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April 2004 Guatemala and The Rio Dulce It was good to be able to sail into the anchorage at Cabo Tres Puntas after a nice cruising chute reach from the Sapodilla Cays. It had been along time since we had anchored under sail and it is one of the parts of sailing that I enjoy most. Sailing from one anchorage to another without the use of a motor is very satisfying! Cabo Tres Puntas was just a stop over for us; it is a handy eight miles from Livingston but much more sheltered. We were now in a good position to get across the Rio Dulce Bar and get 'cleared in' to Guatemala during normal working hours on the Monday morning. We had a nice relaxing night and in the morning heaved anchor and drifted out of the anchorage under sail whilst having breakfast in the cockpit and listening to the screams of the Howler Monkey's and Parrots etc. ashore. Of course this did not last for long, after half an hour we were forced to start the motor for the remaining distance and came to anchor off the Port of Livingston at 0830hrs. Livingston is a transit town, most people are either coming or going but few stay for long. There is an abundance of cheap accommodation and low cost restaurants aimed at the 'back-pack brigade', it is a fun place for a short time but has little of interest. The Officials were very prompt and efficient, they came out to see us for the preliminary paperwork and we followed them ashore to complete it. The cost was sixty-two dollars U.S., which was somewhat more than we had expected. We were lucky to meet up with two very nice couples on a boat that was just 'checking out' and in a very short time gleaned a guidebook full of current information on what was available and what was happening in the Rio. This sort of information exchange is one of the great things about the yachting community and sets it apart from many other sports. Everyone is so helpful! We decided not to remain in Livingston overnight, the anchorage is unattractive and there was no reason to stay. The Rio was now close at hand and we were keen to go and look. We heaved anchor and motored up stream into the Rio Dulce canyon. It is difficult to describe the trip but in the two hours it took to get to our next anchorage, Paula managed to take over a hundred and fifty pictures! Such is the majestic beauty of the place. The Canyon walls tower three hundred feet to overhanging precipices where vines and creepers hang down into the luxuriant vegetation that lines the sides. In mid channel, fishermen cast nets from dug out canoes, flinging a silvery spider's web far over the water; when the net lands, a million diamonds jump skyward to sparkle in the late afternoon sun. We were impressed! Our first anchorage was off the Rio Tatin where we had been told there was a training school for the local Indians, which was well worth a visit. By the time we got the hook down however, it was to late to go ashore so we had a quiet evening in the cockpit admiring the view and watching the parade of local water traffic go by. We set a good anchor light and watched the river slowly go to sleep. Soon after dark it was just us, the Rio, the sounds of all the jungle animals and a multimillion-dollar luxury yacht anchored just a short distance down stream. It seemed a little out of place in this setting but gave us an improved sense of security! Next day we were in the cockpit for breakfast before the sun rose, in time to hear the Rio awakening. First the Birds and other animals making their morning calls then the outboards getting started as the locals went off to work or sent the children off to school. Everything goes by boat here, there is no other transport system. By the time we were ready to go off exploring the river side life was already in full swing. Babies were being bathed, laundry was getting washed, houses were getting built or repaired. It was a hive of activity. We checked out both the tributaries of the Rio Tatin and then went ashore to see Ak ' Tenamit. This is a charitable organisation, which promotes sustainable development of the rural communities in the area. They aim to educate the locals whilst promoting the Maya Q'eqchi (Indian) culture. It was somewhat unfortunate for us that school was out and very little was taking place at the time of our visit. We did however get a good look around and were impressed with what we saw. Most impressive however, was that after struggling up to the top of quite a major hill in the jungle; we came upon a building that was packed with computers.Twelve of them, all linked to the Internet via satellite and all running Linux software. This building had a tin roof, no windows and no A/C! There were a couple of fans going but the humidity had to be over 95%. It will have to be a good computer to give long service in those conditions! I was impressed at their hunger for technology but out here in the middle of the jungle I didn't really see a lot of use for computer literacy and as a teaching tool the computer has many drawbacks. I think