Circus In Town

This week we went to the circus. A Guatemalan Circus. We have been under the big top in the states where it is sometimes just “spectacular”. This is Central America where different is what you get most of the time. First there is no flyers telling you where, when or what is happening. They just ride around in an old van with load speakers saying they’re in town. When anything is going to start is always Central America time. That is when there’s enough people there to start. We were told by some people that can speak Spanish maybe 8:30 at night. We went at 7 just in case there were a lot of people showing up and they would start early and we would miss it. We have had that to happen. No one there. Back at 8:00 no one there but a few people walking in the street. I ask in my bad Spanish “What time?” We had a friend with us that speaks more Spanish than we do so we all agreed it was 8:30. At 9:30 we were inside waiting. Something to10 it stared with a trapeze act. Then lot of slap stick along with a pretty woman getting knifes thrown all around her. More slap stick. Remember all this slapstick is in Spanish but some we could make out was making fun of gringos the French and gays. The girl that had knifes thrown all around her was pretty but there were two more girls that danced with her that was not so pretty. One was just simply fat. This too is something you will see in Central America. If you’re female and can shake your booty you will get attention from the men here. As it is most of the time with anything Guatemalan the boaters that come here only do there boating community stuff with each other. We were the only gringos there. Spectacular it was not but some how it feels humble to me. Them doing the best they can. The dancing girl were back at there stands is soon as they were off stage selling thing to eat again. I can only guess it was these dances girls kids that were part of the act when they had them come and play musical chairs. Where in the states would you pay to watch kid play musical chairs? The smallest kid maybe three. A little girl and she would put her hand on her chair when the music stopped. The crowd would cheer.

Ever thing here is simple if you are dealing with the locals. If you want to buy something you just have to know where to go. If you’re dealing with them direct you can always get the price down. A lot of what you can buy here is what they can’t ship north or what they can’t sell up north and send down here. The strawberries are good here now. These didn’t make the grade so they send them here. There’s too small to go north but really good.

Very Good

                                                                        Flowers year round

 We are leaving here soon and we will miss this place where there is very little control on these people lives. Almost no law to bother you. People just taking care of themselves. If you want to start a circus and have the whole family working in your circus this is the place. Where a little girl is the hit of a musical chair act an you still can black your face and make fun of anybody. Life is simple here. If you don’t want to hear someone making fun of someone else it’s simple here. Get up and leave or just don’t go. Problem solved Guatemalan style.

Villages on the Lake

This week we went to do another installation in a Maya village. Putting lights in a school where there is no power lines for miles. Boaters down here are donating used solar panels and batteries. Pam and I have been designing and making the beaker boxes out of fiber glass to wire every thing up. We have a little indigenous worker that has been in a lot of our blogs that works for us. I have trained him to run the wire to the lights and switches. He can climb like a monkey. It was a school when we got there with a nice solar panel. It just need repairing. I have read about things in villages around the world that just needed some small repair and sat for years with no one to repair it or just no money for even a cheap part. We went by boat. The village was on the shore of lake Lago De Izabal here in Guatemala. All the villages we have been to have a lot in common. All ways kids running screaming for there Mothers. Saying “ Gringos! Gringos!” Women are always down on the river or lake as it was this time washing clothes or their morning dishes in the lake from there houses. Pam and I have been near these women as they do there chores. It’s like a social event. They will be talking and laughing. Washing kids, dishes, clothes or taking a early morning bath.

                                                     Some of the village women doing their chores

In the school the battery was old and had no reading on voltage. I’m not sure if a battery that flat can ever be charged. I couldn’t come back the next day to see. I replaced the really old battery and the solar panel controller. The wires had been pulled out and broke the controller. As I was bringing the lights back on line I thought this was really impressing the kids over in the classrooms where Pam was guarding the tools and supply box. As I went to see if the lights were doing what they need to do the kids were screaming and laughing. I saw Pam in the class room. She was laughing. They had found some paper and she was teaching school “Pam style” making paper airplanes and flying them. It went on and soon they were making zoo a-phones over a comb. It was awful listening to them but they were having the time of there life. I don’t know if they have ever tried to play a musical instrument but the noses they were making was making them happy.

This little girl was having a good time. Someone drew blue marks on her face.

We did two schools that day. One they brought us coconuts and cut them so we could drink the milk.

