Guatemala

10/1/06

We arrived back to Valentina last Wednesday evening after being away for about 6 weeks.   We traveled around Guatemala for about three weeks, then we went to the States for three weeks to see family and friends.

We returned with four very heavy suitcases packed full with boat projects.   

Just imagine for a moment........you own a home, but you could only go to Home Depot one time a year.   And, you had to haul everything for your year's home projects and "unexpected" projects back to your home.

Well, that is what we did, but, perhaps not so easy.    One of our bags weighed over 80 lbs. which would have been a $50 penalty.  So we switched a few things to another bag at the ticket counter to get it under 70 lbs, resulting in only a $25 penalty.  Now we have one 70 lb. bag and three bags close to 50 lbs., each has a backpack of our personal clothes, our laptop bag and another carry-on.

To get from our kids house to our boat with our bags, we had to go to the Minneapolis airport, then Guatemala airport,  through customs, a taxi to a hotel, haul the bags to our room, a taxi to the bus station, on the bus for a 5½ hour ride, taxi to dinghy dock (not far, but too many bags),  water launcha to the marina, and finally....on Valentina.   whew !

The moral of the story, be thankful for your local Home Depot. 

We are thankful for West Marine and our friend, Peter.

It took us about 3 days to sort through and find a place for most of the goodies.   

Things we brought back included: 

New Katadyn watermaker, belt tensioner for our alternator, new molding for all 12 hatches and portholes, spare light bulbs for navigation lights, new flashlights, 3 inflatable fenders, hand-held VHF radio, spare cockpit external mike for boat VHF, patches and kit for dinghy, new shower curtain, new silverware (saltwater rusted previous set), new small vegetable chopper (non-electric), boxes of zip-lock bags, almonds and pecans (cannot get them here), double 15 Mexican train domino set, security alarm for companionway.

While we were gone, there was a bad lightning storm, that hit a catamaran in the marina.  It blew out two holes in the pontoons at the water line and extensive damage.  So, several boats in the marina have discovered they were also victims.  Mostly, battery chargers, inverters, and radars.   We had tested almost everything and thought we scathed the bullet.

But, today, we discovered otherwise.

We had noticed our autopilot was not working properly.  "No, not 'Otto', we cannot do without him!"
We went out to test it, but, could not turn it off.  So, we began the investigation.   We called our Tecnautic  friend, Otto, and the troubleshooting began.   After over an hour on the phone, Otto felt sure it was our drive box.  He said, if we could ship the drive box to their office in Switzerland, they will repair it in one day and send it back.

10/2
That sounds easy, just ship it.....but, we are in Guatemala, remember?  The only place to ship it overnight locally is at DHL about 1½ hours away.
So, today, we will take our autopilot part and board the microbus (a 12 passenger van in the US) with up to 30 of our near and dear friends, and head to Morales, then change vans, to head to Puerto Barrios another hour away.
Drop off the part, only to do the same to return to the river.  
It is really not that bad, but another adventurous day.

Sonny took this photo today.  He is in the front seat and the driver's assistant was hanging out the open door as we are going down the road at 90 km calling out, "Barrios, Barrios, Barrios" for more passengers.
Our only concern on our autopilot, is getting our drive box back safely to us.   Our friends, Roberto and Any (S/V Deux Pieds)) had ordered a new controller for their solar panels, and when DHL had delivered it, to Roberto's surprise, he opened the box to find three denture molds and no controller.   In Guatemala, many packages do not make it to their final destination properly.  No questions asked.
It cost us 932 Quetzals  or  $124.26 US to ship the 1½ lb. box to Switzerland.  (ouch)

10/4
Well, manaña is finally here.   No more resting for us.   We are in full gear completing the projects on our list before we head back out.


Sonny has worked all day beginning the installation of the Katadyn watermaker and I have begun the ritual of refreshing the teak with varnish in between rain showers.


10/10
We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our autopilot part back from Switzerland.   Our part arrived in Switzerland on Monday morning, the guys repaired it and had it shipped back out to us within two hours.  Great customer service from Otto.   It is currently in Guatemala City, so hopefully, tomorrow, we can go to Puerto Barrios to pick it up.
So, this morning, Sonny is ready to fiberglass the mounting block  for the watermaker pump.  He has already completed the electrical wires, water hoses and pre-filters while waiting on our mount to cure.
We have also replaced all of the rubber gaskets on our two main hatches and ten portholes.

10/11
Today is the big day!   Our autopilot (hopefully) has arrived at Puerto Barrios.  Paul and Linda (S/V Miramar) has purchased property and in the process of building a house in Honduras, so they just recently bought a vehicle and told us we could take a "road trip" to go to Puerto Barrios to pick up our autopilot part.
So, off we go.....when we arrived at the DHL office, Sonny went in to get our package.   He came out smiling.   He had opened the box, and to our delight, had the correct parts.  So, back to the river we go.

10/12
Oops, did I say back to the "River"?
We did spend the night, but on Thursday morning we headed out again with Paul and Linda, but this time about three hours away to the famous Mayan ruins in Tikal and Flores.

