Placencia North Cays to Glover Atol Belize

Leaving Placencia village anchorage to Glover Atol reef – Belize

After chatting with locals, divers and looking at charts/guide, we decided that we wouldn’t go any further north than Blue Ground Range, South Water to Glovers Atol as the water gets skinny and Glovers is supposed to be the best of Belize for diving.  We wanted to experience one of the four Atols so it was going to be Glovers Atol.

Rose again went via bus to Dangriga to check out with immigration/customs for 2 reasons – it was cheaper and we didn’t have to deal with possible immigration conflict.   The first time was to get a 30 days extension prior to sis Dorothea and niece Mads joining us.   If you recall we had sent an email to various immigration and tourism offices about us (and S/V Big Fun) being overcharged at the Independence immigration office.  We just wanted to find out what the legally charged fees are.  We believe that this office got spanked as our friends on S/V Big Fun had much difficulty with immigration when attempting to check out.   We checked out as we didn’t want to have to come back to Placencia as the wind angle from Glovers to our next destination (Utila, Bay Islands Honduras) is MUCH better.  AND we know that Utila doesn’t really care how long it takes you to get there.  Instead of paying a total of $190 for 3 months in Belize, it will cost us $6 for Honduras.

So we attempted to leave early afternoon on Tuesday, January 17^th but came back as the seas and wind were on the nose.  We did leave Wednesday early and was able to sail (via tacking) to Blue Ground Range.  We then left early Thursday again sailing, following our previous track across 10′ shallows and out the So. Water Cut to Glovers.  It was awesome and felt wonderful to sail (plus saving $6 US/gallon of diesel)!!   We sailed to SW Cays and anchored behind a BEAUTIFUL coconut palm, white sandy cay.  It was like some of the cays in the San Blas.   Most of the cays in Belize are mangrove and water clarity is not great.  Now we understand that the mangroves are needed to keep the ecosystem in check so accept this but the San Blas had lots of mangroves as well and clarity was better.  Go figure.  But here at Glovers it was clear with lots of  healthy patch reefs to snorkel.   PLUS we have full view of both sunset and sunrise which makes for great viewing!

So off we went to snorkel and get some info at Marisol Resort (on the other cay within SW Cays) about diving.  What’s a treat is that the resort also had internet so we could monitor weather and stay in touch with family/friends much easier.  And I got permission from the caretakers Balsitar (El Salvador – only speaks Spanish) and wife Marie (Belize speaks Spanish and some English) to walk the private island and climb the light house tower.   We brought them some fruit and pasta in thanks. Climbing the lighthouse was wonderful.  As I’m climbing the ladder straight up with strong wind, I see the U-bolts very rusty.  I realize it would be better for me to hold onto the main steel structure for safety.  There are 2 viewing spots.  The Belize coast guard lighthouse is maintained by this caretaker and powered by solar.  Tom tells me that he has noticed, during his evening pee, that the battery lasts till around 3am.  The view of all the Glover cays is wonderful, as evidenced by my photos….

You could tell that this cay used to be a resort and was told it was owned by a lawyer from Belize City. Each time we visit the island I ask him if I can walk and unfortunately it keeps getting more restricted.  This happened after S/V Cordelia (Michigan) and S/V Homers Odessey (Vancouver) got here a few days later – so maybe he was concerned about too many tourists walking this cay.  He told us later that the owner doesn’t want any tourists on the island.  These caretakers have been here for 5 years and get provisions by going in with Marisol’s boat to Dangriga when they pick up guests.  And we have seen that they go out to fish via a kayak with chair he sits on for added visual height and the trading boats discussed below.

There is an interesting cluster of independently owned wooden sailing trading/fishing boats decked with 8-10 crew and 6-8 canoes that come out from Belize City on a 6 day intensive search for conch/lobster/fish.  They trade/sell while they are out here and/or bring to the Coop back in Belize City.  They are about 16′ long, 10′ wide, 4-5′ deep with a double boom with sail collapsed in between.  The top longer boom gets pulled up along with sail.  It has a jib canvas rolled up on a stick so not sure how that it rigged.  They store ice in the center of the boat to keep the fish and provisions from spoiling.  The bow cabin and stern kitchen cabin each sleep 3 with the canoes stacked on each side of the boat each sleep 1 and 2 on the main cabin with a large canvas tented over the boom.  Its quite amazing how they manage.  These boats are quite loaded and are about 1′ off the water.  Two of them came into Glovers and the one that I traded with got about 70 conch that day.  I ended up with 2 lobsters, some fish and crew member Joshua that came over to Sojourn to teach me how to make conch fritters.   Tom disappeared onto shore to do internet as it got pretty crowded down below.

It was quite interesting for both of us as he had never been on a cruising sailboat and I had never dealt with conch.  Plus was able to learn more about their culture/religion/sailing rig….  We improvised to find the provisions needed to make the fritters.  He was quite amazed when I handed him pimiento.  It was a pepper grinder as I had run out of ground pepper!  He looked at it and was amazed when I showed him. This took about 2 hours and with finished product and photos I brought him back to his vessel along with freshly made conch fritters for crew.  Plus I shared them with S/V Cordelia and Homers Odessey. Most of the crew didn’t drink as they said “they went to church” so I traded by making them brownies, corn bread, few other provisions and 3 beers for the folks that “didn’t go to church”.   I believe he said he was some form of Evangelical but used to drink/smoke pot and that ALL of the fruits/veges/milk products come from the Mennonites that came in the early 1900′s.  Anglican – the Church of England is a large majority of the religious but also have a good population of Seventh Day Adventist.

We went diving twice as its $50 US per dive.  You need to do it with a big boat as its drift 1-2 knot current diving this time of year.  The reef is beautiful with lots of fish.  More of everything than Bay Islands but then its a lot cheaper to dive there.  The second dive we were blessed with 3 reef sharks, large nasau/tiger grouper, HUGE nurse shark, turtle, large barracuda and a large dolphin on the safety stop.

