Aeeshah

 

PHOTO ALBUM —>> https://photos.app.goo.gl/UdtqvrheGQrbKRch7

The road trip begins: 

After weeks of being in the Rio Dulce area, putting up with the incessant heat and regular routine I felt it was time for a trip to the mountains. We had said we would do a bike trip, but again this idea was rejected, you can’t take much with you on a bike, but in a car you can. Some friends had expressed an interest in our trip and so we asked if they were still interested. In the end there were 3 couples Chris and Caroline; Hattie and Phill and us who set off on the Litegua bus for Antigua one Sunday morning. 

We arrived at a very nice Airbnb, just outside of Antigua and settled in. 

Off for a stroll around and to find a place to have dinner we all went. We finally settled on a pub type of cuisine for our meal. There are just so many nice places to eat in Antigua.

Antigua

The following day John and Chris set off to pick up a hire car at Guatemala City airport, Hattie and Phill to explore Antigua and Caroline and myself to make our arrangements, get tourist info and book a Pacaya Volcano hike for the following day. 

We were very successful finding the main tourist information office and then the Rainbow Travel Agency. We got loads of information plus booked our trip to the volcano. John and Chris were very successful too, arriving in Antigua with our hire car in the early afternoon. Hattie and Phill too saw a good bit of the Antigua area. 

Iglesia La Merced

During the afternoon we walked around enjoying a few of the sites. We visited Iglesia La Merced and its ruins. This church was first established as a male monastery and Mercedarians were the first religious order to have a men’s convent in Guatemala.

The church was almost finished when hot water erupted from Agua Volcano and came rushing down destroying much in its path. The church was rebuilt, and the ruins of the monastery remain. The water fountain found in the courtyard was designed as a waterlily.

We enjoyed the view from the roof, of the old monastery, explored the cooperative market where dozens of crafts are for sale for just so little

and had a lovely chai in a coffee shop.

It was John’s birthday and I had found an Indian restaurant for dinner. We all went out and had a lovely dinner of curry!

Hattie and Phill had a small cake for John’s dessert.

Pacaya volcano

Our volcano trip arrangements were that we were to be on the road in front of a nearby hotel before 6:00am, so we all were up bright and early out and walking to the nearby hotel by 5:40 just as it was getting light. We arrived in plenty of time and proceeded to wait, and wait.

We watched the volcano Fuete spew out hot ash, people pass by on their way to work and the increasing traffic drive past. Just as we were phoning the Rainbow travel agency our driver showed up. He had had a flat tire, even had the tire with him which he dropped off at the nearby service station. Next we whizzed around Antigua picking up the others on the trip and then we were flying down roads and lanes to get to Pacaya volcano. 

Pacaya stands at a whopping 8,373 feet tall and the trek has an elevation gain of around 1,500 feet. Pacaya is described as an active complex volcano. It first erupted approximately 23,000 years ago and has erupted at least 23 times since the Spanish invasion of Guatemala.

The hike starts at the welcome center in the hamlet of San Francisco de Sales and takes about 2 hours to hike to the top. At the start the walkers are offered hiking sticks, which to me would be a must have.

There were two options to either climb or ride a horse up the volcano. John, Hattie and Phill chose to climb, Chris, Caroline and myself to ride the horses. We were presented with our mounts and guides then with the challenge of getting into the saddle.

Up the pathways we went following the walkers, stopping at rest points where the guide would point out different points of interest. John reported it was a moderate climb, but with the altitude of over 8,000 feet made it a bit more challenging.

The pathway up starts off up a shaded but well groomed path where at some stages stones have been laid to form steps. I was surprised the horses were good on stairs, but then doing them everyday would make them pros. We came to an area where there was more and more volcanic rock and loose volcanic gravel, the trees gave way to an open landscape where we could see the black slopes of the volcano.

At a fence we demounted and were pointed to where to go. From here it was a climb in the loose volcanic rock and gravel up to where we were to cook marshmallows over the heat of the volcano. Now through the soles of my hiking sandals I could feel the heat coming through the rocks.

The loose lava rocks are actually somewhat slippery as they do slide as you walk upwards. There were plants that tolerated the heat and able to grow.

Plus there were dogs who were roaming around looking for scrapes of marshmallows to eat. 

We awaited our turns to roast the marshmallows, finally my turn came and bending to the roasting area I could feel the increase of heat. The marshmallows took no time to melt and then I was back with the others eating the gooey melted mallow. (Some folks were toasting cheese sandwiches too)

After a wander around we were down to where we started. Then it was back in the saddle for the ride down.

Going down was definitely harder as l had to lean back and most of the time and my horse liked to take a small jump when going down drops and steps, but it was enjoyable, always fun to ride a horse.

We were back in Antigua in early afternoon where we got off the bus with Hattie and Phill and had a lovely lunch at a favorite cafe. Then it was off to buy supplies for our up-coming journey into the mountains. That evening we enjoyed an evening in our Airbnb eating a dinner of chicken wings and salad.

In the morning John drove Hattie and Phill to the car rental office. There they were picking up their vehicle and had decided to drive to the Pacific Ocean.

Iximché ruins

Off towards Lake Atitlan we – Caroline, Chris and us two -travelled the next morning stopping along the way at the Iximché ruins. These are well preserved and are located on a hilltop in the higher and cooler Sierra Mountains. The site’s surrounding scenery is lovely with steep slopes and pine trees.

The ruins of Iximché are actually late Post-Classic Maya. The “city” was ruled by the Kaqchikel from the 12 – 15th century and was the ancient capital of the Maya Kakchiquel Indians, Guatemala’s first capital for “The Kingdom of Goathemala.” 

This is a wonderful Mayan site and as it was earlier in the morning it was not at all crowded. We all enjoyed wandering around. The architecture here includes a number of pyramid-temples, palaces and two Mesoamerican ball-courts. At the time of the Spanish conquest Iximche, was the second most important city in the Guatemalan Highlands. Iximché was burned in 1526 by Spanish. 

