The seismic folks knew it around the same time as we did but those monitoring it in California could neither feel its effects nor could they see what the quake caused. That was yesterday at around 1 p.m. Guatemala time (also Central Standard Time in the USA). Here folks are prone to call it tremors. I am not proud and assign it the title earthquake even if it is short-lived and causes no damage to physical things. I cannot be so sure that psychological damage is not done by such Acts of God. One may be thinking if this is the "big one". After all, this city has been subjected to devastating earthquakes that have been recorded since 1524. The last major one in 1777 destroyed over 3,000 buildings and many perished.
Our neighbor's Internet is still cranky and it seems that I can at least get him going once again until a permanent fix is found. My tasks for yesterday at my neighbor's house were to fix his connection to the Worldwide Web and to play a round of Scrabble with his wife. Dick is no game player though he once was a Poker ace while in the Navy. I was standing near his computer table talking with his wife and ready to seat myself at the keyboard when I felt the floor roll and shake. Looking towards the window I saw the pulls to the shades swinging to and fro. The disturbance lasted only for about 15 seconds but it was real and not a figment of my imagination because the look of wonder was also in Ginny's eyes. Nothing shook from the shelves and there were no damages visible in the structure of the homes in this area.
The earthquake was assigned a magnitude of 6.2 and its epicenter was offshore from Chiapas state in Mexico. Measuring in miles, the distance from our city to the epicenter was approximately 119.
We fairly often feel tremors here in Guatemala but none since we have visited here over the past six or seven years has been of any consequence with respect to property damage. Often a tremor will awaken me during the night and unless somebody else mentions it the next day, I will not recall the event. However, at the moment, I do awaken and wonder who is in my room shaking my bed. The first experience, much like the onset of one's first gall stone attack, was the most disquieting. Everything after that just adds to the experience. One learns to include experiences such as that. They become the norm.
This morning John and I broke fast at Casa Santo Domingo, the five-star restaurant and hotel at our back portal. We were seated outdoors so dined al fresco. John had an omelet of mushrooms and leeks and I opted for crepes. Of course I had a pot of black tea to wash the cakes down the gullet. Fresh strawberries and plump blackberries were served to me without the necessity of sweeteners. We spent a very leisurely hour plus in the courtyard of that ancient ruin. Then it was time to return to the compound just steps away. Instead of immediately going home, we roamed about the ruins a bit and passed through a part of the former convent where mass was being conducted.
Paul, Ruth, Dick and Ginny are in the city at Union Church today. I had planned to accompany them but found that in addition to the regular services, there was a church meeting scheduled after the service. Since I am not a member, I figured it unnecessary to subject myself to the additional wait before we would be ready to return the 40 kilometers to the compound here in Antigua. So, I am spending the time here in quiet meditation today. Nice for the spirit and mind.
No comments:
Post a Comment