Magical Christmas moments

Pushing through the clutter of my memories, I can still clearly see precious moments in time and yes remembered here. My father was a church minister and back then, no one doing that kind of work had any spare money. There was also no real security in the profession really and as God was more concerned with capturing new souls, well dad was not going to get any help there.

He used to build us toys for Christmas. Now in a childs idea of reality what he built back then and the imagination created was pretty well very much right on par. He somehow was able to capture what we needed and I have no idea how he did that. Then with whatever he could scrounge, beg and borrow he was able to create such magic.

There was that small steam engine train he built out of mostly discarded tin cans, to the fret cut wood donkey and cart and yes I just cannot ever forget the toy fort with its sliding front entrance way corner turrets and raised walkway for soldiers to guard the treasures within. Years later, after I had exhausted my imagination he rebuilt that same fort for my younger brother. He was in reality creating for us what he missed himself in the bare existence he experienced as a child. 

What causes someone to do that? 

Love of course was there, but beyond that I believe he also just needed to play himself. So through labour heavy intent he created such mystery captured with each evening in the emotions that happened and in total top secrecy.

How can you keep secrets from children? 

We always knew he was up to something but finding that before Christmas would have spoiled not only the magic that was somehow happening, but would have thrust us away from that time a child needs to develop  their imagination.

Whatever happened it changed me. It changed me in the way I developed into a man. My imagination is as wild as ever now and sometimes it still interferes with my normal life. That all equates to the fact that I in some ways I never really grew upand that I am still there playing with that fort. No big deal really and yes God still can't find time to save me from that.

So thanks dad for the toy train, the donkey and cart and yes that wonderful fort and for instilling in me through what you did, such incredible memories and that understanding that in some ways being a child is not really all that bad.

Season Greetings everyone and try to keep a little of that child alive in you this special time...

So if you will excuse me now, I have to play.

Guatemala, I traveled light, hey why not come down and join me ?

Hello to all my wonderful readers.
I cannot believe the amount of readers I have and yes from all parts of this shrinking world.

After a long trip.... I space it out, I have arrived in Xela, Guatemala.

Hello as you know my name is Gavin.

But I am also known as Gavino... or Gabino as some locals in Guatemala call me.

Jokingly I am also called Gabino Herrera after the late Mexican revolutionary, which incidentally many B-western movies that where made in Mexico have featured. Gabino Herrera was a revolutionary during the Spanish mexican civil war and womanizer I am told, having had several wives in his colourful past. 

Now just because I have had several wives (actually three), wow...those rumours, well he bares little resemblance to me and my lifestyle.

I am not a revolutionary in any aspect of the word, choosing a more solemn life style. I would always fight with the pen and not the sword.

Yes, I have expressed political views from time to time and yes I even did that here and in this blog. But the real purpose of the blog is not for political demonstration or even financial gain. It is solely to inform you the reader what traveling to and staying in or even living in this beautiful country of Guatemala can be like.

Anyway I am here once again. This is my fifth trip to Guatemala and should last a duration of six months tops. The reasons are many. 

While living on Vancouver Island seems idyllic to most people with its mediterranean climate, it is that dampness I am experiencing now that is painfully aching to my older bones. Injuries of the past haunt me in this damp sea climate, so I have decided to wait out the winter out in Guatemala. Daytime temperatures where I will be staying will hover in the mid twenties celsius (the eighties in Fahrenheit).

I have also spent the past year and a half writing a book of fiction about a man who leads a double life. He is a nice family man and well respected on one hand but also a very secretive side to himself on the other hand. He is an assassin. The story takes place in England, Canada, the USA and in Guatemala. Being here now in Guatemala I will be able to do further research in certain parts of this country.
To make any fictional story believable one has to have facts that are correct. This process makes the characters in the story appear real.

While the present ailing Canadian dollar makes living in Guatemala a little more expensive now, it is still very affordable, certainly well within my means and perhaps yours. Perhaps with our new prime minister, the economy will improve in Canada.