Mayan rituals are still performed at this site on important occasions and we found that there was indeed a religious ceremony being practiced at the area where such ceremony’s are still conducted. 

As for what the ceremony was I am not at all sure. The mound where the ceremony’s take place had many crevices with candles burning and small offerings that varied from food items to flowers. In fact there were 3 different groups celebrating there.

One group with a shaman was directly in front using a large fire pit, candles, flowers and petals, and various other items. To their side another group that were not so traditionally dressed were starting a ceremony at another smaller fire pit, while behind there was a shaman and 2 ladies in traditional dress smoking something from these huge pipes. They constantly sat still, almost trancelike inhaling and exhaling, just staring ahead at the mound. It all was fascinating, we watched for a good while.

We made a stop before descending to Solola and Panajachel at a small local eatery and had a delicious local meal.

As it was afternoon the clouds were descending upon the lake so the magnificent view was hidden from us. We arrived in Panajachel and then took a while to find our newest Airbnb.

This one was just a few streets out of the center and so quite convenient. It was inside a gated group of homes with a nice garden, a roof top patio and very comfortable kitchen, lounge and kitchen we all were happy. 

John and I went out and walked around to see what we could see and enjoy the early evening. Lake Atitlan is absolutely beautiful!

Every moment is an invitation to live out of your weakness or to live out of your strength. – Marianne Williamson

Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars and see yourself running with them. – Marcus Aurelius

 

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I had been chatting with Robyn after our trip to Semuc Champey about festivals in Guatamala.  So subsequently John and I were invited to travel with them and other friends to visit a little known Mayan festival in the mountains.

Day 1 traveling:

We all met up at Jane’s beautiful property on the banks of the Rio. There we loaded our bags into our special transport and set off for Zacualpa where we were to stay.

The route took us to Guatemala City, through the city traffic and out towards Antigua, passing Antigua and on towards Lake Atitlan, then onto the roadway for Chichicastanengo and finally onto Zacualpa.

We had all taken packed lunches and snacks and the driver stopped at gas stations every few hours so we all could stretch our legs, use the restroom and enjoy an ice-cream or so. Yes, it was a long journey, but comfortable and the scenery was lovely.

Zacualpa is a small town where we found our Airbnb – Casa Esmerelda. We were greeted by the home owners and welcomed. The house was somewhat lacking as we had 1 less bedroom, so the owners appeared with a double mattress for the floor of the living room where Robyn and Tony volunteered to sleep. Then we found out the water had been turned off at 5:00pm not to come on till morning, but “luckily” 1 shower had water and also the backyard had a tap that worked in the laundry sink. So we realized we were roughing it. There was also a resident dog, a lovely female husky, she also had new born pups on the front porch. 

Robyn had brought the evening meal, a South African dish called, Bobotie. She set about heating up dinner while we helped and had drinks. It was a wonderful meal! And off to bed we all headed. Not many of us slept very well.

Our mattress was just a few inches thick, the bed really small and very uncomfortable. Then the chickens started crowing, dogs on the street fighting and the puppies crying. We were up at 5:00am to head to Joyabaj for a 7:00am start of the festival.

Most of us were quite weary and we all agreed we needed different accommodation.

Joyabaj for “La Danza Del Palo Volador” festival 

After breakfast off we set. Our driver accompanied us for the day. He was a wonderful fellow, a very good driver and such a considerate man. Upon reaching Joyabaj we found that the setting up had begun, the dancers were prepping, the music just setting up and the locals arriving. 

We wandered around the square and down the street where the dancers were performing. Our time was spent looking at the costumes, watching the musicians and performers, exploring the market and generally enjoying the atmosphere.

Each dance group were dressed differently, guessing they represent different groups of Mayans. At the far end there were shrines set up where candles burned and incense pots/cans burned.

Here also there were men setting up massive bangers. They had what looked like pipes, into which the explosive material was placed, and the fellow would light the end, jump back out of the way before there was a might BANG!!

There were no other tourists, just locals all in their traditional dress. The fabrics, belts, hair accessories were just beautiful.

Everyone was dressed for the occasion, different regions in Guatemala represent different Mayan groups and all have their own regional clothes. The women and men both weave using their own spun threads. I just love the fabrics, the skill of their textile work is absolutely amazing. 

About a few hours after we arrived the flying started, this was what we had travelled to witness.

But what was the story behind these festivities? 

So after some research I found the story behind the “Dance of the Flying Stick” or “Dance of the Flyers”. It is a Mesoamerican story and dance. 

The story is originally found in the sacred book of the Maya Kiché, the Popol Vuh. It tells the legend of the brothers Jun Batz and Jun Ch’owen, who tried to kill their other brothers, the twins Hunahpú and Ixbalanqué, but they failed and were turned into monkeys. Also mentioned is the story in which the first men – made of wood – were turned into monkeys by the creators, and of the death of the 400 boys at the hands of Zipacná.

Popol Vuh tells of how dancers and participants are to practice the Sacred Fire ritual in which they ask nature to help them choose the tree for the ceremony. Before cutting the tree, which is usually a pine tree, certain preparatory rituals are to be performed. These consist of, “sexual abstinence, fasting and libations”.

 After preparing the tree, it is transported by 400 men who have also prepared themselves for this ritual. The pole is carried and specially placed in front of the catholic church of Joyabaj.

The tree trunk being a pole is the axis or stick around which the dancers revolve. The dance itself consists of several men hanging from bows at the top of this pole.

The dancers wear costumes that represent monkeys and dance with funny movements to the beat of the marimba , while preparing to climb. The dancers/climbers of this ancient and daring aerial dance are young people, who are called flying or mashines.