The Glovers Reef Marine Reserve (Belize Govt.) came over the same day to collect their $10 Bz/person/day or $30Bz/person/week.  So we opted for the week.  We learned that this Reserve is also part of the Fisheries Dept. and that they are housed on Middle Cay with the Wildlife Conservation Society (Internationally funded – mostly US and UK).  We decided to take our dinghy the 2.5nm to Middle Cay to learn more and go snorkeling on another part of Glovers.  We have seen the Fisheries do shark research like putting out long line with bait and a cage full of fish heads and a camera to observe behavior.  Both organizations work together and share resources.  They have a nice walking interpretive path around the island, osprey nesting and even a composting outhouse.  They obtain research graduate students that provide some of the funding. The staff (rangers, chef, maintenance, diver, boat captain) is all from Belize.

We are now awaiting a Friday or Saturday departure to Utila (one of the 3 Bay Islands), Honduras. Tom decided that for his 60^th B-Day he wanted to sign up for Chris Parkers weather routing service that comes on via various SSB frequencies EARLY in the morning.  So hopefully our future passages don’t downgrade, as we get lazy not checking our own weather and choosing the time!  We didn’t get to explore Utila en route to Rio Dulce, Guatemala due to the weather so are looking forward to another new experience.  I guess that’s why we are doing this sailing thing!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Belize + Time with Sis Dorothea and niece Madeline

What can I say about Belize……

We arrived on December 7^th spending x-mas and New Years here in between exploring some of the cays to the east.   The north cold fronts that come this time of year make it a bit challenging to find good anchorages that have N/NE/E protection.  The snorkeling is good if you go to the cays closer to the reef but then you can only be there during settled weather.  So we decided to take a week to explore the northern cays which have more protection and better snorkeling.  But to get there you have to cross shallow waters strewn with coral heads with bad water clarity and limited GPS way points for navigation — so it makes it exciting and one needs to enter during good sunlight.  I can see why some cruisers keep coming back after they have taken the time to navigate and obtain tracks to use the following season.

Susie on M/V Cabaret is a great organizer for us cruisers finding events/gatherings for us to attend. So we went to the “Mistletoe Ball” which her husband got assaulted by the owner as wanted to take Susie chair.  Go figure! Then there was the x-mas eve potluck/music jam on Cabaret, x-mas day dinner at Canadian owners Pickled Parrot and New Years dinner with lots of bands to listen to.  Regardless we chose to go to bed around 10pm (cruisers midnight) in hopes to hear the fireworks going off. Didn’t happen.

Placencia is a nice quiet village with a mixture of locals, x-pats and Europeans that have built on the many miles of coastal beach.  They speak mostly English as still associated with the UK but Mayan Ketchi, a mixture of Spanish from Guatemala/Mexico and Pennsylvania Dutch Mennonites also occupy this TINY country.  This town is fed by 1 road which houses all the Chinese super markets, various veggie/fruit stands, hardware stores, restaurants and famous Tuttie Fruittie Italian gelato rich/creamy ice cream parlor that has MANY varieties that change on a daily basis. The anchorage is starting to fill up as there haven’t been a lot of sailors coming to Belize due to inconsistent immigration, customs, port captain fees.  So it has a different type of cruisers that come here. It appears to be more sailors that have paying guests on their boat or others that have been coming here for years without a lot of need for us newbies.

Placencia also won the Guinness World record for the longest sidewalk connecting the neighborhood along the water front with side walkways to the main road.  It still exists but with more retail shops and guest houses.  Most of the locals are very friendly and proper by calling you Miss Rose or Babie/Sweetie.

We and Big Fun checked in without incident expect questioning why Immigration was charging us $25 US as other recent boats that came before us hadn’t paid this fee.  Plus after a few weeks others coming after us didn’t pay either.  So since this country is trying to clean up its act of officials putting excess money in their pockets, we sent an email to Immigration headquarters asking for clarification on fees charged in Big Creek. We didn’t hear back from Immigration so didn’t pursue any further.  A month later our friends on S/V Big Fun decided to check out and head for Roatan while we were exploring northern cays.  Unfortunately we found out that Immigration was rude/uncooperative to them due to this email.  So I guess these Immigration works got their butt slapped and wanted to take it out on someone.  This made us slightly concerned as within a week we needed to obtain an extension on our visa.

I (Rose) decided that not only was it cheaper/easier to get to Immigration/customs in the next village over called Dangriga but also I could avoid the possible confrontation at Big Creek.  So I took the 6am bus with Cordelia’s daughter that was visiting which took 1.5 hours to reach Dangriga.  At 8:30 am I walked into customs and then 2 doors down into Immigration with no hassles or extra fees.  After walking around and visiting the market, I took the 11am Ritchie bus back to Placencia.  Dangriga is a Garifuna village.   They are slaves brought over from So. Africa to St. Vincent and spread throughout the Caribbean.  They have kept some of their traditions with using their drumming/dance as a method to make money in the touristic areas.

I was excited when I learned that my sister Dorothea and niece Madeline would come to visit us in Belize Jan 4-12^th.  This also created the reason to explore close cays to find beautiful beaches, snorkeling and yet anchorage protection for sleeping comfort.  Of course we provided our lists of provisions we couldn’t live without and ordered parts via internet for them to bring.  They dodged a “bullet” as a STRONG cold front had just finished when they arrived but still evident by the cold winds.  Unfortunately Madeline got sick traveling on the small plane from Belize City to Placencia.  When I arrived on the village small boat dock to pick them up.  I was greeted by Dorothea indicating that my wild/crazy Garifuna local friend “Miss Brenda” was taking care of Madeline (Mads) nausea/tummy ache by feeding her barbeque chicken, rice/beans and lemon/ginger drink.  So we decided to walk around the beach to help her get her land legs before heading out to Sojourn. It worked !!!!! and we had our wheels again….

The wind warmed up after a day, so we sailed east to Little Water Cay to snorkel and stay the night.  It was fine but wind picked up so had a bit of chop rocking the boat around.  Then after waiting for a storm with cloudy skies to pass we motored 2 nm to Queen Cays for a LOVELY day of snorkeling and beach discovery.  During this we had dolphins playing with our bow so that was cool for them to experience.  I was quite impressed with how quickly Mads/Dorothea adapted to snorkeling. We asked the ranger that came to obtain the $10 US/person park fee if weather was supposed to be settled.  He said yes so we decided to stay tied to their mooring ball vs head to another anchorage.

