Happy Monday, everyone! Time for a weekly update on the Guatemalan adventure, don’t you think? Last week was incredibly busy with moving, settling in, and dealing with no electricity, so I hardly had any time to write or go online. But here I am now!
Let’s start with a tour of the house. It’s turned out much better than I imagined. From the outside, you can see the view with the plastic covering the leaky palm tree roof. I trimmed the palm leaves so they don’t hang over the plastic.
The house doesn’t have windows, just mosquito nets that let in a pleasant breeze from the lake. There are wooden slides to close up the house if we go away for a few days.
This is my lovely kitchen, which has a fridge, a gas oven, a sink, and some storage space. I like the floor; it’s easy to clean, and the ceramic tiles help too. Because the roof is made of palm leaves, a lot of debris falls down. Right now, I bring a bucket of water from the lake to cook and take my dishes down to the lake to clean them. It’s not the most eco-friendly method, but pumping water would require gas or electricity and a septic tank, which might use even more resources. The bit of soap I use in the lake likely counters the waste that would come from other methods.
I mainly use small stones from the lake to scrub my dishes before using soap to remove any grease. It’s lovely to see the fish nibbling on the leftovers from my meals! You’ll also see my sink, which doubles as my shower. I try to use as little soap and shampoo as possible.
We have a dry toilet with a very deep pit, around 5 meters, so that’s taken care of.
I went to the council to ask about getting water connected. They said it would cost $100, plus I’d need to pay for pipes from my closest neighbor who has water, about 500 meters away. The pipes need to be buried, and even in Guatemala, that could cost around $800. I’d also be responsible for any maintenance if something goes wrong with those pipes.
The idea doesn’t appeal to me much. The water office staff seemed unreliable. They mentioned a fixed fee for each tap in the house, but you get one free tap if you pay a year upfront, with no guarantee of service. A neighbor mentioned they might cut public water to lakeside properties (perceived as rich people). Another option is to buy a pump and use the already-installed pipes and a large storage tank, pumping once a week and living off the stored water. I’m still figuring out the costs.
On the electricity front, there’s still no power. A technician pointed out that the connection pipe was too low, and passing trucks could bring the cable down. I need to fix that before he can connect the electricity. Not having a fridge is a hassle, but I enjoy lighting candles at night, having early dinners, and waking up with the sun. I have intermittent internet access and charge my laptop in town, so I have a couple of hours of battery life at home for writing.
Food-wise, I stocked up on pasta, rice, sauces, and some fruits and veggies. A handyman brings fresh eggs and offered to bring a chicken, but I need more ingredients like potatoes or leeks for that. Maybe next week. Breakfasts are eggs with fresh tomato and onion sauce, bread, and pureed beans, typical here. Lunch is late, usually pasta with canned tuna or olives and sauce, or fried chicken in the nearby village. Dinner is a light snack of paté, fruits, chocolate, bread, chips—it’s not very healthy, but it’s temporary.
We hired a handyman from the nearest village who knows the place well as he worked for the previous owner. He’s invaluable and helps with basic maintenance. So far, he’s cleaned the water tank, garden, helped move furniture, and removed the previous owner’s trash. He also accompanied us to the council where his sister works, a good contact for the future.
I’ve inherited many useful items from the previous owner or brought by BF from the capital when he emptied his mum’s house. These include canned goods, wine, chocolates, old bed sheets turned into cleaning rags, kitchen accessories, and tools. It’s a big saving not having to buy these things immediately, though I might upgrade them eventually.
In the bedroom, some bed sheets are good enough for now, but I’m using my sleeping bag and have just one pillow. It’s not yet a Pottery Barn showroom, but we’re making the house a home with lots of TLC. It’ll probably stay this way for a few months before any major work begins. I dream of a big room with a private bathroom and a terrace overlooking the lake, but that will come later.
Starting today, we’re building a wall along the roadside to enhance security. It will cost $800 in materials and about $200 in labor to raise the existing half-meter wall by 1.2 meters. This way, people won’t easily see if we’re home or if our car is here. Guatemala is beautiful, but I don’t want to tempt anyone by having an open view into our property.
That’s it for now. How’s your week going?