Happy Monday everyone! Time to start a weekly update about the Guatemalan land, don’t you think? I have been so busy last week, with the move, getting settled, no light… that I had little time to write, let alone get online and share. But here I am!
Let’s start with a photo tour of the house, shall we? It is much better than I expected, that’s the view from outside with the plastic that covers the leaking palm tree roof. I gave it a “haircut” so the leaves don’t go over the plastic.
the house and its plastic roof
There are no windows, just a mosquito net that lets in a nice breeze from the lake. Some wooden slides allow to close the house if we go away for a few days.
mosquito net for the room
This is my lovely kitchen, that has a fridge and a gas oven, a sink and a bit of storage.
Kitchen already with oven and fridge
I like the floor, which is easy to clean, and the ceramic also allows for easy cleaning. Because the roof is made of palm tree, a lot of dirt falls out. At the moment, I bring a bucket of water from the lake, to cook, and get my dishes down to the lake to clean them. Not very green, I know, but I would have to pump the water (using gas or electricity), use a septic tank, and would probably use more water, so the little soap that I put in the lake probably offsets all that other waste.
I mainly use ”stone washing” to do the dishes, using water and little stones from the lake as a first scrub, and then soap if I need to remove a lot of grease. It is lovely to see the fish having a feast with the rests of my lunch!
This is my sink, and also my shower at the moment! Same thing here, I try to use as little soap and shampoo as possible.
There is a dry toilet, with a whole probably 5 meter deep, so that is covered too.
future water tank
I went to the council to ask for the water to be connected. They said it costs $100, and that on top I need to pay to bring the pipes from my closest neighbor who has water, about 500 meters away. Those pipes have to be buried and even in cheap Guatemala, the costs should be at least $800. And I could have problems if my neighbor does work at his house and a pipe bursts, or something happens on my 500 meters of pipes, it would always be my responsibility to maintain them.
I don’t like the idea very much. And the guys from the water office looked dodgy. They said you have to pay a fixed fee per tap installed in the house. But you get one free tap if you pay a year upfront. And they give no guarantee that the service will be provided. My next door guardian said that they plan on cutting public water service to anyone having a lakeside property (i.e. rich people). The other solution is to buy a pump and pump the water, the pipes are already installed for that, and there is a big tank to store water, so we could pump once a week and then live off the reserve. I don’t know the cost yet.
A fridge with nothing but dry goods
On the electric side, still no light at the property. A guy came over to check the entrance, and the electric line is on the other side of a dirt road. He said my connection pipe was not high enough and if he connected a cable, trucks passing by would bring the cable down and cut my electricity. I have to fix that before he can come and connect me. Apart from having no fridge, this is no major trouble. I like to light candles at night and have dinner early, then rise with the sun. I have internet access once in a while, and when in town I charge my laptop, so I have a couple of hours worth of battery back at the house to write posts and emails.
The food situation is good, considering. I bought a lot of pasta, rice, sauces, and a few fruits and vegetables. A handyman is bringing fresh eggs and offered to bring a chicken too, but I have nothing to cook it with, like potatoes or leeks, so maybe next week. Breakfasts consist of eggs with fresh tomato and onion sauce, a bit of bread, and pureed beans, which are typical here. Lunch is usually taken a bit late, with pasta, a canned something like tuna or olives, and some sauce, or we go out and have fried chicken at the nearby village. Dinner is a light snack with paté, fruits, chocolate, bread, chips… not very healthy but this is only temporary.
We hired a handyman who is a nice young man from the closest village, he knows a lot of things since he was working for the previous owner, and this is invaluable. He works five days a week and takes care of basic maintenance. So far he has cleaned and leveled the water tank, cleaned the garden, helped us move furniture around and remove all the trash from the previous owner, and gone with us to the council where his sister works, which can be a nice contact to have in the future.
I have found many things that are helpful for now, left by the seller or brought from the capital city by BF who emptied his mum’s house earlier this month. His mum had a few gift baskets that she didn’t open and provided us with canned goods, wine bottles and chocolates. We found old bed sheets that have been turned into rags for cleaning. A lot of kitchen accessories, pots, pans, plastic boxes and bottles to keep our food safe from ants and insects, tools, and many other treasures. It is a big saving not to have to buy those things right away, although I will probably change them later on and feel like having nice things.
Not yet a Pottery Barn showroom but a bed nonetheless
Same thing for the bedroom, there were some bed sheets good enough to provide a place to sleep for a few days, but the sheet is for one person, so I sleep with my sleeping bag, and there is only one pillow. Not yet a show room of Pottery Barn, but we put a lot of TLC into making the house a home. I think it will stay this way for a few months before any serious work starts. I want a nice, big room, with a private bathroom and a terrace overlooking the lake, that will be for later.
The first big work is starting today, it is to build a wall to limit the property on the road side. $800 of materials and about $200 in labor will be necessary to make the actual wall higher by 1.2 meter. So far it is about half meter high, and anyone can see if we are home, if the car is there… Guatemala is a beautiful country but I don’t want to tempt anyone to break in because they can easily watch my every moves.
That’s it for now. How is your week going?
This post was featured on the Money Rebound, thank you!
Nice pictures. How’s the internet speed down there? I like how the cost of labor is cheaper than the cost of materials. Won’t see that kind of business practice in North America, heh.
Internet is S L O W… Especially at night when there are lots of users sharing too little infrastructure. But other good points, like cheap labor make up for it 🙂
Wow that view of the beach alone is to kill for! Looking forward to future updates on your time in Guatemala!
