Aeeshah

PHOTO ALBUM –>> Blue creek:-  https://photos.app.goo.gl/jwiAA5zhiB3cTPN76

How we came to visit to Blue Creek

John and I were invited to go on a Pass it On “visit” to Blue Creek. Pass it On is a charity that is run on behalf of the cruisers here in Rio Dulce. It aims to try to raise funds in order to purchase items that will help the locals.

A description of the charity from Facebook: “To pass on some of our privileged lifestyle to improve the lives of others. We are starting by putting together partially functioning ships batteries, solar panels and inverters to provide light and where possible a phone in villages with no electricity at all. This will cost us nothing and seriously improve the lives of others if only by giving a lit space for children’s homework and the ability to be able to call for emergency medical help. Also we will pass on clothes, bed linen and household items.”

The charity is run by a fellow cruiser Julia and it was to Julia we had volunteered our services some months earlier. 

Julia met with the group of us that were to go to Blue Creek and laid out the plan for the visit. She did emphasis that this particular visit had in the past had some issues, plus it was a darn hard hike, to expect mud, water, and challenging circumstances. 

Our group consisted of Dave and Ana – fellow cruisers; Dimitri and Jeremiah, Ellenie, Erick our driver and his son. We were to deliver school supplies: pencils, books, etc, tooth brushes, a medical kit and eye glasses.

The plan that Julia laid out was for us to trek there together. Dave who is a dentist was to teach the children about teeth brushing, Ellenie to dispense the school supplies to the teacher, for John and or Dimitri to check the solar panel and battery that was there to supply the village with some light. And for the rest of us to check out the village, see what the needs were, how they were faring and if we could see how well the school and children were doing. 

So we all met at Mar Marina dock for a 6:30am start. Our first stop was the fuel dock where we filled up with fuel. Then we popped over to the public dock where we picked up a few villagers, I guessed they were the porters for all the gear.

We zoomed down the river towards El Golfete and then swept over to the northern side to a river bank where we entered a river mouth the Rio Chocon Machacas. 

Rio Chocon Machacas

The river journey took 1 & 1/2 hours, most of it full out, speeding up river. The scenery was absolutely beautiful.

There were flocks and flocks of birds, soaring and calling from the skies and in the trees.

Humming birds could be seen buzzing about, the greens of the foliage with the bright colour of flowers all reflected in the waters of the river were stunning.

Past an occasional farm, cows on the river bank grazing and gazing out at us, the few local homes with their rustic docks and kayucos tied up riverside. I just loved the early morning river journey!

The last few miles we went slowly up a tributary, passing sunken trees and other obstacles until we were signaled to stop.

There we were met by what I assumed was the landowner of a farm and the military standing in the back ground. It was a bit intimidating seeing the militia there, especially with the “siege/seize” ongoing. However, we just unloaded and before I knew it we were underway towards the village of Blue Creek. 

The trek to Blue Creek

I do not think anything could have prepared John and I for the hike. We had been hiking the pipeline track every other morning and so felt fairly good about the distance, but the circumstances were very different.

There was mud, deep deep mud from the red clay which is slippery and it sticks to your foot wear. It makes for very challenging walking, especially for cautious old me. Off we trekked, the pathway was for the majority of the time muddy and slippery especially when it was steep downhill. 

We were under the cover of tall trees, very much in to typical riverside foliage we had seen traveling up river.

The few male villagers that were with us carried the sacks they filled with the supplies we had brought plus the supplies they had with them. Huge sacks of gear on straps which wound around their foreheads, goodness knows how they do it. They would stop regularly to sit and rest and drink some water. 

After about 45 minutes when we were on a path that was on a narrow ridge above the river, upon hearing a yell I glanced up to see John tumbling down through the rocks and roots to land on his head on a large root at the bottom. OMG! What if he was seriously hurt! Being stuck behind in the mud I just couldn’t get to him, the local Mayans with us dropped their packs and slid down to him. Then Dave managed to get down too. They got him up, Dave being a dentist/doctor examined him. He checked him over and then got out his 1st aid kit. Dave cleaned up the gash in John’s forehead and tried to stop the bleeding. Dave was then able to apply some external stitches – sterile strips which held the gash shut. John was determined to go on, and we sort of had to as 2 of our group had disappeared ahead up the trail. 

So off we went, me fretting about John and even more worried about the terrain. After the first hour we did start to ascend slopes, but the mud continued, and one had to be extra careful on the slopes as they were quite steep at times. We also had to wade through half a dozen rivers, the water varied in depth, and then clamber up the steep banks on the other side. 

I started feeling dreadful, most of my 2 bottles of water was gone and I had sweated and sweated my clothes were just soaking, plus being covered in mud, I had a dull headache, felt dizzy and I sort of felt like just giving up, which is something I never feel.

Anyway, Dave and Ana offered me some Pringles and a few cookies, this little snack did wonders for me, I even felt like talking. 

Finally after 3 hours we arrived, (even the entrance to the village was through mud – pigs were wallowing in it).

The villagers were all outside what was the school building, women to one side, men on the other and children lining up for toothbrushes. A few men remained on the hillside opposite just watching what was going on, in fact they stayed there for our entire visit.

Dave being a dentist did his toothbrush demo, showing the children in front of him how to brush and the toothbrushes were given out.

I sat next to Ana while she demonstrated threading a needle to test the women’s eyes for eye glasses. There was a slight problem as most of the women were more interested in the needles.