After the Spanish conquest, the Maya Kiché were forced to accept the religion of the Spaniards – the Catholic Christian church.  This gave rise to a religious and cultural amalgamation or attempted amalgamation that can be seen today in the ritual of the Flying Stick.

In Joyabaj Quiché they celebrate this ancestral rite in honor of the Virgin of Transit, patron of the place. From the top of the trunk of approximately 30 meters high, two indigenous people fastened by their feet with ties descend, and fly to the sound of the marimba. Popol Vuh records the flying stick as a fight in which good triumphs over evil. This rite was declared by UNESCO as Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010

We watched as the flyers climbed the 90 foot pole, not wearing a harness, just holding on, some were young maybe 11 or 12 dressed as little monkeys. Others were older and having wings on their backs I guess their costume represented angels from the catholic church.

All climbed to the top, 2 men would lay across the arrows while the other two would grasp the ropes and simultaneously swing off the top and start to rotate while holding the line. 

Some held by hand other had the rope around the back of a knee and suspended by just 1 knee as they rotated around the pole. The rope was kept wound at the top so it would unwind as they swung around, thereby unwinding and lowering the men towards the town square below.

It takes a lot of courage to climb that pole and swing off, just remarkable courage. It really was an awesome sight! We all watched for ages, just enthralled by the “Dance of the Flying Stick” or “Dance of the Flyers”.

Around mid morning there was the arrival of trucks with huge speakers and the sounds of the local music was drowned out by the pounding of popular dance music.

The square was roped off, folks gathered around, massive bangers were lit and fired off and costumed female dancers arrived.

These ladies were elaborately costumed. Their head pieces were totally covering their heads, even their legs were covered in similar flesh colored tights.

They must have been boiling inside the suits, but they proceeded to dance to the beat projected across from the speakers. The many costumes seemed to represent different animals and I am just assuming there is a link with Mayan and Spanish represented in them. So we had the dancers dancing, the pole flyers flying and music playing. 

When the dancers finished they boarded their truck and they all drove off leaving again just the flyers and the traditional music.

By noon everyone had disbanded, we headed to lunch at a hotel off the square. We had a very nice lunch, relaxed and chatted about our plans.

After our lunch we wandered out and back to the nearly deserted square. Now able to get a good close up of the pole and the ladder used to climb 90 feet up where the flyers launched themselves off. After a further wander we soon headed back to our Airbnb.

Once there we packed and got ready to leave for Chichicastanengo. Before leaving a few of us wandered around the town.

The church again being in the main square was a handsome building. The market was just finishing and the town folks looked to be heading home.

Chichicastanengo

Was just over an hour away. There we checked into a little hotel called Chalet-House hotel. John and I had a much nicer room and a bed with a real mattress. I was really tired and so looking forward to a good night’s sleep. The hotel had a roof garden/patio where we all met for drinks. The evenings get quite cool at between 6,000 and 7,000 feet, we all enjoyed the change from roasting temperatures of the Rio. Off to dinner we went to a hotel that was reputed by friends to be very good, Hotel Santo Tomas.

We gathered for breakfast in the small common room. The day was planned to revisit the hotel from the evening before as it was renowned for its garden and parrots, then we would be off to visit the famous Chichicastanengo market. This was a Tuesday and so not the big market of Thursday or Sunday, but still supposed to be an excellent market.

The Hotel Santo Tomas’s interior was lovely. The architecture, the old furnishings, the gardens and the parrots were wonderful to see. We wandered around taking photos and were pleased we visited. 

Off to the market where non of us were disappointed. Admittedly the men were a bit bored, but us ladies definitely were not bored.

I just adore the markets, the sights are so different. There is absolutely everything, fruits, vegetables, items, fabrics, clothing and food available and all so inexpensive.

Some of the vendors were quite persistent trying to get sales, but most just ignored us. We spent several hours just “window” shopping and exploring.

At each end of the market there were churches and each were performing ritualistic ceremonies. My impression was that it was in the form of blessings.

There were flower sellers selling amazing bunches of flowers and stalls selling batches of candles. These were being used in these “blessings”. A shaman, a religious leader, was performing such using a canister with burning incense.

The followers or those wishing to be blessed would enter the church, get on their knees then proceed on their knees with their hands clasped in front to make their way to the front.

There were burning platforms of candles and flower petals, it was a very somber atmosphere. John and I watched, found it fascinating, but found the devotion hard to understand. 

We also visited the small museum – Rossbach Archaeological Museum  that had some displays pre-Hispanic and colonial artifacts.

Then we were all off to lunch.

The afternoon we spent with Gail and Pete, exploring the local cemetery. We walked there via the narrow streets enjoying the various sights and people watching.

Once there we followed the pathway to the center. The cemeteries are also very different from what we are used to.

The graves are more like tombs where the dead are honored. They are adorned with decorations, photos or maybe flowers and plaques that tell something about the dearly departed.

In the center there was another shaman performing rituals, candles burning along with offerings of flowers. As this week was considered a holy week of ascension many places in Guatemala were performing similar rites/rituals. 

Back in the town we walked towards the town entrance which has a bridge across the road which is adorned with a wonderful ceramic mural depicting a Mayan god. We found a good view from the top and that we were able to walk back to our hotel.

Another evening was spent relaxing upon the roof patio, chatting and having drinks. We had a warning from the driver of potential demonstrations on the roads the next day. So we decided to leave later in the day for our homeward trip.

Travel back

Our last morning John and I again wandered around the market and town just enjoying watching all that was going on around us.

It really is a wonderful town and so worth a visit. I managed to get a few lengths of material to take home plus we picked up some fruit.

Travel back

The drive back was reciprocal of our drive out. With four or five exceptions,  first we stopped to look out over Lake Atitlan which was stunning, and the traffic was less in Guatemala City so we moved faster.

