the best laid plans... and other Guatemala anecdotes

in every project, there are un-planned-for moments.  in every trip there are interesting stories.  in every trip involving projects… well, you get the idea.  in no particular order, a few funny moments from the trip follow.

a "crustacean"

we were on our way from Antigua to the lake when one of our group asked whether there were crustaceans at the lake, no doubt envisioning some tasty dinners.  “not the kind from the water,” our trip leader replied.  my mind whirred, trying to decipher what this answer might mean when I suddenly hit on it.  “there are SCORPIONS?!!”  yes, there were.  luckily, *he’s* the one who found one in his shower the next morning and not me.



this beautiful bug is NOTHING
like the spider that found me!

while we’re on the topic of wildlife, I did find a couple unexpected visitors in my room – the large, eight-legged varieties.  but it wasn’t until I was painting at the natural building worksite that I got a real start.  as I bent over to paint, something near my shoulder caught the corner of my eye.  I jumped back to see a large, very ugly looking spider on the wall next to me.  not the kind that looks friendly, or even like the lurkers that were in my hotel room.  I could tell without being told that this one meant business.  I glanced over at one of my companions and he glanced back at me with a look of “whaddya want ME to do about it?” on his face.  then one of the Guatemalan men came up and gestured and said to me in Spanish “pica! pica!”  (it bites.)  he scooted it out of the room with a long stick.  later, I asked him in Spanish what kind of spider it was, and he only paused for the briefest of moments before responding, “grande!”

my plaster "work," on the right.
it was supposed to be a straight line.

it turns out my Spanish-speaking was really quite successful with the guys at the worksite.  one was showing me how to plaster, with a magical flick of his wrist that got plaster exactly and only where he wanted it.  as I tried to replicate what he was doing, I managed to get plaster all over and everywhere, including splashing both of us repeatedly.  I readied to give up and leave the finer touches to him when I lamented to him in embarrassment, “yo soy terrible!”  (it means just what it looks like.)  he simply looked at me, smiled, and said without emotion, “Si.”

avocadoes, growing wild everywhere

up at the solar school, in the meantime… the police got involved.  the team was discovering that, although the solar panels work quite well in the shade and will provide enough power even without direct sun, sitting under one of the ubiquitous avocado trees might not be good for the health of the glass panels.  action was necessary, in the form of calling someone to come cut down a branch from one of the nearby trees.  all was going well, it seemed, until the neighbor came out.  the tree, you see, was on his property, even though the branch was hanging over the roof of the school.  here at home, you have the right to cut down branches that hang over your property.  Guatemala, we weren’t so sure about.  it should be noted that this particular neighbor -- a gringo no less -- has caused problems with the school before.  he is also no stranger to the police there, having spent a little time in jail for other shenanigans against the neighbors.  anyhow, the police were called and arrived at the school.  a few phone calls and smoothing-out with all the local contacts we had yielded a calmed situation, but those of us at the lower school were quite amazed when we heard the police were called on our companions up the mountain.  for the record, the law appears to be the same in Guatemala, and the three avocados we “took” from the neighbor were worth about 37 cents in the local market.



seriously, 12 of us plus gear in the back,
photo by Tom Egel



fixing a flat, photo by Gerri Barr



.                                                                                                                                                          .

then there was the ride down the mountain on the last day.  12 of us jammed into the bed of a pickup along with all the supplies we needed to bring back.  calling it a rough road would be a vast understatement and an insult to roads everywhere.  it was a glorified path filled with large stones and ruts, and the driver went as fast as he could without bouncing us out of the truck.  once we made it past the roughest part and onto a surface more akin to a road, we thought we were safe, until there was a large flapping sound.  the tire blew out with a fist-sized hole in it.  and the jack did not crank to raise the vehicle.  what else was there to do?  most of us lined up on the side of the truck and pushed up until the wheel was off the ground and the tire could be changed.  take that, AAA!

this trip was not sponsored by OSHA,
photo by Gerri Barr