Introducing IxCanaan

On Friday Georgia rang Anne who runs Project IxCanaan in El Ramate on the eastern side of the lake. She collected us in her pick-up from our hotel along with Carolyn, a Canadian who has come down to volunteer to run the library for a year.

Anne showed us the clinic where we met Enrique, the local doctor who Anne met 15 years ago and decided to stay to help out the local community. We then toured the library, with its 12 or so internet-connected computers and small collection of Spanish books and larger collection of English books, the new women’s centre with kitchen and forest garden and Gringo Perdido – the guest house owned by Eduardo, a well-connected Guatemalan who adores the Peten. He helps to fund the project as well as buying tracts of land to reforest.

After lunch, then a swim in the warm lake, we stopped by at Carolyn’s new home. She is renting a wooden bungalow from an ex-American Embassy employee called Mimi. Our search for somewhere to live on the project was solved instantly. The beautiful bungalow has a twin! Each is made from polished local wood with an en-suite bathroom, bed made from tropical wood and strangler fig and has a verandah overlooking the lake. They are set in a lovely courtyard garden with a wooden platform perfect for yoga, a kitchen, covered outdoor seating area and a night guard. A dock into the lake perfect for swimming sits opposite the entrance. Mimi built the house with her retirement bonus to escape one week every month from Guatemala city and the cabanas to earn a retirement income but she has already discovered the frustrations of renting them out on a night-by-night basis. Having long-term tenants is ideal for her because it is less work, great for us because we have a fantastic place to stay with kitchen so we can cook for ourselves (there are plenty of interesting-looking local vegetables to try out) and do morning yoga before a swim and breakfast, and great for Anne because her volunteers have a safe and relaxing place to live.

Mimi seems fantastic. A very laid-back and happy Guatemalan looking for a peaceful retirement. We are both very excited about moving in on Monday.