As I have mentioned in other blog entries, one can live very well, yes very reasonable in Guatemala on less than $500 dollars a month. This is still very true and this amount includes accommodation, food, travel and of course some fun. Yes for $500.00 you are living upper middle class in Guatemala. The one thing you will not have is a vehicle, but since public transportation is so inexpensive, why would you need a vehicle of your own?

The costs I offer here are the ones you would experience in Quetzaltenango. Costs can vary in different parts of Guatemala, of course just like it can in different parts of the USA, or Canada or in other parts of the world. Soon my plans are to check out the lake as it is known. The lake refers to lago Atitlan and is about an hour and a half away by chicken bus. Parts of Lago Atitlan offer a cheaper way of life and a little warmer with lower elevations (1800 metres).
Not certain what centre In shall live in while at the lake... but I will et you know when I arrive.

Most of my journies to Guatemala have me staying in Quetzaltenango or as the locals call it Xela. 

Xela is a derivative of the k'iche Mayan word Xelaju. 
The actual wording is Xelaju noj, which translates to "below ten spiritual leaders." The city is surrounded by ten mountains, thus the spiritual leaders. There is one active volcano called Santiaguito also called the angry baby as it spits and fumes from time to time. It sits directly behind volcan Santa Maria. Santa Maria has been mostly dormant since 1902, when a huge eruption levelled the city of Xela.

Xela with a population of approximately 250,000 people it is the second largest city after the capitol in Guatemala. A good fifty percent are indigenous. 

It is also termed the "Cradle of Culture" because of its many (10) universities and several more (30) trade schools. Also within Xela are about thirty Spanish language schools and now some English language schools. 

I originally chose to travel to Xela back in 2010, because of the large indigenous population and for the fact that the people do not cater to English speaking tourists. 

Learn some Spanish or stay confused and disconnected. 

I also really like the elevation 2330 metres (7600 feet), which gives you warm sunny days, cool nights and yes no bugs. So (for me) perfect.

Yes I am going to be in Guatemala for several reasons. Since I am there and a part of my journey will be to examine where the main character of that book I mentioned I am writing about, and his experiences in Guatemala. 

His name is Jack and he spends time in Panajachel (Pana) on lago Atitlan which is about an hour and a half away by an exciting chicken bus ride away from Xela. So yes I shall also spend a quantitative part of my time in and around Pana and take lots of pictures while there that I will upload here to this blog. 

I also want to travel if time allows to El Mirador an architectural pre-columbian structure north of the El Peten area in northern Guatemala, Lastly I want to visit parts of Quiche. 

On my first trip to Guatemala in 2010 I met and discussed a project with some local professional business people in Xela. This is a project that would provide housing for people with no land or hope. While there are several organizations and groups that help people with building housing, the majority require that the people have free-hold land. This is usually to secure a bank loan to purchase building materials.

Along with some professional business people I personally know in Guatemala, I would like to help those with no land and no hope of ever having help. Who will help them? We want to.

We want to get this going, at least started. It will include the possible startup of an NGO to operate, plan and gain the funds they will need. As an NGO (non-government organization) has to consist of at least seven Guatemalans, so I will take a back seat to this group. It also needs a fixed address.

Then there is that needed dental work, um yes. Yes we all really do not like that dental experience. Mine is softened with a huge difference in costs. 

Did I mention that the cost of dental work is one tenth the cost of what it is in Canada... 1/10 the cost, imagine that!! ... with the same procedures and well trained dentist and surgeons.... That sure works for me. 

So if you need some dental work done, contact me as I can set you up with great professional dental services and along with that show you how to have a great holiday at a fraction of the costs of anywhere else. 

It is going to be a busy and exciting time...

I traveled light, so hey why not come down and join me?
 

Biting pests

Bed Bugs and Fleas have one purpose and that is to bite and drain you of your blood.

Yuck eh!!!

They look sort of similar, but there are differences.
They are both very very small, more tiny than small.
They both bite you.
Like all critters of the biting ilk, they both will bite you to provide for their eggs and new young critters they produce to bite you more...

Surprisingly most people that think they have been bitten by Bed Bugs have actually been bitten by Fleas. Meaning bed bugs have had a bad rap to some extent. Never-the-less they, both the Bed Bug and the Flea create a bad itchy experience for you. The itching is caused by the anticoagulant they put into you to prevent you from bleeding...