Gail and Pete had bought us all quesadillas from a restaurant before we left and we feasted on them. The food was excellent. And along the final Rio Dulce stretch of road there was a huge hold up. However our brilliant driver drove us down the side of the road passed miles of trucks, turned into a smaller road that led to a little town, passed the town squeezing by traffic coming the other way and managed to get us back on the main road on the other side of the hold up, which looked to be construction.

It was a wonderful trip!

Eat healthily, sleep well, breathe deeply, move harmoniously. – Jean-Pierre Barral

Some people grumble that roses have thorns; I am  grateful that thorns have roses. – Alphonse Karr

 

Photo link—>>  https://photos.app.goo.gl/djiEpRLpweoVQr4s5

Walks, bugs, yoga and friends

Our walks continue, we now cover 5 miles going most early mornings before 7:00am of Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Friends come along too and I enjoy the same views, checking the river’s level,

watching the families in the same cottages and getting wonderful veggies from the small market.

We’ve had a few lovely lunches with friends, usually saying good-bye for the summer months.

I also still wander around Catamaran watching the huge crickets on the river plants or just flower watching. We also do yoga on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, yep John is now a yoga fan! There is an hour’s session with JoAnne a fellow cruiser staying here at Catamaran. We first met JoAnne and Bill in Panama in 2016 while staying in Linton Bay and Shelter Bay, now they are here at Catamaran.

Roll your own

JoAnne and Bill invited us to a “roll your own” party aboard Ultra. Gordon and Gillian were there too, we had also met them in Panama at the same time. Gillian is Chico’s other mother as when we travel she cares for him.

This was a really fun evening where we all rolled sushi and then indulged in eating the fresh sushi, plus Aki tuna which they had made and fresh garlic/ginger shrimps with home made cocktail sauce which I made. We were able to catch up on what we had all been doing since we had last met, plus we learned sushi making, which was very entertaining and satisfying.

Teeth/John

John had his dental surgery, poor John had an implant which he successfully broke so it had to be removed. His gum and bone had to be cut away to remove the post. Now he has a few temporarily crowned teeth which will be replaced with permanent when the bone and gum heals. Plus all for a fraction of the price you pay back home and in a modern facility with an excellent dentist. No more trying to undo knots in rope with your teeth, John!

Shopping again

We had another shopping trip to Puerto Barrios where we got a toaster oven. Plus we picked up other bits and pieces we needed for maintenance around the boat which is ongoing. John is now starting to revarnish the interior and I am nearly finish all the cupboards and cubby holes, cleaning out what is no longer needed and basically reorganizing.

Sunset cruise

Our Marina – Catamaran – had an evening cruise up river to Lake Izabal where we drifted for a while enjoying the sunset and company.

There was a full boat load of cruisers for Sledgehammer, the staff served drinks, the music played, some danced, most chatted, several sat atop the roof and a fun time was had by one and all.

We had pizzas from the Catamaran kitchen, which were delicious. It was great to be able to catch up with friends we hadn’t seen in quite a while, plus to chat to others from different marinas. 

Zip-lining

We went on another Catamaran excursion to the zip-line for the day. This outing was designed to raise some money for a Catamaran charity – the El Bongo school. This is a local school that hadn’t any running water, so no flushing toilets, the furniture was non existent, old or in disrepair, the buildings needed much help, plus the play-ground was not functional. John actually was part of the first, large, work team that went for a day to start the repairs. Anyway the zip-line day raised more funds and was just amazing fun. 

We travelled down river to Tenimit Maya Eco Lodge and Adventure, where there is a large facility, zip-lining kayaks, and such. The launcha was stuffed with 18 of us, some folks from Catamaran and some from other marinas.

 We arrived and followed a path inland to an area to where a “bus” awaited to take us to the zip-line. The area was obviously a cattle and sheep/goat farm as it had many grazing animals in the fields. We rode for maybe 5 minutes to reach the zip-line starting point. There we were put into harnesses and helmets and climbed the first tower. 

The whole course was excellent! John and I have previously ridden several zip-lines and none came close to this one. It comprises of long runs that eventually end up in the “jungle”. There we had an obstacle course to challenge us.

The first obstacle was the most challenging – at least that’s what I thought; you had a wire at waist height to hold and one to walk along over a drop of well at least 50 feet. Yes, we were clipped on to the top wire, but really that doesn’t help and the wire slants down at the start and up towards the other side. For me my whole body felt like it was shaking, I wasn’t really scared, but my body reacted like I was terrified.

Across I went, keeping my mind on just the next step all the way to the end, – I finally did stop shaking by the end of the next obstacle. Meanwhile the regular rainy season clouds started to move in and started to threaten rain, but it was an empty threat as just a few drops fell. Once across the obstacle course we were back to the final zips. Which were even longer and faster – such fun! 

Following the zip-line we went back in the bus to the restaurant for a lovely lunch followed by a launcha ride back to Catamaran. 

Chico has continued to have fun around Catamaran Island, his phase of bringing Jesus Lizards back seems to be over.

He somehow managed to get a fish and brought is back with every intention of eating it. Unfortunately this was not allowed as  not knowing where it came from I took possession and chucked it away. Chico is 5 years old this month – I just find it hard to believe he is so old already!

Why not live each day as if it were the first – all raw astonishment! – Linda Pastan

The purpose of life after all, is to live it, taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience. – Eleanor Roosevelt

 

 

PHOTO LINK —>>  https://photos.app.goo.gl/fi5Acq2BQsaoiryN9

What have we been doing this June?

Aeeshah and crew have been keeping busy in while dockside at Catamaran Hotel and Marina in the Rio Dulce. We continued with boat chores such as tidying our storage spaces, with washing and polishing, in other words just continual Aeeshah maintenance.

