Still Here

 I'm still here in Panajachel, bumbling along through life as best I can.

No Booze For You!

Bert and I get a kick out of what a big bunch of whiners the people in the U.S. and Canada are over COVID-19 restrictions. They have no idea! Guatemala goes over the freaking top when a new rule comes out. Back when coronavirus started, they were arresting and fining people who didn't wear masks. Arresting them! Compliance rates increased quickly, as you can imagine.

The latest development here in Guatemala is that, due to rising cases of Covid-19, President Gianmattei decreed that bars are no longer allowed to sell liquor after 6pm. And they were NOT kidding!

Below is a photo taken last night by the press. It is just down the street from our house -- just a couple hundred meters away. There is a little cantina there. Guess they didn't hear the news.

A police office with a machine gun and a police dog enforcing COVID-19 rules

Can you imagine if this happened in the U.S.? People would lose their minds! And this was probably at 6:05 pm. No leeway! We said you close at 6, you close at 6! 

Here's another photo of how many cops showed up at this tiny little bar. Overkill much?

Police in Panajachel enforcing new Covid-19 rules

They had brought in cops from other districts to help enforce the new liquor restrictions. There were trucks all over town visiting all the bars. And there are a LOT of bars here. But the message got out pretty quick and everyone just shut their doors and went home. The cops will probably cruise around again tonight (Saturday) and give menacing looks to everyone, then leave town for the week. 

On the one hand, it's nice to see the government taking the pandemic so seriously. (The President is a former doctor, so that has a lot to do with it.) On the other hand, holy authoritarianism, Batman. Chill, dudes. Maybe kick back and have a beer ... but not after 6! 👮

Rainy Day Walk to the Mirador

Woke up late today and decided to go for a walk to the lookout on the way to Santa Catarina. I chose to ignore the dark blue clouds on the horizon as I set out.

Didn't huff and puff too badly on the long upward walk to the mirador. I remember the first time I walked up there, six years ago, and I hadn't yet adjusted to the altitude and felt like I had a bad hangover -- dizzy, breathless, and pain in the back of my head. Now it's just regular pain from being out of shape and climbing a big hill for 45 minutes. Totally worth it though, as you can see from this picture.

View from the lookout (mirador) near Santa Catarina Palopó, Guatemala

Just as I arrived at the viewing area, the rain started. I took some video, gazed around a bit, then figured I should start walking back. The thing with rain in Guatemala is that it could stop in 10 minutes or it go on all night, and it's hard to predict which is going to happen. So it's often just best to get it over with, even if you get soaked.

The rain got heavier as I walked downhill at a brisk pace. It's the end of dry season, all the leaves are brown, (hmm, that's a song, isn't it?), so it feels warm like summer but it smells like fall. I was wearing a tank top and shorts, but it wasn't that cold until I entered an open area where the wind blew off the lake. Brrr. I was happy I wore a baseball hat too as it kept the rain off my head. I'm sure I would have been a lot colder if my hair was wet. As it was, the most irritating part of walking in the rain was that my feet slipped around in my sandals.

About halfway home, it actually hailed for a little bit. The hailstones were pretty small, about the size of Nerds candy (weird size reference, sorry) and they pinged off the steamy asphalt and stung my arms as they fell. I figure that's the closest I've been to a snowstorm in six years. Luckily, it didn't last for long. I think I would have taken shelter if I was going to get pelted with hail for more than a few minutes.

Was soaked to the skin by the time I got home. It was nice to warm up with a hot coffee. It's a weird thing here when the weather is so nice all the time. Any change, even a supposed negative one like getting caught in the rain, seems exciting. I always thought that winter makes summer feel better. Here in Guatemala, the rainy season makes you appreciate the dry season. 

So here's some video for your enjoyment.