Meanwhile the men started digging into the eye glass boxes, seemingly looking for a pair they liked, I felt claustrophobic as we were completely engulfed by villagers.

Dimitri was trying to explain the medical kit and sort out the school supplies with the help of the village men. 

So I went and sat by John who was recuperating out under a tree by the goal posts. A few of the children came with me and were enchanted by seeing how my camera worked. They held their new toothbrushes and were obviously very proud of their new item.

There under the shade of some trees were a few of the men, they were just observing what was going on and chatting amongst themselves. A few boys started kicking a football around and the children with the toothbrushes wandered back to the women or off to sit at the side of the school.

We were desperately thirsty so we approached the school, made our way through the men and into the single school room. It was in quite a state, and seemed obvious that it was not being used as a room for teaching, however Dimitri was taping a world map to a board.

We found that a few containers of drink had been delivered, one was a corn based drink and the other a fruitas/fruit flavored drink. John and I didn’t care about the source of the water in the drink – river water – no problem – deal with the consequences later – we just drank cup after cup!

Then it seemed it was time to eat…. We sat in front of the school and were given a delicious meal of stewed palm-heart. 

The ladies of the village wandered off and the men including those from the hillside, gathered near the goal posts and seemed to be having a meeting.

It had been decided that in order for us to make it back to the lake and marina before dark we needed to make the walk in as close to 2 hours as possible, as we then still had a one and a half hour journey down river. There was no way I could cut an hour off my time, John thought he could, so I was asked to ride a pack horse with the gear back.

I have no problem riding horses so was quite happy with the suggestion. However it took a while to secure the horse as the men were just very involved with the meeting under the tree. Finally one of the men that had led us to the village came over and I followed him up the hill to the homes above the school building. 

The homes were very tidy wooden thatched structures with women and children gazing out at me, the stranger.

I think they found the whole production of saddling the lovely gray horse with the pack saddle, then hoisting me into the “saddle” with ropes for my feet very amusing. I know the men that tied the packs to the saddle behind my bum were highly amused, giggling away….

And then we were off walking down the steep hill, passed the “school” to the river, across and up the other side. We stopped at a home for the fellow leading my horse to pick up some plantains from another fellow. His wife burst out laughing when she saw me atop the horse with the packs – I completely understood her amusement! I too was given plantains for the journey, off we went again. 

The chap leading my horse was a tiny man, he scurried up hill, my horse trotting behind.

He chose easier crossings for the horse by walking down river and through the river. He urged the horse on around obstacles, rocks and huge roots. We went straight through all the deep mud, the horse sinking way down deep, it’s hooves making a slurping sound in the mud.

My guide would stop every so often to empty his boots and then carry on. I was concerned that the horse would stumble and down we both would go flying down the ledges, but then reassured myself that the animal was a pro at that trail and the simple fact that it was more concerned with grabbing mouthfuls of grass whenever possible showed it was relaxed.

My main challenge was ducking to avoid the branches that hung across the trail. Only once did I miss a branch and paid for it with an abrasion across the face, luckily it was just superficial.

Three times my guide stopped, stood in the shade took off his shirt, then wrung it out, squeezing all the sweat from it, yes sweat just dripped out his shirt. We both laughed at this and he managed to communicate how he needed a sombrero like mine. The 4th time we stopped he immersed himself in the river to cool off. I sat on the horse while it grabbed whatever grass it could. 

We reached to starting point and then came the challenge of getting me off the horse….well he put the horse alongside a tree and I grabbed a branch, swung my leg over the saddle back and pack and fell into the poor man. It was quite amusing and we both had a good laugh.

Then it was under the barbed wire, past the military of which some were bathing in the river and then down the path to our launcha and driver. The driver was stressed as the military had been questioning him, checking his ID and such, plus we had been gone for so long and there were just hours till dark time, not only that but he and his son had not had any food all day and he didn’t think there was enough fuel to get back. Oh my, there was nothing we could do but wait and hope the others arrived soon. Meanwhile, I made my way to the river bank where a ramp was and started to wash off all the mud – yes, I had mud all up my legs, on my arms everywhere despite being on the horse. 

Finally about 15/20 minutes later the others appeared, they were shattered from their walk. John was too exhausted to even attempt to wash off any mud. He had lost his hiking shoes in the mud. They had been sucked right off. So he was caked in mud! Ellenie had walked bare foot too, she had misplaced her boots somehow. Before they had left the village John had secured some small bottles of coke and cans of soda, they had been drinking them for the energy. They found their way by following the horses hoof steps which had become a bit difficult as the afternoon light faded. However, the good news – they made it!

We all tumbled into the launcha, everyone agreed it was a hike akin to an army training course, a very grueling, difficult, hike with many challenges. Also we all had realized at some point during the day that we were in the middle of nowhere with the only communication with the outside world 1 1/2 hours away down river, we had been in a very vulnerable position where we could have easily ……… 

Anyway downriver we went, next problem, getting fuel, we hoped to find some. The driver stopped where we had seen a barge and asked, no fuel, off we went hoping to at least get into the lake. We made the lake, the sun was sinking, but we had communication!

So Jeremiah call Julia and explained our need. She apparently set out with Jeremiah’s Mom. They met us just 10 minutes after we ran out of fuel and began drifting.

