So we
jumped ship in Indiantown—left the boat on the hard. Problems?
We’ll deal with them next winter.
We left the boat wearing shorts and T-shirts. When we crossed the state line between
Tennessee and Kentucky, we found snow flurries.
We got home and the Forsythia was blooming. So, was Kathleen right that there would be 3
snows after the Forsythia? After the
second snowfall we decided not to find out.
We had a “Now or Never” moment and accepted an offer from friends to
join them in Guatemala. Susan and Derek
(s/v Panacea) were spending time in Rio Dulce on Derek’s son’s boat. Derek’s son, Tristan, and his girlfriend
Claire had recently bought the 47 foot Morgan, Panacea 2.
Twelve
hours after the “Now or Never” moment we stepped into the thick humid air of
Central America. Guatemala City is 175
miles from Rio Dulce. We were a bit apprehensive
about the 6 hour bus trip. We could just
picture sharing space with chickens and goats on a bus that stops everywhere
for anybody and has no maximum capacity.
What a surprise! We had
comfortable, reserved and assigned sets on a modern air-conditioned coach with
. . .Wifi! Unbelievable.
Rio Dulce is a river
town. Parts of it are accessible only by
water. People get from place to place in lanchas, big fiberglass boats that the
pilot runs at full speed. There is no
such thing as a “no wake” zone.
At
night, very few lanchas have running lights.
The river here is very wide and offers many bays and is a great draw for
boaters from all over the world seeking protection during hurricane season or
just a nice laid back place to spend time.
Panacea 2 was berthed at Nana Juana marina, a relatively small marina
associated with a resort, complete with swimming pool.
The main street in town
is choked with traffic—cars, tanker trucks, buses, motorcycles, three wheeled
“tuk-tuks” that serve as taxis.
Pedestrians fill the gaps between vehicles and shops and vendors spill
out into the street. Huge speakers announce
wares at full volume. Mayan women in colorful
skirts and blouses mingle with others wearing T-shirts sporting the logos of
Emirates Airlines, American universities and FDNY.
The variety of fruit and
vegetables is incredible; fresh broccoli, cauliflower, carrots the size of
baseball bats, perfectly ripe papayas and pineapples. There are whole truckloads of mangoes and
melons.
We could buy those tiny perfumed
limes that taste so good in a rum punch.
Cut fruits, pineapple, watermelon, papaya and mango are sold in plastic
sleeves and cups, sprinkled with lime juice and chili powder.
Pollo y papas (fried chicken and potatoes)
must be the national dish because shops and stands offering that dish are
strung along the street every few feet and the air is heavy with the smell of
rancid oil and frying chicken. I don’t
care if I never smell fried chicken again!
The people in Guatemala
are some of the most open, hospitable people in the world. They seemed genuinely interested in trying to
help us where ever we went. As in other
places in Latin America, family is the central feature of life.
We were in Rio Dulce during Semana Santa,
Holy Week, the single biggest holiday of the year. Whole families came from the big city to
relax in Rio Dulce for the week. By whole families, I
mean mother, mother, grandmother, grandfather and babies. It was refreshing to see fathers sharing the
responsibility of child rearing. It’s
not unusual to see a man carrying the baby.
As if there wasn't enough entertainment just walking down the street . . .
Oh, and by the way,
there was a third snowfall back home! But the tropics spared us
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