Tales from the Land

The process of buying our land continues apace. Though there is a reputation that things take longer to do in Guatemala than somewhere like England it has to be said that so far buying the land is much quicker than in the UK. But then so far lawyers have not been involved to drag their heels.

Tuesday. I visited the municipality office in the local town of Flores with Enrique, the doctor of IxCanaan, as our Guatemalan resident. Needed to hold the transfer of land from leasehold from the government to our own title.

We queue in front of the office of rural land, agriculture and natural resources and decide we will also push in once a number of locals have barged their ways past the gringos.

We speak to the officer and he explains the paperwork which is a simple form. Our local resident however has not paid his council task so we go downstairs and pay it for him - about £1. We also have to photocopy our forms.

The queue is massive when we return to the office and I am glowered at when I join in the going straight into the door maneuvere. However, the assistant beckons me forward and staples all the forms together then drops the bombshell. The process cannot continue until either we get our seller's original ownership document or the assistant mayor to write a letter saying our land has been dismembered from the seller's larger plot. Cahones.

Well we've done what we can for the day.