Bed bugs like fleas are attracted to body heat and carbon dioxide (that part of our breath air we breathe out). We are a natural feeding place for both of them.  But Bed Bugs and Fleas both attack us in very different ways.

Okay to begin, Bed bugs do not live in beds, period!! The will live near the host. They will live under the bed, in the cracks in walls, in electrical wall sockets or anywhere hidden, but not usually in the bed with you..

They are nocturnal and are incredible so tiny that they are very difficult to see. Then sometime before daylight about usually about two hours or actually just before it gets light they climb the walls to the ceilings above you and drop towards you. No parachute needed it's just a free-fall to their waiting feast (yes you).

They work their way into you, past blankets and night wear to reach their target and your skin, and then they gorge on your blood.

Fleas are not climbers at all, but jumpers and can easily jump from the floor onto your bed and you.
Once there they too work their way through blankets and bed clothes to their target and your skin to gorge on your blood. 
Nice eh!

So how do you know here as to whether you have been bitten by bedbugs or fleas. That is if you want to know.

Bed bugs bite in a loosely straight line pattern, while fleas have no pattern at all and will bite you all over the place. 

When I have been told by people that they have been bitten by bed bugs, I always ask about that pattern. Most people just say "I have a bite and it must be a bed bug bite. 

"Um really,"is my answer.

Well for one thing both Bed Bugs and Fleas just don't ever bite you once. You will be bitten at least 6 to 8 times by one bed bug or flea, and never just once. So if it is just one bite, it is most likely that you have been bitten by something else. Maybe a spider.

Bed bugs are everywhere and will travel with you wherever you travel to. 

People think that Bed Bugs live in dirty places and associate bed bugs with low class housing or yes less developed countries. 

NOT TRUE...

In both the USA and Canada it is well known that bed bugs hide out in movie houses and you can get bitten there. They have also been found in all sorts of high rise building and fancy hotels even.

There are all sorts of products and remedies for getting rid of Bedbugs or Fleas.

Coming up next:
How to prevent Bedbug and Flea bites.

Te amo Guatemala muchas

Love 

Love comes in many patterns, colours, ideals, strengths... 
interests even.

I love you...

How many times have you said that?
How many times have you heard it said to you?

I love your smile.
I love your attitude.
I love your clothes, your fragrance, your views on life, your interests...and..and so much more.

So much love...

So 
I love the people of Guatemala.

Why?
Why you may ask?

Hmm yes why indeed? 
I just do.. but that is not an explanation or a complete thought.. not a feeling.. even, is it?

That is just me writing that down here words that say nothing really, for you (my ever growing readership) words to read.. 

yes just me saying that.

So what and why do I love these people?  What do I love about this land?

There is poverty and death associated with that... I do not love that.

To qualify what I am writing, I suppose I have to examine 
"what is love to me."

Well compared to my complex world, I am attracted to and yes love the simplicity amongst the people in Guatemala.

 They live a basic life.
They are poor, some well below the poverty level.

The first time I traveled to Guatemala, it was early, well actually is was in February of 2010. 

 I remember clearly the happy smiles, content with who they are, they live a simple life.

I remember the different boats on Lago Atitlan.

It is that very simplistic comparison of acceptance, being able to smile about it, that has grabbed my attention of these people. I see through and with them, the love they have. 

The love they openly give and share.
They will openly accept you (better if you have some espanol).

It is a different country to live in. But if you can accept the shortcomings, accept a simple life in Guatemala, you will have a wonderful experience. 

I remember friends made

Not everything works in Guatemala as it does in more developed countries.

I used to shake my head at what I saw in how things worked.
The plumbing for instance, or the electrical wiring. Both scared me at first but also made me think in awe of how they made things work. So for just the ways things are done and for all its (to my thinking) shortcomings.. well it works here and it works really very well.

I also love the loud lavish garish colours, that innocent brashness of loudness and wild contrasts, the excitement of life.

Loud music? Is there any other kind? Loud music is everywhere. When people don't seem to listen, the answer to that is simple. Just turn the volume up.

I love the way they depicted history.

