Trip to Lanquin

While we were waiting for the boat to be launched back in the water, all the other boaters in our marina except Angelina left the river, so it was getting a bit boring.  We, along with Rodney and Katrina, decided to take an inland trip. One of the places many cruisers have on their list is a visit to Semuc Champey, a natural monument in Alta Verapaz, in the middle of Guatemala.  It is a natural bridge in a valley, above which are several stepped, turquoise pools, and is best experienced when there has been rain, so we figured this would be a great time to visit. 

One website states that Semuc Champey is becoming a popular site to visit, but can be a little difficult to get to.  Boy, is that an understatement!  We made reservations on the van from Rio Dulce to the Mayan town of Lanquin, which is close to the monument. We were picked up at noon and joined by four young backpackers, from Slovenia, Germany, Israel, and Austria.  (We are always amazed at the number of young persons from all over the world who set off, frequently by themselves, to backpack across Central America.)  About 45 minutes into the trip, we turned off onto a gravel/dirt road which wound itself up into the mountains.  With all the recent rains, the road was rather bumpy, and there are no guard rails on the side of the road overlooking deep drops in the hillside.  Since there was no A/C on the van, the windows had to be opened, making for a rather dusty ride.

After about two hours, the van turned into a guarded, fenced compound, which turned out to be a camp where the workers in the near-by nickle mines lived.  We were discharged and our luggage taken off the van.   We met up with another group of young travelers on the way from Lanquin (our destination) to the Rio Dulce.  Their van had broken down, and somehow they were brought to this camp, after what they described as a harrowing six hour journey.  They were loaded into our van, which then turned back the way we had come.  We sat for about an hour until a pick-up truck arrived, on which they started loading our bags.  Katrina and Pat, as the two "older" women, sat in the front, and the other six climbed into the back. The driver, who spoke only Spanish,  was one of the mine workers who lives in Lanquin and was on his way home for his once or twice per month visit.  We spent the next four hours on a very narrow muddy road full of ruts and potholes.  The driver honked the horn, or flashed his lights after dark, whenever he came to a curve, to let oncoming traffic know he was there.  Several times, one vehicle had to back up until there was room to pass.  The driver frequently shifted into 4-wheel drive, causing us to wonder how the ordinary vans ever made the trip.  Bill and Rodney and the other four had to stand up holding on to railings on the truck, as it was too bumpy and uncomfortable to try and sit in the truck bed.  We were about 20 minutes from our destination, after dark, when we came to a small village where they were having a religious parade in the middle of the road.  About 40 men, women and children were holding candles accompanied by several others who were carrying a "float" with a statue of Christ carrying the cross or swinging pots of smoke. They would kneel down while the leader read passages from a book, and then they would stand and walk slowly forward while singing.  After doing this four times in complete darkness except for their candles, as there was no electricity in the town, they finally came to a place in the road where they could step aside to let us through.  They were Mayan Christians performing the parade for Lent.



BB court at Nickle mine camp



Taking a break on a bridge



View from the bridge

 We finally made it to our destination, El Retiro Lodge in Lanquin, about 8:00 P.M.  After a buffet meal in the dining room, we were directed to our rooms.  Rodney and Katrina were lucky to get the last room with a private bath, while we got a private "hut" with one "matrimonial " bed, a small table and a bookcase.  The group toilets and showers were a short walk up stone steps.  The backpackers usually stay in dormitories for 6 to 12 persons.



Our private abode



Our room the first night at El Retiro Lodge



One of the sinks outside the showers



Truly a "throne," up 3 steps over septic tank

 The next morning, we saw that we were in a beautiful, riverside compound of palapas and wood buildings.  The open-air restaurant and bar down by the river served adequate food and was a fun gathering place for people from all over the world, the four of us being the oldest.  The second night, we were able to get a room with private bath, so didn't have to climb up the outside stairs to the toilet.

The morning after we arrived, we signed up for a tour of Semuc Champey.  That adventure to follow.

Back in Guatemala

We flew back to Guatemala City on January 16 and spent two nights in our usual hotel, Los Torres.  We visited some of our favorite shops and went back to the big Central Market for a few more Mayan souvenirs, now that we have a condo to put them in!  Rodney and Katrina from Angelina arrived on the 17th, and the next morning our marina manager, John, picked us up in his newly acquired van for the trip back to the Rio Dulce and our boats.  We enjoyed the ride and didn't miss the usual violent Spanish movie they show on the bus.

It was good to find Mobetah bobbing happily in her slip at Monkey Bay Marina.  Not many changes noted except the caretaker's children have really grown since we left.  Abby (6) and Bertilda (4) head off to school every morning in the launcha, often accompanied by mom and brother, Thomas (2).  Alan, at almost 14, leaves way early in the morning for his job in town selling shrimp, and then he attends a private school in the afternoon, not arriving back home until almost 7 P.M.


Off to school



Alan in school uniform with Spice, the marina dog



Abby, Thomas, and Bertilda love to pose for pictures

We got back into the marina life of boat work, happy hour, pot lucks, trips to town for shopping and trying various restaurants.  The only boaters left at Monkey Bay besides us and Angelina were Art and Renie on Jewell and Vonnie and Ray on Wishbone.  Ralph and Cheryl came for a week to check on their boat, Fortuitous, before they left for Chile for a year, where Ralph will be working.

The weather made boat work difficult.  It has been one of the rainiest years in Guatemala in ten years.  There were days of unending downpours.  Our caretaker, Efrain, has had to work hard at keeping the "green" from taking over the boats and marina.  It took us almost three weeks to get four coats of varnish on the exterior brightwork, since there weren't many sunny days.  Finally, by mid-February, we were ready to have the boat hauled for what we anticipated to be a 4 or 5 day "bottom job."  We have always done our own bottom painting, but in doing so, we just kept adding layer upon layer of bottom paint, so we decided with the inexpensive labor prices here, we would have them remove all the old paint.  It was kind of fun to watch three or four men scraping and sanding the bottom of our boat.  It was slower than we had hoped, but finally, after a week, they put on the first coat of bottom paint.  We expected the second coat the next day and then getting back in the water.  Unfortunately, the day before this should have happened, the one-and-only travel lift operator got mad at the boss and quit, so there was no one to put our boat back in the water.  They had to wait a week for someone from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, where they build Travel Lifts, to come down to train more operators!  Thus, it was the end of February before Mobetah was back in the water.

We were fortunate to have our marina owner offer to let us sleep in his vacation house while the boat was in the yard.  We did all our cooking out in the cruisers' kitchen and spent much time in the cruisers' palapa, when not at the boat yard.  By the time we finally got back on the boat, we had stuff scattered all over the marina.  Now it is time to finish getting the boat ready for cruising.


Karl (The Marina Owner's) Vacation Home



Interior of Karl's Vacation Home



Bill at the Kitchen Bar