Unfortunately, the wind picked up out of the unprotected east direction which again brought larger waves creating Sojourn to hobby horse.  This in itself wouldn’t be an issue except that evening I had decided to tie the dinghy with motor still on (usually we put it on the big boat during the evening for safety) to the back of the boat to reduce the noise.  I had decided to put ear plugs in so didn’t notice the waves getting larger.  I was startled awake around 12:30pm by a large bang so checked the anchor finding it had fallen off its platform.  I then decided to go check the rubber dinghy finding the front tubes deflated.  The dinghy had gotten sucked under the self steering post creating the hole.  I was very concerned and asked Tom/Dorothea for help.  The beautiful full moon helped us see while placing the outboard on the rail and hoisting the dinghy on deck.  Once on deck, I had felt around for the hole to determine its size and location.  It was a lot larger than I expected (2” rip 1 way and 1” the other) but fortunately the seams were not parted.  Madeline commented the next day that she was impressed as we were very calm and directed in getting these tasks done.  All Tom/I could think of was what are we going to do if we can’t patch this hole as Placencia/Belize is NOT an area to buy or ship marine items to….   The reason for this extra motion was because we were on a mooring vs anchored creating some stability by our heavy anchor and chain.

Tom decided that he would sleep in the other satee next to Mads/Dorothea with the GPS anchor alarm on just in case the mooring broke loose.  We didn’t need another adventure having Sojourn go drifting to the reef during the evening.  We took a melatonin and tried to get some sleep.  I was a bit concerned that this could be very scary for Mads/Dorothea as I didn’t take time to explain that this probably wouldn’t happen but we needed to be cautious.

We woke up around 5:30am Sunday and decided to head back to Placencia.  We were supposed to pick up our rental car that evening but I knew that I needed a day/night to try and fix the dinghy.  So while we were sailing back I called Susie via VHF to see if she would call the car rental to change the pick up day.  Plus we had heard that there maybe a S/SW wind coming so via the SSB net we asked another sailor if they would email another friend to see if we could tie up to his slip if needed.  Its amazing what how one can get so many things done when needed…  We had a great sail back but with rain so at times I was left in the cockpit monitoring our steering while the rest were staying dry.  Tom was somewhat pessimistic that I couldn’t repair it as it was close to 2 main seams and another patch.

Once we got anchored back in Placencia another sailor offered Dorothea/Mads a ride to shore for their ice cream enjoyment. We started the repair with internal/external patches using 5200.  It was a challenge with crabby words exchanged but in the end it WORKED. Another lesson learned….

The following day we rented a car to drive 3 hours to San Ignacio and the Xunantunich ruins.  It was a pretty drive through Belize’s forests, villages and Mennonite farms. We stopped at the market for some local food then drove the additional 8 miles to get to a car ferry across the Mopan river and drive another 2 miles to get to the ruins with our guide.

Xunantunich means “Stone Woman” in the Maya language.  Most of the structures date from the Maya Classic Era, about 200 to 900 AD. There is evidence that some structures were damaged by an earthquake while they were occupied; this earthquake may have been a reason for the site’s bandonment.  It is located on the border of Guatemala and provides beautiful vistas of the countryside. The core of Xunantunich occupies about one square mile, consisting of a series of six plazas surrounded by more than 26 temples and palaces. The El Castillo pyramid is 130 feet tall. The first modern explorations of the site were conducted by UCLA in 1894. Several projects of archeological excavations have been conducted at the site from the 1930s through the 1990s.

It’s true that the so-called Mayan long-count calendar—which spans roughly 5,125 years starting in 3114 B.C.—reaches the end of a cycle on December 21, 2012.  That day brings to a close the 13th Bak’tun, an almost 400-year period in the Maya long-count calendar. But rather than moving to the next Bak’tun, the calendar will reset at the end of the 13th cycle, akin to the way a 1960s automobile would click over at mile 99,999.9 and reset to zero.  There are various scholars that speculate the end of the world – that “God will descend” but not the Mayan’s.  They think this is a time for human’s to live in harmony and refocus their life – its just and end of an old cycle and beginning of new.  If you want to read more go to www.ngm.com (search for Mayan).

The rest of their holiday was spent biking, swimming, laughing, walking the beach and relaxing.  The weather was mostly warm, sunny with a full moon.  We even saw 2 sunsets over the water with “green flash” except for Mads brain wouldn’t let it happen. Boo Hoo!  Unfortunately, Mads obtained a rash similar to swimmers itch so took benedryl to minimize the itchy discomfort and sprayed alcohol to dry it out.  She wasn’t inclined to go swimming after that for fear to make it worse.  It was great to share our life with them and I was impressed with how they adapted.   Check out the photos link as well.

We feel blessed to have friends/family that want to experience this journey we are on in person or via communication.

Keep us posted as to your lives and dreams.  Our Love

Leaving Rio Dulce, Guatemala to Placencia, Belize

I went to Guatemala City to meet Tom when he arrived from MN on November 14^th at Las Torres Apt.. This is where most cruisers stay as they give us a discount in the high rent Zone 10 where most of the medical needs and Price Smart provisioning can be handled within walking distance.  I had made an appointment for Tom with Dr. Karyn Gomez Santa Clara but he decided to see what would happen after fasting and performing a colon cleanse as he had stomach bloating/discomfort issues all summer.  So we provisioned for special items and took the 6 hour bus back to Rio Dulce-Fronteras.

We started working on getting the compressor to start (bled a bit of freon as tubes/box was very hot from the sun), installing new wash down pump which didn’t fit very well in the last ones spot, installing new golf cart batteries, bled air out of diesel fuel line (by blowing vacuum air down the diesel deck fill to force up the fuel lines – it worked) and many other things that just didn’t work.  The entire quarter berth with all the parts boxes, tools, etc. were laying everywhere on the boat as there is no reason to clean up till we are done with all the projects.  And it was hot so that didn’t help matters.

