Guatemala

[omegaet]

I just received the following email from the manager of Casa Palopo in Santa Catarina Palopó. It appears the rains have come again and the mud slides have begun:
================================================== =

here i am again!

apologize for the group e, again...

just wanting to let all know...heavy rains for 3 days = all roads OUT ...again.
no access to Pana, no access to the hotel.
but this time, no electric, no internet, no telphone.
needed to walk to the next village to take a boat to get to this village, pana, where there is internet.

all my hotel staff are ok, the hotel is ok.
we only had 3 guests trapped this time!
BUT, i sent them off today, and now it is just a matter of waiting to see when the roads can be cleared and the machines can come in to get the power lines up again.

so, my plan is to try to get here every 2 days to check email....sigh.

all a bit overwhelming and disheartening (and adreniline exciiting in an extreme adventure kind of way!!!)....

looks like rain again tonight...so off i go!!

thinking of you all...hugs (really, really wet soggy, moldy ones)...

please DO write as contact helps to keep spirits up!!!
and then there{s the hotel bar, which luckily has been restocked since agatha!!!


Jennifer/Jiff

saludos...
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just received the following email from Jennifer at Casa Palopo....this poor woman....she is such a nice person and she, as well as many, many other residents in the region are just going through hell..

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still here...still soggy...WOW. the slides are impressive...there is an enourmous one just next to the place i used to rent in Pana...

still no internet, electric, etc.. and in Pana, sometimes there is, sometimes no..and/or it is painfully slow. we have enough water in the cistern for 2 more days...not to worry, a hot spring happened to open up just to the right of the CP dock, so i can always bathe there...and i am sure the cianabacteria will be oh so happy to have more phosphates to feed off of.....sigh.........

the 2 roads in/out of Pana seem to be taking turns, one opens, the other has a huge mudslide, they open that up, then the other one goes...so, not planning to leave anytime soon!

VERY scarey roads right now.

the rains continue, Mario and i keep our bags packed in case we need to dash...last night there was THE most end-of-the-world thunder and lightening storm, wind, and rains...lightening bolts striking the center of the lake, scarey booms from the thundere creating enough vibration to bring down more rocks and mud!!

my boss leaves for africa tuesday until oct 7th...and plans to sell the hotel!! lawyers met yesterday, papers will be signed when he gets back...if the hotel still exists...what this means for me...well...?????????

so, if anyone is up for the Guatemala ¨disaster tour¨ now´s the time!!
just contact karen Totman at.......

all in all, it is very scarey, and there is not much to be done..it is what it is, and a beautiful sunny day today....just incrediblely lovely.

thanks for the emails and ¨creative¨ ideas some of you are offering!!!
keep it coming...

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Jennifer/Jiff

[Mountie]

I'm surprised LL is continuing to offer the Guatemala destinations with all of the problems they are having.

[travel2fun]

saludos...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

just received the following email from Jennifer at Casa Palopo....this poor woman....she is such a nice person and she, as well as many, many other residents in the region are just going through hell..

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
still here...still soggy...WOW. the slides are impressive...there is an enourmous one just next to the place i used to rent in Pana...

still no internet, electric, etc.. and in Pana, sometimes there is, sometimes no..and/or it is painfully slow. we have enough water in the cistern for 2 more days...not to worry, a hot spring happened to open up just to the right of the CP dock, so i can always bathe there...and i am sure the cianabacteria will be oh so happy to have more phosphates to feed off of.....sigh.........

the 2 roads in/out of Pana seem to be taking turns, one opens, the other has a huge mudslide, they open that up, then the other one goes...so, not planning to leave anytime soon!

VERY scarey roads right now.

the rains continue, Mario and i keep our bags packed in case we need to dash...last night there was THE most end-of-the-world thunder and lightening storm, wind, and rains...lightening bolts striking the center of the lake, scarey booms from the thundere creating enough vibration to bring down more rocks and mud!!

my boss leaves for africa tuesday until oct 7th...and plans to sell the hotel!! lawyers met yesterday, papers will be signed when he gets back...if the hotel still exists...what this means for me...well...?????????

so, if anyone is up for the Guatemala ¨disaster tour¨ now´s the time!!
just contact karen Totman at.......

all in all, it is very scarey, and there is not much to be done..it is what it is, and a beautiful sunny day today....just incrediblely lovely.

thanks for the emails and ¨creative¨ ideas some of you are offering!!!
keep it coming...

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Jennifer/Jiff

How in the world is this poor woman, Jennifer, keeping her marbles in place with the sides of her world sliding down the mountain daily?

[showard1]

I'm surprised LL is continuing to offer the Guatemala destinations with all of the problems they are having.

