tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86906720076221720232024-02-06T23:34:46.184-06:00Adventures of My PeaceThe electronic log of S/V My Peace as she sails the western CaribbeanMy Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16363560994515892361noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690672007622172023.post-72746854670104346672012-01-29T14:58:00.000-06:002012-01-29T14:58:28.314-06:0029 Jan 2012Started raining last night around 8 and rained all night. When the thunder started Mia flew out of the chair she has been sleeping in to the bed without ever touching the floor. Weather is expected to be like this for a few more days.<br />
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Due to the weather and my boredom I updated all my Homeland Security info purchased my 2012 "Cruising" sticker and checked on the status of my 2012 Coast Guard registration document. Got to thinking that when we re-enter U.S. waters I really wonder if My Peace will be able to pass a Coast Guard safety inspection with the law changes and expiration dates on some of the safety equipment.<br />
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This afternoon we are heading to Vista Rio for dinner, our friends Jay and Jerr took over managing it the first part on the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today’s special is supposed to be “pulled pork”, I’m waiting to see what it taste like, it will surprise me if it can match the pulled pork at the Pig on Beal Street in Memphis.My Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16363560994515892361noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690672007622172023.post-43717927586900539652012-01-27T16:07:00.082-06:002012-01-27T16:33:30.661-06:00November 2011 through Janurary 2012<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>Click on pictures to enlarge</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well, it has been a busy two months, haven’t updated the log in a while, but we’ve been busy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have been around Lago de Izabal twice now and each time has been a new adventure.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The first time we went with Matt & Carla, our friends that we sailed with from Isla Mujeres, Mexico to Placencia, Belize with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jimmy and Karla some new friends we met at Ram Marina in Rio Dulce, Guatemala.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We spent six days going clockwise around the lake stopping and anchoring at nights in protected coves, taking in the local villages and wildlife.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuGJeG0K38ftJczOhfkQUGymJzfizKJhWiTOIG6d_-XmkU6WkjnjqtT8ObZP6EOwVDYeHndyH_Iz3chzFtB0jrR1Q4ZNtf2mDIZ6yk1SD4f8N1zVcWSOMDJ8Cz-6KEVqHNLfRtwRvOruq/s1600/Denny%2527S+Beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuGJeG0K38ftJczOhfkQUGymJzfizKJhWiTOIG6d_-XmkU6WkjnjqtT8ObZP6EOwVDYeHndyH_Iz3chzFtB0jrR1Q4ZNtf2mDIZ6yk1SD4f8N1zVcWSOMDJ8Cz-6KEVqHNLfRtwRvOruq/s400/Denny%2527S+Beach.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Denny's Beach</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our first stop was at Denny’s Beach, a nice small resort with a little village about a 15 minute walk away from where we tied up our dinghies. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ng0hyAAdkoZwkmfjTuQiLGgmlAtpgJUnx-h1PQAq0kb3Rv74y1rLeYVKYIQn5Omr1qME1gHQpGiWEfyVAjaXsHdECawzsHh8UmRXOSe_0_gu9yzwe4X_VrbdEDVC8JXuyagaV798yfP8/s1600/School+in+Chapan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ng0hyAAdkoZwkmfjTuQiLGgmlAtpgJUnx-h1PQAq0kb3Rv74y1rLeYVKYIQn5Omr1qME1gHQpGiWEfyVAjaXsHdECawzsHh8UmRXOSe_0_gu9yzwe4X_VrbdEDVC8JXuyagaV798yfP8/s320/School+in+Chapan.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>School at El Chapin</strong></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGKV001w_uccn-AyIQfV2eTPkoiNb4z6LKsCxBg0ichlA31q3Ndu9KLEm3Te0d-8Qp3pOXt0cupwAKiSXa5VrMlXGNMHFeGmLrqIMdN6oCxSLCWMBJx6nk1jgLSaVcTXkvSZZSemA0IdOU/s1600/Children+in+Chapan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGKV001w_uccn-AyIQfV2eTPkoiNb4z6LKsCxBg0ichlA31q3Ndu9KLEm3Te0d-8Qp3pOXt0cupwAKiSXa5VrMlXGNMHFeGmLrqIMdN6oCxSLCWMBJx6nk1jgLSaVcTXkvSZZSemA0IdOU/s320/Children+in+Chapan.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Our welcoming committe</strong></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglDG-AyrisIFoKU8SCi9rQRS_oYUE2-2ZbY-mqyAP1wrcfFrphIVpGyi-OLOXSzcSA2kMHSC2HJcDOhv2v0_F1maW7zT2dygClv1DjIbgHiitgL8jCB7uR3odTIQT8nvfhK4MIb9x17P11/s1600/Village+of+Chapan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglDG-AyrisIFoKU8SCi9rQRS_oYUE2-2ZbY-mqyAP1wrcfFrphIVpGyi-OLOXSzcSA2kMHSC2HJcDOhv2v0_F1maW7zT2dygClv1DjIbgHiitgL8jCB7uR3odTIQT8nvfhK4MIb9x17P11/s320/Village+of+Chapan.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Village of El Chapin</strong></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We visited the village of El Chapin at the southwest end of the lake; there must have been over 75 children at the little dock to greet us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jimmy brought a couple of bags of candy with him to hand out to the kids; it was a “mad house”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnSVvWSptSOQW0YqfzNkjg_aFOApyc6iVMu60obh5JCENR4fHTX00FKOHuIu3NSwolHDv4pMlpDYxS6P2kar7khbsRypku5fCh4aPwsq6pOCVYtLuqJY_7iIdqNh_X3AK2ww84GM8nLo6Y/s1600/howler+monkey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnSVvWSptSOQW0YqfzNkjg_aFOApyc6iVMu60obh5JCENR4fHTX00FKOHuIu3NSwolHDv4pMlpDYxS6P2kar7khbsRypku5fCh4aPwsq6pOCVYtLuqJY_7iIdqNh_X3AK2ww84GM8nLo6Y/s320/howler+monkey.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Howler Monkey</strong></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMfRrMo3pJjjpAk7gs_1xwugq-Rnpsi3gWeyhsa66wHFDwNEzW4rQsEZEkdP0RmV8aZq7X1Z663SjEQ4V8wVDd1fufsvaVM6wvwrfgy9ixl6P4_aBgm5GVCKG6FTWJtg0CJgX6W8nTHTdL/s1600/howler+monkeys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMfRrMo3pJjjpAk7gs_1xwugq-Rnpsi3gWeyhsa66wHFDwNEzW4rQsEZEkdP0RmV8aZq7X1Z663SjEQ4V8wVDd1fufsvaVM6wvwrfgy9ixl6P4_aBgm5GVCKG6FTWJtg0CJgX6W8nTHTdL/s320/howler+monkeys.