Five Things to Love About Guatemala

Sorry I haven't been blogging. I was surprised to see how long it had been seen I last posted! I guess the coronavirus lockdown kinda makes time weird. I often don't know what day it is. 😁

To be quite honest, I haven't been all that happy for a while. I'm not sure if it's COVID-19 or culture fatigue or just the blues. Bert and I were seriously talking about going back to Canada. Of course, that's impossible right now -- and not just because the airport is closed. We have far too many pets to go anywhere. Plus I think we've forgotten how expensive it is to live in Canada. I mean, we'd have to get, like, real jobs or something! 😝

So instead of allowing myself to feel bummed out, I'm focusing on what I love about living in Panajachel. Here are my top 5 things about Guatemala that make me happy. 

1. The weather. I've said it before -- the weather at Lake Atitlan is perfect every freaking day. Even the rains are nice. It's sunny and warm almost every day, but not too hot. The hottest part is obviously the middle of the day, so you just hang out in the shade until after 3pm and then you go out in the cool evening air. When it gets chilly at night, you put on some fuzzy socks to go to bed. When the rains come, you just hunker down inside. It's almost like when it snows back home in Canada. If you have nowhere to go, it's lovely to look at from inside your cozy home. It's a weird little thing but I love being able to have a hot coffee in the morning, an iced coffee in the afternoon, and a hot chocolate at night. 

It looks like the volcano is erupting but it's just clouds. 😄

2. The scenery. Guatemala is gorgeous. The volcanoes at Lake Atitlan are stunning. My eyes are always drawn to them. I've always loved nature and Panajachel is small enough that it's easy to get off the cobbled streets and find green spaces. There are beautiful flowers and interesting plants and the big green hills all around and the rushing river and lizards sunning on the rocks. And of course, there is Lake Atitlan, El Lago Mas Bello del Mundo, the Most Beautiful Lake in the World. Its blue waters in the distance always lift my spirits.

I am anxiously awaiting the travel restrictions to be removed so I can go on more trips around this beautiful country. I want to go back to the Pacific Ocean, up to Huehue, and over to the east coast to see that side and hopefully fit in another trip to Tikal while I'm there!

3. My quirky house. I love my house. It's a total wreck and has a lot of problems but it's two stories, which means I can look out into the trees and watch the birds. I have a totally awesome big yard that the dogs love. They sunbathe and dig up the plants and chase each other in circles. I can sit outside in the sun and the big fence means I have almost total privacy. (The only exception is sometimes my neighbours go up on their third floor roof to have a look around.) Bonus points -- I have an awesome landlord who isn't upset that my dogs have trashed the place! I could not afford to have such a nice big house if I lived in Canada. When I left Canada in 2015, I was living in a crappy, cold, tiny one-bedroom apartment in a sketchy neighbourhood. Total upgrade here!

This is not a great photo in any way but I had to include it because it's a snapshot of my life.
Tarzan is sitting on top of my Ecofiltro (water filter) while Reina & Sebastian are having a spat, and in the background is my messy home with all my windows WIDE OPEN. 😁

4. Low cost of living. When Bert and I got all homesick and started googling rental houses in Canada, we were instantly reminded at how expensive stuff is back home. Here in Guatemala, I work online part-time and have a pretty easy life. I'm not running on a hamster wheel to keep up with my bills. Rent is cheap. Utilities are cheap. (Internet is expensive and slow but this post isn't about complaining!) If I eat locally, I can stuff my face for hardly any money at all. If I want to splurge on imported foods or American style dinner, I can do that too. I don't have a car here so no more gas or repairs or insurance bills. If I don't feel like walking, I can get in a tuc-tuc for Q5 (less than a dollar) and go anywhere in town. This easygoing lifestyle is something that I appreciate every single day when I sleep in until noon and wake up without an alarm because I'm no longer part of the rat race. 😊

5. The novelty. I've been an expat in Guatemala for more than five years now and I am still being surprised. The culture here is wonderful and strange. When a stupid virus isn't messing things up, there are always elaborate parades and fascinating events going on. Even just walking to the store, I'll notice a new flower or stop to watch a bird or say hola to a cute street dog. I've found myself pausing to watch Guatemalans doing bizarre things. 

The other day a big truck tried to go down a small callejon and got caught up in the electrical wires, stopping all traffic and seriously endangering everyone involved. People came out of their houses to watch. It's like TV has no interest for them. They'd rather see if some poor guy is gonna get electrocuted as he climbs on top of a truck to move cables. #JustGuatemalanThings 🤦

I think if you stay in one place your whole life, you end up walking through it like a zombie. Being in a foreign country forces you to open your eyes and really notice what's going on around you. It's not always a good feeling but it certainly isn't boring.

Um, what the heck is this plant?? LOL

My five best things about Panajachel may not be the same as my expat friends' lists. Some have told me that they love different things than I do, like the cheerful locals, the freedom from rules, or the anonymity. I think if you maintain a positive attitude and grateful mindset, any visitor to Guatemala will find something to love. When travel restrictions lift, I hope all my readers will consider a trip to Guatemala to experience just a little bit of what makes it such a wonderful place.