Lots and lots of work but worth the effort!
Wow, that view is incredible. Patience is key in a developing country. Good luck with all your plans!
Thank you Mandy! Patience is something I like, but they are forcing me to be patient!
That view is beautiful! I look forward to reading more about how everything is going for you. I am sure it’s going to be so rewarding for you as you get the house and other things closer to how you want them.
It seems like it never ends right now, but just a five minutes swim in the lake and I forget all about it! Like kids I guess, when they smile back at you, you forget they didn’t let you sleep last night!
So fun looking at your photos! Looks like you have a lot of work ahead but sounds like you’ve got your bases covered. I spent half of my childhood in places like this (not as hot and humid though) so I’m all too familiar with not having some necessities we take for granted now. Keep us updated, love reading these posts!
There is a LOT of work, but as you say, basics are there, a bed, a roof that doesn’t leak, food and water.
I like the simple pace of life when you don’t need much.
Wow I can’t wait to see how everything progresses! If you get it looking spiffy have you ever thought about renting out a room for visitors?
yes, that’s the plan! Have two or three extra bedrooms and put them out for rent. I want to make some cozy rooms and that will take a while. And a nice one for myself too!
What is the weather like right now in Guatemala? Your photos look so rustic and cozy and wonderful. And what breathtaking views! Is that a candle perched on the wooden table next to your bed?
The weather is ok, about 80 degrees, and the water is the same. It rains for an hour or two each day, that should stop next month. And yes, it’s a candle, mandatory while the electricity is not installed, or I could walk on a nasty insect at night! Also, I am trying to make a tower or wax on the bedside table with lots of melted candle. I saw a big one in a restaurant and found it awesome.
That beach view is what Realtors commonly refer to as a million dollar view. It definitely is. You’ve accomplished a lot in a week.
The weather sounds so nice too. Are there a lot of mosquitoes? I am so allergic to them.
The mosquito situation is fine. But there are sneaky flies that love to bite when the sun comes down. I am deep cleaning the house today so all nasty insects get out.
I hate them too.
I love that you gave your house a haircut and you neighbor offered to bring you a chicken! Very interesting adventure to follow.
Thank you Kim! I bought two hens, so far the guy is keeping them alive until I have some cooking ingredients, I am looking at making a small cage later on to have eggs daily with 2-3 hens. I couldn’t kill them though, it’s like eating your pet. Those two will arrive all cut and plucked from feather, should be less graphic!
Very exciting Pauline. I look forward to following your journey with your new place in Guatemala. By the way, your view is fantastic!
It is great! I love that you can see both sunshine and sunset from the deck.
This has become my favorite travel journal. Don’t stop telling us what’s happening!
Thank you!
Your home is so beautiful. I would love to be able to wake up and jump into a body of clear blue water. Now, the slow internet and bathroom situation. I don’t know about. Lol. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Jackie. The lakeside is a fantastic luxury. Still need a lot of work, but I’m on it!
I think your house is adorable – and I love the colors. It reminds me of my aunt’s house when I was growing up – only her roof wasn’t thatched! =)
It is cute! Just needs some more TLC to be a real home. Working on it as we speak!
That view is outstanding. Its amazing that with all those other activities to do you have found time to post and share your pictures. Thanks for sharing.
It gets dark at 6pm so I have time at night, or I go to sleep too early!
This is so amazing! I’m loving your sink and shower, it’s very picturesque.
It’s such a different scene from France!
Don’t forget to start work on that guest house – I think a few people in the personal finance blogosphere will be wanting to visit you with a private beach like that.
hehe, at the pace things are going I think I’ll start taking reservations for next Christmas 🙂
It looks like paradise – love your kitchen sink/shower facilities. Not too sure about not having electricity 🙂
Thanks Lisa! It is all plugged in now, here is the last update!
Are you still in Guatemala?
Has the internet gotten any faster? 😉
I’m heading down in July for 8 weeks in order to go to language school and work (bringing my laptop).
I’m excited about the opportunity – can’t wait!
Hi Brooks!
I am in France at the moment but going back this weekend to Guatemala. Will you live in Antigua? That is certainly going to be an awesome experience! Re internet you can buy a 3G modem for about $40 per month you will get 3Gb of “high speed” data, many places have wifi in Antigua or Lake Atitlán that is a bit faster, the modem is convenient to stay connected in quite remote places since it uses cell signal. Let me know if you need info about life there, I am always happy to help.
Hey!
Yeah, I’m either going to stay in Antigua or Lake Atitlán for the 7 weeks. The first week I will check out both places. You have a favorite?!?
Both are awesome, if you want to really immerse yourself in the Mayan culture I would recommend the lake, it is easy to stay between foreigners in Antigua and learn no Spanish. The lake has tons of hiking and day excursion opportunities, so does Antigua but it is less of a change. You can stay for a week in Antigua, explore around, climb Pacaya volcano, swim in the Pacific, then spend the rest by the lake, PM me if you want more info.
Hi Brooks
Have you make it to Lake Atitlan.. I’m also a French expat living on the waterfront… Get in touch with me. I will be happy to show you around
Armand,
That would be incredible.
We fly out on the 29th.
I would love to meet up with you.
We actually own a real estate brokerage here in Alabama.
I’d love to discuss Guatemala real estate with you as well.
I’m sending you a message now.
Thanks!
Enjoy Guatemala! lmk if you go to Tikal.
Hi Brook sure look for me you can call me at 54936161 or email me atitlansolutions@gmail.com .. I’m at the lake.. I can host you..
See you
Armand