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Howler Monkey</strong></span><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqgFPFJclCW9kzW8MC-BRnxFFZwAVE6yQ9DMCP-W7Kmrvn8nrD1txfidv0ixn7L5LmPoldtZL0UAQPBb_4O5CPudbXPyvhA3TkI6Mj1fn2bmnq1D9436XNZlvGw0DU2Br-vvcDNKJOZump/s1600/Guatemalan+Kingfisher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqgFPFJclCW9kzW8MC-BRnxFFZwAVE6yQ9DMCP-W7Kmrvn8nrD1txfidv0ixn7L5LmPoldtZL0UAQPBb_4O5CPudbXPyvhA3TkI6Mj1fn2bmnq1D9436XNZlvGw0DU2Br-vvcDNKJOZump/s320/Guatemalan+Kingfisher.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>King Fisher</strong></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGIfawKJdJifVbvnk_duF97ikr3dJKAJ3l2NXyGNI8mZIfIqTpxVzOw6G1KPjQ5uKPe5pBQf1GThiE_pSQixC3Ek27nQyGpDr5_rrbPbkw6OK8bRYEv7PSOsh1B1n9zSYNcYZqG2y58jg/s1600/Flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGIfawKJdJifVbvnk_duF97ikr3dJKAJ3l2NXyGNI8mZIfIqTpxVzOw6G1KPjQ5uKPe5pBQf1GThiE_pSQixC3Ek27nQyGpDr5_rrbPbkw6OK8bRYEv7PSOsh1B1n9zSYNcYZqG2y58jg/s320/Flowers.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Flowers</strong></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPEsuyE8a4FUigfUcxtNlmE-RyteHyGNDFDFrLsVBwjksVd0dfSyEStFyYM3UivlOwtgWltyA1J1lANXkYuvIxuJ8vNYYH6UaruGc0lP3hZYCHYkj1xH128RF83C_XliKHV5MrLxb5Od9/s1600/Flower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPEsuyE8a4FUigfUcxtNlmE-RyteHyGNDFDFrLsVBwjksVd0dfSyEStFyYM3UivlOwtgWltyA1J1lANXkYuvIxuJ8vNYYH6UaruGc0lP3hZYCHYkj1xH128RF83C_XliKHV5MrLxb5Od9/s320/Flower.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Flower</strong></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSes9ODwdzeL0YUaOjZwZAz5kPaL8PMZ-KhyphenhyphenkJeMEqzYqcy-Tu_eA2I-MImDY8qgBGyuhPDICdTZxNjBoe-PchVz4EECFsb_NggcRoSvygm4_0xWlZcn2KbOFPeE1BfFd-uwllsFc3c5r/s1600/At+anchor+in+rio+Polichie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSes9ODwdzeL0YUaOjZwZAz5kPaL8PMZ-KhyphenhyphenkJeMEqzYqcy-Tu_eA2I-MImDY8qgBGyuhPDICdTZxNjBoe-PchVz4EECFsb_NggcRoSvygm4_0xWlZcn2KbOFPeE1BfFd-uwllsFc3c5r/s320/At+anchor+in+rio+Polichie.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>At Anchor</strong></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-xA5eZFbC9M37knSK-5pT7418_9TFNaV_quebfkCLqu1Z8qB3wnICgCKf3_MhcdLEYcTXe3jO4mL8hm84VVjyrTZRbHC0lceJ26g3LbLC5RjlCBifS6sNJwP__iv2aXgQdN3DDbuX__H/s1600/Egret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-xA5eZFbC9M37knSK-5pT7418_9TFNaV_quebfkCLqu1Z8qB3wnICgCKf3_MhcdLEYcTXe3jO4mL8hm84VVjyrTZRbHC0lceJ26g3LbLC5RjlCBifS6sNJwP__iv2aXgQdN3DDbuX__H/s320/Egret.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Egret</strong></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_1hmuqkMDZWW3YGsvvByCpsFdMGvu3CkwQ8LtgVHNWqR583o5NAjIEdq7mqQ3jzoEN1R9bxxvMLnaX45BvGhdj4DxsJtWFNpbjf79CmEYqepCiAeJLSQu-Yatx-h5k4Ub6HoeHb7tXgt4/s1600/Fishermen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_1hmuqkMDZWW3YGsvvByCpsFdMGvu3CkwQ8LtgVHNWqR583o5NAjIEdq7mqQ3jzoEN1R9bxxvMLnaX45BvGhdj4DxsJtWFNpbjf79CmEYqepCiAeJLSQu-Yatx-h5k4Ub6HoeHb7tXgt4/s320/Fishermen.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Fishermen</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We went up to Rio Polochie and anchored, took the dinghies up the river and saw all kinds of wildlife, the “Howler Monkeys” sounded like lions and tigers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spider monkeys were everywhere in the trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were able to see a small crocodile slide into the water off the bank of the river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a very unspoiled area of the lake. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8aqoAe7Dn8i6XuhzfSQfFRmjrpR9N4Q9QrfoEJMt2ZSk-mwUZrO3PHFULFaGuXPcRGcg8hg_ppIpsL4pupmT8D31yZ0L5MffThnOPQJEnz8yjPosXXT7cTJYqQdS3wXPu-p0GAA20jVJ/s1600/El+Estor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8aqoAe7Dn8i6XuhzfSQfFRmjrpR9N4Q9QrfoEJMt2ZSk-mwUZrO3PHFULFaGuXPcRGcg8hg_ppIpsL4pupmT8D31yZ0L5MffThnOPQJEnz8yjPosXXT7cTJYqQdS3wXPu-p0GAA20jVJ/s320/El+Estor.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>El Estor</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhQatchXcD5Bn946JK2Zh0y1skXtaYhZFIDad9Zx2GRZGbCPd0wK2E4NsIsiK8BcRPQAeo7DQbuNgVxAdm_rJHjGjkJLDDh9GRX5QHPmCvfEHtq5ueu_OYAFQB1E-iQbNImg3_agiZJLO/s1600/Main+square+El+Estor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhQatchXcD5Bn946JK2Zh0y1skXtaYhZFIDad9Zx2GRZGbCPd0wK2E4NsIsiK8BcRPQAeo7DQbuNgVxAdm_rJHjGjkJLDDh9GRX5QHPmCvfEHtq5ueu_OYAFQB1E-iQbNImg3_agiZJLO/s320/Main+square+El+Estor.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><strong>Main plaza El Estor </strong></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhQatchXcD5Bn946JK2Zh0y1skXtaYhZFIDad9Zx2GRZGbCPd0wK2E4NsIsiK8BcRPQAeo7DQbuNgVxAdm_rJHjGjkJLDDh9GRX5QHPmCvfEHtq5ueu_OYAFQB1E-iQbNImg3_agiZJLO/s1600/Main+square+El+Estor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span> </div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgBwL8Ksu2oHiGqG-floSPe-Woy_CCAXRmhoqZUCwPEXmytPBfOotwYBgEsm4q1ZboIVHuVw_jCpcmXkd2eBG6KoTQzsEpOMTEcmqE3CoWb7oMJeN4F7Te0gSIa8lRn17d6pmrxApgOt31/s1600/Guatemalan+Navy+gunboat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgBwL8Ksu2oHiGqG-floSPe-Woy_CCAXRmhoqZUCwPEXmytPBfOotwYBgEsm4q1ZboIVHuVw_jCpcmXkd2eBG6KoTQzsEpOMTEcmqE3CoWb7oMJeN4F7Te0gSIa8lRn17d6pmrxApgOt31/s320/Guatemalan+Navy+gunboat.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><strong>Navy dock El Estor </strong></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6oVvkV-c57jJUgdzaTECAsYUDlv0lDBT92nWwrLvrpVWCYgZhgj_Zf6T9yNDcpaaw2zwnQHa7z89gVWNMKbLmJZbTK545H70t8WsOCGqs4_-hwdvFGXta_-_s2_o4u4vsWFbGt6kUp8qR/s1600/At+anchor+El+Estor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6oVvkV-c57jJUgdzaTECAsYUDlv0lDBT92nWwrLvrpVWCYgZhgj_Zf6T9yNDcpaaw2zwnQHa7z89gVWNMKbLmJZbTK545H70t8WsOCGqs4_-hwdvFGXta_-_s2_o4u4vsWFbGt6kUp8qR/s320/At+anchor+El+Estor.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>At anchor in front of the navy dock</strong></span></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnC1XgmMC0QRloYWYsFUBynJyTejzOK2_uu7kIC-xP_4tNW0e2EjWetzLNj0iCjrYU30zlTAu59pzs1uYfEcHZmE3LQWHUlUJJIHSGPc8oKKITVv48KfBZT_ZrGnllwTBtup8auzaxen4/s1600/Fresh+veggies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnC1XgmMC0QRloYWYsFUBynJyTejzOK2_uu7kIC-xP_4tNW0e2EjWetzLNj0iCjrYU30zlTAu59pzs1uYfEcHZmE3LQWHUlUJJIHSGPc8oKKITVv48KfBZT_ZrGnllwTBtup8auzaxen4/s320/Fresh+veggies.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Market El Estor</strong></span></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMi-vIDDqxI9O6A-ubEguIsmolVlUbdD1UB4TwFsBK2LsAHyrrSfJfEUVtsM5JFU2p7v7MRc5U5eI0cqkJYIlFaPqPIgPI1dzEX6JyKGwRz8_2H6SCfmiatEDwCLAX92fgR_NHjBNxkxNw/s1600/Fresh+beef.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMi-vIDDqxI9O6A-ubEguIsmolVlUbdD1UB4TwFsBK2LsAHyrrSfJfEUVtsM5JFU2p7v7MRc5U5eI0cqkJYIlFaPqPIgPI1dzEX6JyKGwRz8_2H6SCfmiatEDwCLAX92fgR_NHjBNxkxNw/s320/Fresh+beef.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Meat market el Estor</strong></span></div><div align="center"><br />