Well within 4 days Tom decided that he should go back to Guatemala City to get some tests.  So we emailed and spoke to Dr. Karyn and she suggested we meet in the Hospital to get a abdominal ultrasound and CT scan along with blood and stool samples.  Those tests came back the same day with nothing found except that Tom should reduce his alcohol due to some liver damage and per-diabetes concerns.  So she suggested that we have a Endoscopy with a Gastroenteritis Dr. which we scheduled a day later.  The Dr. did a biopsy of stomach polyps and lining to see if any issue but we wouldn’t have results for 3 days so we completed the Endoscopy by 8am, found pharmacy for some prescriptions and  got to the 9am bus back to Rio Dulce after spending 4 days in the city.  That was a busy morning.  Fortunately all these services only cost around $1K US with the meds seeming to be the most expensive.

The next day we celebrated Thanksgiving at Kevin and Luisa’s home (owners of Catamaran’s Marina and Resort). They provided the turkeys, other cruisers cooked them and the rest of us brought a dish to share.  It was a nice late afternoon along with some watching the normal football games, etc.

This is a large cruising community with about 20 small marinas as it is the only area to store a boat over the hurricane season.  Along with that is the small comedors that provide daily lunch specials for $35Q ($5), boat swap meets, movie/dinner nights with launcha pick up for $50Q, music gigs provided by sailors and local talent, etc.  You have to dinghy to town and walk to MANY places to find parts and provisions.  They do have a Dispencia grocery store but other tiendas have figured out what sailors want so try to make it available (canned diced tomato, box wine, beer/tonic water/soda in cans, peanut butter, popcorn, 100% box juice with no sugar, large containers of vinegar, etc.)  But its not always there when you are looking for it so it takes several trips.  So that may answer the question of “what do you do all day?”.  Its a good thing I did take some time from land traveling to work on Sojourn as we would never have been able to leave as early as we did.

We also organized time/place to have sister Dorothea and daughter, Madeline come visit us in Placencia, Belize.  So that put a time/place that we had to be there along with scoping out good snorkeling islands to get to and land things to do.

Time was ticking as we had hoped to catch the next high tide and leave Rio Dulce – Livingston on December 5^th 4pm.  The day before we were to leave we finally got an email from Dr. Karyn and she said that Tom had presence of H. Pylori.  She prescribed some antibiotics/etc. So off Tom went around 3pm to the village to hope to find what she had prescribed.  Tom came back with the meds so the next AM we left Catamaran’s and motored to Texan Bay.

We felt FREE leaving the dock and anchoring near Texan Bay.  The brain turns from projects to having fun after you leave the marina (at least mine does).  We explored via dinghy up the various rivers and had social time with Song Bird and Big Fun for a couple days before heading down Livingston to cross the mile long mud/sand bar.  We were traveling with Wayne/Elda on S/V Big Fun.  Its a beautiful journey down the river with 1 knot current with you and with high fjords in various spots.  You need to stay mid channel to make sure you don’t run aground like we (Tom) did coming up river.   We called Raul to confirm that he had all our paperwork ready to check out and to let him know when we would arrive.  We anchored in Livingston and to the dinghy ashore to meet him and check out.  It takes about ½ hour.

We went back to our boat around 10:30am and Tom/Wayne took the dinghy to check out the depth.  They came back after about ½ hour and said “let’s go – we see a minimum of 6.5 feet”.  Sojourn needs 6′ so off we rushed to depart following Big Fun who has a 4.5′ draft.   The MLW of the Rio is 5 to 5.5′ so that is why we thought we would need to wait till 4pm when the added 1.5′ of high tide was happening.  Well it worked and out we went.  Then we had to decide where we could anchor before dark.  I suggested Frenchman’s Cay, Belize but should of kept looking for a better protected island as it was a deep/shallow anchorage and not well protected from the Northerly winds.  So in the middle of the night we swung around and woke to 4′ depth.  That got our attention and thought……..  So we motored up and pulled anchor at same time and immediately got off so there must have been a reef just under the side of the boat where the transducer was.  We proceeded to find a better place to anchor but this is more difficult than what we thought in the dark!   This has never happened to us before.

It took us 2 days/nights to motor up Big Creek to check into Belize prior to anchoring off Placencia, Belize.  There continues to be a lot of SSB net discussion about the Belize fees but this year it appears that there is some consistency at each port with the Port Authority fees being the biggest expense and challenge.  But then there is the park anchorage fees of $10/day that adds to the expense so we hope that the parks are using the money wisely to preserve the reef for future generations.   As you may recall this is the area that Jacque Cousteau explored and provided some efforts to protect the reef.  His granddaughter, Alexandra Cousteau will be filming/creating the next Expedition Blue Planet series broadcast on the National Geographic Channel early next year.  Some of it will be filmed here in Placencia so check it out.

As you can see, I didn’t have time to get Sojourn ready to go, provisioned as its cheaper in Guatemala than Belize and Bay Islands and do the blogs so here I am taking the time during cloudy cool days in Placencia, Belize.

Life is an adventure if you choose to take risks!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Rose & Tom

Tikal and Yaxha (near Flores) and Semuc Champey (near Lanquin)

After traveling with Lourdes with all the rain/mudslides I went to the boat in Rio Dulce, about a 6 hour bus ride from Guatemala City.  That was a mistake as its always a lot more work than what you remember and without Tom added to the anxiety of trying to remember after 5 months where things were and how they were supposed to work.  I initially arrived Oct. 10^th and Tom would arrive November 14^th.  So I had 3 weeks to finish my land travel before he arrived.  Well one week was sucked up by Sojourn, cleaning mold from below (not as bad as what others had expressed) and green/slime on the outside, fixing the bilge pump, putting stuff away, sanding/painting the pedestal, refinishing the cockpit teak and toe rail, etc. etc.  During this time I was trying to find someone to travel with.  Fortunately, Sarah on S/V Wilde Matilda said she had wanted to see similar area so we started planning.  I really wanted to go the same week I got back as it was GREAT weather but Sarah/Les had promised others that they would go up the Golfete to anchor/explore during that weekend.  I was able to go along which was nice to get away from the boat projects.