This route had the most beautiful countryside and scenery, it was so enjoyable.

Guatemala is absolutely a beautiful country.

Inside the park, they had hammocks for rent, covered with mosquito nets for a few dollars a day.In Flores, we watched a local worker repair the thatch hut roof and walked around the shops in town.
 We spent the night in El Remate, a very quiet, tranquil village.

The cows, pigs, horses, dogs, chickens, and children run loose....... all  in the middle of the "highway" of the village.

10/13
We all woke up early to get a cool start on the ruins at Tikal.
Sonny and Paul are checking out the map of the ruins.

History claims the Maya civilization settles here around 700 BC.

The national Parque contains thousands of separate ruined structures, many being excavated today.


Sonny is climbing up the steps to one of the tallest structures.



Recently, they discovered a new wall and steps.

The geologist are documenting the discovery.

Mayan people are very ingenious and very creative in getting the job done.
As we walked around the ruins, we came across this method of hauling huge, heavy limestone up to the top of the ruins for renovating.   They used a motorcycle, with a rider aboard, and connected the line around the back tire and hauled the limestone to the top.











Do you see the limestone going up?


See the line connected with pressure to the back tire of the motorcycle?

As the rider gives it gas, the limestone slowly climbs to the top.





Can you picture the grin on the motorcycle driver?

Just another day at work.




The walk through the ruins was a beautiful, rain forest and jungle.


We saw monkeys swinging from the trees.

We were not in the best spot....you do not want to be below them....they let you know they are above you.  Do not look up.

After the trip through the ruins, we all decided to do the zip line through the jungle with the Tikal Canopy Tour.  That was the time of our lives!  We were with Paul and Linda...what a way to spend your pre-64th birthday Paul!  They were pros.....as they were hot air balloonist in their previous life....before sailing.

Kay was not sure what we were getting into.
When we arrived, you put on a harness around your legs and shoulders with a hook that attaches to the zip line.
The zip line is a series of cables linking huge trees up to 300m apart (900 feet).
The trees have a platform built on the top, that you slide from one tree to another, get off, and do it again.
Being somewhat afraid of heights, Kay was holding on for dear life on the platforms, which were about 100' in the air.
There was only enough room for the four on the small platform for us and our two guides.
We started out on the first zip line with 14 different platforms.   Then we went to the higher and faster one with 8 platforms.   We zipped under some monkeys and saw four toucan birds.   It was awesome!
No, I don't think the platforms would be OSHA approved.....but, our guides were very safety conscious.
I just kept wondering, "What would our kids think of us doing this?"
We talked about how sore we would be the next day.  Once your harness is connected and you raise your feet off the platform, and lean back, you glide down the cable until you pull down on the cable wire with your hand to slow you down for the next platform.

                                      Great memories!

10/14
We arose early and started our trek back to the river after a fun few days.
About halfway, Paul wanted to stop in Poptún at Finca (farm) Ixobel.
We all fell in love with this farm, very laid-back and has tree houses you can rent out for lodging.

I am afraid when our cruising time comes to an end, Sonny will be building a tree house somewhere for us to live in.
The tree house rents for 80Q for two people, or about $11 a night.









After driving around, we passed a banana plantation where the stalks of bananas are covered with a ventilated blue bag, until harvested.



We arrived back at the river  to Miramar and Valentina, patiently waiting.

10/15
Sonny rose early this morning with plans and projects on his mind.  We are to the last stages of connecting the watermaker and it is very exciting.
We made our first glass of water!  It is amazing, Sonny did a test of our water we made against the bottled water in the store and our watermaker makes cleaner water than the store bought bottled water.

10/16
After our morning walk, Sonny began completing the watermaker project.
Here is a photo of the membrane and water pump in the settee by the a/c  on the port side....finished.

10/17
Wow!  Today is Kay's one year anniversary from retiring from Holcim.   It has been a fast and furious year, but a wonderful one.   I am so thankful that we just quit our jobs while we are still healthy and able to achieve our goals and dreams in our lives and.......just doing it!  Cast off the lines, and, go!
We are working on various projects on the boat to get ready to head back out to salt water.   Kay is varnishing the cap rails and eyebrows today.   She can make it rain by just getting out the varnish!  We have had a few dry days, so we have to take advantage of it.
Sonny is figuring out the watermaker and has completed the project.   We are converting the river water to drinking water (after testing) , and then filling our water tank.   It is such a good feeling to know you are totally self-sufficient on our boat.

10/18
We have been walking every morning through the village nearby and up and down the hills for exercise with a group from the marina.   But, we wear our bathing suits, because as soon as we get back to the marina, we have to jump in the pool.  It is so hot here.   Sometimes, some people just jump in the pool with their clothes on.......right, Karyn?