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</div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJerpFnrRuY3XOeXu4Q8squMZYRwytJwa8BOkagXyK_-Cbl9ttDBI7UlmWB6Paw0LRts5sLVsDMLaXqvMhV11Pb3x5nqRDjK5WsRVLQUVma9uB4vKUfXjglmM6LLKMz8k_HwmI3TpzddTt/s1600/Hand+woven+cloth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJerpFnrRuY3XOeXu4Q8squMZYRwytJwa8BOkagXyK_-Cbl9ttDBI7UlmWB6Paw0LRts5sLVsDMLaXqvMhV11Pb3x5nqRDjK5WsRVLQUVma9uB4vKUfXjglmM6LLKMz8k_HwmI3TpzddTt/s320/Hand+woven+cloth.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><strong> Hand woven cloth</strong></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMEcF8hmJRI7KHmMdNO5ppwV3ZbBw3TBZ45oaYcZge7-uSMtTk9n1wRfyeHlKx3sGc2-HutogHLoReNRmlvOCnaEsD69XwzwWNwrLpgmL_3726BIcKQuySUJJNRZhnNi9QUqWAvf12b_yI/s1600/Marcedo+El+Estor+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMEcF8hmJRI7KHmMdNO5ppwV3ZbBw3TBZ45oaYcZge7-uSMtTk9n1wRfyeHlKx3sGc2-HutogHLoReNRmlvOCnaEsD69XwzwWNwrLpgmL_3726BIcKQuySUJJNRZhnNi9QUqWAvf12b_yI/s320/Marcedo+El+Estor+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center"> <strong>Market El Estor</strong></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYd5OIn2TwldQg66_A4SvLNG1CnLLo6CEqSg0M1AGRE-T9S0J8xGE-Ojhca3GfBxjzcjmdryAvUJdc1WU4tvNmg3vhqazX4u0FI1-_8hflC-fklNFE-RD1lgPPNRqIWTyJd2FjXHG8Y4lY/s1600/Marcedo+El+Estor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYd5OIn2TwldQg66_A4SvLNG1CnLLo6CEqSg0M1AGRE-T9S0J8xGE-Ojhca3GfBxjzcjmdryAvUJdc1WU4tvNmg3vhqazX4u0FI1-_8hflC-fklNFE-RD1lgPPNRqIWTyJd2FjXHG8Y4lY/s320/Marcedo+El+Estor.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div align="center"> <strong>Market El Estor</strong></div><div align="center"><br />
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</div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGy5p1DJWPMX8I882yqMc364FwGFJYC6zKLKIl2gc2KUB0SHU3k6Tc9s0AOdwj2VbY9QDjYHDX7z7wbX2GpBbYJ_QiA5YW6rtUToot9yKqwdxsX9F3vZHPaUsJ_L1ZJ4ickBe_pETGH00Q/s1600/Tortilla+being+made.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGy5p1DJWPMX8I882yqMc364FwGFJYC6zKLKIl2gc2KUB0SHU3k6Tc9s0AOdwj2VbY9QDjYHDX7z7wbX2GpBbYJ_QiA5YW6rtUToot9yKqwdxsX9F3vZHPaUsJ_L1ZJ4ickBe_pETGH00Q/s320/Tortilla+being+made.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><strong> Hand made tortillias cooked over a wood fire</strong></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYl5Z-40yVH9SYbjlSUb5ah508kqsw6ptjmiAjTM02d-owPlANF8kqr3icrboAcJIPSAK5W9ukaBVuu6cJPpG6naQAzHh-h1ax3gfLyQ-pL6kQ9DD1wLuwzMXQ-9aEfKyPwkP41d6P-m4c/s1600/A+little+cutie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYl5Z-40yVH9SYbjlSUb5ah508kqsw6ptjmiAjTM02d-owPlANF8kqr3icrboAcJIPSAK5W9ukaBVuu6cJPpG6naQAzHh-h1ax3gfLyQ-pL6kQ9DD1wLuwzMXQ-9aEfKyPwkP41d6P-m4c/s320/A+little+cutie.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Guatemalan sailor and his children</strong></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of our favorite stops was El Estor at the far end of the lake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A very clean safe anchorage, we were there for market day and they have a huge market on Saturdays, it covers about two blocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From there we went to El Paraiso caught a ride into the jungle about 2 miles away and went to the Rio Auga Caliente.</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69Edjwt2Fyx_e3FtggD9mwngGlxtFHzwr_CQdYr_WXZThuKU9yMPlNDMBCOrm-fmjYaoE-DYUbebreEZnyapPrBw_dGtuwmVSEFzDqlPb2QjRy1-FiTbKOIwqyWttl5yuQc2R4jYvoyUm/s1600/Rose+%2526+Mia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69Edjwt2Fyx_e3FtggD9mwngGlxtFHzwr_CQdYr_WXZThuKU9yMPlNDMBCOrm-fmjYaoE-DYUbebreEZnyapPrBw_dGtuwmVSEFzDqlPb2QjRy1-FiTbKOIwqyWttl5yuQc2R4jYvoyUm/s320/Rose+%2526+Mia.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> <strong>Rose & Mia</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTF6KWR5LZ3JFa0572mrJVpcTmK1lw-cbSjPfQ-yMtcj5u1ojSFfQrPSGMr3kRC51TWBhEnqLlO0WBwi-VFG1Y-EnHrch2kn-Oc4l0-HlPk1Wlay1EFGLRU1f6EovqcUPcjlGSewfqEWut/s1600/Hot+waterfall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTF6KWR5LZ3JFa0572mrJVpcTmK1lw-cbSjPfQ-yMtcj5u1ojSFfQrPSGMr3kRC51TWBhEnqLlO0WBwi-VFG1Y-EnHrch2kn-Oc4l0-HlPk1Wlay1EFGLRU1f6EovqcUPcjlGSewfqEWut/s320/Hot+waterfall.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Hot water fall</strong></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOG75vsNhdhGm1rwXXmwb2O-8ipbZhfzwAVNwlG0tV3FvdAaSLvSo5UwtjGRf_tmyRpHqYcUMXR0Z-7rI7bZm5DFhnrdWL1ZLU4lUzE_jpoTbbmjFXzwu8WzxtyWxpgoUWZ-BPqEQoMekl/s1600/Hot+waterfall+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOG75vsNhdhGm1rwXXmwb2O-8ipbZhfzwAVNwlG0tV3FvdAaSLvSo5UwtjGRf_tmyRpHqYcUMXR0Z-7rI7bZm5DFhnrdWL1ZLU4lUzE_jpoTbbmjFXzwu8WzxtyWxpgoUWZ-BPqEQoMekl/s320/Hot+waterfall+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Hot water fall</strong></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Auga Caliente is like nothing I have ever experienced before in my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a river that comes out of the mountains and flows into Lago de Izabal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About 2 miles before it reaches the lake there is a hot spring about 120 degrees which flows over a waterfall into the 72 degree river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can get back under a cliff at the bottom of the waterfall and sit in the river water as well as let the hot water from the waterfall massage your back.