We've been keeping up our routine that we started when we came here but trying to get more done and exercise a bit more. We were excited when we booked in here because the website said they had a fitness center. Well, maybe sometime in the future they might but as of now they don't. According to the owner he has plans to do it but right now all the equipment is at his home in California. He showed us pictures of it.
A view of one of the tiendas in Fronteras.
This is the tropics and summer is hot. Although, it really isn't much worse than summers in the DC area although in DC there are occasionally days that are cooler. The high temperature here range from the upper 80's to the mid-90's but night temps fall into the 70's. The humidity is usually in the 60-70% range except before it rains it goes up to 100%. Since this is the rainy season it rains almost everyday. We've had some days where it didn't rain or rained only a sprinkle. Most days it rains at night beginning anytime after 1600, So far the rain has only kept us from venturing out for some evening social events. But for some of the ones we've attended we got there dry, then it poured down rain while we were there and got home dry. So far we haven't had any monsoonal rains lasting for days.
Last week we have experienced 2 tropical weather events and an earthquake as TS Cindy formed off the coast of the Yucatan peninsula just northeast of here and then proceeded to move to make landfall in the vicinity of Louisiana. Another unnamed tropical system moved through the lower windward islands but dissipated once it hit the Carib.Thursday a 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit in western Guatemala. Some people here said they heard it but we didn't notice it. Guatemala is an active seismic area. There are several active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. Of course all of Central America is part of the Pacific "Ring of Fire" denoting the Pacific borderlands with potential for significant seismic activity.
A view of Shell Bay looking toward the mountains.
Thus far we have been focusing primarily on boat chores because next week we have our boat hauled for the time we're gone. When we get back there is work to do. We are having the yard redo the teak, repaint the bottom, rebed all of our hardware, clean and wax our hull and topsides (which includes all the stainless). This is all work I usually do myself but they can put a couple guys on it and do it all for not much more than it would cost me if I did it. So now we are getting ready to get hauled out next week.
When we leave next week it will be the longest time we have been gone from the boat since we moved aboard. We are leaving for 2 months. We could leave the boat in the water while we're gone as some friends are doing but there is just less worry on the hard. We will leave an air conditioner and dehumidifier running to keep the boat cooler and drier inside to prevent mold and also keep our nonperishable foods from spoiling in the heat. The yard has a guy that comes around once a week and checks everything and wipes down the insides to help reduce mold.
A gathering with friends at Sundogs Cafe to watch the America's Cup races.
The marina here is really interesting. It is more of a working marina than a resort marina. There is no pool as there are at other marinas in the area and it would be really welcomed on these hot days. Many of the marinas here have no haulout capability or no yard to do work. RAM Marina, where we are, is well managed and there are hundreds of boats ashore for work or just being stored. The launch facility is busy hauling boats and on weekends they launch all sorts of personal watercraft and small boats for local Guatemalans. It is interesting because the fuel dock is busy all the time while the fuel dock for another marina just 50 meters next door (with cheaper prices) has little business. Service counts. The marina has a fence with barbed wire and security guards 24-7 who are armed at night. So far we haven't heard of any criminal activity on the Rio.
A Sunday morning cruiser swap meet.
Preparing the boat for storage we have pulled in all the halyards and sheets as best we can out of the sun so that they are under cover. When we leave, everything we can will be moved inside for storage out of the sun and rain. We have removed our headsails, our main is furled in the mast and I've covered the furling drums with aluminum tape to shade most of the furling lines. I did not go all the way around them to allow water to drain out and air to circulate to dry them preventing mold.
Backpackers Hotel and Resort with our marina in the background.
We have a full fuel tank and we will fill our water tank to reduce the risk of growth and I will once more flush out our holding tank with the fresh water. It's really nice being up the river in fresh water so it cleanses out all the salt. Running the engine getting here flushed it out, I ran the generator the other day to flush it out and our head hoses have been running with fresh water to help remove the salt. It's really enjoyable having fresh water to clean everything. I can even clean our anchor line although we had it down in the river the night before we got here that should have rinsed off all the salt.
Looking over Fronteras from the top of the bridge.
There are many reasons to like it here, up the Rio Dulce.
The town of Fronteras is a vibrant community made up of mostly Mayan people with a mix of other folks and actually lots of tourists. Rio Dulce is a vacation town for inland Guatemalans where they come to play in the river, hike in the parks and stay at one of the many resorts along the river. The sights and sounds of the busy tiendas along the streets where vendors sell almost any sort of agricultural product make for fascinating shopping. At one shop they sell raw cocoa beans. (We plan to buy some and make chocolate from scratch!) There are women making tortillas, grilling chicken and selling ready-to-eat foods. The street is busy with traffic. You can walk down the street with trucks rolling by 6 inches away. There are lots of motorcycles, taxis, buses and 'Tuk-tuk's" which are a 3-wheeled motorcycle that is used for local taxi runs.
Looking down from the bridge at Jocelyn's restaurant on the Rio.
Besides all the boat reasons to like it here it is a great social community. While we work to improve our Spanish there are lots of English speaking cruisers here. Many we know and many we are now meeting. Several of the businesses here have people that speak at least some English so it is easy doing business. Even the street vendors that speak no English are happy when we try to engage with them in commerce using elementary language. The "gringo" bars all speak English but we enjoy the local places better,
In the park by the river.
Fruits and vegetables are plentiful from street tiendas or from the Dispensa which is a big (relatively) grocery store that is supposedly owned by Wal-Mart. We are finding new things to try and new ways to buy things we like. Folks here talk about not liking the local beef. Of course we eat little or no beef so it's not an issue for us. But, I've noticed that all the cattle trucks passing through have Brahman
Mayan woman making tortillas in her tienda with chicken and peppers on the grill.
cattle so they must be big around here and I'm sure their meat tastes different from Iowa grain-fed beef from a feedlot. I suspect that based on their lineage they do better in hot weather than say Angus cattle and that probably accounts for the different taste. Also, the local cattle eat mostly indigenous greens rather than grain so that would account for a different texture and taste. Probably more healthy.
Looking down at a hotel along the street.
Evenings here are not forgotten. On 3 of the evenings there are movie nights at different marinas. The marinas offer a dinner special and then the movie for a cost of about $15 a couple plus they will pick you up at your marina in their lancha saving you from having to drive your dinghy after dark. There are also nights with entertainment at some of the local bars so on any given evening there are great socializing opportunities. Once people return to their boats in the Fall it will be even bigger!
Cleaning a winch.
When we come back from our summer hiatus we have work to do but there is so much sightseeing to do from here as well. No place else in this region offers the opportunities that exist here. A few years ago the social and political instability made this region a high-risk for "gringos" but that has seemingly passed and much of Central America looks like it is open for business.
After being here for 3 weeks we can see why people stay here with many returning for the season year after year. We may change our plans and go cruise for 6 months but come back here. It's relatively safe from crime and horrific weather; lots to do; friendly people, and fresh water. But for right now it's get the boat ready for haul-out and us to fly back to the US.
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