I love the smiles and happy faces.
I love the children with their beautiful eyes.
I love their innocence. 

I love the cerveza (beer) here and yes the scotch that I buy for one half the price of the same thing in Canada.

I love the fact that my rent is extremely cheap and that I can rent a (simple) house for around a $100.00 a month.

I love that I am close to the centre of the city of Xela.

I love the fact that there are three street markets all within walking distance and that I can buy fresh vegetable and fruits and meat all so very close to me...

I love the fact that Xela (unlike other centres such as Antigua) does not cater to English speaking tourists or travelers.

I love the fact that even though Monsanto exists here, most farmers cannot afford their pesticides. So I love the fact that most the I buy is more natural.

I love the simplicity of life here.

I also love how easily it is to help people here. I do that through this blog and in other ways.

Yes,
I love Guatemala.


PS...
I love my readers and the fun you allow me to have, writing this blog for you.

Guatemala...will you travel First Class? Yikes!!

Traveling to Guatemala or on any other multi-plane flight program you need to be comfortable. If you are like me and cannot afford to fly first class, you need to make the most of that crammed in area at the back of the plane. 

Note Here... 
I did fly first class once and not because my budget allowed that (my book sales hit a high point), but because my seat was needed in the back of the plane to keep a family together. Who was I to keep a family apart and so I obligingly agreed to suffer the extra roomy seats and excellent service that first class does offer. 

Would I squander extra cash for that kind of treatment if I could afford it (more book sales please) ? The answer is an unequivocally and an resounding yes, of course I would.

Anyway getting back to the basics of travel here.
I usually wear comfortable clothing. There is a contradiction of 
argument here. Because if weight allowances are that issue, one always wears the heavier clothing just to save on weight stored below. Never the less why travel with any clothing that is not comfortable to travel with?

Footwear.
Sandals have low heals and slide off easier. This can also be easier if you have to remove your shoes as you must when going through some airport security check points.

Warmth.
I also take along with me a light weight fleece sweater. It can get cold on some flights and blankets are sometimes not available for everyone. First class get better ones. 

But aside from comfortable clothes, there are three items I will not fly without.

1/ An inflatable neck pillow. 
I choose the inflatable variety of neck pillow because when you no longer need it, you let the air out and neatly fold and pack it away out of site. Inflatable neck pillows take very little space when not in use you are not encumbered with this huge stuffed half ring. You already probably have enough to carry and worry about, without that as well.

2/ Ear plugs.
Whether they are the ones that are tied together with a plastic string or just plain foam plugs these little things are worth their weight in gold to help block out all the noise.

3/ An eye mask.
I never ever thought I would ever be seen anywhere wearing an eye mask, but now I am a complete convert. It allows you to control your surroundings and block out all that glaring light.

Where to sit?
An isle seat will get you a few centimeters of extra room. But you will be constantly bothered by people wanting to visit the washroom. 

The window seat is smaller (the curved plane wall remember) is sometimes cooler because of the window and for you to get to the washroom you will have to disturb people.

The dreaded middle seat. Sitting in the middle you must be assertive. By that I mean claim both arm rest as yours or you will have none and be jostled and squished and bothered and you will have nothing to lean on.

Since in all my many many flights I still get a real kick out of take offs and landings (in that order) and I also do not wish to be bothered by anyone, my seat of choice (first class not counting) is the window seat. Here I can still feel the thrill of take off and landings and in between hide with my fleece jacket to keep me warm, my inflatable pillow, ear plugs and wonderful eye mask.
Shucks, now I just want to fly again and yes soon... 

Um I wonder if I can do that first class again?

SEX & LOVE & MARRIAGE

SEX & LOVE & MARRIAGE

All of this happens pretty much the same as it does elsewhere in the world.

There is always that old stereotype thinking (for example) that if a man marries a woman in Guatemala, well you marry the family. 

Well in some cases this is very true and only because of the tight and close ties a family has for its members. The concept of family is perhaps considered more sacred in Guatemala than in more developed countries. Part of this has to do with the strong religious connection the people have especially with indigenous people.