We were back around 7:00pm and so throughly exhausted! Off to the shower where we each spent ages trying to remove the mud, off our skin, from under nails, in hair, just all over.

John has a nice scar on his forehead, some of his nails on his feet turned black and will probably come off. My facial abrasion was gone in a week, no big deal. We’ve both agreed no more hikes like that, it’s just plain not worth it and actually dangerous. However we don’t regret doing it, it was beautiful, an education and for a worthy cause….

We treated ourselves to a few days off, just doing menial tasks, enjoying relaxing, going to Mexican Train Dominoes

and we were invited to Jane and Jim’s place for barbecued spare ribs.

The evening was a real treat enjoying the company of Robyn and Tony and Jane and Jim. The food was wonderful and their place is just lovely!

Like all explorers, we are drawn to discover what’s  waiting  out there without knowing yet if we have the courage to face it. – Pema Chodron

There are only moments. Live in this one. The happiness of these days. – Kate Millett 

PHOTO LINK –>> Bike tour and El Bongo tour  https://photos.app.goo.gl/P1YCKdhs3MmZyj188

A Sunday Bike tour 

Our friends Caroline and Chris were interested in buying bikes as they are planning on being in the Rio for a few years. John, loves to ride and was tempted by the idea too. The plan was for Caroline and Chris to test out a bike and for us to all hire and ride bikes for the day. There were 4 couples, Caroline and Chris, Pete and Gail and Anna and Dave. We met at 7:30 at the bike place Rick’s Moto Tours and arranged our hire bikes.

 Now I had been very dubious about the whole venture as I am not a happy pillion passenger, but this bike was actually quite comfortable with a near bucket seat. 

So we all saddled up and headed down the road, first stop the gas station to fuel up. Then it was off through Fronteras over the bridge and roaring towards Quirigua Archaeological Park. 

Being a Sunday the traffic was much less, there were still the huge trucks, but fewer than usual and the traffic was far less. The idea was to keep the speed up so as not to have any trucks looming on our tails. We did overtake traffic, we did average a good speed around 85 km and I relaxed enough to take photos of us and the scenery. 

Quirigua Archaeological Park

We arrived at Quirigua Archaeological park, our first destination. This is a World Cultural Heritage site, originally founded in 426 AD. Quirigua was vassal city to the greater city of Copan, (now in Honduras).

John and I had previously visited this site a few years ago, however it was still interesting to revisit. Once you walk down the path you find there is the remains of the grand plaza and the Acropolis. The plaza was where there was probably a market and public place for the residents to meet. 

Stelas are found there, in the old grand plaza. These are monuments of carved sandstone that tell about the government and rulers of the time. The largest/tallest stela of the Mayan world, stela E is found here. The Acropolis was the main administrative and residential area. 

Then there is the Ball Court, which too is surrounded by monuments and remains of buildings dating back to the 790AD years. These too depict the tales of the great rulers. 

We spent a good hour or more wandering around Quirigua looking at the various Stelas and remains of the old city, then in the museum. The site is surrounded by forest with huge trees and so is quiet and peaceful, but quite hot with little breeze.

Lago de Izabal and finding the Playa Dorada

Upon leaving our plan was find the road marked as the IZ-04 Road at kilometer 221 on the Morales Road. To turn down and follow it to the lake side of Lago de Izabal and find the Playa Dorada. So off we sped, back the way we had come from Km 204 to Km 221 where we turned and started to follow the road. As it went the road was nicely paved with few potholes. It wound its way uphill and then down through farm land, with lovely views.

We arrived at the lakeside and finding a restaurant we ordered lunch. Lunch was a mixed affair, some of were served adequate servings that were properly cooked and some of us were served very tiny portions or food that was just under cooked. I guess they were not prepared for so many guests. However it was pleasant being lakeside with a breeze and a view across the lake.

We were off to find the “beach” Playa Dorada following the only road to its end point. There was a crowded beach with white pebbly grit. Many locals were enjoying their Sunday relaxing waterside, swimming and riding a toy being pulled by a launcha.

We had a quick look around and then were off, stopping on the road for a view of the lake below. 

Our next destination was back through Fronteras and along the El Estor Road to the Castillia.

Once there we enjoyed an ice-cream. It was time to return the bikes and head home. We covered 120 miles and had a wonderful time enjoying the bikes for the day. 

The El Bongo school

Our next expedition was one of volunteering. Our dock-master Steve, along with Rita a local who is very influential in many areas here in the Rio Dulce and out-lying areas had both become involved trying to help a school in the El Estor area.

The school had asked for desks, but it was found to have no running water for toilets or washing. So Steve had initially gone with a group here, at the marina to deliver and set up a water system, John too was one of the helpers. They erected 2 water towers and installed a pump, plus fixed some play ground equipment. When there they were told and shown how the school was eroding away, please could they fix it and the desks needed fixing or replacing too. 

This time I went along with the group. Their objectives were to finish the playground, using cement, gravel and rocks to shore up the school on one side, to deliver a few play ground toys and to measure desks and chairs for fixing. 

We loaded up at the concrete mall, I sat in the front of the truck with the driver, some of the men including John were in the back with the gear and the rest of the helpers were in Steve’s car. 

Our drive to the turning for the village was along paved roads, yes, some potholes, but easy going. The road to the village was rough, narrow, with large rocks and holes plus receding in places. The scenery was very pretty with fields and farms.

