About ellenbuilder

Status:

Expatriate  

Gender:

Male

Currently Lives:

Citizen Of:

United States

About ellenbuilder

Wife and I retired to Panajachel 1 1/2 years ago. We own our own house here and are quite content with our decision to move here.

Advice for New Expats

Have an exit strategy. Approach your visit with an open mind. Study the local language. Believe 1/2 of anything anyone else tells you!

Education:

U.W. Stout
  1978 to 1981

Some Forum Posts:

Guatemala: Shuttle Van To Panajachel:

Gustavo Rosales has been our driver for 4 years. 59749915 or 54140665. Gus.Rosales@gmail.com. Gus speaks english if that is important to you. His other drivers not so much. His vehicles are clean, the brakes are functional, the tires have tread and his drivers are courteous. He will be there for you.

Guatemala: Items to take:

High thread count sheets, wash clothes,Frank's kraut, everything else you can get here or a reasonable substitute. Note the high thread count sheets, also big fluffy towels. these can become rather important if you plan on spending any length of time here. Also flea treatment, if you are a do9 or cat person, you know how important this can be. The fleas here have attitude like you wouldn"t believe and need strong encouragement to die. Although I consider myself a peaceful soul, I wish death and destruction to fleas. We have 6 dogs, I believe they would agree.

Guatemala: MEDICATIONS:

Some medicine here is expensive, but some is much cheaper and some generic versions are as much as 1/6 the cost in the U.S. For example Seretide Diskus 50-250 equivalent to Advair is $66.66 compared to the current $350.00 a friend of mine is paying in Wisconsin. Like everything else pertaining to Guatemala blanket statements like "medicine is expensive in Guatemala" may be completely true or false or somewhere in the middle. Depends on who you are, where in the country you are, and how persistent yet respectful you are. This is a wonderful place full of surprises. Good advice to bring your personal meds, but you may also find a source here. Enjoy your trip!

Guatemala: Chiropractor Lake Atitlan:

Pablo's Chiropractic Center, Calle Santander, Segundo Nivel del Banco Industrial, Panajachel. There are others, James Easter is excellent and located in Pana as well. Don't have his number right here, but go to Cafe Kitsch on Santander and ask for him. I live in Pana, so I know more about what is here, but there are many caregivers around the Lake. My suggestion is to go to Crossroads Cafe, also in Pana and strike up a conversation with one of the people there.

Guatemala: Insulin choices in Guatemala:

I'm diabetic and have lived here for 3 1/2 years. The fast acting insulin I have been using, Humalog, is very effective but about Q500 for a 10ml vial. On a recent visit to Solola, Insulex N was recommended as a substitute at about 1/2 the cost. I can not seem to find any comparison info on line. Has anyone had experience with this Insulin?

Guatemala: Lake Atilan visit:

Please note that 3 hours Pana to the airport assumes no traffic problems.. If you are taking a public or private shuttle, and intend to take a flight the same day, allow at least 6 hours. Leaving at 3 am for a 9 am flight, we hit traffic due to an accident and missed the flight.

Guatemala: Lost one:

I agree with kgriff and Armand. If you take the hard line your risk driving him away forever.

Guatemala: No Fireworks:

I can feel your pain. We have lived in Panajachel for 3 years and fireworks/bombas are certainly one of the most discussed topics among the expat community. 5 street dogs adopted us and even they are jittery when the explosions occur. I have a couple suggestions. 1 Avoid any annual community fair. 2 avoid christmas 3 avoid newyears. However, if you do all this avoiding, you will miss a lot of really interesting things that make Guatemala the incredible place that it is. Sometimes a thundershirt will help calm a stressed out dog. In the end, if you choose to stay here for an extended period of time, you will just have to curse and endure or go to Mexico or back to the States in the really crazy times. Good luck!

Guatemala: Rent in Panajachel:

You havn't mentioned your needs in housing. Need a kitchen, or will a hotplate suffice? Will you have pets? Do you want an outside living area? how close to the center of town do you have to be? Do you have mobility problems? These are just a few questions that come to mind. Reasonable rents are still here, but you would probably have to come here and ferret them out. The best way to do that is to go to Crossroads Cafe for some of the best coffee in the world and start talking to the expats who are there. Don't write off Panajachel yet!

Guatemala: Mosquito Problem in Antigua?:

We live in Pana and use a Black Flag defogger, it seems to help as much as anything. Available at Novex in the City. While Deet will repel, it will not kill. Although I am generally against using insecticide, I make an exception in this case.

Date Joined:

4/6/2014

Total Posts:

38

Posts/Day:

0.03