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The next stop was the village of Jocolo, very small, maybe 20 families there which has around 40 children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most beautiful Saba tree stood next to the school house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>8 men wouldn’t be able to hold hands and reach around the trunk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Saba is the national tree of Guatemala.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LGqwoh3z340kBPj0KcnpzWCWJlipYYKN554WaCnpRCbEHZzBGYCQ7KbTCaOql5hXgnPqRfi7HOKIkp5kZfK5z9uUrTqlkzG-MG1TJmHVmpVd5tAsN4bGma7OiV6hZq1anHY6Jw_W3GgE/s1600/Dinner+at+Kangaroo+with+Billy+and+family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LGqwoh3z340kBPj0KcnpzWCWJlipYYKN554WaCnpRCbEHZzBGYCQ7KbTCaOql5hXgnPqRfi7HOKIkp5kZfK5z9uUrTqlkzG-MG1TJmHVmpVd5tAsN4bGma7OiV6hZq1anHY6Jw_W3GgE/s320/Dinner+at+Kangaroo+with+Billy+and+family.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><strong> Dinner at Kangaroo</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> <span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmPKtlTND85CcecIFDdotZXXYEZhGZ9uvu6MEOyHQ1KqcNkQdXbd41p06yRaBj7Y5tVSfY2ZALnMH1OTf7Gxulx8EGEI-jZORyckeVGaNXGuih9iTHw9b3koz5kbTrVHrtXYl-EDoArhC/s1600/People+don%2527t+get+all+the+fun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmPKtlTND85CcecIFDdotZXXYEZhGZ9uvu6MEOyHQ1KqcNkQdXbd41p06yRaBj7Y5tVSfY2ZALnMH1OTf7Gxulx8EGEI-jZORyckeVGaNXGuih9iTHw9b3koz5kbTrVHrtXYl-EDoArhC/s320/People+don%2527t+get+all+the+fun.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Dogs can have fun too</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The final stop was San Felipe where the Castillo de San Felipe is located.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We anchored there for the night and took the dinghies over to Kangaroo Resort for dinner.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Three weeks later we made the same trip except we headed up this trip and had 11 boats in the floatilla.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Denny fixed a great chicken bar-b-que for us the evening we spent at Denny’s Beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During this trip all boats had a chart with the “way points” listed and as it turned out it worked well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some boats made the full trip others left early and others joined at other “way points”.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We have been asked to plan another trip around the lake which we hope to do sometime in February.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cruising season is now in full swing as hurricane season is over so the boats are leaving the shelter of Rio Dulce and heading out to points all over the Caribbean to return at the beginning of hurricane season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually this is the best time of year in Guatemala as it is winter and the lows are in the upper 60s and the highs are in the mid to low 80s.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A few days later our friend Billy from Guatemala City came by for a visit so we took him and his family over to Finca Paraiso for lunch, Billy loves Chivichi Cameron (sp) and they have the best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finca Paraiso is only about a 4 hour sail from our marina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stayed a little longer than we should have and had to finish the trip back in the dark, not the smartest thing to do here.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">At night the fishermen put out there nets and lines everywhere and you can really mess up your boat getting tangled up in them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About an hour from the marina I got a call from our friends Jay & Jerr, they are the ones that lost their boat in Puerto Aventures a few months back, the were about 45 KM from Rio Dulce on their way down to look for a boat and that was the end of the line for the “collective” (a common form of transportation here as well as the rest of Central America mostly 10 passenger vans they cram 20 people into and on top of) until morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were at a little crossroad and everything was closing down for the night, the next “bus” wouldn’t be through until morning.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Billy very graciously volunteered to pick them up when we got back to the marina which wasn’t until around 7:00 PM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got to the crossroad at around 8:30 and Jay & Jerr were jumping with joy to see us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They piled in and we brought them back to the Rio.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We had a great American style Thanksgiving dinner turkey, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, green beans cranberries and all the other fixings at Backpackers restaurant with Jay and Jerr.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few days later they found the boat they wanted for the price they were willing to pay it was a good deal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They headed back to Puerto Aventuras to pick up their few possessions they had left after the loss of their boat to bring them back to Rio Dulce.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPAAYf6Og_qD0_dMGLZI_Q84EnsV97XuN7Ftw64AlSieZHUfndBgEZ5HnwePH_kh9zyf8RiNvLffS74t5Tj1XCWyxKL_8xHPCvlged5txPTzJpWrb1scHBFronT6f6QaWAxPMvI9kR0GR/s1600/65th+birthday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPAAYf6Og_qD0_dMGLZI_Q84EnsV97XuN7Ftw64AlSieZHUfndBgEZ5HnwePH_kh9zyf8RiNvLffS74t5Tj1XCWyxKL_8xHPCvlged5txPTzJpWrb1scHBFronT6f6QaWAxPMvI9kR0GR/s320/65th+birthday.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>65th Birthday at Vista Rio </strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRX49oG_6au8Dvx3JpbHXuuRRZNFFj09HqzL8lHTMASFns3vFB_whjXV0JBJflfz41kSMvdfiNWEACjkFitYslbUfI_1pDDPSV6dLnR9Q5sNE3c8FrvgWq2KgIvYKW5aZ-AqRD6rpdU7AW/s1600/Dia+Diablo+7+Dec.