                                                     They gave all of us our own coconut fresh of the tree

This one only need a battery and I replaced the light with new and improved LED lights. The teacher was recording what we were doing in a log book and ask us to sign our names. I had our helper sign first. Sign in as a technician. This seemed to really make his day. Remember most indigenous people never have technical jobs. The people in villages like these are the ones that come to town in the back of pickup trucks standing up as many as can ride. It’s hard for them to find work so they make or grow what they need. There’s always chickens and pigs near the villages. Always corn. In the village we were at this week it was fishing. If they catch it they keep it. If it’s big enough they sell it. This is how they make a little money. If it’s small they eat it. I have seen them catch fish no longer than one inch long and they cook them in a tortilla wrap on a hot grill. Just lay 10 fish they have done nothing to in the wrap. Grill it and eat it. There is no turtle too small. In these villages they speak K’iche (Quiche) not Spanish. They are Maya and the people are small. The teacher that was doing the log was no more than 4 feet something tall. The view from these villages is always spectacular.

                                                   Looking out on Lago De Izabal

This may be our last installation. Were leaving in the next month are so but this has been with us being here a lot of dreams coming true. How will we ever top this? I guess that is the rub. We are feeling the urge to see if it can be topped. When we are under way we will tell where we are going.

Day Trip To Puerto Barrios

The holidays are over and now it’s just work again. We are leaving here soon for good and that is sad. Maybe the first of March. I will tell where were going when I think we may can make it there. We have a plan and it may be to aggressive for Pam and I and our old home built boat. Only time will tell. It cooled off some here this week. It’s has been just getting to about 85 during the day. In the night middle to lower 70s. For New Years Eve night we walked up on the bridge going over the Rio Dulce river here in Guatemala. Going over to Fronteras we had one boater friend to join us. Most boaters were at parties just for the boating community down here. We were there with the locals. Mostly lovers. I did a little loving on Pam myself just after midnight. On top of the bridge. It’s about 90 feet up. You can see for miles. It was fire works any where you looked. Loud music coming from town. Mostly Christmas songs from the US playing in Spanish. A light rain was falling. It’s hard to describe what it feels like to do anything. I can only say it was like I was really appreciating just being there. A car came by and stopped. Out came a girl running over to hug me. By the time she had her arms around me. I saw it was a girl we buy stuff from here and we really like her. I guess she really likes us. I’m not a huger. Pam will hug a tree if it looks lonely. I gave in and let her hug me. She had her family and baby with her. We struggle with our bad Spanish to greet everyone. What ever they were saying it sounded good and felt good. Walking back to our boat mingled with a lot of the local here. We did the same. Trying to greet the locals we met walking back. The same thing was happening what ever they were saying felt good. By the time we got back to our boat it was raining. We just sat up listening to it rain. Setting there on our old home built boat bringing in the New Year for a couple more hours. Hopping this year will bring on even more adventure. Here in a land where you can see people working in ways that even surprises me. Where you can see men working ox.

They use oxen on the farms where they gather palm nuts for palm oil.

Or maybe a modern MacDonald’s being run Guatemalan style in a big town.

Inside MacDonald’s in Puerto Barrios

Where most restaurant are locally owned.

A  local restaurant.

New Years resolutions: Learn more Spanish. Mingle more with the locals. Maybe even let more people hug me. The last I may have to work hard to make happen but it is a New Year.

2016 Is Here

New year is here again. When you get as old as we are. The again is a two sided sword. On one side I’m glad I’m still here on earth. On the other side time is flying by. This is time to look to the New year and what it can bring. Last year was a good year. Our cameras are full of pictures. We are doing a lot of what we always dreamed of doing in some ways. We did more last year than we thought we would. If you read our blog you know. We went a lot last year. We have always wanted to travel. Our problem is our taste for Perrier and money for only water but we have been doing what we could. Our old home built boat was left setting at the dock a lot as we traveled this year but home is where the boat is. It always feel good to get back to her.

                                                                            Home Sweet Home

The boat is in the river in Guatemala where life is simpler than a lot of places. Where you can buy a live chicken for supper.

Chicken for supper

Here a young women came to buy a chicken from the people that take care of the marina. Where a lot of the people are trying to keep tradition alive. Look at how tall this women is and how she cares her stuff she has to sell. This is a land of little people.

She is selling Bread

There is always flowers blooming and the older we get the more I stop and enjoy a flower. Beside our boat is a tree that grows a long pod and then at night sometime after dark it blooms.

The Pod

Full bloom in just a few seconds 

We have tried to film it blooming and maybe soon we will try to put what we filmed on the internet for all to see. You wait and wait and wait and then in about 3 seconds it just pop open. It so fast it will be shaking the little limb it’s on. We got and email from a women one time and she said. She didn’t even hear the howler monkeys anymore. I think its great to see a monkey and I think it is greater to see it from our boat.

I never get tired of seeing and hearing them. To all that read our blog, maybe one day if you wish long enough you will look up and there too will be a monkey watching you work on your boat and you too will know “Dreams do come true.” We hope every one’s dreams come true this year. From our little schooner ” Pamela Ann” in the warm waters of the Western Caribbean

“Happy New Year.”