But, this morning before we went walking at 8 am, Kay has already brushed the spider webs down on deck from the night before, and sanded what she is going to varnish for the day and Sonny has taken off a chain plate that had been
leaking.   For non-sailors, chainplates are what connects the wires that hold up the mast.  We have six chainplates aboard Valentina.   And, when they leak, it is wet down below.
So we started to replace the caulk in each of the chainplates.   We would work about an hour, head to the pool to cool off, then get a snack, the work, pool, snack........until dark.
Dark?   that is when Roberto and Any (S/V Deux Pieds) arrived back home from Argentina.   It was so good to see them and have them back.  A great reunion!   We had Mike and Karyn (S/V Sueños) and Roberto and Any (Deux Pieds) over for the evening.   It was like old times.   Great friends and great memories.

10/19
Today......is our one year anniversary for living aboard.   It has certainly been a good, exciting first year.  But, Valentina is our home and we are very happy and content to be able to live this lifestyle at this time in our lives.
After our walk and swim, we repaired two more chainplates today and Kay washed a load of clothes.
The two local nurses in our marina that manage the local clinic were called to the village this afternoon.   A young lady who was 23 was unconscious.  After they rushed to the village, the young mother died.   Life is just too short and must be lived to its fullest.  We must make the most of each day that we are given.

10/20
We worked very hard today in the heat re-bedding the remainder of our six chainplates.
We were pooped, but some of the band members were getting together tonight at the restaurant to just play and have a good time, so Sonny took his harmonicas and we headed to the Cayuca Club.   It was a very good time.  It was the last time for the band to be together, so all the guys just played as everyone sang.

10/21
Today we rested.   We swam, slept some, and played farkle with our friends.   Sonny won one game tonight!

10/22
We went to church this morning in the nearby village.  It is a good spirit.  Refreshing!
 Gary and Kaijah on S/V Kaijah's Song went with us this morning.  Kaijah is holding one of our friends.
We said "adios" to our church family as we will be leaving the river soon.  We will miss them.





You can worship together with others, anywhere in the world.   It is the same God and same sweet spirit, but, it sure is hard saying "adios".
Here is a picture of our pastor and the children at the front of the church saying their memory verses.

10/24
We are heading to Guatemala City today to celebrate our 15th Anniversary together (and stock up on some last minute boat supplies before we leave Guatemala next week).  We will return on Thursday, the 26th.

10/29
We have been busy getting projects completed on the boat so we can head out across the bar at Livingston at high tide around 4 p.m. on Nov. 2nd.  Sonny has the watermaker running great, we have installed a fan in the lazarette in the cockpit so our battery charger does not get overheated, repaired a leak in the tube in the dinghy, varnished the new screens, purchased and external hard drive and backed up both laptops, set up our little laptop to also received weather fax and winlink email from the SSB, changed the oil in the generator, motor and dinghy.

Tonight, Roberto and Any (S/V Deux Pieds) invited us over for an Argentina custom.   On the 29th of each month, you eat Nowokkers for prosperity and happiness.  She made the dish from flour and water, and rolled the dough into a tube and cut into cubes, then add a meat sauce and cook it.  It was very tasty and good.
But, you must put a dollar (or in Guatemala, a few quetzals) under your plate while you are feasting for an abundance of prosperity.   So we did......we will see how it turns out.   We will let you know.  Any would not keep our money as a tip, she said that would be bad, you have to take your money back after eating.

10/30
Well, the departure date is near, and it is time to take down our awnings and clean and store them. What a job!  In the river, everything is moist, and begins to  change our ivory awnings into a green tinted awning.
So, we spent the day cleaning the sail covers and awnings, near the pool, and jumped in every few minutes to cool off.

Kay washed our last few loads of clothes to begin a clean slate.  She also created a logo for   Valentina and opened an on-line store here on our website where our friends and family can purchase Sailing Valentina items.  Sounds cheesy?   Sorry, but, we make a small percentage to put back into the cruising kitty.   Our friends, Jim and Niki on S/V Seayeti told us about it and have one on their website.   It is good quality stuff,  It was a lot of work setting up, but we are glad we did it now.

10/31
Trick or Treat!   We had a treat!   We pulled out of the marina and anchored in Shell Bay, near the big bridge in Rio Dulce for the evening before heading down the river to Livingston to check out of Guatemala.   It was such a treat to be back on anchor, with the breeze blowing down the hatches again.   It was a beautiful anchorage.

And.....we have to have a feet picture.......at night, we normally sit on the deck to watch the beautiful sunsets, and yes, our feet are propped up, enjoying life.


Aaron and Lyla (S/V Blow Me Away,
and Gary, Kaija, and Doc (the guard dog and Captain) (S/V Kaija's Song) also anchored nearby.  We are all heading to Belize, then Bay Islands of Honduras.

We all did our last provisioning in town, said our goodbyes to fellow sailors we met and became very close to and headed to bed for a good night's rest before our trek back down the beautiful river.
The River was a good, safe place place to spend hurricane season.   We are very glad to have experienced it and  traveled extensively around Guatemala and saw a very beautiful county that we love.....but, it is time to pull up the anchor and move along.
Come go with us!

     Here is our view as we cruised
    down the beautiful Rio Dulce River
    on our way out.





   
One time Kay counted 11 cayucas in one small area with fishermen, women, and children, casting lines to catch their dinner.





 

Sonny admiring the view










Valentina is ready for some salt water.   Off we go......thanks for coming aboard with us!