Plus I was busy with some canvas work. We had ordered new front panels to be made from strata glass as ours had aged and were no longer crystal clear. The fabric folks from El Cern Verde came and measured, went off made them came back and fitted them then adjusted them. What a huge difference! The crew are really very skilled. We then we had shade covers made to fit over the strata glass for when we are at anchor. Again they did an excellent job.

Walking for exercise/pleasure?

We have continued with our walks, not quite as regularity as it was just too hot some mornings, even at 6:45 we could tell it was just sweltering.

However when we did go we again enjoyed seeing the villagers, school children and families out and about. They were clearing beneath the rubber trees and harvesting the rubber in the plantation area where we take our walks.

The corn that we had seen planted was at least a foot tall and the various villagers we saw regularly would greet us. So while the walk is the same the scenery does alter slightly.

We have also taken several walks around the town of Fronteras and outlying area exploring all the many byways, nooks and crannies.

Games afternoons

Playing Mexican Train Dominoes has become a passion of mine. There is a games afternoon – well it starts at 2:00pm at Mar Marina and John and I have had some really fun games and met lovely folks while playing.

Grutas El Encanto

Our only outing was to Grutas El Encanto. This is a small cave system about an hour away from the Rio Dulce. We went again with a group of other cruisers, traveling there on a bus. The whole trip was arranged by Ana who arranges biweekly trips to various places for the cruisers. Grutas El Encanto is privately owned and a family run attraction of caves, pools set in a garden setting.

Upon arriving we changed into our cave clothes – bathing suit, or such that can get wet plus water shoes – in our case our trusty Keens. We waded into the cave and proceeded to walk along the passageway using our torches to see the way.

 

 

Every so often we would stop to look at a formation or a water pool. Bats were swooping around, it was fairly humid and at times the roof low so we have to crouch down to pass. The end was not the end of the cave but as far as we could safely go. 

After returning to the outside we swam in the pool outside the cave’s entrance. The water was very refreshing. It was then lunchtime and we were served excellent lunches.

The rest of the visit was spent either in the pool, in a hammock, chatting or exploring the grounds. Overall it was a very relaxing and pleasant day off from our chores.

Catamaran grounds/gardens

I spent time as usual wandering around the Catamaran grounds enjoying them and the beautiful flowers especially the orchids which seemed to be profusely blooming. Catamaran Hotel and Marina really is such a beauty!

Chico would follow me around enjoying the shady pathways.

He has become quite a big boy! he was a mighty 20lbs at his vet visit and hopefully the wandering around is slimming him down. He is a big cat, large frame, huge feet but now with a tummy that rolls as he walks.

One lunchtime we went with some others to Jessica’s new restaurant, Antojitos “La Gondola”, which means – the trucks – as many of the drivers of the large trucks that pass through Fronteras stop there for lunch.

Jessica is the fabric representative from El Cern Verde, plus we’ve known her from when she worked at RAM another marina. We all enjoyed a delicious lunch and a chat.

On the way back we stopped at a local bar with a balcony overlooking the main Fronteras street.

There the others enjoyed a beer, I enjoyed watching the local folks as they passed along below. Fronteras is such a colourful town, there is never a dull moment. 

Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it. – Elizabeth Gilbert

The extraordinary is waiting quietly beneth the shin of all that is ordinary. – Mark Nepo

 

PHOTO ALBUM —>>   https://photos.app.goo.gl/6pQie6XvmX8zbeak9

Our main purposes for traveling home to Bermuda was to, see the family, set up our Airbnb and to attend our Godson’s wedding and paint the outside of the whole Warwick house…..all of which we accomplished!

We left Aeeshah at Catamaran and Chico aboard Aeeshah, but in the care of our good friends Gillian and Gordon. They had in fact been Chico’s caregivers in Panama too. We took the regular boat ride across to the mainland, however we were with friends and shared private transport to the city. It was a treat! That was a very pleasant change from the regular Litegua bus ride. I was actually feeling dreadful, I had been suffering for several days from what I suspected was chikungunya, which was in fact confirmed by the Dr. after blood tests confirmed it was chikungunya. 

Once back in Bermuda we were able to drive from the airport to Gavin’s where we were house sitting. He, Katie and the girls were visiting family in California. We really enjoyed staying at their house, especially as it might be sold this time next year, it was a last chance. Each day we would drive to our house in Warwick to work on the Airbnb and the exterior of the house.

Airbnb

We had decided to set up an Airbnb in our lower level of the house as otherwise it sits empty. However we had no idea how much work this entailed.

The whole place was basically redone, from the painting to all new furniture, appliances, soft furnishings, gardens, etc. 

I basically worked on the inside and the gardens. The previous summer it had already been painted and most of the furniture was already in place. I shopped for the appliances, the numerous extras and the basics that need to be in place. I refinished surfaces, scrubbed, polished, washed and touched up.

The appliances arrived and were installed, the ceiling fans installed, lighting both indoor and exterior was redone, new curtains hung, new rugs laid, absolutely everything was replaced, replanted or redone.

Then there was all the online work, information to be gathered, paperwork to be filled out and submitted to government, and the final details to be finalized.

At last just a few weeks before we were due to open we were ready. We are all excited to welcome our first guests in just a day’s time.

Exterior of the house:

Our home is quite a challenge to paint. The roof had been already painted and repairs done before we returned, but the walls awaited us.

Now with Bermuda homes you can’t just slap on a coat of paint, no…..they have to be prepared. The walls are all power washed, the bubbles in the paint are scrapped, the cracks are chipped out and refilled with cement, then there is an underseller to apply and finally the top coat applied. It entails an awful amount of work.

We had the help of Ivan and briefly Ethan too. Nearly the entire 6 weeks we were home John and Ivan worked on the outside. We are so thankful to Ivan for his help. Finally it was finished and it really looks grand! And hopefully won’t need doing for 4 years.