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRX49oG_6au8Dvx3JpbHXuuRRZNFFj09HqzL8lHTMASFns3vFB_whjXV0JBJflfz41kSMvdfiNWEACjkFitYslbUfI_1pDDPSV6dLnR9Q5sNE3c8FrvgWq2KgIvYKW5aZ-AqRD6rpdU7AW/s320/Dia+Diablo+7+Dec.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>7 December is "Dia de Diablo"</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Jay & Jerr got back in time for my birthday, which happens to be on the “Dia de Diablo” the day of the devil which we celebrated at Vista Rio Restaurant and Hotel; it was complete with a Piñata Diablo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I chose to save the piñata to take it to the village of Jocolo on our next trip around the lake which was already in the planning.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We got 11 boats together for another trip around the lake following the same route we took last time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first stop Denny’s Beach, I had called Denny earlier to have him arrange a chicken bar-b-que dinner which turned out excellent.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Over the past few years there have been some unfortunate situations on the lake with some boats being boarded so most of the cruisers in the Rio are afraid to go out into the lake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Navy, state, federal, and local law enforcement has done a good job of making it safe now but the cruisers are still afraid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So by putting these cruises together the folks are willing to take the chance with a “flotilla” they feel safe.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Much the same as the earlier trip, just more boats, some went back early some joined us later in the trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped at the village of Jocolo and asked the village leader if we could give the piñata to the children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No Problem!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The kids had a blast, the younger children apparently had never had wrapped candy before and the older ones showed them that they had to take the paper wrapper off before putting it in their mouths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To give you an idea of this village there is no road to it, the only way is by water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are totally self supporting by farming and fishing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They produce enough for themselves but not enough surpluses to take to market to be worthwhile; there is no electricity, and only 2 cell phones that are supplied to the village by the government for emergencies.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After the piñata was good and dead and we were leaving the Pastor, Martin, wanted to show us their Church they have been building for the past 7 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Martin explained that they needed 10 bags of cement to finish Rose and I took it to heart and said we would get it for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I previously said they have no money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We got back to port and helped out with a charity for an orphanage for “special needs” children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rose made 50 pounds of potato salad, Jay acted as DJ, Jerr made red beans and rice, vista Rio hosted the event and I bar-b-qued 80 chicken quarters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the raffle we were able to raise over $1,000.00 USD.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The next day I started trying to gather the money for 10 bags of cement for the church in Jocolo, Rose and I had already decided that we would cover the total if it became necessary by giving each other cement for Christmas instead of a present.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLX9Jm8WyEPf-88g17tyHQblA5mMjPH6HCtgnBkdP-Vk1gEjQWZtApwqwxs3_70CsGAnOkZUkoh5RWqeNoEMb4TzkekQTr5XL-KqpPWL6HltNgU4XrFgcauunM0CVR2ZSGkF9OGrqV1QC/s1600/new+church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLX9Jm8WyEPf-88g17tyHQblA5mMjPH6HCtgnBkdP-Vk1gEjQWZtApwqwxs3_70CsGAnOkZUkoh5RWqeNoEMb4TzkekQTr5XL-KqpPWL6HltNgU4XrFgcauunM0CVR2ZSGkF9OGrqV1QC/s320/new+church.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><strong> Unfinished Church in Jocolo</strong></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once again the cruiser community came together and in one day we had enough money to make the purchase with Rose and I giving each other a bag of cement to each other rather than a Christmas present.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gary the owner of Texan Bay Marina at the other end of El Golfete pitched in and provided the transportation for the bags of cement (1,000 pounds) in his 25 foot launch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only way to get to Jocolo is by water it is about 5 miles west of the mouth of the Rio Dulce on the north shore of Lago Izabal.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv7NEP-r9vKH6fcBY0KazwRTsPh8OZeCg8KVc5ZrotQZnzuA_cHmPvIKvjU8KkCnWZm7-ZAcnwDcxUprXQ3hX7dHCe0wKPW_NcsM129vwQMlkpxtR0ObrzPWBCTndnGv12aldsNc3YK_mw/s1600/Cement+for+Jocolo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv7NEP-r9vKH6fcBY0KazwRTsPh8OZeCg8KVc5ZrotQZnzuA_cHmPvIKvjU8KkCnWZm7-ZAcnwDcxUprXQ3hX7dHCe0wKPW_NcsM129vwQMlkpxtR0ObrzPWBCTndnGv12aldsNc3YK_mw/s320/Cement+for+Jocolo.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Loading cement for Jocolo church</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zqvD5zi_Ckz5iyb7Aa_mEjEsX94_BGz3F5Jb3As1ukrXikIgckKPNNwiEyKyLDZ1xUidbZ_a0umESYGf4Sn4qzOQxfMzCSi3XAlHXASQZmF3Y3_MjApfkBpfuCBKKnE5sadJbgkB0yHI/s1600/Cement+delivery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zqvD5zi_Ckz5iyb7Aa_mEjEsX94_BGz3F5Jb3As1ukrXikIgckKPNNwiEyKyLDZ1xUidbZ_a0umESYGf4Sn4qzOQxfMzCSi3XAlHXASQZmF3Y3_MjApfkBpfuCBKKnE5sadJbgkB0yHI/s320/Cement+delivery.