The Rio Dulce . . . ahhh . . . tranquility

It is so weird to wake up to the sound of “pigs” oinking, damn cormorants! There are so many of them. They migrate to an island, then once they have killed the trees, they move onto another island. They seem to be taking over. Of course, they have company, the pelicans and the egrets. It is disappointing that we have only seen one other native bird here, a Montezuma Oropendola. It has a very unusual call; it sounds like R2D2!

The natives . . .most of the young girls are hardly 15 or 16 when they find a mate, and soon become pregnant. Most don't even marry, I guess it's more like a “common law marriage”. Of course, many marry men twice or more their age. Some also marry Anglo's. We've met several men that came here to visit and ended up settling down with a young, native wife (and her children). It is not unusual for women to have a dozen or more children, most only a couple of years apart. The men work for the “gringos” and more “well to do” natives and supplement by fishing. We have not seen many fish in the Rio. They eat even the smallest, like 3 inches in size.

I know some of our family and friends have been concerned about our safety here in Guatemala. I can tell you that I have not felt fear once since I have been here. Each aldea has their own “guardian”. Yes, there was a cruiser killed here several years ago. The locals worked hard to remove those that committed the crime. You have to be cautious every where today, the US and abroad. But don't miss a trip to the Rio Dulce because of what you hear on TV, or even magazines.

Well I'd like to be able to tell you that we have just been exploring, but David had a bout with Strep Throat that kept him down for a few days. Then, unfortunately, a number of people at Texan Bay, including us, came down with a 48 hour virus.

We did go on the Texan Bay launcha yesterday to pick up a few supplies. Mike has a brand new 200hp Yamaha and we flew to Fronteras in less than ½ hour! White knuckles! Everyone did their thing, then met up at the Sun Dog bar for lunch and cervasas. You can get just about everything you need there, including some marine supplies.

It is an experience to go to Fronteras, but not a whole lot different than San Pedro or Placencia. There is one main paved road. The 18 wheelers, the oxen/cattle trucks, the taxi's, the street vendors, and the pedestrians all share this road. You really have to pay attention to the traffic; you don't get under the oxen truck or you may get splashed with feces! Gross! This is not for the faint of heart! I couldn't wait to get back and take a shower.

There are the Farmicia's where you can buy everything from Claritan, to antibiotics right over the counter. Only the addictive drugs are controlled here. Too weird!

They even have what is basically a Walmart here, called the Dispencia. There are lots of vendors selling vegetables, new and used clothing, shoes, Cd's, farm supplies, and housewares.

We were able to buy shrimp for like $3.50 lb (US)! They were very good. Penny and I also bought all of our meats from the Casa Guatemala Orphanage. The pork chops, chicken breasts, and beef are very good and very reasonable. The ground beef is also very good, but you have to marinate or tenderize all other cuts of beef. I was able to get a pineapple, a head of cabbage, a couple pounds of tomatoes, apples, beets, carrots, onions, potatoes all for like $10.00 US.

There are quite a few marinas to choose from in Fronteras, including Mario's, Mango Marina, Bruno's, Laguna and Monkey Bay, Catamaran Hotel. There is also Abel's yard for hauling out your boat. A lot of cruisers stay closer to Fronteras for the proximity, but I don't see any other value. It is quiet and serene in Texan Bay, far from the hustle and bustle. More and more Canadians, Europeans and Americans are moving here and building palapas. I'm glad we got here before it is so populated and commercialized.

We haven't done much lately except to get to know a few of the folks that liveaboard their vessels here at Texan Bay Marina and to learn a little more about places to visit.

There are about eight tiendas (store) within about a mile radius where you can buy the necessities, water, some fresh vegetables, rice, sugar, some meats, etc; certainly enough to keep you going for several days. Just like home!

There is much to see here. We want to go to Tortuga, The Seven Altars (falls), the Fort, and Lago Izabal and Denny's Beach.

I would like to visit the Casa Guatemala Orphanage. Many cruisers donate their time and supplies to the orphanage as well. You can also go to www.casa-guatemala.org for more information.

