The Clean Up

Guatemala has always had a hold on my heart. From the first time I saw her through the mist on the morning that we crossed the bar she has enchanted me.

The greens of the jungle, the flow of the river, the blue of the sky, and of course the ever changing face of Cerro San Gil. Every morning I am stunned by the beauty of my home on the Rio Dulce.

So the eruption of Pacaya and the the flooding of the Montagua has touched me. As always it is the poor that suffer the most. The drive to Guatemala City allowed us to view from the window of the bus the destruction left after the river overflowed its banks. They are cleaning up and moving forward with their lives.

And so it is in Guatemala City. You see piles and piles of plastic bags full of ash on the streets. But you also see the city cleaning up and putting on her usual face of bustling business.

The sinkhole that has fascinated so many is being examined for explanation. How fortunate that the workers had all gone home and the guard went to check on his home, so there was no loss of life.

So on this sunny morning I can look around the marina and see many changes. Changes in faces and the size of boats. Every year they just keep getting bigger. There are changes in the bar.



New samples of seat covers for the seats. Padding, can you believe it, your butt may not hurt so much. New mural on the bar courtesy of a cruiser with talent.

So we are cleaning up.  Change is good.