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"> <strong>Unloading cement</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> <span style="font-family: Calibri;">Gary showed up on the Friday before Christmas and we loaded up 10 bags of cement into his launch and headed to Jocolo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we arrived they met the pastor met us on the shore with 5 men to unload the cement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They walked out into the lake about knee deep and unloaded the cement. (thanking us with each bag they unloaded)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we were leaving the Pastor and the head of the village invited us to join them for their Christmas Eve fiesta, Rose and I accepted their invitation.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rose and I arrived Christmas Eve morning around 1100 hrs dropped anchor and relaxed on deck most of the afternoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rose never goes to visit without taking something for the host.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this case we discussed what to take with our friends that have been on the rio longer than we have for suggestions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were told that in this case prepared chickens and potatoes would be appropriate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So before we left town we purchased 35 pounds of chicken, 30 pounds of potatoes, and 4 cases of Coke to add to the fiesta.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I delivered the chicken to the pastor’s wife and returned to the boat to wait until 1730 hours to go to shore for the evening.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzHgdbYPoyl_Kc0ZL3K12ZJ2viU7M8Fl7kM0vuzG062kneJAke-RLpUmJ_JNhX3ZsEE35acorPZt62fayWl4pHLdXM-F4c1dW_FIVD6BRMmwFEkfeckutYbpqG9RXho2i0eKbAQyXX1xqc/s1600/Christmas+Eve+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzHgdbYPoyl_Kc0ZL3K12ZJ2viU7M8Fl7kM0vuzG062kneJAke-RLpUmJ_JNhX3ZsEE35acorPZt62fayWl4pHLdXM-F4c1dW_FIVD6BRMmwFEkfeckutYbpqG9RXho2i0eKbAQyXX1xqc/s320/Christmas+Eve+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Christmas Eve service</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We arrived on shore at 1730 hrs and were invited up to the Church and met with the pastor and his wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were offered a Coke (warm no refrigeration in the village) and then taken into the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It had been raining all day but it didn’t dampen the spirits, the Praise Team was sitting up in the front of the church tuning their instruments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only electricity in the village is a Honda generator to provide power for the lights in the church and for the electric guitars.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAmBqVqX-MaFi4l-Yt7GHvAs8XH8RnkLoykWnLn3JEkCtFY6JxbX9GKDf4-HbfBJ_ILcYOMFswaBtVGc9G6iMPIPHTKUunu4HmkCycj3DDBIWbAysjpIt7Xz-eiDxmHvNyixPKVuXSSlGO/s1600/Jocolo+Praise+Team.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAmBqVqX-MaFi4l-Yt7GHvAs8XH8RnkLoykWnLn3JEkCtFY6JxbX9GKDf4-HbfBJ_ILcYOMFswaBtVGc9G6iMPIPHTKUunu4HmkCycj3DDBIWbAysjpIt7Xz-eiDxmHvNyixPKVuXSSlGO/s320/Jocolo+Praise+Team.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Praise Team</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We figured we would be able to understand some of the service unknown to us the entire service was going to be in Kekchi the local Indian dialect even their Bibles were written Kekchi as I found out when I tried to explain the name of our boat My Peace was taken from the Bible John 14:27.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(In Spanish it is Mi Paz)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were able to fumble through the Kekchi Bible and find the passage thanks to Rose’s knowledge.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The service lasted until midnight, 6 hours of Praise and Worship and sermons in Kekchi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The doors were left open as villagers wondered in and out during the service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the women were dressed in their traditional tribal attire; we have been told that you can tell what tribe a woman is from by the colors and patterns in here woven in to the cloth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">At midnight the service was over and dinner was served.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The women of the village had cooked the chicken and potatoes we had brought as well as “Guatemalan tamales” to feed the 75 to 100 people who were present.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pastor asked us to join him in his home while the others stayed in the church to eat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rose and I explained that we wanted to stay with the villagers, so some of the men picked up the table that had been prepared for us and carried it into the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were the guests of honor for the evening, an experience we will never forget.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We got back to the boat about 1 in the morning to get some sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At around 730 hrs Christmas morning I heard a thump on the hull, went up on deck and there was a woman and her son in a cayuco inviting Rose and I to their home for breakfast and hot chocolate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told her Rose was still asleep and we would be able to come in about an hour, and then went below to wake Rose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The woman and her son had left or so I thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What actually happened is they went back up the river to where their home was located and the son had returned to where the river entered the lake and waited for us to return to the deck so he could show us where their home was.