January 27, 2012
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| Celebrating 2 years of cruising |
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| Celebrating 40 years of happiness together |
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| Our youngest son, James, has grown up |
And now, we’re cruising again, in search of the ultimate island.
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| SKOL, Thor and Linda's boat, started our cruising dreams some 17 years ago when we partied on board at Catalina's Ishtmus... now 5 docks away from us on the Rio Dulce. What an encounter! |
A few words on our 6-week stay in Guatemala’s Rio Dulce. Marina Tortugal catered to our every need (thanks, Mike and Daphne). We noted other nice marinas: Nana Juana, AKA Catamaran Central or Frenchie Territory (enough said); Catamarans puts out the best football parties I’ve ever seen; Mario’s is popular with the cruisers and more isolated. However, all 3 marinas are downstream from the town and I wouldn’t swim in these waters. Swimming in the river at Tortugal, however, was clean and refreshing and the waterfowl is quite entertaining.
Once tucked in at Tortugal and feeling that DOMINO would be quite safe without us, we took off and toured the interior of Guatemala. Here are the highlights.
- Antigua Guatemala – A eight-hour bus ride from Rio Dulce, destroyed by volcanic activity in 1773, again in 1976, and threatened again in 2010 by lava flow oozing from the Pacaya volcan, the resilient city thrives. Restored colonial buildings house fine restaurants: Los Arcos serves incredible calamares in su tinta, and the splendid Palacio de Doña Leonor has the best roasted carrot soup and another great recipe for Calamares.
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| Volcan de Agua, from our room |
Scaling the Volcan Pacaya, trekking through the lava field and roasting marshmallows in the scalding air;
Touring Santa Maria de Jesus, mixing it with Mayan women in native garb;
Visiting the nun’s Palacio of San Juan del Obispo and its golden chapel;
Wondering where the old city went at Ciudad Antigua;
Weaving colorful patterns with young girls in San Antonio de Aguas Calientes.
- Chichicastenango is another stop, where on market day the entire city fills with thousands of locals in native garb who have no problem mixing their Mayan beliefs with Catholic rites. Be sure to see the morning offering at the church!
- Lake Atitlan – A sunken caldera filled with a lake and surrounded by volcanoes, the site is spectacular. Make sure to take a lake tour and visit San Juan de la Laguna, its coffee co-op (La Voz que Clama en el Desierto) and its organic weaving co-op (www.weavingwomensanjuan.org). I wish I had photos, but our travel camera died on the Pacaya…
And that was it for our interior trip. Never did we find ourselves threatened and we really loved traveling this route. And Raul (Servamar.com) did a great job clearing us out of Guatemala at Livingstonin less than an hour!
We’re now off to Honduras’ Bay Islands: Utila, Roatan and Guanaja…
Until then…
dominomarie
