Reflections on the Death of a Friend
My dear friend Roy “Duende” Harrison has left us. This is my attempt to share how much Duende meant–and will always mean–to me. Duende was the first person to show…
Staying Legal
Most people come to Guatemala as tourists and stay here as tourists. Guatemala automatically grants a three-month stay to many visitors, including citizens of the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, the…
We Keep on Singing
Performing at a restaurant that is open to the street can have its challenges. Sometimes a loud vehicle or music blasting from a tuk tuk drowns us out. Dogs come in…
Presidential Election
Tomorrow, October 24, is the runoff election for president of Guatemala. The choice is between former first lady Sandra Torres and comedian Jimmy Morales. This has been quite a year for…
The ATM Isn’t Working?
Yesterday an American stopped me on the street in Panajachel. He’d seen me a few days earlier and knew that I live here. “What do you do if you can’t…
Banking Customer Service?
Never before have I walked out of a bank literally yelling “I hate this bank!” But that’s what happened a week ago. I have been using this bank’s online banking…
The Adventure of Expat Banking
Say what you will about US banks: compared with banks in many places they are models of efficiency. Pretty early in the expat experience, you have to figure out how…
Fuentes Georginas
One of our favorite Guatemala getaways is to Fuentes Georginas. We used to take guests on overnight trips there, and we probably will again when a new road from Santiago…