So we started looking for a weather window.  I was a bit cautious that I not travel in rain again.  Well I think we left about 1.5 weeks before Tom would arrive and thought we would be gone for about a week.  We took a slightly upper grade chicken bus to Flores and then shuttle van to El Remate.  So we arrived around 10am at La Casa de Don David owned by a Texan and Guatemala lady.  It was a bit higher than expected to pay but very nice for $45/night which included dinner, etc.  We determined that other guests had arranged for a guide and driver/van to take them to Yaxah which Sarah had always wanted to go to so we asked if we could join them and off we went.  This Mayan ruin is difficult to get to as it is off the rain road and remote.  We arrived such that we could explore for a couple hours and then climb to the highest ruins and watch the sunset over 2 rivers with a spectacular view.  Well it still was a great view but the clouds moved in.  So we got back to hotel late, ate and went to bed as it was a long day and needed to get up by 5am to get shuttle to Tikal Mayan ruins built in 700BC and explored in 1848.

We walked and climbed I think all the temples and structures.  Even Temple V which was closed and went straight up.  We had cloudy skies in the AM and around 10am sun which was great as too much sun you can boil.  Its amazing how they built these temples mostly for the Kings to live and surrounding area where the others lived.  From atop you could see the complex that was overgrown by trees/bushes but originally was completely clear.  There is so much to learn about this history…..

We went back to hotel and explore El Remate village around 1pm.  This area is known for his forest and unfortunately cutting them down for export.  So the government is trying to stop this by incorporating protected national forests and placing military protection.  This area also has many great wood carvers that make all sorts of craft.  We saw a few men hand carving with very basic tools creating beautiful animals, Mayan statues (some used for worship), bowls, etc.

A day later we went via shuttle van we thought via back roads directly to Lanquin with other back packers. Well the back roads were damaged from previous rain so it took us a bit longer than had anticipated 9 vs 5 hours with a stop for dinner in Coban.  We also hadn’t expected to drive onto a ferry to take us across a river with a VERY strong current at Sayaxche.  This ferry was powered by a side structure with a outboard motor and manual ramp.  I love this about traveling as long as I have water and food. This time we sorta forgot about the food and weren’t sure where we were or when we would get there.  We didn’t have any reservation so driver called for us as he knew it was going to be late when we arrived.

We got there around 7pm, checked in and were told we had reserved a loft above a bamboo cabana.  We were taken there and realized it was a 10′ ladder straight up we had to climb to get to our beds.  Now as I age I seem to have to go to the bathroom more often so had thought that this may not be a good idea so we both decided to upgrade after much laughter.  The upgrade was a bit expensive for the night so next AM we settled on a individual thatch roofed bamboo cabana without a loft so others wouldn’t be disturbing us.   This facility had a sauna made of bottles and cement and actually worked pretty well on a cool evening.

The reason we came to this area was to see Semuc Champey Natural Monument (established in 2005) which means “where the river hides beneath the earth”.  This is near Lanquin and took a van via dirt roads about 1 hour away.  This BEAUTFUL area of Cahabon River in the Chama mountains drops below this naturally made 300′ long limestone bridge with spring fed 7 turquoise pools that you swim in with the STRONG river rushing out the other end.  We hiked the park to see the vistas of the pools.  Prior to this hiking we swam and climbed with a guide in the mountain caves with a candle. It was hilarious to be exploring, climbing via ropes, jumping into pools and swimming against the current inside a cave by holding a candle.   As well we went down the river via inner tubes which was very cold from all the rain water.

During this same time the country was having a presidential election.  We walked early for our breakfast and found LOTS of Mayan families (with children) in their finest wear walking to Lanquin to vote.  It appeared some had obtained rides from cattle trucks passing by.  The Mayan usually live not even close to a road so you knew they had been walking for quite some time.  They would be in long lines waiting to get their opportunity.  I was told that the voter turnout is around 90%.  It appeared they had divided the voting stations by region as there were many.  A few hours later after voting and going to the market they would pack up and start walking into the night.  You wouldn’t see any US citizen doing that!

We explored the area for a few days and then made arrangements with a driver/van to take us the direct route via the mountains, Cahabon village and river, to El Estor north side of Lago Izabel and ending at Rio Dulce.  It was a fascinating beautiful 6 hour journey over BUMPY dirt roads with at times only passable by barley ONE vehicle.  Our driver seemed to be in a hurry or had driven this BUMPY road way too many times so didn’t notice. The van took a beating but was worth all the bumps!  So we went again from cooler weather to the hot/humid heat of Rio which is an cattle ranching and agricultural area with lots of flat riverbed land.  Not sure where they send this beef as what we get too purchase its not good aged beef.  Oh well beef isn’t good for you anyway….

Thanks Sarah for being such great travel buddy.  We had a lot of laughs!

Lake Atitlan, ChiChicastenango, Antigua, Guatemala Trip with Lourdes

What can I say about this trip but being so thankful that Lourdes was with me and endured ALL the rain, mudslides, road closings and change of plans.  We laughed a lot and dealt with the weather conditions.  A tropical wave came off the Pacific and then a low hung over us for almost 1.5 weeks.   One of the first questions Lourdes had for me prior to the trip is if we were going to ride “chicken buses” and was it safe to travel.  A “chicken bus” is usually the old USA Bluebird diesel orange school buses that get exported to Central America when they are not considered safe any longer.  Well all over South/Central America you will see them some in better shape than others.   The diesel engines continue to tick so that’s why they get exported.  They are usually painted very artistically and colorfully then named after some girlfriend or macho being.  The insides don’t always get a facelift and seats are still the uncomfortable bench seats you may remember as a kid.  Growing up in the country I REMEMBER!  I assured her that we wouldn’t need to ride them and that the touristic buses were safe. Well the only buses that were traveling during this timeframe were the “chicken buses” as their income depends on it, usually know the back roads and are less concerned about their safety.  I hadn’t realized that Lourdes had never been on a “chicken bus”!!  But we not only used buses but also many other modes of transport like – tuk tuks (small 3 wheeled covered cars imported from Thailand), pickupardos (trucks where you rode in the back with a plastic sheet on the top), shuttle vans and tourist transport buses.