they have a chicken and egg problem here. At least they should have got the A/C in first! Most of the funding seemed to be coming from Canada… We did enjoy our little visit but pushed on back to the dinghy so that we could continue exploration. Next was the Rio Lampura which ran to the south and we explored about two miles of this before turning back a little worn and hungry for lunch. The day was still young however and we decided to have lunch on the move so we heaved up anchor and set off up river again. We were out of the canyon by this time and the edges flattened off rapidly as we came out into El Golfete, this is the first lake and is about nine miles long by two miles wide. Just as we came out into the lake Paula spotted our first big clump of Water Hyacinth and not wanting to miss an opportunity we steamed across and ran up close whilst I jumped in the dinghy and took some photo's. That little job done we continued into the gulf and came to anchor off the Manatee Preserve on the northern bank. Off we went in the dinghy again (this time armed with a bottle of water each). There were no Manatee's at the Preserve. (I think it is supposed to be 'Reserve' but the local translation into English leaves a lot to be desired). The more correct name for the place is 'Biotopo Chocon Machacas' which refers to a conservation area in the Rio Chocon Machacas Delta in which the Manatee have greater freedom from human intrusion than in other parts of the gulf. We did not expect to see Manatee but we had heard that they had a nice little jungle trek where one could go and admire both flora and fauna with a little help from sign posts and a leaflet that informs the uninformed (us) what they are looking at!It was a lovely walk and had been well laid out with a good path and plenty of information. It was well worth the small fee ($2.50) each. Whilst we were out and about we took the dinghy across to a small waterway that lead to another inland lake, Laguna Salvador. Our route gave Paula plenty of wild life to photograph and we enjoyed the lush vegetation however the sun was going down and it had been a very full day. We returned on board well worn out and ready for a quiet evening in the cockpit but it was not to be. Dark clouds quickly bore down on the lake, the rain arrived and a thunderstorm passed a couple of miles away with vivid lightning. We fitted the side protectors to our awning and sat in the cockpit watching the display and listening to the thunder reverberating off the mountains to the south of us. It was awe inspiring and as the sound of thunder gradually faded away we slept that little bit closer to nature. The next day we decided that Mr John was going to explore and go beyond 'the beaten track' of other yachts. We heaved anchor and retraced our dinghy route into Laguna Salvador then we took a fork off the main waterway and found our way into Laguna Calix (the author of the guidebook had not been this adventurous so we were in virgin territory). As we entered Paula cried out with joy as the whole northwestern section on the lake was covered in the Water Hyacinth. This was our chance to get better photos and we did so want to see "Mr John" amongst them. It would seem that they only grow in shallow water so we could not get far into them before we were in the mud and could go no further. I stopped the engine and we just sat there, held in place by lily pads. It was a beautiful setting and we live in hope that some of our photos will do it justice. I used the dinghy and towed "Mr John" clear of the Lily Pads using the oars before starting the engine, otherwise we would either have blocked the water cooling or fouled the propeller, possibly both! We went back across Laguna Calix and tried to get into the waterway that ran south towards the Rio Chocon Machacas. This proved impossible and we were turned back by trees fallen into the waterway and trees overhanging so much that we would loose the mast. Still it was a good try so we retraced our track out into El Golfete and went down the coast a couple of miles to the main entrance to the 'Machacas'. On entry we turned left and proceeded to a very nice anchorage in another part of the delta. It was a tight spot with room only for one boat and little swinging space however it was stunningly beautiful and as close to nature as one was likely to get. We could sit in our cockpit and admire Snowy Egrets, Warblers and a few dozen birds that I could never name. Every colour, shape and size seemed to be represented. Close behind us lay a large patch of Lily Pads and we were amazed at how much activity took place atop the Pads, All sorts of birds had adapted to life on the Pads; special feet spread the weight so that the pads would not buckle as they walked across. I was intrigued. We sat in the middle of all this grandeur for an hour or so, watching the antics of the birds and taking lots of photo's after which we explored the river. Late in the afternoon we were drifting back towards the boat with the gentle breeze pushing us along when a local