At the school we parked by the play-ground and went to work.  John and Bill started on the playground equipment, repairs and building more. The other men, started on the school foundations, this included digging away to form a retention wall, mixing the cement and gravel and erecting framework. JoAnne and I went and sorted chairs and desks for repairs. The room they were in was small and hot, they were piled on the side and so we set to work. We put those beyond help aside then counted and measured the small, medium and large. 

With that task completed we gave out the play ground toys after showing how to use them. The children had a blast playing with the hole hoops, jump ropes and ring toss toys. 

By this time it was lunch time, the children are given a portion of food, enough for 1, but they carry it home to share. Most of them walked off up the hill, a few boarded a collectivo and some stayed. 

We were served lunch. It was a chicken type stew and tortillas, the chicken had just been killed. After lunchtime the playground was just tidied up and the remaining children played on the equipment.

The remaining work was the retention wall. The local men from the village would mix the concrete with the gravel, load it into buckets and carry it on a shoulder to heave into the construction.

Now I believe there were 12 bags of concrete mixed with the huge pile of gravel, it was all done by hand, mixer no wheel barrel, just sheer hard labour by the men, some of which were just teens. It took hours but they finished what to me had looked nearly impossible. 

Other exploits…..

Back at the marina we have had many more fun events, one of which was a baby shower for Sayda one of the staff. She seemed thrilled with the little gifts and attention bestowed upon her.

John has finished more projects, his main accomplishment being the new instrument panel. It looks excellent and means all the switches are organized. 

I went with Steve, Gillian and Claudette to cross the Honduras border, visit a good grocery store and pick up Steve’s friend at the San Paulo Sula airport. At the border I was stopped and told my visa had expired and I could not proceed. Thankfully Gillian chose to return to Rio Dulce with me so I wasn’t alone. 

We were “convinced” by collectivo drivers to pay Q200 ($25) each and we would be delivered to Rio Dulce. Well, we did make it back, but the driving was just crazy fast, we had to change vehicles and they tried to squeeze more money out of us. Now while this trip was futile it did warn John and I that our visas were expired. 

Off to Cayo Camado, aka Texas Bay and Livingston

So we decided to travel on Aeeshah, down river to Cayo Camado, aka Texas Bay to drop our sails off to Tom the rigger. The sails had some small areas of chaff plus some stitching needed to be restitched.

There we left Aeeshah with Chico in charge and off we went in the dinghy all 8 miles down river to Livingston. In Livingston our fixer – agent Raul sorted our new visa for 90 days.

Within an hour that we had our lunch our visa extension was sorted. Then it was back up river to Aeeshah. We stayed over night, had a lovely evening at anchor and then traveled back to Catamaran.

 And it was great timing as just after we extended the siege/seize was put in place. The whole area is under a curfew, passports etc have to be carried and the military is here. Why? Due to a few ongoing troubles between the military, the drug cartel people in El Estor, some troops were killed and a mayor assassinated down river. So being legal is very necessary at present.    

“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.”—  Anaïs Nin

“There are times when we stop. We sit still…We listen and breezes from a whole other world begin to whisper.”—  James Carroll

Semuc Champey day 1 and 2 photo album:-   https://photos.app.goo.gl/6cHsDKbaBtZ64ZxX6

Semuc Champey  day 3 and 4 photo album:-  https://photos.app.goo.gl/KxRz7e5f14t94P7h6

Semuc Champey for a few days

The trip to Semuc Champey was born when Caroline was chatting to me about where she would like to visit in Guatemala and Semuc Champey was one place. My recommendation was to stay at Utopia as that was where we had stayed some years ago and we just loved our time there. From that conversation she asked Ana about transport and Ana said she plus her hubby – Osmar, son Pedro and little dog – Mica, would all like to go too, and yes she would arrange transport. Then the trip grew: I asked Don and Pam, and our other friend Don. Caroline invited Dave and Anne, plus Gail and Pete, Don invited Steven and Louise and at our weekly Mexican Train dominoes we all asked Robin and Tony to come along too. So, we ended up with a group of 18 plus a little dog.

Day 1 – traveling 

We left early Friday morning from Mar Marina, completely packing the large bus with everyone’s gear, everything from Steven’s painting gear to games and several Ukuleles.

Our driver opted to take the Copan route to Semuc Champey, so we had a long but very scenic ride of nearly 9 hours. We stopped a few times for pit-stops at gas stations, but we were all prepared with our packed lunches and various forms of entertainment.

For me it was to stare of the window, shooting my camera at what ever view or site grabbed my attention and in Guatemala there are plenty of sites and views along the way.

On arriving at Lanquin we met our drivers for the last stage of the journey, (for most of us this was in the back of a truck), to get to our accommodation at Utopia.

After checking in we all met up in the lounge and bar area that looks out over the beautiful countryside. John and I had a lovely cabin overlooking the river with a hammock on the porch.

We all had drinks, shared laughs, conversed, and ate a lovely dinner of vegan lasagna. 

Day 2 – exploring Semuc Champey

We enjoyed the breakfast in the morning and most of us set off once again in the back of the trucks for Semuc Champey.

The lanes all around this area are unpaved and so very bumpy, plus the lanes wind around hairpin turns, veer steeply uphill and downhill.

I loved the ride in the back of the truck! We disembarked at the yellow bridge just outside the park.

After seeing the state of the bridge I personally was very happy to walk across rather than ride.

