Today's walk was very sad. I saw 9 dogs that were obviously killed on my walk this morning. One was near my front door in barrio 3. One by the big church. One by maya clinic and 6 by Kononjel. Children were walking by and staring in disbelief on their way to school. All were prayed for. Please keep your own close to you. I looked and no collars were on the dogs. They could have been removed too. They were not bleeding as you might expect with rat poison. Just very lifeless and stiff."

"I heard so many dogs howling in pain and anguish last night i couldn't sleep."

"both of my workers neighbor dogs are killed - and he witnessed the death fight of one dog on his way up here - it was poison"

"I have a photo of the pickup truck with dead dogs, they were loading another 10 dead bodies on top."

I hope they find out who did this and poison his food and let him die in agony alone on the streets.

Donate to AYUDA here: https://ayudagt.wordpress.com/donations/

WARNING: Don't scroll down if you don't want to see dead dogs. I'm sharing the picture to make you realize that this actually happened. Words cannot explain it. What would you tell your children if they came home and said, "Mom, Dad, I saw all these dead dogs on the street today"?

Poisoned dogs in San Marcos la Laguna, Guatemala

I Need Water in My Life

I love to walk down on the beach in Jucanya at dusk. It's so peaceful and lovely, at least on weekdays. On the weekends, it's super busy and packed with visitors and vendors, but during the week it's often deserted.

Sometimes the sunsets are bright oranges and yellows, and sometimes they're soft pinks and blues. The waves shush against the gravelly shore. The boats bob on their anchors. Coots quibble amongst each other as they float on the swells. And Calvin -- the dork -- tears up and down the beach like a mad dog, ruining the peace. 😆

Lake Atitlan from the Jucanya beach.

It's so misty and peaceful.

Silly pup loves to run in the sand and water.

Whenever I get frustrated with small-town Guatemala and think about moving somewhere more modern, I always come back to the thought that I need a lake in my life. There are few lakes in Guatemala and the ocean areas are super tropical, i.e. muggy and hot. The only other option would be Lake Chapala in Mexico, but the thought of packing everything and trying to get all the dogs and cats across the border is too daunting. So for now, I'm enjoying my rustic life and my nightly walks on the beach. No complaints!

Inappropriate Candy?

I remember "smoking" Popeye candy cigarettes as a kid. Here in Guatemala, inappropriate candy is beer lollipops!

Cervecita means little beer. Con efervescencia means with fizz!

I am not even joking.

When I saw this in the tienda down the street, I had to buy it! I was prepared for a super-gross taste but...drum roll...it tasted like pineapple! HUH?? Little kids are going to grow up thinking beer tastes like pineapples?

Also, it did have fizz. In the middle was baking soda to make it bubbly. 😋

Guatemala, you crazy and I love you.

Beyond Walls

I just had to share this advertisement because it resonated so strongly with me as a traveler and an expat and a human being. Perhaps it will inspire you to start your own journey. 

(This is not a deliberate endorsement of Expedia! I do use them and I like them but it wouldn't have mattered to me which company made this video. The message is what matters.)

1000 Words - #5

A picture says a 1000 words -- but sometimes those words are sad.