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The minute we appeared on deck and started lowering the dinghy into the water I saw the young boy starting to paddle the cayuco from the river mouth about a half mile away toward My Peace to guide us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We followed the boy up the river which continued to get narrower and narrower until it was too narrow for the dinghy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We tied the dinghy to a tree and joined the young boy in the cayuco for the remaining trip to their home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtyyeUlNzu5dEZpe1GlzskssNTWjpW8SdYaMyM2hkncf4XBlOCPAyKYf6lVePrXqUKD8mAMxil4fQJG_3chcKXzNo0i4SPrws7kpTwxRZXO0tkMOo5ne0vRrIQq6uKDPGYP_pFA8LArTz8/s1600/Guatemalan+tamale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtyyeUlNzu5dEZpe1GlzskssNTWjpW8SdYaMyM2hkncf4XBlOCPAyKYf6lVePrXqUKD8mAMxil4fQJG_3chcKXzNo0i4SPrws7kpTwxRZXO0tkMOo5ne0vRrIQq6uKDPGYP_pFA8LArTz8/s320/Guatemalan+tamale.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Guatemalan Tamale</strong></span></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The woman had prepared “Guatemalan tamales” and hot chocolate ad had us sit at the table for breakfast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Guatemalan tamales” weighs about a pound and a half and is wrapped in banana leaf, mostly made from maiz with a small amount of meat in the center; one would feed two people easily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After breakfast we were introduced to the entire family and shown their small finca (farm).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXvpA9ikOaBtNO5WpFLgC4q-FTiXBhdEDNazaaUJ0cj9ZgaKPE-bdg786DGxfUB411uMbTfbYL9XTWp-zxl8qr83CtDSJW_5ahTfmhaV8RjG37PngZmvkaoz-uOQWLnArGi5znooNWYOFC/s1600/Christmas+dinner+at+Backpackers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXvpA9ikOaBtNO5WpFLgC4q-FTiXBhdEDNazaaUJ0cj9ZgaKPE-bdg786DGxfUB411uMbTfbYL9XTWp-zxl8qr83CtDSJW_5ahTfmhaV8RjG37PngZmvkaoz-uOQWLnArGi5znooNWYOFC/s320/Christmas+dinner+at+Backpackers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center"><strong>Traditional Christmas dinner at Backpackers</strong></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We went back to the boat to return to Rio Dulce for Christmas dinner with our friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we were loading the dinghy I heard the village elder Mario and the pastor calling us from shore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I put the dinghy back into the water and went back to shore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They asked if I could give them a ride back to Rio Dulce to get some gas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had used all the gas in the village to power the generator the night before for the church service including the gas from the launches, so I took them out to My Peace for the trip back to Rio Dulce where they would catch a collectivo (a form of public transportation usually a van) back to the road that goes to El Estor and walk down the trail 2 miles to the village.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We dropped off the elder and pastor at the fuel dock and headed back to our slip at Ram marina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later that afternoon we joined our American friends at Backpackers Restaurant for a traditional Christmas dinner consisting of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, ham, pumpkin pie, and all the usual American trimmings.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">New Years eve we decided to head east down the rio across El Golfete to Texan Bay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mia doesn’t like loud noises and neither do Rose and I and we knew Rio Dulce was going to be a “war zone” of fireworks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It started raining in the early evening and didn’t let up all night we had been invited to a party in Texan Bay but due to the weather we stayed on the boat and had a quite relaxing New Year’s Eve.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">New Year’s morning we caught a ride with Gary in his launch to the “round house” further down the rio for a New Years brunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eggs, pancakes, sausage, bacon, fruit, mimosas, Champaign, and fried potatoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We spent another day at Texan Bay due to weather then headed back up rio to Rio Dulce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On January 5<sup>th</sup> our friend Billy called, he and his family wanted to take us on a tour of Guatemala.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember we don’t have any “land transportation” and unlike Mexico dogs can’t travel in public transportation so for the past 4 months we have had to limit our travels to Lago Izabal and Rio Dulce.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Billy drove up from Guatemala City the next day, about 250 kilometers, to pick us up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We locked up the boat and told the marina we would be gone for a week or so touring the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Guatemala is about the size of Pennsylvania.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is bordered on the east by the Caribbean and on the west by the Pacific, north by Belize and south by El Salvador, mountains and volcanoes (many very active) cover the entire country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would have to say the highways range from very nice to very poor going through the mountains.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Qe_ZSigQYXcFS98IutSXVqEpKPgcwe7afjxkCl9dIk4YeAZZmOzVkOLo97hpVDqr1OQYeIOM8XBrF7h6wrkaqSMb9pix6YcaRmB4U5rHyAW3LqmfQ8OkWHPUPagAXA4r6n93d8RTwqFs/s1600/Billy%2527s+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Qe_ZSigQYXcFS98IutSXVqEpKPgcwe7afjxkCl9dIk4YeAZZmOzVkOLo97hpVDqr1OQYeIOM8XBrF7h6wrkaqSMb9pix6YcaRmB4U5rHyAW3LqmfQ8OkWHPUPagAXA4r6n93d8RTwqFs/s320/Billy%2527s+house.