The walk to the park entrance is a short one along the way enterprising vendors sell everything from beer to meals. Unfortunately it was the weekend and so there were many other folks in line at the entrance.

Once through we set off down the lane and then up the pathway to El Mirador.

This is a steepish climb up many rough steps to get to the look out point above Semuc Champey. Again the many other visitors that day meant it was not the peaceful climb we had previously experienced, but rather a noisy slog.

Everyone made it to the top, there was a wait for the look out, but we devised a way to by-pass the wait. As before the overlook of Semuc Champey was spectacular! It is such a beautiful area.

Down we all clambered and once at the bottom we split up into smaller groups.

The folks we were with went with us and had a look at the meeting of the two rivers at the upper end of Semuc Champey.

Here you can see the one river that comes down the gorge and plunges under ground down a crevasse disappearing below ground. You also see the seeping of the top river from the limestone sides where it begins to fill the turquoise water pools that form the above ground river.

The many ferns and mosses, turquoise waters, plus the vibrantly green trees make for a picturesque site everywhere you wander. 

We ate a picnic lunch under some trees by the side of a river pool and then we went for a refreshing swim in the water.

Admittedly it would have been much nicer without the crowd that day, but we enjoyed ourselves anyway. John and I chose to explore all along the edges of the water-pools.

I really enjoyed following the Swallow-Tail butterflies and the slippery stepping stones above the various waterfalls.

We were all to meet our Utopia guides back at the bridge for 3:30 to start our tubing. So a few of us set off along the path that followed the side of the river to the park entrance.

We stopped along the way at the lookout where we could see the other side of Semuc Champey where the 2 rivers joined, the underground river pouring out from underground and the river pool topside river pouring down the final waterfall.

We could also see what looked like a very interesting pathway along the other side. Again, a very beautiful area, the colors are amazing! 

Once back at the meeting point we were encouraged by the vendors to buy drinks and sit in their lean-to. Many of the vendors are just children, but they are quite skilled at encouraging folks to buy the beer or water. 

The truck arrived along with all the tubes. There were quite a number of us, most of our 18 were there plus others, we were accompanied by a few guides and of course a boy selling beers. 

Into the river we went at once floating downstream. It was lovely and cool in the water and quite relaxing floating along.

As we started to near the first rapids we had to form chains by having someone behind you while their feet and lower legs were under your armpits and having another in front holding your lower legs and feet.

Then we were off again rushing towards what looked to be quite angry rapids. The ride through was a rush, a great whooshing, zooming up and down rush.

By being in a chain we had a guide commanding/steering us telling us where to steer and paddle so it actually felt that you were out of control but being controlled. – Great Fun!!

At our final set of rapids we were to make for the left and down a steep set of rapids, we did as told, had a great ride, but looked around to see one group had crashed into the protruding rocks and grasses in the middle. I could see John was one of the casualties and so was a bit worried. However, other than a few bruises everyone was ok. Apparently their guide was not very good and didn’t have the skills necessary, I was relieved everyone was fine.

It was an excellent tubing experience! Such fun!

That evening we all met again in the lounge bar area enjoying drinks and some enjoying space brownies. Our dinner was again very good.

After dinner a group of local musicians started to play and some dancing started. It was fun to watch and a brilliant end to a wonderful day.

Day 3 – walking along the river 

On the third day of our trip a group of 5 of us decided to walk along the river to the swinging bridge we had seen while tubing, then on to Semuc Champey, to explore the other side of the river where we had spied the pathway. 

The first part of the walk led us along the riverside on a slippery muddy pathway. We stopped to take in the views, looking up towards the highlands across the cornfields the early morning clouds were just rising, it was just lovely.

Further along we spotted a church from which some very rich singing was emanating. We clambered up the steep slope and had a look, it was the Sunday morning village service taking place.

Back down at riverside we came to the swinging bridge which we carefully crossed to the other side, again the views of the countryside were lovely.

Back on the path we continued to follow the riverside instead of the lane, thinking it must lead to where we needed to go, but that was not the case. We ended up having to follow a path across a cornfield or two, up a slope of coca trees and found ourselves facing a group of little children.

We asked permission to cross their garden of their home. They scattered, giggling and we were faced with what must have been their Dad hanging out the window of their small thatched home. He allowed us proceed and so eventually we found the end of the pathway by a small tienda and the lane we were meant to be following. 

Eventually we reached the yellow bridge that crosses to the Semuc Champey site, we continued along the other side towards the caves.

We paid 10Q each to follow the pathway to the cave’s attendant. The pathway was shaded, cool, very green and paved with stones.

Across the river we spied Steven painting and Louise sitting alongside on a large bolder.

The pathway took us to the expected area, where the underground river exits the underground cavern and the top Semuc Champey River waters fall down.

The scenery was stunning! Such a lovely area. There were a group of daring back packers swimming and climbing the waterfall to jump off the top. After they left we all had our snacks for lunch, relaxed and enjoyed the scenery. 

We had thought we would get a truck ride back, but ended walking back along the lanes and then the riverside.

That evening we all met in the lounge – bar area and had another wonderful dinner and shared stories from our day’s adventures.

We saw the brilliant paintings that Steven had been doing while on the trip.

Many of the others had attended the coca process that Utopia offers and so they had the chocolates they had made from scratch to share after dinner. There were many differing types and all were enjoyed.

Day 4

Day 4 was again a travel day.

First we loaded up the trucks and headed to lanquin to meet our driver.