Also, it would be cool to go to Ak'Tenamit. It is a Mayan village, home to about 7,000 Qeq'chi Indians isolated in the mountains along the Rio Dulce. It was founded by Steve Dudenhoefer (US), John Carr and Steve Morgan (both from UK) working with leaders from nearby villages. Q'eqchi volunteer brigades expanded a local school and built the project clinic. It is an indigenous community development organization that promotes long-term solutions to poverty through education, health, income generation and cultural programs run by and for the Q'eqchi May and is supported by the Guatemalan Tomorrow Fund, a US based non-profit that raises funds for Ak Tenamit. Community outreach programs offer health care and dental clinics. They also offer programs for adult literacy, paper-making cooperatives and textile training. All programs are financed by donations and contributions.

We started out to go to the hot sulfur springs, but our outboard was being kind of cranky. David got it running smoothly, but by then we would have had to cut our stay too short. It is about 3 miles or so from Texan Bay, a long ride with a 6 hp outboard. Actually, kind of scary too, since there is a .5 to 1 knot current on the Rio Dulce. It would be a long “row” back to Texan Bay. David went on his own to the spring a couple of days later; it was very overcast and too cool for me, like 65 degrees. Unfortunately, he was somewhat disappointed. Some guy handed him a flashlight, but instead of taking him on a tour, just took the $20Q and walked away. So he went in the caves and into the hot springs, but he said it was barely warm and not impressive.

Gracie and I went into Livingston to shop; a ½ hour ride from Texan Bay. The Rio Dulce winds around the huge limestone wall of graffiti where mariners have left their mark. In the 17th century the Rio Dulce offered a safe refuge from Caribbean pirates for Spanish Galleons laden with gold from the Inca Empire in Peru.

Livingston was the primary seaport in the late 1800's. In the 1920's, Livingston surrendered its trade to Puerto Barrios and Santo Tomas when the US based United Fruit Company brought in the nation's first railroad. Today, Livingston is home to about 3000 Black Carib's, Mayans and Mestizos. The natives sell fresh vegetables, hardware, clothing, handmade jewelry, wood carvings, and woven items in Livingston. Today Puerto Barrios is the main seaport. We have attempted twice to go there, once David & Pat missed the ferry, then we turned back because of the sea conditions.

It is quite amazing to see children paddling their cayucos up and down the riverbanks either going to/from school, fishing or selling tortillas or craft items. The Mayans still carve the cayuco from mahogany logs. More and more of the natives have the larger launcha's with motors too.

By the way, Penny has a great bug spray. Equal parts of Skin So Soft, water and rubbing alcohol. It's much more economical, healthy for you (no deet) and the environment. So far, the mosquitoes don't like me so much, yeh! I've heard Bounce dryer sheets work well too.

A group of us went to see the Mayan Deer Dance at Laguna Izabal; one of the festivities during Semana Santa; similar to Mardi Gras. The men were dressed in elaborate costumes, some representing deer, some conquistadors, some natives. Afterward, we were served us pork in a tomato broth, with squash, rice and bread, cooked over a fire in these huge pots, for a small donation. It was very good! (Even though the markets are full of fresh vegetables, the natives eat very little of them. Their diet consists of small amounts of meat or fish, tortillas or bread, and rice. No wonder many of them are overweight.)

Semana Santa, or Easter week, in Izabal, is a religious celebration for many and a week-long party for others. Many people from Guatemala City escape to the beaches and tropical waters of Izabal during the week-long vacation, so hotels can fill up quickly and prices often double or triple during this time. The discos are often open late all week long, and the main street in Livingston is converted to a pedestrian-only street and becomes home to a street fair, concerts, and lots of religious processions. One of the major differences in the Easter procession in Livingston compared to the rest of the country is that here, the Christ statue is black, representing the strong presence of the Garifuna culture. Semana Santa usually occurs on or around the first week of April.

Gracie, Ed and I visited Carla and Daves' home on the Rio. They have added two floors to the home they bought several years ago. The main floor is cement; it has a tin roof, two of the bedrooms have window a/c. It has every modern convenience, including a large workshop and sits on about 4 acres of land. Dave built homes in CA, this is now his labor of love. It is just lovely; they may one day sell it as a B&B.

We recently celebrated two birthday's, Dave C's, and Ed's, which seemed to have lasted for days and then there was Ed & Gracie's 5th anniversary! I will always remember the "brownie's"!

We are going to be leaving Texan Bay soon and either head out to the Sapodillas, Lago Izabal and/or Antigua. We will leave the boat here for hurricane season and probably return in the fall, but nothing is carved in stone.

Stay tuned!