Pandemic or not, life moves on and things that are necessary at home must still be procured, such food, medicine and water in the case of these girls. They walk fast with jars on their heads to carry as much water home before the curfew. Perhaps they can do one or two more short trips … Read more
Guatemalans are wearing masks in all public spaces, indoors and outdoors, even as in trails in nature, such as seen here where one of the trails from Volcán de Agua meets the cobblestoned streets of Antigua Guatemala. To be fair and honest though, I believe the high rate of compliance of mask wearing has more … Read more
As I said yesterday, Guatemalans are resilient. Motorcycles and bicycles have turned into the preferred vehicles for all home deliveries. Of course, just about anything can be delivered to your door nowadays, from freshly harvested veggies from the organic farm to medicine from the pharmacy to even craft beers. Whatever you need, there’s a delivery … Read more
With so many people who have lost their jobs or their main source of income, pop-up stands are showing up everywhere to sell anything and everything. People are doing everything to survive and put food on the table. And that’s how a car wash turns into a raw chicken shop or butchery.
Honestly, I wonder how many people are still buying lottery tickets. Covid-19 has proven to be a formidable virus, turning the world upside down. Almost no industry has been spared. Just today I was reading an interview with one of the AirBNB executives who said that it took them over 12 years to build a … Read more
Welcome to the new normality in Antigua Guatemala. Restaurants can only serve to go or delivery; thus their gorgeous dining areas remained closed. Interesting enough, I made a fisheye view of the dining area on March 16, 2020, the last day restaurants were allowed to serve customers at the tables. Take a look at the … Read more
Not everything is bad about the Cover-19 pandemic. Farmer’s Markets and local fruit and veggie stands are popping up everywhere. For instance, where we live, now we have a community farmer’s market three times a week where the farmers who live in town and grow their crops in and around the community are now able … Read more
Here’s your illustrated Guatemalan Spanish word of the day: Basura for either trash, garbage or rubbish, depending on which side of the Atlantic you live in. You would have thought that people would produce less trash while under lockdown and curfew, but it turns out that we are producing more garbage now that we stay … Read more
Another common sight of this pandemic is empty streets; especially with the reduced mobility regulations we are experiencing in Guatemala. Depending on whether your license plate is odd or even, you can be driving or not.
In Guatemala face masks are obligatory everywhere outside of your home. Even though face masks have been a common sight in other parts of the world, now masks are becoming the “new normal” sight in Guatemala as well. Are face masks mandatory or recommended where you live?
In Guatemala all the restaurants were forced to close their dining areas, so queues outside for food pick-up or to order to go are a common sight of this pandemic. How is it in your neck of the woods?
Here’s your illustrated Spanish word of the day: Mascarilla for face mask. Well, mascarilla is the most often used word in Guatemala, although in the Spanish language we have many words for face masks, such as máscara, careta, nasobuco, cubreboca, tapaboca, and barbijo.
Here’s your illustrated Spanish word of the day: Sastre for tailor. In this challenging times many of us we have to reinvent ourselves or perhaps point our skillset in a different direction as this tailor did by switching to making face masks to help keep a steady supply of protective face masks.
Let the walls in Antigua speak: Todo va estar bien or everything is going to be alright. Especially if we have beer and food to go or delivery. I have read that in other parts of the world have been shortages of both food and beer. Fortunately, at least in Antigua Guatemala, the micro breweries … Read more
La Calle del Arco, actually 5th avenue, is the landmark street of Antigua Guatemala and certainly always packed with people, except during this pandemic. Even though we don’t have a curfew during the day, only from 6pm to 4am, it is recommended that everyone, except essential workers, stay at home. A quick look at Calle … Read more