We had hoped to travel back along a shorter route, but our driver was reluctant, he felt it was a lonely, possibly dangerous route, so we travelled back the way we had come.

Again the countryside was beautiful with magnificent views, interesting buildings and sites.

It was a trip that was enjoyed by all!

“Wonder, curiosity, and unbridled joy keep you young.” – Lisa Kogan

“Mere colour unspoiled by meaning, and unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways.” – Oscar Wilde

PHOTO ALBUM –>> https://photos.app.goo.gl/dZm6Mf54qCHKPohf9

July 4th at Catamaran

There was a small July 4th celebration at Catamaran. It was held poolside, everyone brought snacks to share and the marina supplied pizza. Several persons from other marinas came along to join the fun. JoAnne and Bill off of Ultra organized some games. The 1st game consisted of 4 folks sitting in front facing the rest of the crowd. Words were attached to their foreheads and the crowd had to give them hints as to what the word was. The fun was enjoyed by all. 

Siete Altares/Seven Alters and Playa Blanca/White Beach

John and I went aboard a launcha with a group on a trip that Ana had organized to Siete Altares/Seven Alters and Playa Blanca/White Beach.

We headed across the El Golfere, which is a large lake just down river. The day was a wonderful sunny Rio day with blue skies and just a few clouds, the water was still as there is never much breeze in the morning so the reflections were lovely.

Then, we proceeded at full speed down the gorge towards Livingstone. The gorge is always magnificent with its steep tree lined walls, birds abounding while the fishermen in canoes cast their nets. 

After arriving in Livingstone we headed out across the bar turning to port and along the shoreline. Now this was an area that we had never seen as when we enter we head straight towards our given way-points and concentrate on just crossing the shallow bar. The shoreline is quite lovely, typically lush tropical with the coconut palms along the shoreside. There was a statue of a man off of the Livingstone shore, I am not sure what he represents but just guessing he is welcome folks to Livingstone.

The persons living here are a mix of Garifuna, Afro-Caribbean, Maya and Latino people. There are no roads leading to Livingstone, however there are roads/lanes in and around Livingstone and enough traffic to occasionally cause traffic hold-ups.

Siete Altares/Seven Alters

We pulled up to a small wooden dock where we clambered ashore and followed the pathway to the entrance of Siete Altares/Seven Alters.

Now the name Siete Altares/Seven Alters refers to the 7 waterfalls that start up river and are found as the river winds downward towards the sea. It is an area reputed to be very beautiful and is protected. The persons that run the site are of Garifuna heritage and from a nearby village. They run the site that is on their land to raise money for the community.

We followed the pathway for a short distance where it crossed the first water fall. Here we crossed over by walking across the top of the waterfall to the other side. Then we proceeded up another pathway till we reached a stairway leading down to the river where we walked along the riverside. The scenery was lovely, lush, greens of the trees and reflections in the water.

It was wonderfully cool and peaceful walking along the river’s edge, paddling in the water. At one stage the pathway crossed the river to the other side, continuing upriver and passing to the other side we navigated the river, waterfalls and water pools.

Once we reached the end of the riverside pathway we were at the main and largest waterfall – number seven. The scenery was beautiful! We were all looking forward to a dip so we discreetly changed into bathing suits and jumped into the cool refreshing water. 

After an hour we again followed the pathway back to the entrance where our boat was awaiting us to take us onto Playa Blanca.

Playa Blanca

Playa Blanca was even further along the coast towards Belize. In fact it was only 3 miles from the border. We pulled up to a long wooden dock, disembarked and walked a few hundred yards where we found a lovely shaded beach and restaurant.

We were all hungry so we started by ordering our lunch. I had been suffering from a case of upset lower stomach with the usual problems and so was quite wary of what I should eat. I decided on the nachos with beans which was delicious. We had also ordered the lemonada which was excellent. John had a wonderful fish dinner!

After lunch John and I walked as far as we could along the shoreline until we met another river emptying into the sea. It was very scenic area and just wonderful to be back along the coast, walking beaches and looking out across the sea to a distant horizon.

Back at Playa Blanca we found a couple of hammocks in a quiet shady area under the coconut palms and relaxed for the remaining hour.

The ride back in the launcha was very lumpy.

The wind and seas were up and we were having to travel directly into them. So we went quite slowly, just chugging along the coastline until we reached the entrance to the Rio Dulce then we were able to make some speed, however by that time it was 4:30pm.

Up the river gorge we sped, stopping to view the caves along the way. Our final stop was to see the water lilies near a little settlement just before the lake.

It was a lovely day out enjoyed by the entire group.

Our wonderful early morning walks have continued, our friends Pam and Don joined us then they brought another friend along, the group has grown.

We see the rubber men walking the plantation, collecting the rubber, maintaining the trees and cutting the foliage below, life goes on in a steady rhythm here.

Plus we have started morning yoga thus making our exercise schedule complete. We have continued with the Mexican Train dominoes weekly meets and I was thrilled to place second one week then first the next. Overall we have been really quite busy, happily busy doing our boat chores and having fun. 

Collect moments not things. – David Avacado Wolfe

Go gently with the flow of life. Be calm in your actions and peaceful in your thoughts. – Unknown

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Back to Catamaran our marina:

It was the regular bus ride back to the Rio Dulce from Guatemala City.

