Days 250 – 251. Sunday 5th – Monday, 6th April, 2020. Still at Pasaj Cap, San Marcos, Guatemala.

I expect you may be wondering what we have decided to do. After a long discussion with Pierre, we learned we could leave the Land Rover here (for US$50 a month) and we could get a driver to take us to the Mexican border. After much hair pulling and swinging backwards and forwards like a pendulum, we have once again decided to stay put.

I think we were rattled by the email from the NZ Embassy in Mexico, advising if we wanted to get back to NZ we should go promptly, or there may be no more flights. However, we believe the journey to be more risky, in terms of catching the virus, or getting stuck somewhere else, than staying put here.

Since coming to this decision things have changed here again. The President has come up with a new decree. This week is Santa Samana. Easter week. Usually it is a time of festivity when families go to the beaches and lakes and travel to see family and friends. So, from yesterday until April, 12th, all beach and lake access is closed and you cannot leave the state in which you live.

Hopefully, this decision will not be extended beyond 12th April. As we cannot be within 25 meters of the lake, paddle boarding and swimming are obviously out of bounds. Pierre has opened up one of his properties which has a jacuzzi and infinity pool for us to use instead.

We are starting to find the lack of useful things to do difficult, so asked Pierre if we could have a piece of land to cultivate and grow something, like salad stuff. We now have a plot on the side of the mountain which we have spent the last 2 days working on. Whether we will still be here when the veggies mature (here’s hoping they do grow), remains to be seen.

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Armed with a borrowed pick-axe and our shovel from the Land Rover, we have created a small garden out of earth with concrete consistency and a pit to make compost. One of the full time residents here, Anne Marie, has very kindly given us a whole bag of seeds. Some are a few years old, but in sealed packets, so I hope will still germinate. We have been lent a sprinkler too, so can keep the seeds watered,

I have planted parsley, arugula (rocket if you are English), mixed lettuce and spinach. Also in our bedroom, in cardboard egg boxes to start them off, some tomato and cucumbers.

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On Sunday evening we held a travel related Quiz Evening. It entertained us for most of Saturday afternoon, writing the 50 questions. There were a mixture of nationalities. Russian, Polish, German, Swiss, French, American, Canadian, as well as the Kiwi and the Pom. We had questions relating to all countries. Despite the questions proving quite difficult, there was much fun and laughter. We will do it again, but will do it earlier next time and include the children somehow. Maybe 2 teams with 2 children in each and some children’s questions too.

Yesterday morning we were brought fruit and vegetables. One of the residents who is Guatemalan, Suhan, knows a local supplier. They arrived with a large truck and sacks of every fruit and vegetable imaginable, except the apples I wanted! Now we are stocked up again for another week or so. Life is good 😊

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