So here’s our general route over the 2 weeks we traveled with lots of small village stops in between.  We went from Guatemala City to Solala, to Panajachel Lake Atitlan region, to Chichicastenango and then Antigua.  We had thought that we were going to travel further but weather limited us.  We chose this area for the mayan culture and traditional craft/weaving.  There is too much to really write about and possibly pretty boring for you so I will try to touch on the highlights.

We were very impressed with how hard and long the mayan men, women and children work ALL day.  They live in basic structures, grow or raise whatever they need to eat and may walk miles to be able to sell their craft.  Each mayan group has their own traditional dress, color, weave pattern and style.   I guess they were forced into this so the spanish could identify them. The  weight of the weave and how its worn differs in the highlands vs the tropical areas.  Even the men in certain regions where the traditional weaved pants, shirt and skirt (especially in the highlands).   But that is falling off as the women don’t have time to weave the items that they can sell to the tourists.  There is lots of history and battles the mayan endured during the spanish take over of land and life.  Their beliefs are deep and ceremonies varied with LOTS of candles (red, yellow, white or black depending on the need), flower pedals and copal (a natural incense from the bark of tropical trees).   They use idols like Maximon, mayan figures and saints mixed in with christian beliefs so its abit confusing when you look at their altars or praying/healing rooms.  The churches are shared and have different times for their services.  The mayan use shamans and go to mountain spirit centers for removal of bad habits, health, crops and marriage, etc.

We were able to see mayan shaman cleansing after hiking to the hillside ceremony site with a local guide.  They used white eggs rolling them around his body, then more prayer, then yellow candles, then both smoking a large cigar, then incense.  The daughter waited patiently to the side for this to finish.  The guide asked if we wanted one so I guess even gringos can partake.  They traditionally don’t bath how we do but in a special shallow sauna hut you lay inside.

It was difficult to understand who and how does one become a shaman.  Usually they are men but we did meet a women that had secret separate structure/rooms by her home where she performs.  Her girl brought us in these rooms in hopes to obtain a monetary offering.  We got into this home mearly by being curious when I saw 2 young girls lap weaving in the door opening while we were walking around the back streets.  We do believe that there are special shaman’s that are part of the mayan service and during special mayan holidays have wear special customs and masks.  Usually they were owned or passed down to the new shaman’s but now they rent them from a special mayan man that has that skill.

We traveled, ate and slept very reasonably.  The market comedor’s was usually where we ate for less than $4 each, slept in hostels or hotels for less than $10-15/night and traveled via “chicken bus” for less than $5.  I have always said that if you REALLY want to travel you don’t have to have a lot of money.  The young European/Canadian backpackers even spend less….  But if you wanted to stay in 5 star accomodations it is a lot less than most countries – especially USA.

We saw LOTS of craft, markets, weavers, cooperatives and even got dressed by mayan in traditional wear.  We both came back to Guatemala City with lots more than we expected.  I think we fed off each other in our interest for traditional craft but in all the countries we have visited I have never acted this way.  The craft weavings are wonderful and usually pretty reasonably priced.  They expected you to bargain with them and at times forgot how poor they are and what did $1-5 US really mean in the bigger picture of my life.  Most of the time we would sit and observe what was happening and how they operated their lives – totally facinating.  They are like work horses in how much weight they balance on their heads or how the men use a strap wrapped around the front of their heads to carry bags of corn, furniture, wood for cooking, etc.

The rain…..  we got stuck in Panajachel for a few days as bolders fell on 2 of the main roads, roads washed away, rivers flooded and homes on the edge fell in.  It was cold and we felt especially sad for the mayan in how many lives and homes were lost.  It was a national alert to warn of travel and road repairs.  Considering their budget I felt the government did a great job in communicating and providing resources for both local and tourists.  We finally decided that maybe we could find a way to leave Panajachel after talking to police, locals drivers, military, tourist travel boards as you never got exactly the same story so you hedged with what appeared to be most similar and IT WORKED.  We got out to the main street around 7:30am and started looking for transport.  We looked around the corner and saw a “chicken bus” where did that come from as there hadn’t been buses here for the last 4 days…. The driver said he drove the back roads all night from Quetzaltanango and was headed back in 15 minutes.  Of course, we still look around for other options to make sure as 15 minutes could really mean as long as it takes to get a bus load…   We also wonder about our safety, what the other roads look like and how can this same driver keep driving. So we hang in the area and within 15 minutes or so the driver starts the engine.  Off we go to the nearest town  (Los Encuentros) on the main highway of which we can find other buses to get to Chichicastenango.  It was rainy, foggy and traveled on many windy, hilly roads with mudslides.  I’m certain the views would have been spectacular if only it was clear.  The driver kept receiving or making calls to what appeared to be getting updates on the road conditions ahead.  We finally got to the main interstate with a HUGE traffic jam due to road closing/narrowing to 1 lane for both directions.  The driver motioned for us to get off and get over to another “chicken bus” that had just cut in front of us.  Lourdes got off/on alternative bus faster than me so had to force the driver to wait for me to get there.  I was delayed due to normal VERY crowded bus and taking photos of how odd this was happening….  So life is not always as you plan and one learns to make the most of it – usually!  I have to admit I was struggling with my emotions and felt awful for Lourdes.

Lifes adventures continue as long as you have courage and health!  My Love

Rose

Rio Dulce, May 2011

We left the Bay Islands of Honduras on Sunday, May 1^st and had a great overnight sail to Tres Puntas, Guatemala where we  anchored overnight in order to get up early on a rising tide to cross the sand/mud bar to get into Livingston, Guatemala. We were pretty salty as their were nice winds but along with that comes waves that occasionally break over the stern quarter. So we were blessed with a nice rain shower as we entered the anchorage.