resident stopped by. A nice and well meaning lady who lived on the other side of the lake and warned us that another yacht had been boarded at night in this area only a couple of weeks previous and that we should take precautions if we were intending to stay. We did stay and we did take our usual precautions. We also had no problems but our beautiful anchorage was not the same place anymore so the next morning we left and motored down to Fronteras in pouring rain, coming to anchor off Catamaran Island. Fronteras is the main town in this area; around it are a growing number of Marinas providing services to the ever-increasing amount of yachts visiting the Rio Dulce. In particular, there are an increasing amount of Americans who have come to prefer this area to Florida. The sailing season down here is November through May and this is just the time that many want to be absent from the inclement northern U.S. and Canada. In the past the Rio has been Hurricane proof although it lies inside the Hurricane belt. Many people sail in Belize during the Hurricane season with the knowledge that there is a safe haven in the Rio if something should come their way. I'm a little sceptical about this, as they say in finance, "past performance is no indication of future performance" As we expected to be here a while and do at least one trip into the interior I secured a nice berth in which to put the boat (in the best Marina in town) for $50 / week. We now had chance to catch up with e-mails and snail mail. I was able to polish the boat again and try to remove some of the salt that had gelled to the hull. A blue hull looks very nice but to keep it looking nice is hard work. The salt spray dries on impact when sailing in the tropical sun so on making any arrival in port or at anchor one has to remove this white cake before it sets totally solid. After a while it still builds up and the only way to remove it without damage to the paintwork is to wash the hull with vinegar and then wash that off with fresh water. You can see why most good looking blue boats are either in a Marina or between Marinas! The Marina we had chosen was 'Catamaran' and we quite liked it here. I have never been very happy leaving the boat and prefer to have it out of the water when we go away for any length of time. We felt however that there were lots of nice people around us here and that she was in good hands. Thus we packed our bags and took off to see the Mayan ruins of Tikal. We had done a little research on what there was and what we wanted to see; also we had checked out the transport system. We caught a nice air-conditioned coach from Rio Dulce to Flores (some three and a half-hours away). There, after a brief transfer ride in a Passenger Van we found a Hotel to stay in for the night. The first one we looked at was a 'bust' but the second one was reasonable for $32 / night and we had a view over the lake from the small patio outside our room. Arriving before the sunset we had just enough time to wander around the Old City and work up an appetite for dinner. I cannot say I was that impressed by Flores. It has a lot of history; full of cobbled streets and quaintly situated on a small island in a large lake. Today it is joined to the mainland by a road bridge but I believe it was not always so. It was once a centre of government and an outpost of Colonial Spain. Now it’s a 'passed by' town that has for sure seen better days, They do, however, seem to be working on it, quite a few of the streets had been torn up to improve drains etc. There were lots of restaurants and Hotels to cater for the broad spectrum of tourists that pass through. Also, there is a nice Zoo close by, which we sadly missed, having heard all about it only after our visit! The next day we had time to wander around and have breakfast before our shuttle bus picked us up and took us to Tikal. It takes about an hour to get there from Flores so we were in the Park by mid-morning and ready to go. We elected to stay at the Jaguar Hotel $32 / night and this got us a small detached cabin with bathroom. It was a little primitive and basic but proved to be adequate for our purpose. Once we were without luggage we moved off to explore. It takes about twenty minutes to walk from the Hotel to the nearest ruins and another twenty to get to the furthest. That is, if you go direct, however Tikal is full of interesting things to see along the way so by wandering around you can soon manage to clock up some miles! I'm not going to try and describe Tikal to you, except to say that it is the magical and mysterious place that its made out to be. One cannot help but be overawed by its beauty and magnificence. The setting is perfect and the presentation unbelievable. We are so lucky to have this link with the distant past; it sets in perspective the great achievements of human evolution. No matter what your view on History or Culture there is something for everyone in Tikal and I shall never forget the time we spent there. Our luck was in, the rest of our first day the weather remained