Pura Vida-building with recycled plastics

In English: Pura Vida - Alternative Trash Management, for a life without contamination.
Pura Vida teaches villagers to compact clean, dry plastic trash into used plastic bottles, thereby converting waste into easily-storable and transportable “eco-blocks” or eco-bricks ("eco-ladrillos") for construction.

FOR A LIFE WITHOUT CONTAMINATION
Alternative Trash Management
Lago Atitlan, Guatemala
puravidaatitlan@hotmail.com
English: http://www.puravidaatitlan.org/english.html
Spanish: http://www.puravidaatitlan.org/

Pura Vida-San Juan la Laguna dock

Atitlan Resource

Atitlan Resource has useful links for a little bit of everything... resources, groups, businesses, Spanish schools, links, on a very nicely designed website:

atitlanresource.com/

Dr. Camille Bentley ~ DoCare International

Tue, Jun 24, 2008 at 1:08 PM

To: "Dr. Camille Bentley" , drczb@aol.com
Cc: markmuncey
DRA. Camille Bentley - RVU DOCARE
Rocky Vista University.org
cbentley@rockyvistauniversity.org
drczb@aol.com (home)

Docare International.org

Hello Dr. Camille Bentley!

So good to meet you and your group of students at the Hotel Playa Linda this trip! Hope you come back again SOON. I am so impressed with your medical program helping the indigenous in the villages around Lake Atitlan, and hope I can help in any way I can.

I'm working on a website for Georgina at the Hotel Playa Linda [where your group often stays], and would love to feature your group, with their emailed experiences and photos if you like. At one point I hope to create a blog where people can post themselves. In the meantime, send anything you want. We can note that you are always welcome to donations for medical supplies or more physician volunteers. The work you are all doing is just wonderful, and so needed. Can't wait for you to return!

Yours, Catherine Todd

---

Mark Muncey Sun, Jun 29, 2008 at 5:18 PM

To: Catherine Todd

I got your e-mail, Catherine. What a treat to meet you!!
I got home yesterday, unpacked, did laundry and went up to the mountains, today, for a picnic lunch.
It's always good to get home.
Keep in touch!
Mark

Mon, Jun 30, 2008 at 9:05 AM
To: Mark Muncey

"I got home yesterday, unpacked, did laundry and went up to the mountains, today, for a picnic lunch. It's always good to get home."

What a nice homecoming you must have had, and it's great to hear back from you, too! Send me any experiences or photos you want for the blog I hope to get going about "good works around Lake Atitlan." I am just thrilled that Dr. Camille brings these groups through her organization DoCare, and accomplishes so much. I am so impressed that you have joined her group and are getting your medical degree as a second career. It's really admirable.

Let me know when you are coming back. I'm back to NC in the states Aug and Sept. probably, but here the rest of the year, I believe. Here's a photo of the volcano view from my balcony window on Calle de los Tigres.

Yours, Catherine Todd

--
Catherine Todd
3007 Bent Tree Dr. Oxford NC 27565
H 919.693.0853 U.S. cell 919.605.0727,
Panajachel, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala cell (dial 011 from the U.S.) 502.5013.6300 or 4198.7184 (new 6-08)

For 2008:

"The winds of grace blow all the time. All we need do is set our sails."
~ Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa ~ Gospel of Ramakrishna

"You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete."
— R. Buckminster Fuller, *Critical Path*

Words to live by: "Best of all is to preserve everything in a pure, still heart, and let there be for every pulse a thanksgiving, and for every breath a song." ~ Konrad von Gesner

Lake Atitlan Volcano Calle de los Tigres.jpg

"Gautemala Programs, Stories & Database"

I want to make this a list of all the incredibly interesting people and programs that have flown here from all over the world... landed like snowbirds and hummingbirds migrating to help rebuild this beautiful world that had been so thoroughly destroyed. Times they are a changing; volunteerism and humanitarianism is high. Have to figure out how to make it possible for people to enter their own info, there are so many to put in.

I'm going to try and update this Guatemalan blog to include many of the Guatemalan stories from my personal "Catherine Todd" blog, and any worthy groups, places of interest, business or volunteer opportunities, retirement, "moving here" info, and any other useful websites I can find. Hope people can add to this blog with their own businesses here, stories, experiences, recommendations, photos and more... email me with anything you like. CTodd1000@gmail.com

I want to build this house in Guatemala!

I want to build THIS house as my first project at Lake Atitlan, Guatemala.
Why are all my houses pictures of churches? Am I in the right country? Am I in the right era? Am I in the right life? They have volcanoes in Auvergne, too, which I didn't know. Life is full of surprises.

Notre-Dame-des-Chazes, by l'agence de communication Conjoncture S.A.
http://www.globalfest.com/tour_en/tour_en_Auvergne.htm
To see: Le Bouchet Lake, the high pastures of Le Forez, Yssengelais and Le Meygal craters, Notre-Dame Cathedral and St-Michel d’Aiguilhe Chapel in Le Puy-en-Velay, St-Julien Basilica in Brioude, Cistercian Abbey in La Chaise Dieu, Collegial Church of St-Laurent in Auzon, 12th Century Cloister in Lavaudieu, and the thatch-roofed hamlets of the Mézenc Highlands.

More beautiful photos and info at: http://www.chevalet.co.uk/template.php?sectionId=1002

Letter from Atitlan

From G: "I NEED AN ELENA TOO. LOVED THE PICS... love your art work on the wall."
---
Dear G, You wrote: "I need an Elena too!" Yes, we ALL need an Elena! Another reason I live here. I pay her $1.00 an hour; that is TWICE the going rate. I got paid $1.05 an hour (minimum wage) when I was 16 years old in 1966. So they are 40 years behind the times here, pay wise, but since it's double what most get, she is very happy; so am I. It's much cheaper to live here. Wages are cheap, but some products are expensive, so it's not a "consumer culture" yet; handmade arts & crafts are high on the list.

Elena's daughter is 5 years old and as sweet as can be; there's nothing like a child's hug who is still "in love with the whole wide world" and all that is in it. Including me! She's started first grade this year and loves it because she can "play with her friends" and has learned her numbers in English and Spanish!

It's not my art work; I should have mentioned that. It's a gorgeous "primitive" style of overhead painting, in this case the coffee pickers. My computer table is in the top right hand corner where I am working right now.

No one needs to answer unless they have time or the inclination; I just don't want to leave anyone out. Send photos if you like! I think I'll set this up on an interactive blog when I have time so people can peruse and comment "at their leisure." I'll let you know when I get it done. Pam, you could send us some of your poetry / writing as well. I know you have it somewhere!

Your friend, Catherine

Catherine Todd
3007 Bent Tree Dr. Oxford NC 27565
H 919.693.0853 U.S. cell 919.605.0727,
Panajachel, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala cell (dial 011 from the U.S.) 502.5013.6300 or 4198.7184 (new 6-08)

For 2008:

"You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete." — R. Buckminster Fuller, *Critical Path*

Words to live by: "Best of all is to preserve everything in a pure, still heart, and let there be for every pulse a thanksgiving, and for every breath a song." ~ Konrad von Gesner

"To Lake Atitlán" - Michael J. Totten

http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/2003/11/to-lake-atitln.php

"To Lake Atitlán" by Michael J. Totten, November 28, 2003

Excellent piece of writing! Very descriptive about Guatemala and Lake Atitlan, and some of the poorer villages one never hears much about. I live in a dream world, apparently, here.