The Roman Catholic Church has always had a strong presence with prevailing family beliefs. But this influence is now being under mined from an ever continuance of the growth from the evangelical sector. Saying all of that primarily the Maya people of Guatemala have always had a strong spiritual connection and it is not uncommon to see them worship the many archaeological monuments with their own form of religious and spiritual beliefs.

Okay let’s get back to Sex and Love and Marriage or the birds and the bees of attraction and what that can lead to.

 If you are going to get lucky in Guatemala (man or woman) you need two things, well let’s make that number actually three things. You need the language, or some of it. You need to be able to dance (the salsa). You need to be available.

This happens very differently for men and very differently for women.

Part of that difference is again is within the culture. The machismo effect is in full swing in Guatemala. Men control that meeting arrangement (or think they do) and women are stubborn (they are). So in all, it becomes a perfect balance.

It is not uncommon to see young Guatemalan males with girlfriends usually (blond and white skinned) happily walking about arm in arm. More and more are seen with European and North America men. Most of these women are either close to the mans age or well are yes older than the guy is. While this behavour does not happen very much in the reverse, it does happen. 

I was once chatting with this Mayan family. They told me that they had only three children, one a boy and two girls. The norm is that most people have several up to ten children. 
The father had retired and no longer needed work. In the hierarchy of the Maya people, he was able through money or connections to live an easier life. His wife was admiring my hat. Jokingly she even offered me the daughter that was standing beside me for my hat. In actuality if I was considered a good man and that they could see I had money. having a very young wife is very possible.

The age difference of couples where the man is of European or North American origin and a Guatemalan woman is a lot younger is more pronounced. Some women are half or less the age of a man.

Guatemalan women seem to get more serious the older they get, or is that because they are more desperate. If you can believe this, but many are still virgins well into their thirties. In fact it is their belief that if you do not have a fiance or husband by the time you reach thirty, no one will ever want you. If you are an unmarried woman with a child, it is almost a certainty that no man will ever want or touch you.
Even though a woman in her thirties is considered a prime age in Europe or North America. 

Some Guatemalan woman that have the money or the means to go to university, do so for one purpose. They are searching for a promising partner for marriage. A partner that has good family connections, money and a future career that will provide her with an easy life.   

Sex...... 
Sex, oh yes sex.... well of course that can be easily had, for a man by just visiting a brothel. 

Brothels are legal in Guatemala. They are heavily guarded and fortified buildings.

From the outside none of these brothels, can be distinguishable from any other building, except for the armed guard(s) with their automatic rifle or shotgun standing by the entrance doorway. Don't even think for one moment that the guard has that gun for show. He will use it.

Inside everything is different. Inside these places they look like any nightclub. Drinks are more expensive, of course. 

The customers are (mostly) men. Some men for whatever 
reason will bring a woman to a brothel. My imagination runs wild and over time as to why?

There is a heavy presence of armed guards. Some brothels have a centre stage, or a stage at the end of a large room. The girls take their turn dancing like in any strip club. Girls in these clubs are usually not from Guatemala but neighbouring countries like either Honduras or El Salvador.

The scantily clad girls will linger about the club. Some will be sitting in a row of chairs within arms reach of you, but a strong warning here, do not touch any of them. 

The girls will try to catch your attention looking at you. So if you are interested, the next step is that you can take any you like and invite her to a small table away from everyone else. 

At this point practicing espanol is really not necessary.
Here you will buy them an expensive drink that might be watered down. Beyond the small talk and yes the next step, is to go to a small room with a bed in it for sex with her.

Twenty minutes will cost you about $15.00. An hour will run you three times that. What you do in there is up to you, just do not harm a girl or one of those tough looking heavily armed guards will get you taken care of

.  

What does getting you taken care of mean?
Um well....it could be a beating or it could mean getting you shot or killed. No one will help you, not even the police.

It is certainly very easy in Guatemala to have someone taken care of and this practice is not uncommon in any country that is poor. Corruption is everywhere, but that corruption is out in the open. Corruption in developed countries happens just the same way but it is hidden.

Yet in all my time in Guatemala I find it a safe country to visit, to learn some Spanish in, to travel in and yes to live in. 

So for sex, love and marriage...
Mi Gusta Guatemala.