However as it was a Sunday the roads were not impassable and the traffic flowed with only a few short delays. Sitting in air conditioning means that when we stopped at the rest stop for the lunch break heading outside was a real shock. The temperature was sizzling! It feels almost too hot to breathe, even in the shade the heat was intense. We had been warned by friends that the temperature were crazy high with clear skies and little breeze.

Back at Catamaran Marina we were greeted by our friends who were at the pool and by Chico who was actually awaiting our arrival at the boat. Chico had been well looked after by Gillian and Gordon in our absence, in fact he had been pampered. 

Chores as usual:

Over the course of the next few days we got the boat back in order, cleaned and tidied. We were very happy that after a few gentle nudges from John our AC actually worked. It is all of 20 years old and really past its prime so we are planning on replacing it.

We raised the sails, aired them, dropped them, flaked/folded them and have them stored below in the bow cabin ready to go to be restitched by Tom the rigger. We have managed to basically get all of the unnecessary topside gear below deck in preparation for the rainy season – if it ever arrives.

Walks around the area:

The need for exercise is a priority for both of us, however with the heat this means early morning is really the only comfortable time to venture down the trails.

We have managed a couple of  the pipeline walks. This is a trail/local road that goes through the rubber and palm-oil plantations to a local village – Esmerelda and there is a pipeline that runs next to the trail, thus we call it the pipeline trail.

Luckily the dock for this walk is close by so it is convenient at 6:30am. The walks are pleasant and some of the way is shaded, it can be quite repetitive. However I love seeing the local children, the women busy with their laundry, the pigs digging and snuffling in the ground cover and just all of the normal activity associated with life in Guatemala.

Sometimes we walk the Rio Dulce bridge leaving the dinghy at one end we walk across to the other end then down under the bridge to the end of the roadway.

This walk is good for watching the massive semis – trucks nearly miss the cars that decide to stop for photos, the drivers are really crazy.

Fronteras our local town

Then another time we walked out of Fronteras about a mile to the local vet’s to set up an appointment for Chico’s annual shots and we stopped into Carlos the welders junkyard so John could poke through the junk for sale.

All in all despite the heat we have managed to fit in exercise. Fronteras is just wonderful – at least I think so…

There is always something to see, the massive trucks weaving through squeezing past each other, the ladies cooking their delicacies, the wonderful fruit vendors, the fellows peddling their wares on little carts, and on and on, never is Frontares boring. We go in every few days to get what we need and know several of the locals.

Shopping in Puerto Barrios

We went with a group of other cruisers on a shopping trip to Puerto Barrios. This is the main seaport for Guatemala’s Atlantic/Caribbean coast so its a very busy town. The shops we visited were specifically chosen, the Chinese, the Mall, the electronic and grocery store were some. The first visit was just an exploratory visit for us, but we did pick up a few odds and ends.

Then there was a second trip and we went with serious intensions of buying another air conditioner, a window unit. Reasoning being ours is very old, plus expensive to run, whereas a new window unit is relatively inexpensive to buy and run, plus its safer for the boat. So buy one we did …..

Seacacar hike and tubing

Our second trip was to the Seacacar canyon area which is along the Lake Isobel shoreline, near El Estor. Again we were with a group of cruisers. We piled into our van and off we went full ahead to the canyon. On arriving we met the guides and set off up the steep path. According to the info provided there is a 900m climb to the top.

It is approximately 2k long and the pathway has been laid and maintained by the local Mayans from the villages at the top. The whole business/tour started because an American man was rafting down the river and was kidnapped. This was some years ago during the “troubles” when the government was being particularly hard on the Mayans. Eventually the American was released and he stayed living in the area and started the attraction, which comprises of a hike to the top of the canyon, lunch at the lodge that he built and then a tube ride down the river to the starting point.

John was off with the majority of the others, I was at the rear with Anna, a Spanish lady and a guide. We walked, climbed, stopped to rest, chatted and looked at the scenery. For us there was no race, just an enjoyable walk. We stopped at the 2 look out points and admired the wonderful views over the canyon and across Lake Isobel in the distance.

When we reached the large ceremonial cave the rest of the group was just leaving and racing downhill where not much later we again met up with them.

John and I walked through the village to the hanging bridge, across to the village on the other side.

It really was just lovely scenery all around. I was just amazed by the number of butterflies.

There were just masses of butterflies along the river banks, plus dragonflies hovering, birds singing and the sound of the river rushing by made for a magical scene. We wandered back to the meeting place – the restaurant – where we put our bag and then set off to swim in the river.

The water was just sooo refreshing! Back at the restaurant lunch was fajitas that were wonderful! Served with salsa minutely cut and guacamole, beans and rice it was an excellent lunch. 

After lunch we walked carrying our tubes and life jackets to the launching spot for tubing. John, Sabrina and I were the first in and again the water was just so refreshing.

Then we were off down river, sometimes zooming along, bumping into sides, sometimes just drifting, or swirling, I was even going backwards at one point, it was quite a ride.

There were 2 or 3 areas of rapids which were lively and we just ripped through, our guides trying to stop us from crashing into the cliffs. I just loved the scenery!

The canyon sides rose steeply, with trees, vines, grasses, ferns and air plants, water dripping from the sides, butterflies and dragonflies hovering with the sounds of bird songs and rushing water. It was a wonderful tube ride!

Friends and socials:

Another fun afternoon was spent playing Mexican Train dominoes with friends, Gillian and Gordon, and Greg and LizAnne just before they all departed for their trips.