Yes, it is surprising -- what with the continuing ultra-rainy season (worst in 60 years) and the most recent weather event causing even more mudslides and extensive road damage. We were advised to reschedule a recently-planned trip. I balked at first, but am now thankful for the hands-on advice. Nature's wrath is just that. As much as the affected areas rely on tourism, they also rely on positive experiences from those visitors and not unpleasant ones.

Comments LL?

[sleeping_dog]

I booked CP for 4 nights from January 2, 2010 and purchased flight from Toronto as well. There is still some time, but, I am now worried if I can make the way to CP even in January..... (And if the hotel sold!?!? What would be the worst case???)

I was so looking forward to being there, and still I am. Hopefully everything will recovered somehow quickly. I cannot imagine hardship that people living there are experiencing right now (and other times this year...)

sleeping_dog

[omegaet]

I booked CP for 4 nights from January 2, 2010 and purchased flight from Toronto as well. There is still some time, but, I am now worried if I can make the way to CP even in January..... (And if the hotel sold!?!? What would be the worst case???)

I was so looking forward to being there, and still I am. Hopefully everything will recovered somehow quickly. I cannot imagine hardship that people living there are experiencing right now (and other times this year...)

sleeping_dog

sleeping_dog....would you like the email address for the General Manager of CP? Jennifer is very good about corresponding and would likely provide you with current information regarding access as well as the status of the property.

Don't give up on the trip too soon!

[bonniejoy03]

New reports from Jennifer say that electricity is on and conditions are improving. As O suggests, contact Jennifer to receive a comfort in going. I really hope you have the chance to experience a truly magical place!! We have been there twice and I can't wait to return.

[sleeping_dog]

New reports from Jennifer say that electricity is on and conditions are improving. As O suggests, contact Jennifer to receive a comfort in going. I really hope you have the chance to experience a truly magical place!! We have been there twice and I can't wait to return.

O and Bonniejoy, thank you so much for your encouragement. I needed someone who actually experienced CP/Guatemala to tell me NOT to give up this trip!
I have been trying to send a message to Jennifer @ CP (receptionist e mail address mentioned in LL.), but so far it has not gone through. I just realized maybe internet service at CP is still not on, but in Pana. Any update from Jennifer recently? I will keep trying with a lot of hope anyway.

BTW, could you tell me how you both get CP from the airport? How was the road situation at your time? I will stay CP after spending one night in antigua, and I would need to leave for the airport to catch my flight departing around noon. Any suggestion for transportation? Is shuttle good (safe) enough? Appreciate your advice.

SD

[bonniejoy03]

Hi S. There is also a toll free number. Please try to call her. I did receive an email last week from her from Pana. Try to call....this might be easier. Worse case, contact LL customer service and work with them to coordinate your questions. I used the services of Elizabeth Bell of Antigua Tours. She is absolutely the best! She runs an excellent company. We have used her services three times. http://www.antiguatours.net/. She is based in Antigua. We had her drivers take us to Montericco, Antigua, Lake Atitlan, etc. She will coordinate all travel and drivers. Where are you staying in Antigua? I highly recommend Hotel Cissus and Casa Encantada. She also owns Casa Concepcion which is lovely. The road is ok. They are doing improvements so driving is sometimes slow. No problems though!

[omegaet]

O and Bonniejoy, thank you so much for your encouragement. I needed someone who actually experienced CP/Guatemala to tell me NOT to give up this trip!
I have been trying to send a message to Jennifer @ CP (receptionist e mail address mentioned in LL.), but so far it has not gone through. I just realized maybe internet service at CP is still not on, but in Pana. Any update from Jennifer recently? I will keep trying with a lot of hope anyway.

BTW, could you tell me how you both get CP from the airport? How was the road situation at your time? I will stay CP after spending one night in antigua, and I would need to leave for the airport to catch my flight departing around noon. Any suggestion for transportation? Is shuttle good (safe) enough? Appreciate your advice.

SD

SD....here is Jennifer's direct email [email protected] she is very good about answering her email, however it may take a day or two due to weather conditions. Let Jennifer know what you flight schedule will be and she might be able to suggest some transportation choices.

As mentioned by bonniejoy03, Elizabeth Bell does an excellent job with her van service and her hotels choices in Antigua. You could book a helicopter directly from Casa Palopo (they have their own landing pad) to Guatemala City if you are concerned about making your outbound international flight (a little pricey, but one of the other community members used the helicopter service and loved it).

There are a couple of possible routes from Antigua to Pana, so it's just a matter of the local drivers knowing the best way to go based on local conditions.

By the time you are ready to travel, the rains, floods, and mud slides will be in the past and you will have an opportunity to enjoy the adventure.