This week I’m hitting the four-month mark here in Guatemala. Since catching the travel bug back in 2003, I haven’t spent many consecutive months in one country. After a round-the-world trip that ended in 2004, I lived in Guatemala from 2004 to 2006 but was always on the move, exploring the region, returning to Europe, or even venturing to Argentina. I then spent time in Europe, living in Barcelona and the UK, and traveled to Morocco in 2010, returning to France about every six weeks. In 2011 and 2012, I took two six-month motorcycle trips across the USA and Europe. Exhausting, right?
It feels really good to finally be home, especially since this home is fully paid for, which I mentioned last week. Now, let’s get back to the progress on the house and what’s been happening around here.
Last Friday kicked off with the decision to buy a car. A guy came over offering his car for sale, and he mentioned he also had a boat. We ended up buying both, although it was a bit of a hit to the wallet. He also offered us another piece of land, but as a real estate enthusiast, I had to resist the urge to purchase it. So, if anyone wants a parcel by the lake and doesn’t mind being four miles away, let me know.
As for the car, I’ve only owned one briefly before, and I was content sharing my boyfriend’s SUV. However, it was a gas guzzler and too large for our needs. We considered a four-wheel motorcycle for our 90-acre land or a small jeep. We found a 1998 Suzuki Samurai for $3,000, which seemed like a good deal given how expensive cars are here due to customs. This model is common in the area, which should help with maintenance costs. Repair shops in Guatemala, particularly in the North, are quite resourceful when parts are hard to find.
We also picked up the boat because we already had a motor for it. The previous owner sold us various items, including the motor, some furniture, and even a cattle scale that we resold for about $2,000, effectively making the motor free. While I hadn’t planned to spend $1,000 on a boat right now, it’s nice to have, especially since we can use it to shop at a mall with a boat dock.
Now that we’re $3,000 lighter (I consider the car an expense, not an investment), we haven’t cut corners on the house. Here’s what we’ve managed to accomplish in the past few weeks:
The bathroom is almost finished. The sink is set on a flat lake stone that the builders found. Initially, they thought we were a bit odd for wanting to build with stones, which isn’t common here, but they eventually warmed up to it and started helping us find some really unique stones. They even happily transported larger stones to please us.
The bathroom is almost ready with the toilet and shower in place. To the right is a smaller-than-expected walk-in closet that will get more shelving. We also ordered a large mirror for the sink area.
The much-criticized concrete bed has been covered in white concrete, and the bedside tables are now permanent fixtures too. We used wooden disks for the floor, with a brownish filling instead of the beige I had wanted.
We’re installing a glass door, shower door, and mirror this week. The shower is designed to close tightly enough to double as a sauna. Though we have a rooftop terrace that covers the entire footprint of the room and bath, we also built a smaller terrace at room level. We painted it red and created a water evacuation system to prevent landslides during heavy rain.
On the upper floor, we had to close part of the terrace using a traditional method: placing wooden sticks in two lines and filling the space with stones. This will provide privacy for the two main house bedrooms and shield the neighbor’s view if they decide to build nearby. The top part is the skylight from the shower.
We’ve lost track of the exact expenses since my boyfriend took over, but we’ve spent just over $10,000, which isn’t bad for almost completing two full levels of 40 square meters each.
The electrical work, handled by my boyfriend, is finished. He did a fantastic job, even learning about three-way switches so we can control the lights from both upstairs and downstairs. We also installed an AC unit, just in case the stone construction doesn’t keep things cool enough. I’m not a fan of AC, but I guess I lost that battle.
So, that’s what we’ve been up to. How was your week?