Today Teisha, Carissa, Taryn, and I took off on another road trip with Dick Rutgers. Unlike last time, Pat is not with us as she is currently home in the states visiting with her grandchildren and getting a break from Dick and me. So, Dick’s car is much quieter and neither Dick nor I are suffering from headaches that usually result from Pat’s head slaps.
As usual, Dick treated us to a flawless drive to the coast. We just hit a few potholes that resulted in a couple of damaged kidneys, but the damage was spread out through us all so we all still have one left.
As we drove toward the coast the temperature rose about 15 degrees and the humidity rose sharply. When we arrived in town all the motels were full except for one that has no air conditioning as. As you can tell from the photo, the ceiling fans are no good as they have gradually drooped and warped from the humidity. But that is balanced by the reality that we have no hot water. Tonight’s shower was the first time all day I have been cool. Earlier Dick and I were trying to decide who would get the better bed (the one without sharp metal sticking in your back). I decided that he could have that bed and I will sleep in the cold shower, but now he wants the shower. We will compromise and alternate hours.
As soon as we had checked into the hotel we took off for Jessica’s house. Jessica is currently in Hermano Pedro and doing quite well after recovering from malnutrition. The journey to their home is quite interesting and involves some pretty bad roads and crossing a couple of streams. Interestingly enough, Dick drives very carefully on those roads.
Someone donated some money to Dick to help with the family’s water situation. They currently only have water at their home for one hour every other day. As a result, they often find themselves hiking down the mountain to fill buckets. After analyzing the situation we realized that we could purchase a 200 gallon water tank that will fill automatically when the water is on and can be used as a supply when the water is off. So we left their home and traveled to the nearest town where we purchased the tank, pipes, and fittings that are necessary and will return tomorrow morning to install the tank. For the time being, it looks nice on the top of Dick’s Land Cruiser, although I had to stand on the back bumper to help it squeeze under the entry arch of our motel.
This evening we found a restaurant that was not top notch, but was quite edible (unlike the shrimp from our last trip). We were also able to purchase some medicine for a nasty head rash that Jessica’s brother, Hector, has. Hopefully this will resolve the problem.
Well, the hour is getting late. I think we are all heading out for a bite of ice cream and then I will return and tuck myself into the shower for the night.
Buenes noches de Patulul, Guatemala!
Daryl
Today Teisha, Carissa, Taryn, and I took off on another road trip with Dick Rutgers. Unlike last time, Pat is not with us as she is currently home in the states visiting with her grandchildren and getting a break from Dick and me. So, Dick’s car is much quieter and neither Dick nor I are suffering from headaches that usually result from Pat’s head slaps. 
