WorldWide Drilling Resource

by Tim Rasmussen Water For Life sends containers of equipment and medical supplies to Guatemala each year. The containers are imported in the name of Agua Para La Vida (APV), our nonprofit sister corpo- ration registered in Guatemala. We must make sure APV is in compliance with all the legal rules in Guatemala, so there will be no issue when the container hits the port. We have a lawyer in Guatemala City who assists us with government requirements, and I needed to visit him to make sure everything was ready for the container this fall. After three flights, including an all-night flight from LAX and a short four hours in a hotel near the airport, I took a TAG airlines flight to Flores, Guatemala. The plane was an Embraer 110 Bandeirante. This is a 12- to 18-passenger twin engine plane that has been in production about 50 years. There were five of us onboard, and no door between passengers and pilots. I sat in the front seat and had a good view of the cockpit procedures; it was very interesting. The ride was bumpy, but uneventful. The heat and humidity in Petén hit like a wall as I got off the plane. My bag was unloaded immediately and I was relieved to get in the truck and start the trip to our headquarters in Poptun. The breeze through the truck window was a relief. The following day, I had meetings with our SAT accountant (SAT is Guatemala’s version of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service). He reported he was satisfied we are in compliance with the gov- ernment regulations and all was in order. Then, I went to a meeting with Dr. Mendez of the Ministry of Health in Petén. He was happy to hear a container was coming with medical equipment and said he knew of a couple of villages where there was a great need. I told him we would try to get to them. I spent the afternoon with Berny going to nearby villages to check on a few pumps. One well is in a beautiful village called Las Cruses. The people there speak only Q’eqchi’ so communication was difficult, but we found a lady who spoke some English and she was very helpful. We gave her, a friend, and children a ride to Poptun to the market. They enjoyed the trip in the truck. After one more day in Poptun, we needed to go back to Guatemala City for the appoint- ment with the lawyer. I was treated to a torrential rainfall that night and worried our flight would be in the rain, but as we got the truck out of the shop, the rain stopped and we drove to Flores, then flew back to Guatemala City. This time, Berny was with me and we took a cab to the hotel. The appointment at the lawyer’s office was set for 10 a.m. the following day. Berny picked me up at the hotel at 9. For about 30 minutes, Berny wove through streets, making a turn every two or three blocks. I could never have navigated my way back to the hotel. The visit took about 30 minutes. I provided him an authorization for our APV president, Henry Lazaro, to conduct the business of Water For Life USA in Guatemala, and he questioned me carefully about our compliance with SAT regu- lations. He was happy I could report I had just visited with SAT and all was in order with them. He advised us the corporate status of APV was good and instructed us to have an APV board meeting as soon as possible and to send him a copy of the minutes of the meeting signed by the treasurer and president. I had an 8 a.m. flight back to LAX and wanted to leave in plenty of time because dealing with traffic in Guatemala City is a serious test of patience. There are certain times of day when you are better off just to stay wherever you are. What is normally a 15-minute trip from the hotel to the airport at 5 a.m. becomes a 30- minute trip at 5:30, and by 6:30, probably an hour and a half, if there are no accidents! If there is an accident, there’s no telling what will happen or when you will arrive. The following day, I left the hotel early enough to have a fast trip to the airport, then three flights back to the good old USA. There is nothing like seeing how it is there to make one realize how good it is here. It is a perspective everyone should gain. If you would like to help, contact Gary Bartholomew at 509-466-5075 or 509-939-1941 Tim Tim Rasmussen may be contacted via e-mail to michele@worldwidedrillingresource.com WTR 302-684-3197 FAX: 302-384-0643 142 Broadkill Rd. • Milton, DE 19968 www.atlantic-screen.com email: atlantic@ce.net Manufacturers of Slotted & Perforated Pipe ranging from ½” to 24” diameter Atlantic Screen & Mfg., Inc. • Well Rehab. Products • Manholes • Bentonite • Filter Sock • Inline Chemical Mixers • Sampling Bailers • Clear PVC Pipe • Locking Caps 18 NOVEMBER 2019 WorldWide Drilling Resource ®