Merida and Chichen-Itza

After the crowds from Semana Santa diminished, we decided to join Rodney and Katrina for a trip to the Yucatan Peninsula.  Two taxi rides and a ferry ride took us to the bus station in Cancun.  Mexico has a very nice bus system.  We rode one of their higher class buses on the four hour ride west to the city of Merida, which is the capital of Yucatan and is noted for it's architecture and sculptures.  We spent two nights there while touring the old buildings and squares of the city.

Our bus to tour Merida



Old home on "Millionaire's Road"



Another old home



Example of sculpture found throughout the city



Large cathedral on town square



Interior of the cathedral

From Merida, we took another bus west to the town of Piste, which is located right outside the Mayan ruins of Chichen-Itza.  The next morning, we met our guide at 8 AM, so as to miss the big crowds from the tour buses that arrive later in the morning.  Chichen-Itza is one of the most popular tourist sites in Mexico. Our very knowledgeable guide was a young Mayan man who grew up in the town of Piste.  The largest pyramid is one of the new seven wonders of the world.

More Ruins



Rene tells us about the Kukulkan Pyramid



Some other large ruins at Chichen-Itza

Locals selling in the park

One of the things we found different in these ruins as compared to others we have visited is that they allow the local Mayans to set up merchant stalls in the park to sell their wares to the tourists.  Since we got there early, they were still setting up, so did not bother us much.  They disassemble the stalls every night and take everything back to town, often on bicycles. 


The main road into the park

There are always many souvenier shops in the towns also.  This one by our hotel caught our eye.

The morning after we toured the ruins, we stood on the road outside the hotel and caught a second class bus to Cancun.  These always give one a better understanding of the day to day lives of the local Mexican people, since they go through all the little towns, and are a primary form of transportation for the residents.  It makes for a slow, but interesting ride.

Heading "HOME"

On March 21, we finally untied the lines from Monkey Bay Marina in the Rio Dulce and headed Mobetah out of Guatemala.  We spent two night at La Laguna, formerly Texan Bay, from where we took a launcha to Livingston to clear out of the country and indulge in the Garafuna specialty, a seafood soup called Tapado.  The next morning we headed out of the river and across the bar, followed by Angelina.  It turns out, we went a day too soon, as we ended up motoring into a NE wind and waves on the way to Belize.  We spent a few days in Belize visiting with Art and Renie on Jewell, doing some shopping for Belizean items, and anchoring at Colson Cays for snorkeling.  Pat, Rodney and Katrina found seven conch, which Bill cleaned, since he still couldn't get in the water.  Katrina later treated us to conch fritters and cracked conch.



Gathering Conch



Bill cleaning conch


We had two wonderful days of sailing north in near perfect conditions, until we arrived south of Cozumel, Mexico at dusk.  The wind then shifted more northerly, creating "washing machine" waves, so it was a rather uncomfortable night.  Thankfully, we had the current with us, so were able to get to Isla Mujeres by the next afternoon.  We tied up in a slip at Marina Paraiso and turned on the A/C and cable TV!

Marina Paraiso has been bought by a new owner, who is making some much needed changes.  There is a beautiful, new infinity pool, new palapa bar, a restaurant, and repaired docks with new pilings.  There is also a new grocery, Chadraui, in town, so one no longer has to take the ferry to Cancun for decent grocery shopping.

Marina Paraiso



One of the resident Iguanas

We were at the marina for Easter week or Semana Santa, which is an important week in the Central American Countries.  The Good Friday procession went down the street in front of our marina.  They set up stations of the cross at various points along the main road on the island and walk to the main square in front of the biggest church, where they inact the crucifiction and burial of Christ. Along the way, they stop at the stations for readings and singing.



One of the Stations of the Cross



Tour of Semuc Champey

The morning after our arrival in Lanquin, we signed up for a “complete” tour of the Semuc Champey area. The four of us were joined by four young back packers, from Israel, Germany and Washington, DC. Our tour guide, Carlos, was a young Mayan man, who was very personable and spoke four languages–his native Q’eqchi, Spanish, English, and some Hebrew. (There are a lot of backpackers from Israel in Central America.).

Carlos ready to lead us into cave

We boarded another pick-up truck, with Pat and Katrina again inside, and Bill and Rodney in back with the younger folks. After another bumpy, hilly ride of about 10 miles, we arrived at the Cahabon River. Our first activity was to be a tour of the K’Anba cave. (Which we soon learned was not the Lanquin caves that are part of the park system.) Carlos had picked some achiote pods, which make a bright orange dye and spice, which he used to paint our faces. The only question he asked was if we could swim. He gave each hiker a thin, long candle taper. As we descended into the cave, the candles were the only light available. The cave tour consists of wading through water or, in several places, swimming in water over your heads while trying to hold a candle aloft. Then there were several rope ladders with thin metal rungs used to climb up rock walls. About 100 yards into the pitch black cave, Bill slipped on the rung of a ladder and cut his leg below the knee. The next ladder required going through a very narrow opening, which Bill did not feel comfortable doing. So we opted to turn around and go back to the cave entrance. It is good that there were two of us, as one of our candles went out, and had to be re-lit by the other. When the rest of the group came out of the cave, they said it had become more difficult as they went on. At one time, they had to jump through a hole in the rocks into a waterfall and down into a pool, where the guide was there to pull them up and re-light their candles.  We were all just glad to have survived the "adventure."  (This trip certainly showed us that there may be a difference between an adventure and an ordeal!")


Enter the cave AT YOUR OWN RISK



Ready to enter the cave



On the way down into the cave

 Bill’s wound was bleeding quite a bit, but there were no first-aid supplies available, so he tried to keep it covered with frequent changes of toilet paper! When we finally returned to our hotel later in the afternoon, the girl from Israel dressed it with first-aid supplies she carried in her backpack.

After the cave tour, we were able to relax as we tubed down the river for about a mile. We had to hike back to the starting point, where we crossed a bridge over to the Park entrance to Semuc Champey, which is a natural monument in a valley with steep walls surrounded by a tropical forest. There is a 300 meter long limestone bridge at the bottom, above which are several natural stepped pools of turquoise colored spring water. Our hotel had packed lunches for us, so we stopped to eat at the visitors’ center.


Pat and Rodney relax on the river

 The next activity was to be a hike up to an overlook high above the pools. It consisted of very steep steps going almost straight up, and when we saw the sign stating it was very “dificile,” we four “older” folks decided to forego this part of the tour. We walked straight on in to the pools, where we spent the time wading and swimming while waiting on the rest of our group. We were glad we made this decision, as everyone who came down the hill said it was very difficult. Katrina did send her camera up with one of the backpackers, so we could get pictures looking down at the pools. After spending time enjoying the pools, we walked back out to the bridge and boarded the truck for the ride back to the hotel.


Semuc Champey from observation platform



Swimming holes



The valley of Semuc Champey

 The next morning , we boarded a shuttle going west to the town of Coban. This trip required only about fifteen miles on a gravel road, much better maintained than the others we had been on, and then the rest of the way was on paved roads! We had to transfer to a bus about half way to the Rio, but even though it was a nine hour trip, we were certainly more comfortable than on the direct route we had taken to get to Lanquin.

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