In was in hospital for 20 days in Guatemala after the operation and had some really good Physio on my knee and got it moving good before I left went back to NZ .
In the mean time Julio keep me busy by taking me out just about every day for lunch or dinner (and he is a great cook ) or to see the sites of Guatemala .
Guatemala city would have to be the most dangerous city in the world that I have been to ( and I have been to a lot ) . The guns and crime is just rife , the murder rate is Hugh and the with only around 1% solved it is not a nice place to live . Julio's son has been held up 3 times at gun point for this cell phone in the middle of the day , the day we arrived there was a big shoot out about 3 blocks from the hospital , there were 7 dead and 15 wounded . You know also when you are in a dangerous place when they have 3 armed guards in Mc Donald's . But the best or worst I saw was a Bus that was shoot up , we came across it up on the medim strip with bullet holes all down one side and the front windows blown out (this was 7 o'clock in the morning ). The bus driver was not hit but the 2 guards on board were seriously ill in hospital , they never said how many Indians were killed (there must have been some) . Anyway the driver had not paid his protection money to the gangs and so they just shoot them . It is quite common as they told me back at the hospital , and it was quite sad that they were just so blazie about it and were not that taken back by it . They just seemed so accustomed to it as if that is the way life is , and there I guess it is .
Unfortunately the surgeon has made a real mess of my knee and now it looks like there is not a lot that can be done other than a new knee at some time in the next couple of years or so . But time will tell and we will see how well i can walk on it . If you look at the Xray you can see that the pin is not even up against the bone and that it has been put in crocked , but the real problem is that half of my bottom knee joint is a lot lower that the other side . All that i hope is that i can walk good enough to be able to continue with the trip next year and then maybe a new knee .
Anyway that is life's journey and you just have to live with what ever goes your way , because that is the way it is .
I will post a new posting at least once a month as to how I am getting on with my leg and with plans for the return
Photos
1. Julio and Lisa , who helped me so much when I was in hospital
2. Me and some of the staff at the hospital in Guatemala , they were just so good to me .
3. Julio took me to some Mayan Ruins just out side Guatemala City , this was the day of the bus shootings
4. Xray of the f##kup of my leg
