Julie Yindra's friend Helmuth

After Jeanie and I returned to Guatemala City, I called Julie Yindra’s friend Helmuth, whom she knows through her international work with spina bifida. Helmuth was expecting my call, thanks to Julie’s previous emails to him about my stay in Guatemala. He told me that he was going to Panajachel with his girlfriend and his “mother-in-law” and generously offered me a ride there. We forgot to talk about how much baggage I had with me. Minor detail! Helmuth is tour operator in Antigua, a beautiful city, which is about an hour’s drive from Guatemala City. On Saturday, Jeanie drove me to Antigua to meet up with Helmuth. His girlfriend has a Kia compact car that accommodated all but one very big suitcase of mine. Helmuth, a man of many connections, called one of his employees to ask if he could drive to Panajachel with my suitcase. Panajachel was a three hour drive from Antigua and the service would cost me 10.00 dollars. Of course I was delighted.

Helmuth with his girlfriend Claudia and Claudia's mother