The next early morning we crossed the bar which is about a mile. It was abit exciting to see the depth sounder go to below 4′ which with the offset is 6′ when we draw 6′! We felt the keel bump slightly once. So the routine is that you anchor in Livingston and call Raul (the agent) to brings out ALL the officials (port captain, customs, immigration, agriculture) to your boat to start the process to check you and boat in. Or should you say just to collect their money. The costs continues to rise at $160 the first 3 months and $240 thereafter for a year.

So this season we sailed from Panama, Providencia-Colombia, Vivorillos-Honduras (near Nicaragua), Bay Islands-Honduras then finally Guatemala so it was abit of a journey but enjoyable most of the time. We met a lot of new cruisers that we really enjoyed so was a nice social season as well. We can see why a lot of cruisers hang in this area as marina and living costs are reasonable, 15 nm to Belize and a overnight to Bay Islands-Honduras.

Its HOT here until afternoon when the land heats up so the breeze from the river/lake kicks in. Its not too bad at night but will be better once the rain starts apparently every evening to cool things down. We are up the Rio Dulce about 25nm so don’t get the sea breeze any longer. For some reason we waited a couple weeks to put our small A/C window unit in — it is pricey to run about $4/day at .46/kw but worth it. Getting things repaired and cleaned since lots of fresh water.

I was flossing and pulled a crown out a week ago. OOPS! So asked on VHF cruisers net (boats near Rio Dulce) at 7:30am if anyone knew of a local dentist in Fronteras (oddly known by locals as Rio Dulce). Apparently a dentist Dr. Carlos comes from Guatemala City on Saturday/Sunday so I called him and went to see him last Saturday at 7am. So I took the Catamaran Marina/Hotel/Restaurant boat shuttle (used to pick up/drop off workers in town) in at 6am and walked to his office. The last launch in the am comes back at 7:45am. Its always interesting to see what locals do at this time of the early morning. Its quite nice as its still abit sleepy as workers are cleaning the front of there tienda (store), taking things back out to the street along with asking if you want to buy something (always looking for customers). Plus the local ladies are bringing their corn kernels that were soaked overnight to the local grinder so they can make tortillas to sell. I found his office to be quite rustic but acceptable. After asking if he would try to finish by 7:30am, he cleaned, reviewed and cemented the crown (corona) back in while listening to chickens looking for food. His young 10 year old daughter Carmen was his assistant. Got back to meet launch only to find that they were at another dock and starting to head back to Catamarans. So I yelled and fortunately they heard me above the motor/chatter. Next time I’m taking a whistle! Got back to boat and proceeded to chip my front tooth along with needing some more of the crown ground off so called him back for a Sunday 7am visit. This time I brought my camera to preserve these memories. Each time I spent 150Q which is $21. AMAZING!

I and sometimes Tom have been walking at a eco tourist palapas/restaurant/marina resort called Tejax that a Canadian cruiser friend is staying at. So I grab the 6am launch that drops me off en route to town and ask that they pick me up en route back to Catamaran’s at 7:45am. A few times they have forgotten me as there are different drivers and have had to call Tom to come pick me up. Its abit cooler but still quite HOT. Its a neat place to walk as they have many suspended bridges some as high as tree tops along with rubber tree plantation that is constantly being harvested of its white glue.

I had a girl thing happen in December after about a 1-1/2 years of nothing so my OBGYN thought I should have it checked out. Cruisers and another Dr. recommended a OBGYN in Guatemala City (that speaks English) so I made appointments and took the 5-6 hour bus early on May 22nd to stay overnight and have physical, ultrasound and then meet with a OBGYN/Surgeon to see if he thinks. That was interesting to learn how to traverse the city buses/taxi’s/walk as there are dangerous sections just like any big city. I go back on Friday en route to fly to MN to have a diagnostic hysterocopy proceedure done in my uterus(camera).  I’m sure there is nothing. 

We also got up early and to take the bus to Morelas (next town) to have blood lab stuff done so can take to Tom’s Dr. for his Thyroid and Cholesterol stuff. Its much cheaper here than in states as we don’t have insurance.  When we picked up the results we noticed that they had missed his Thyroid test so fortunately they still had blood and were able to fax it back to Rio Dulce.

Have you ever had Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)?  Well I woke one morning to being very dizzy.  I started asking others and was amazed how many people had this issue.  So I started researching internet and found that crystals (octoconia)within the inner ear break loose.  I also found excersizes so started doing and it went away after about a week.  Aging sure is interesting.

Other observations:

I have realized that since cruising I don’t think I have purchased any garbage bags as you always seem to have enough grocery bags even though I use our cloth bags a lot.

Gas continues to increase and around $5/gallon in central America.

You buy a pineapple or avocado but it continues to amaze me with how many variations there are in each country. 

Oh my gosh – we have mostly left no see ums (sand flies) area. They REALLY are small but BIGHT like they are monsters. We now are seeing mosquito again and at least you can hear and see them!

My latest way to cool down while sleeping without A/C is to put a wet handkerchief on your chest.

Bus from Guatemala experience – start with A/C good thing as we sat for an hour in the heat waiting for an truck accident to clear, then none after our bathroom break so I open the window (thankfully this bus did have and the sun was going down), then bus assistant comes to open the windows, then watch a pregnant women and husband do nothing to open a window as she is looking sick so I suggest that he open window and does (WHY not think of this himself – its an example of Spanish culture), its dark but the interior lights don’t work or driver forgot to push the button, then we change buses ½ hour away from end of line. This life sure is interesting!

Rooms that advertise bathrooms and hot water as specialty items. 

Okay you can only get white eggs in Roatan, Honduras but now we are back with brown eggs in Guatemala. Is it the British?!?

We will be coming back to MN in June for 5-6 months this year as our renters have left our Pagan town home and Tom wants to spend more time with family/friends and land based things. So we will be updating the town home, moving our boxes/things stored various places and buying abit of furniture to start thinking about using this as our part time home. We may rent out a room to help with income and have someone look after the place as we will only be there 5-6 months out of a year so let us know if you hear of anyone. Looking forward to seeing ALL!

Holy Week (Semana Santa) Antigua, Guatemala

Guatemala celebrates this holiday in great magnificence, making it one of the most outstanding in the world. It is a crazy country, crazy but happy and profoundly attached to their dearest traditions.