Then there have been movie nights and quiz nights. Gordon, Gillian and us both are a team. We have done well even winning a jackpot!

And of course the regular animals and insects are all around us, the toads, terrapins, and crickets to name but a few they inhabit the Rio and are here to watch and be watched.

“It is only possible to live happily ever after on a daily basis.”

— Margaret Bonanno

“Remember this, that very little is needed to make a happy life.”

— Marcus Aurelius

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West End

And then it was back to West End where we picked up a mooring amongst many other cruising boats. We had dropped in to await calmer weather, lower seas to cross to Utila and to get to Eldens to stock up – mainly on cat food.

 We found several boats that we knew in the West End, notably First Light, who were getting ready to cross to Cuba. We decided to rent a car as we had a number of places to visit, the dentist for my crown, the opticians for my new glasses, ACE for boat necessities and of course Eldens. So off we went one day, stopping at each to get what was needed. I was very happy with my new glasses from: The Optical Center at the Mega Plaza, my crown again is perfect, from Dr. Grant at: Roatan Dental Center and we are fully stocked with foods and cat food not obtainable in Rio Dulce. Roatan is excellent for services and supplies! 

We also snorkeled while in the West End and again it was excellent. John wanted to dive but I had been feeling unwell and did not feel up to a dive…. 

Utila

Then it was off to Utila. We had a fast but lumpy sail across to Utila. This was our last Honduran Bay islands stop. We had intended to spend more time exploring, but now time was short. We checked out with the authorities, had a walk around and then went exploring by dinghy.

When checking out I had acquired a map of Utila. It showed a few canals, one of which went right across the island. So off we set, along the anchorage to Marschall Lake, where we crossed this inland bay and finally found a canal, aptly named “Canal”. 

This turned out to be the longest and in places the narrowest canal we had ever explored. The beginning was quite normal, average width, with mangroves on both side. As we proceeded the canal got so narrow we were squeezing the dinghy ahead with the mangroves catching and scraping the sides. There was no room to turn around nor change our minds, we were committed by circumstance to continuing.

Finally after quite a ways the canal widened a bit but became shallower so we really needed to stay dead centre. After coming so far we decided to finish the canal. The end came out at Rocky Bay, we managed to just about make it over the bar at the entrance, did a short look about of the bay and then set off back along the canal homewards.

The reason being, it was later in the afternoon and we didn’t want to be stuck in the canal at night. As it turned out it took us 1 hour 20 minutes to get there and 45 minutes to get back, practice makes perfect.

It was just such a crazy canal, I can’t imagine how they had managed to dig it out.

On to Belize

The following day was our day of departure, but as we had several hours beforehand we set off to explore the waterway that lay under the bridge at Upper Lagoon and according to the map leading to a small lake/pond. Again we were really surprised by what we found.

Firstly there was a wooden bridge and short walkway leading into the mangroves to a few homes. After going under the bridge we ventured around several bends and found that in areas the sides had been cleared and there were homes on stilts in the mud sitting along side the mangrove canal.

They were obviously only accessible by boat as there were only wooden walkways over the mud to the canal. The canal went further and finally reached the Big Bight Pond, which was huge. There were two big areas of the pond where there were just mangroves still waters and water birds. Utila seemed full of surprises.

Off to Belize we sailed at 15:00, a short overnight sail. It was an easy crossing, arriving off shore at 7:00ish we crossed the reef at Ranguna and proceeded to Placencia arriving mid morning. There we dropped anchor, I tidied up while John slept for a few hours, he was exhausted.

2 nights were spent in Belize, basically biding time till we could head to Cabo Tres Puntas to get ready to cross the bar. During our day in Belize we had a walk around Placencia to stretch out legs, bought a few items and indulged in wifi from Yolli’s. Belize is still as lovely as ever.

Cabo Tres Puntas and across the bar to Livingstone

At Cabo Tres Puntas we spent the first night in the large sheltered bay of Bahia la Grasiosa. A norther was due and we have found from past experience that winds can be threatening at times in Cabo Tres Puntas, twice there we had strong reverse winds in the middle of the night. The large lagoon like anchorage was really lovely. Absolutely huge in size we found there were even a large pop of dolphins playing and fishing in the lagoon. The night of the norther proved to be no threat at all in this bay, but the next day was overcast and mostly rainy.

We moved to CaboTres Puntas to be in place for our crossing early the next morning. The evening was quiet, 5 other boats were there with us awaiting the morning crossing.

The morning dawned a rainy, misty day, not the weather we preferred for crossing, but off we went. As it turned out we hardly had a problem crossing, the lowest depth shown was 0.01 under the keel and we could feel the drag, but we crossed!

Livingstone is always an experience. We give our agent Raul our documents and then have over an hour till he is ready, so we wander around. After checking in with Raul we quickly headed up river, it was noon and we wanted to be at Catamaran for the evening.

The rain persisted off and on so we had our first rainy up river trip. There were dozens and dozens of pelicans and laughing gulls at the mouth of the river.

The river is always beautiful and magnificent. We arrived by 4:30 at Catamaran and were helped in by friends. 

Since arriving we have enjoyed catching up with friends and have managed to get the boat ready for our departure. Chico is very happy to be back at his land home!

“True happiness involves the pursuit of worthy goals. Without dreams, without risks, only a trivial semblance of living can be achieved.” – Dan Buettner