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I don’t like alarm clocks, never have. Whether early or late, I prefer waking up naturally. Less than a hundred yards from my room is the mother of all alarm clocks, dual church bells, tuned to a particularly annoying dissonant interval. At 6:30 every morning the bells are rung, at first slowly–one then the other–gradually picking up speed over the course of a few minutes to a frenzied finale. For good measure the ringing is repeated at 6:45 and 7:00. I usually go back to sleep, which just means I have to endure a rude awakening three times a morning, … Continue reading →

It is always something here in Guatemala; there is always some problem with causes (and more importantly, solutions) unknown. At the moment there seems to be a shortage of cash in the country. ATMs are out of it, and banks are rationing the amount they will give out to people to Q500 (about $65) per day. On my budget that is little more than an inconvenience, but I imagine there are some tourists who are in a bit of a bind. Some think tourists, and other ATM users, are to blame, that they have simply withdrawn too much, too fast. … Continue reading →