The wedding:

Mark our Godson married Claire on a lovely sunny day at Turtle Bay, St. Davids. The wedding was on the beach where we had chairs facing the sea. Their ceremony was the tying of an unbreathable knot of love and devotion.

I was very grateful for my hat as it was bright sunshine. After the wedding we all went to The Tempest Bistro for a wonderful lunch.

It was a lovely break from work for us and we were actually able to see some of beautiful St Georges.

Good Friday aka Kite Flying Day:

To all of us Bermudians Good Friday is Kite Flying Day. It is a day where families fly kites, picnic, eat codfish cakes and hot cross buns.

So why do the Bermudians fly kites on Good Friday? The story is that a teacher was trying to explain to his students during his Sunday school how Jesus elevated himself to Heaven. It is an explanation of Christ’s Ascension, he launched a kite that represented Christ by the cross sticks to explain the story. The flying of kites was a born.

We as a family went to Gavin’s house to fly kites, plus we had an Easter egg hunt for the little ones, oh and bubble blowing too. As there are 4 grandchildren under the age of 3 it is easier rather than going out to a park.

We had a wonderful time. Plus Chrissie made the codfish cakes, and a batch of Portuguese beans.

We all supplied the hot cross buns and Gavin made a wonderful kale salad with kale from the garden. It was a wonderful day!

Playdates and such:

John and I or just John or I would go to Gavin’s for playdates with the grandchildren, – just the 4 younger ones.

Plus we also did a fair amount of babysitting, usually not together but separately to spread our services around. We both enjoy seeing the little ones and can’t wait to see them each time we are home.

 

Claire and Allan visit:

Claire and Allan are a couple we originally met in Trinidad in 2014. We were on the hard (on a slip) together, in fact our boats were right next to each other, about a foot apart.

It was then that we acquired Chico. They were the first friends to see him and they remember all our stresses when we “lost” him in the bilges of Aeeshah. Then we would meet up over and over again through the years.

So when we heard that they had arrived in Bermuda on their boat we had to arrange to meet them for a day out. We met them in Hamilton and drove them along the South shore stopping to see the beaches.

To the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse and then on towards Somerset and Fort Scar through Somerset Village and to Woodies for lunch. We continued into the Royal Naval Dockyard where we walked around and Allan arranged for his fuel.

We travelled back via the West side road in old Somerset and stopped at Somerset Bridge. Back towards Hamilton we travelled the Harbour road to our home for drinks. It really was a lovely day, the weather was brilliant, and we all enjoyed each others company.

Chico’s staycation:

All this time Chico was relaxing at Catamaran under the watchful eye of Gillian. She was sending me updates on his antics, most of which were very amusing. Here is just a taste of Chico’s antics, or in other words what he got up to with Gillian:

“Lardo, 31/03/19

He stops by during the day – rain or shine – and usually flops on the refrigerator or the deck – usually near the birdies.  Today, Gordon was working on the new refrigeration compressor in the engine room.  Well, he wasn’t taking “no” for an answer.  He had to go down there and check everything out.  What a character.”

01/04

“He’s had a very ordinary day and no signs of anything wrong with him.  I let him out at 5:45 and he promptly trotted his butt right over to our boat.  I went back to bed thinking I might catch a little more sleep before the net.  After I got up three times to stop him from terrorizing the little birdies I gave up on sleep and decided to fix myself a cocoa.  When I got back to my cabin, he was sprawled on my bunk with his head on my pillow preening away.  I reclaimed my pillow and one half of the bunk.  He was good for about a half hour then went up and started with the birdies again.  I gave him a couple squirts with the hose and he left in a huff.  A half hour later, the net is almost over and I hear a commotion in the cockpit.  He’s back and he’s brought me a little birdie. I confiscated it.  It had lost a couple feathers and left a little puddle of poop in my hand before flying away. I told him what a bad kitty he was.  I could tell he didn’t give a shit.

This was a very different day for him.  Since you left, he has mostly stayed on your boat or ours.  He wasn’t spending much time on land.  Today, he spent most of the day on land.  It was dead quiet.  No guests.  Only nine boaters here and the staff.  He was really enjoying himself.  I hated to lock him up.  He was having such a good time and totally relaxed.  Laying on the dock in the shade, rolling on his back with his feet up in the air.

TTFN (tatafornow) “

“While you’re up, would you crank up the fan a notch ?”

08/4 “Chico

Chico is doing fine.  Everyday is different.  I let him out as soon as I wake up.  I think he goes to shore for awhile.  Eventually he winds up in our aft cabin and usually listens to the net with us.  Then he hangs out for a while sometimes, then we go back to his boat and feed him.  Sometimes he stays in his boat all day.  Other times he sleeps on your deck and sometimes he spends the afternoon sleeping on our deck.  Who knows.  Yesterday, I was at the pool at 3 pm and he came sauntering through the pool area and then headed off into the bushes.  I was surprised he showed up at the pool so early.  The only other people there were the Tonicats and she had her phone music on at 10,000 decibels.  Maybe that’s why he left.  I thought I might leave too.”

09/4 “Chico

He must have smelled the bacon, he just showed up.

12/4 “El gato malo

If he is not in the boat and I walk the loop between the bathrooms and the pool and call his name he shows up.  The girls who work here laugh when I go looking for him.  They call him the “gato malo”.

14/4 “El gato malo

Let me tell you that today was one bitch of a day.  Everyone w/o AC was miserable.  I let Chico out about 5:30.  He did not come over to our boat once today.  He went to land this morning right away.  When I got up  I had to go find him to feed him.  I saw him leave the boat ten minutes later.  During the early part of the day, I would just do the loop every 2-3 hours .  He would always meow when he heard me so I could see where he was and that he was okay.   Around three I went up to the pool to join Lequesteau.  There was a whole bunch of vacationers up there too.  I guess because I was there, he just made himself at home around the pool.  Walked around, bumped heads with strangers, rolled on his back and showed his belly.  It was almost embarrassing.  Rosa was behind the bar and I kept trying to hide him under a table so that she would not notice he was there.  Pfft!  Everybody loved him except Mike on Ecos ??  A very peculiar guy.  Even Stan – who comes by a lot in the morning – would not touch him at first – now, he pets him and talks to him.”