a little overcast, which made activity more pleasant. There was enough sunshine to get some photos, but not so much that the heat slowed us down. We tried to cover everything but of course, could not. There is just so much to see you need at least two days and a week would not be excessive. The next day we started early and covered all that we had missed the first time around, most of it by shortly after lunch so that we had a relaxing afternoon strolling around the more interesting ruins. Late on there was a rain shower which sent most of the sightseers home early, it was good as we had The Great Plaza almost to ourselves and the moment the rain stopped all the Birds seemed to come alive, their calls filled the air. It was almost possible to imagine how it was when the first explorers came across this ruined City completely swamped by the jungle around it. On that subject I have to admire the amount of work that has been done in restoration of the buildings and the area. When you see the Photo's of how things were back in the 1950's and before and read the names of those involved in the early uncovering and restoration one realises that a lot of American money, blood, sweat and tears was responsible for getting this whole project up and running. Though a poor country the Guatemalans continue to work on improving the area and restoring these magnificent buildings. The wild life both in and around the Park was a special and somewhat unexpected bonus. One is very much out in the Jungle here and you can never tell what you are going to come across round the next bend of the trail. We saw enough wildlife to fill a small book and Paula got some great Photo's! On our last morning we were up with the dawn and went for a Jungle Walk on a nature trail just a short distance from the Hotel, we didn't see as much as we would have liked but there were a few things around. The highlight was 'Mirradore' a sort of tree house arrangement where one could go up into the canopy and come face to face with some of the bright and beautiful things that live there. In the early afternoon we checked out and made our way back to Flores by shuttle bus. Here we found our coach to Rio Dulce already waiting. We purchased tickets and boarded. After ten or fifteen minutes the attendant came along and told us that the coach had been cancelled as there were not enough people to warrant running it! Great, well it is Central America! We got booked on the next coach which was not for another three hours, I wasn't happy about that as it would make our return to Rio Dulce well after dark. The people in the office assured me that there was nothing earlier so I was somewhat surprised to find another coach had arrived outside leaving for the Rio right away. It didn't take us long to decide to jump aboard although it was one of the local, slower busses with no air-conditioning. It was a ride and it did get us back to The Rio just as the sun was setting. Riding in the local busses in Guatemala is an experience not to be missed; the people are very friendly and polite. However this is a very poor country and the value of human life is low. Most of the busses would be condemned if this were Europe or the U.S., out here they take a pride in getting the most out of what they have and most of the bus drivers go at it like Formula One. Overtaking on the uphill, on a blind corner, is normal practice so you don't want to sit to near the front or you may get to see where you are going, not a good idea in this part of the world! Back in Rio Dulce we arranged a boat to pick us up and return to Catamaran Marina where we had dinner in the otherwise empty restaurant and found 'Mr John' as we left her in the berth. We were of course quite ill for the next two days but it would seem that this normal for just about everyone who visits Tikal, after all these years Montezuma is still taking revenge! Eventually we went out to anchor but were hampered by heavy rains. It seemed like the rainy season had arrived early this year and there was much talk of increased Hurricane threats and more rain than average. It was somewhat depressing, as was the weather but we had to move on and slowly made our way down to Livingston where we cleared out on the 13th May. On the 14th we put Livingston fairway buoy behind us unfurled the Genoa and pointed for Belize, one hour later we had Livingston behind us and were again motoring up the Rio Dulce Gorge! We put back into Gringo Bay at the eastern end of El Golfete and spent the next forty-eight hours in torrential rain and thunderstorms. It blew hard from around the clock and we very much appreciated our wisdom in turning back! We decided to return to Rio Dulce for a while, to re-establish communication with family and to let the weather 'cool off'. It was the 21st of May before we again crossed the bar at Livingston (we are getting quite expert at it now!) and on the next day had a nice little motor-sail in calm and settled conditions from Cape Three Points to Placentia. We were at last in Belize! John & Paula |