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Black and white

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This Blog describes a trip taken to Guatemala and Nicaragua from December 25, 2022 to January 10, 2023. This is the view from the Departure Bay ferry terminal in Nanaimo today. Hard to believe that this is a colour photo! When I booked my tickets I didn’t realize that the ten minute seaplane from Gabriola to Vancouver doesn’t fly on Christmas day, so instead I have four hours of travel. My travel day started at 8 am, when Gary drove me to the Gabriola ferry terminal,  and then I took the 20 minute ferry ride to Nanaimo. I was the only foot passenger, and before we arrived one of the ferry workers whistled me his favourite Christmas song. My prearranged taxi driver was waiting for me to take me the ten minutes to the Departure Bay ferry ride. My ferry left at 10:40, and a couple hours later we are now approaching West Vancouver. Next I take a bus and then the sky train to get to the airport. It is now 2:25 p.m. and I have an hour and a half to wait for my flight. The airport is pret...
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Los Angeles

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While the Vancouver airport was quiet, when I arrived in Los Angeles early evening the airport was bustling. Flying in you could see endless lights of the sprawling big city. I started chatting with the guy sitting beside me, and discovered that he was also born in Durban. He and his wife had just got married and were heading for a cruise to Mexico on their honeymoon. So I gave them the freshly printed info sheet about my upcoming couples massage workshop and they were quite enthusiastic about it. I had been one of the last to board, so there was no room in the overhead bins for my bag, which I was reluctantly forced to check. So despite travelling light, I still had to wait about half an hour for my bag.  The hotel shuttle appeared minutes after I called for it, and with all the heavy stop and go traffic, and stopping at other terminals, we were slow to leave the airport. Driving through the busy streets I couldn’t help wondering why anyone would want to live in LA. More than 12 m...
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Antigua

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 I’m here! When I woke this morning I heard the pigeons cooing, and it took me back to my time here when I lived in Guatemala in my twenties. I got in at midnight, and I am staying in an apartment behind Doña Yolanda’s, who is Sebastian’s grandmother. Looking forward to seeing her this morning. My shower has a heater on it, but only to take off the chill, calling it warm would be an exaggeration. Still an improvement, I remember taking many showers in freezing cold water. The tap in the sink only has cold water. My room has beautiful red woven bedspread and pillows. The furniture is carved and locally made. Yolanda’s home is in the front of her property, then what used to be her garden is now divided into individual apartments and houses, with her daughter Anamaria and her family living in a house to the back of the property.
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A Wonderful Day Reconnecting in Antigua

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This morning I joined Doña Yolanda for breakfast. What an inspiring woman! We have always been fond of each other and it was an emotional get-together. At 96 she has undergone hip surgery on both sides and is quite frail. Since covid she doesn’t leave her home. But she is sharp as a whistle and wanted to hear all about her grandson Sebastian and my other children. I brought her an iPad, which I believe she will enjoy, because she is quite tech savvy, and uses Facetime. She also is an avid reader.  Then Seb’s aunt Susy joined us. I met Rafaelito, Susy’s son, who I recall as a mischievous little boy. He runs a business repairing computers and cell phones out of a front room that opens on to the street. Then I met the two sons of Seb’s cousin Rocio (Susy’s daughter), another Sebastian (named after Seb) and Martin and his daughter Ivana. Rocio and her husband live in a house behind Yolanda’s house. So even though Yolanda does not leave her house, she sees her children, grandchildren, a...
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More pictures of Antigua

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Floats used in religious processions Antigua looks the same but lots of motorbikes and cars Prettiest Starbucks I’ve have visited Susy told me that the new Starbucks used to be a medical centre where she gave birth to her three children. Typical bus to Guatemala Antigua’s library Famous arch between nuns’ quarters and monastery Typical view of Agua hidden in cloud Parque de San Sebastián Yolanda’s house  
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Nicaragua here I come!

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This morning I left Antigua at 2:30 a.m. and took the Hondureña airline COPA to San José. I walked from the international terminal in San José to the much smaller domestic terminal, where the planes only take 10-12 people. Our flight is delayed. Still hope to be in the ocean this afternoon.
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Paradise

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