15/4 “The bar fly

Everyday brings a new surprise.  Our little darling spent most of the day on the boat sleeping off his busy day of yesterday.  About four Gordon and I went up to the pool.  I’ve been trying to low profile him.  He has become quite comfortable up at the pool.  Yesterday he was up there but he pretty much stayed under a bush.  Forget that today.  The pool was very busy and he was determined to be the darling at the piscina.  He marches right across the pool deck and heads for the bar.  I picked him up several times and moved him to another part of the property thinking he might find something more interesting there.  No way!  Five minutes later back at the pool.  

Everybody was laughing at both of us and all the little kids wanted to pet him.  For a while, he was at the far end of the pool sitting under the traveller palms with just his head sticking up over the grass – watching everything that was going on and thinking nobody could see him.  Out of the blue, he starts across the pool deck and when he gets near me, he breaks into a full run and heads straight for the bar – where Kevin and his family have just arrived.  That time, I grabbed him, with everybody laughing and took him to my boat – where he stayed for about an hour – before he disappeared again.  But by then it was dark.  He turned up again about 8:15.  I fed him and locked him in the boat.

I hope when you get back he minds you better than he minds me.”

16/4 “The little darling

Everyday is different.  Let him out this morning about 5:30. It started to pour about 15 minutes later.  He came racing back to our boat and jumped into the aft cabin.  Thank goodness he got on Gordon first cause he was pretty wet.  It rained until nine.  We all slept in.  Then, we went back to his boat and I fed him and he stayed on his boat all day.  Came outside about five.  Came over to our boat about 5:30.  Hung out till 7:30 then he pissadeared.  I turned him up about nine up at the POOL.  Only he wasn’t hanging out on the deck.  There were about 40 people in the pool and the deck was wet.  So, he was hanging out under the bushes watching everything.  He didn’t really want to go back to the boat but he did. “

19/4 “The little darling

I don’t know what happened .  He couldn’t get enough of the pool for about three days and now he won’t go near it.  I usually put him in around eight which is usually when he is ready.  Tonight, supper was real late and I took him for a walk around 7:30.  He stayed pretty close for about a half hour and then he pissadeared.  About nine, I went back to the boat and got the container of crunchies.  Shake that a few times and he always turns up.  So, he didn’t go to bed until after nine tonite.”

22/4 “The little brat

Last night or this morning he busted out.  I put the aft hatch down at night, but, if it isn’t going to rain I leave the little portholes open.  He managed to squeeze his fat ass through one of those portholes.  I returned to my boat after I realized he was out and I was looking the docks for him.  All of a sudden he came around the two bathrooms corner and he was moving pretty fast.  Something must have spooked him.  I think he knows he did something bad cause he’s been pretty quiet and he is staying on his boat so far today.

Also, he must of got into a tussle with something cause when I was brushing him a couple days ago I noticed slight swelling on his tail about 3-4 inches down from the torso.  When I felt a little more I noticed a couple punctures.  They didn’t abscess or anything and he’s okay.  This would have been before Romeo so I don’t know what he tangled with but I doubt it was bigger than him.  What a sissy !  He was obviously running away if he got chomped on the tail.

The guests have left and the pool belongs to us again.  This place was a zoo during Holy Week.”

29/4 “Chico

No internet for seven days.  The brat cat is just fine.  More tomorrow.”

01/5

“Your cat has defected”

06/5 “The brat cat

I think he had a scrap tonite with the stray marmalade.

Here’s the update on his pantry.  Whiskas – 4         Nine Lives – 11              Fancy Feast – 26

Treats and crunchies almost out – certain to be empty by the time you return.

No catnip anywhere.  Tssk!

I looked at your bedcover today.  He must be sleeping on it cause it looks pretty scary .  As in YUCK!  Gasket still hanging from port porthole .  Other than that, all is well.

Are you expected on the 11th?

Three degrees hotter than hell here.”

07/5

“The darling at the piscina”

07/5 – John to Gillian–

“John has a theory that the cat is suffering from lack of proper nutrition, depression, and general low self esteem, to name just a few reasons.

Oh and I forgot STRESS.”

08/5 “The cat

I can understand the stress angle.  Our old cat Chester, he hated the boat.  He was over ten years old when we moved him on the boat with us.  He never liked it.  He hid all day and did a total freak-out when he heard the windlass.  He didn’t like loud noises anymore – he was just getting old.

I don’t know about nutrition except that he loves crunchies.  It’s tough to get canned food down him.  I have figured out that most of the time he leaves half or more of it.  Even if I make sure that he doesn’t get a lot of food late in the day, and then give him canned food for overnight – he still rarely eats it.  Sometimes he eats all of it, but, not very often.  Mostly, he licks the gravy.  I’ve also saved him pieces of bacon, ham and cheese.  Sometimes he’ll peck at it.  I poured some milk in my glass two mornings in a row and turned my back on it for two minutes to find him lapping the milk out of my glass.  And, it’s boxed milk no less.  I can only stand it if I mix chocolate or vanilla in it.  When we went to Puertos Barrios I bought a small bag of dry cat food and it’s in a jar on the floor of the cockpit.  He knows where it is.  He’ll sit in the cockpit and stare at the jar.

Gordon’s sister had five cats and she couldn’t stand the smell of canned cat food.  Those cats ate dry food all their lives and were pretty darned healthy cats.  Twenty years ago when we sailed with Fannie and Chester I only fed them Hill’s Science Diet – mostly because most dry cat foods were in paper bags but Hill’s was in a sturdy plastic bag and survived intact for long periods of time.  Occasionally, I gave them canned people tuna and scraps from the table.