So the highlight of the year is this season … the catholic population prepares months ahead. You must know about the Procesiones, those big solemn parades where people pick up on their shoulders the big platform with the glorious wooden images of Jesus and the Virgin Mary. The male carry Jesus and women carry the Virgin Mary Anda. 

And you must have noticed too, that men dress in purple. It is like an ocean of purple that when you see it makes you sniff your ziggy or your drink wondering if somebody put something funky in it … because it is quite a sight that takes over blocks and blocks of the city. Purple everywhere… a slow purple river flowing through every street and alley. Then you think “hey man, that’s kewl!”

Well, this purple garment goes back to the ninth century and the Crusades. It wasn’t like this all along, it has suffered some modifications, but the tradition of the gown, coat and belt do go back very far in history. 

The purple represents penitence. The coat, called “esclavina” is the main symbol of penitence. It can be white or black and White to commemorate The Last Supper and black in sign of mourning for Good Friday. 

Before, these gowns and coats used to have heavy and delicate embroidery out of silver and golden thread, making outstanding designs. If you are lucky, you just might see one of those on an 80 or 90 year old man who still carries on his aged shoulders the beloved “Anda” (the big platform), with the white coat turning into a yellowish memory of its original majestic past. 

The tradition of wearing the purple gown to carry the Anda is passed from generation to generation and the men of the families start getting them ready months ahead. Men in the purple gowns are called “cucuruchos”. 

Cucurucho is a cone, they used to wear a cone shaped mask before during the first procesiones, (very much like the ones the KKK had and I wonder where they got their idea) but now is used very little. They are purple as well. In Spain somewhere they are still worn and they are black and in velvet. In Guatemala they use now a funny alien shaped hat made with the same material as the gown. You’ll see it in the pictures. 

On their waist you will find a belt called “cingulo” that represents the self flagellation or self punishment, going back all the way to the middle ages. The color is up to the day too, black or white.

How do you get your spot to carry the “Anda”? They are called Turnos, and they are purchased ahead by donating money to the Church where your “brotherhood belongs”. They can get very, very … very expensive.

The turns or Turnos, change every block; but the very first ones, leaving the Church are an honor and cost a lot of money. When they leave the church, men don’t wear the purple outfit but a black tie suit. It’s very solemn! These “turns” are also carried on from generation to generation too.

And that’s not all, there are 7000 more Devotas (the women who carry) following with the Anda of the Virgin Mary.   As they carry this Anda while walking you get a swaying affect which brings the image to life which requires a couple in front and back to assist in controlling this float.

Another characteristic of “our” Semana Santa are the carpets. They are catalogued as Ephemeral art and it is speculated that they come from the Mayans, who used to make them out of feathers, fruit and exotic flowers for rituals and ceremonies. The other possible background goes to the Canary Islands back in the 7th century from the Christian era. 

These carpets are probably the most representative icon of the Guatemalan Easter. They are mostly made with dyed saw dust and people have the freedom to choose any designs they want. The groups can be integrated by a Family, a neighborhood or even a company. Some of these carpets are so elaborated that they have to be started a day before they Procesion passes. 

They are not only to honor the Image carried in the Procesion, but also carry a message or a meaning. They are like legends. Some are made in memory of a loved one, some are messages of gratitude… making this carpets not only a work of art but a special mean of communication between the makers and the Image they are venerating. 

The most popular material is saw dust, but people also use a lot bread, vegetables, fruits and flowers. Some people are more daring and use bottle tops, plastic and wooden toys or anything that will be useful to fulfill the creative burst. Usually, after the Procesion has passed, the poor people and bums pick up the fruits and bread left over. 

The chanting and the praying is so intense you will fall into trance. This is one of the most magnificent manifestations of faith, love and pain you can see in a lifetime. Go. Go to Antigua and look for it, it is an unforgettable experience. Watch them when they descend Jesus from the cross, it will bring tears to your eyes, I promise. At least that’s the way it was three years ago, last time I witnessed it by a matter of luck since I had to write a script for a television documentary about it. 

Well, fun facts about all of this: the Anda (platform) in average weights 2 tons but it can go up to 3, they are two meters wide and 24 meters long. 140 people carry during each turn, for a block each, they have a long wooden or metal stick that bifurcates at the end which is used to hold the Anda in ever turn shift. There is a small party of men with longer sticks whose sole purpose is to pick up electric wires along the way. 

The smell of incense chokes you… and if it rains… oh my God! There will be rivers of colored sawdust flowing turning the streets into a hallucinating scenario while they cover the Images with plastic. Raindrops will be confused with tears. People will stand there, faithful to their beliefs. Guatemala, without a Semana Santa would be incomplete. I took some of above story from Rio Chisme, a local and cruisers web site.

So that’s Semana Santa.   Was I moved?  Yes by the community involvement of all economic status, the pain witnessed on the faces of the carriers as their bodies sink which puts more stress on either side of you, the tears of past loss, spiritual connection, etc.  Catholisim is filled with rituals which I find comforting since my childhood and witnessed during the processions.  On a funny note, I kept running into this spanish women carrying her well dressed dog in the churches.  She would make sure that the dog saw all the vigils.  Everyone has a place in this life I guess!

But Antigua itself is an amazing BEAUTIFUL village with its Colonial ruins and renovated homes along with its cobble stoned streets and Mayan people dressed in their traditional wear that arrive daily from many villages, selling their special weave and art. In addition you also have ALL the MANY tasty fruits and vegetables grown in the highlands. This village was one of Guatemalan’s capitol from 1543 till 1773 when a earthquake destroyed it and they moved the capitol to Guatemala City. It is quite wealthy in Guatemalan standards and houses a lot of x-pats. 

To get to this great event that we made reservations for in January, we had to leave Sojourn on a mooring in Roatan, Honduras. We left 2 days after our friend Vicki Staudte from MN arrived. We took a 1 hour ferry to La Ceiba, Honduras, then the following early morning via a 12 hour bus to Antigua, Guatemala. We arrived during a evening procession and had no idea what was going on. Now we understand!