I don’t know about low self-esteem.  That would be a tough one to figure out.  He does seem lethargic though.  When we walk him, 90% of the time he just walks with us.  Sometimes, he’ll take off on his own and we go sit by the pool until he shows up or we just go back to the boat and I go look for him around nine.  That is, If I haven’t heard a cat fight before nine.  Every now and then he does a jump and bolt where he suddenly just takes off into the trees at a dead run.  I think he could be depressed.  He might be confused right now because he spends his days here, but, at night I lock him up on your boat.  I don’t think he likes to be alone.  When he naps on the boat I think he likes the background noise.  He knows someone is here.

But hell, I’m not a cat psychiatrist.  He is a big cat, I don’t mean fat, I mean big.  Sometimes, these bigger cats wind up with cardiac issues.  They were just never meant to be that big.  Even the Maine Coons if I remember correctly have a shorter life span.  I’ll have to check that tho.

We’ll be waiting for you on Sunday with bells on.”

08/5 “That cat- Gillian

It just occurred to me that you two are fucking with me ???”

09/5 – “Jen to Gillian

Oh dear Gillian, that was John, I didn’t even know he pretended to be me and sent you that bogus message, he really is a bugger sometimes….well you owe him one now. I can assure you I’ve never had worries about Chico’s: ” lack of proper nutrition, depression, and general low self esteem, to name just a few reasons. Oh and I forgot STRESS””

09/5 “Dear John

I thought you were dead serious about poor Chico.  It wasn’t till later that I realized you were fooling.  At any rate, He’s resting quietly on the freezer.  We are careful to not close any lids on his tail.  If he’s on a lid we want to get into we just slide him to another one.  Usually, he doesn’t even wake up.

Well, this morning I went over half asleep to let him out.  The boat was further away from the dock than usual and when I reached for the dock with my foot, I didn’t make it.  Somehow, I wound up suspended between the boat and the dock with a death grip on each.  I flailed around for 10-20 seconds trying to get my feet onto something .  When that didn’t happen, I gave up and dropped into the river.  I swam over to my boat and got Gordon to come back to your boat and lower the ladder so I could get out.  Then, with my soggy pink pajamas on, I trotted to the bathroom for a shower. It is a very fast way to wake up.

I have never been in that river.  Creepy water.  Chico kept looking over the side of the boat saying “mew” “mew”.

Can’t wait for you two to get back. “

09/5 “Exercise

I’ve been trying to get Chico to get some exercise in the evening.  I took him up to the pool around five.  And, the kiskadee flycatchers pecked his butt all the way down the dock.  He actually flopped at one point and I had to go down the dock and pick him up.  I think they don’t like him because they probably have a couple nests on these boats.  They are nesting on out radar bracket and probably someplace else close by.  When they see him in the open they go after him.  Anyway, I don’t think he’s getting any exercise.  He just likes to sit by the pool and watch everybody.  He is friendly with TukTuk tho.

I will never be here again during the month of May.  It has been very hazy too.  It has been said that they are burning the fields and that is why ???  Like it ain’t hot enough, let’s start a bonfire.”

10/5 “Dear John

The little darling broke out of the boat again this morning.  It appears that he squeezed his chubby little butt through the other small porthole in the aft cabin.  The one on the starboard side which I have not been closing at night because I didn’t think he could reach it.  Well, he can and he did.  The gasket is intact but about 1/4 of it is not in place.  The screen, however, did not fair so well.  It is broken in half and about 1/2 of the screen has been ripped from the frame.  I’m sure anything can be fixed if you have enough glue.  Or, if you have any spares you might want to bring them back with you.  I have been leaving the aft hatch open several inches at night to let more air in.  Last night I only covered half of it with the screen.  I’m surprised he didn’t try to get out that way.  It would have been much easier ???

At any rate, he is resting now on the freezer.  Poor little thing has had a busy morning.

It has been ugly hot here.  Two nights in a row now I have got up after going to bed and hosed myself off on the deck.

Looking forward to your return.  Bring kitty treats.”

11/5 “The river

Yes, I did go for an early morning swim.  Got a couple bruises to prove it.”

10/05 “The electrical storm

Chico just turned up on the boat.  We went to town to try the Surf and Turf at Bruno’s with Tica and Four Seasons.  When we left he was sleeping on the reefer.  Right after we finished eating we started hearing thunder and seeing lightening .  We hopped in our dinghy and raced back to the marina.  Just as we pulled our new old dinghy up undercover near the bodegas, it started to pour.  I raced to your boat cause I had left the aft hatch open.  I went below to make sure everything was okay.  Didn’t see the cat but didn’t look for him either.  In the meantime lightening and thunder are crashing all around us.  I was sure someplace in the marina had been hit.  Meanwhile Gordon is holed up where he parked the dinghy.  As I ran down my dock, the boat cover was flapping and ballooning and snapping.  The wind at that point was very strong and we heard later on the radio that someone clocked it at 50 mph.  Checked my boat, no cat.  Okay, must be on Aeeshah.  We had a brief gap in the downpour for a few minutes so I ran back to your boat.  No cat on either boat.  Shit!  Since I was already soaked anyway, I took a brief spin through the grounds calling his name.  No cat.  The storm started two hours ago and there is still thunder and lightening in the distance and it is still raining.  Here comes the cat – soaking wet.  

Not a care in the world and acting like “big deal – a storm”.  He had to have been totally spooked by the storm.  I know Gordon and I were.  Actually, he looks a little subdued .  Hope your trip isn’t too harrowing.”

 

 

“In the end nothing we do or say in this lifetime will matter as much as the way we have loved one another.”                   – Daphne Rose Kingman