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Billy's house at his finca</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We arrived in Guatemala City just before dark and stopped by Billy’s house in the city to drop off his son and then headed to Puerto San Jose where Billy has a finca on the Pacific coast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His home at his finca was beautiful he designed it himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The main house is surrounded by a screened in porch which extends about 20 feet out all around the house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The area inside the porch is a square divided into 4 rooms all of which enter from the screened in porch, 3 bedrooms and a kitchen dining room, each bedroom has its own bathroom facility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A large swimming pool and spa are out the back of the house.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXA2emw1tF_7jL0Cc1Fl6YF1UWlYwX04AdT5WSQiwouKEPh8RD5AzAykt4Dvz1C1ZX5e54IGyyRi4RloC999lmidGMrDAq5XRbcnkuOJSZwtQ_QMkl3uK60-m2ZHz0jBuQvG8lvKKVeJNM/s1600/Dinner+by+the+pool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" gda="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXA2emw1tF_7jL0Cc1Fl6YF1UWlYwX04AdT5WSQiwouKEPh8RD5AzAykt4Dvz1C1ZX5e54IGyyRi4RloC999lmidGMrDAq5XRbcnkuOJSZwtQ_QMkl3uK60-m2ZHz0jBuQvG8lvKKVeJNM/s320/Dinner+by+the+pool.jpg" width="320" /></strong></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Relaxing around the pool</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We spent most of the next day relaxing around the pool taking it easy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the afternoon we drove w few kilometers to the beach relaxing on the black sand beach listening to roving mariachi bands until sunset.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-bdt8lu2Sb6k6tfH8eoVsvmhSYgh0KFir5it56eUUS7E4cjOjsP8saFRLyBphg0E8AcfW0YU5rcdSMPRnkJeRxbIhzpSzOPUm4TjJ7ReL-RLeY8udkDtqX9Q8rn9U5LDNSNLyLigOiGP/s1600/Mariachis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-bdt8lu2Sb6k6tfH8eoVsvmhSYgh0KFir5it56eUUS7E4cjOjsP8saFRLyBphg0E8AcfW0YU5rcdSMPRnkJeRxbIhzpSzOPUm4TjJ7ReL-RLeY8udkDtqX9Q8rn9U5LDNSNLyLigOiGP/s320/Mariachis.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Mariachis on the beach</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzLHmlF6plfsBsb138WlD10Ax_l0A0VhRhLJJKVxNRDbr7Jkhv2kMVGBTpWv9MY8xV7Nbsa8yxjIJ4Or8rli23BWGw9Zp7HULcdjhp_0W682WxmcN6t1gs3YInFVvUmoLKP2736ffcLsu/s1600/Black+Beach+Puerto+San+Jose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzLHmlF6plfsBsb138WlD10Ax_l0A0VhRhLJJKVxNRDbr7Jkhv2kMVGBTpWv9MY8xV7Nbsa8yxjIJ4Or8rli23BWGw9Zp7HULcdjhp_0W682WxmcN6t1gs3YInFVvUmoLKP2736ffcLsu/s320/Black+Beach+Puerto+San+Jose.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Rose, Mia and I in the Pacific beach surf</strong><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNAVDpvejmIGF_rudAxmD5OBnrWH_iRknIx4mk9SgF1DX4C6cnCyXHWTKeKzCcucYEABYTB4c6KWuP_0ikgJGnCPGZIqSnpy4l9XBIpyBarx5YbRmPna0-L0VBmtHI7VMx4GTMLXv6vYMy/s1600/Nana+Rose+%2526+Mari.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNAVDpvejmIGF_rudAxmD5OBnrWH_iRknIx4mk9SgF1DX4C6cnCyXHWTKeKzCcucYEABYTB4c6KWuP_0ikgJGnCPGZIqSnpy4l9XBIpyBarx5YbRmPna0-L0VBmtHI7VMx4GTMLXv6vYMy/s320/Nana+Rose+%2526+Mari.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Nana, Rose and Mari</strong></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The waves were about 6 to 8 feet and due to no reef system the waves broke right on shore a very beautiful site as long as they didn’t break on you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remembered when we visited Maui last year a story of a man that had a large wave break on top of him slamming him down onto the beach breaking his arm and shoulder.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4z1vIMQLPBdaYTfs7q-jDaIsn6XsAMjY1YxuPX0XTZI0LoUhnvg4frabPKj2Yr-FC5E2ouKZ64Xrf2MQ6IM_04-Nz76bfiCwDMcFs9P7GQ-lPcYXpBHALZePYozNdZaRnSxvWqPx2iP-X/s1600/waves+Nana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4z1vIMQLPBdaYTfs7q-jDaIsn6XsAMjY1YxuPX0XTZI0LoUhnvg4frabPKj2Yr-FC5E2ouKZ64Xrf2MQ6IM_04-Nz76bfiCwDMcFs9P7GQ-lPcYXpBHALZePYozNdZaRnSxvWqPx2iP-X/s320/waves+Nana.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Billy's daughter Nana</span></strong><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwE2nQ4OBLFJ8sZIfkoaZ1mTCmaesWoFfz-uJFrK8iYMfIMmUPIGMfyx3abiyLl1banXX7w0GfLVxcGTRCL4xNq91wFWdD5T5l3Bbv_kyXfojG5msqO4URRv0t1ZqTm6MaLp6FS8dYd1x/s1600/waves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwE2nQ4OBLFJ8sZIfkoaZ1mTCmaesWoFfz-uJFrK8iYMfIMmUPIGMfyx3abiyLl1banXX7w0GfLVxcGTRCL4xNq91wFWdD5T5l3Bbv_kyXfojG5msqO4URRv0t1ZqTm6MaLp6FS8dYd1x/s320/waves.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Rose & Nana</strong><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsdcfKehCmdywXmiYbNoBXeaAKtIAZuW3JO8HLjZA2Ge91emWRpUc3FCKVfE6BA6J9m_OjSCtsz8w50aXuv-vR32_XGaBM81RwwFUr3Ifm97aabtG9BwnvSaAzjTSjGGE8Mb3cKnSIP8mu/s1600/Nana+%2526+Valintina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsdcfKehCmdywXmiYbNoBXeaAKtIAZuW3JO8HLjZA2Ge91emWRpUc3FCKVfE6BA6J9m_OjSCtsz8w50aXuv-vR32_XGaBM81RwwFUr3Ifm97aabtG9BwnvSaAzjTSjGGE8Mb3cKnSIP8mu/s320/Nana+%2526+Valintina.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Nana & Val</strong><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The next day we headed to his brother’s finca and coffee plantation about 25 miles north of the El Salvador frontier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The finca was halfway up the southern face of a mountain and has been in the family for at least 4 generations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Besides raising coffee, he has pineapples, papayas, and bananas, but his real interest is in his prize winning Spanish horses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His brother welcomed us as if we were family, his home and swimming pool was very similar to Billy’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the evening after a wonderful bar-b-que dinner Rose and the other ladies enjoyed to pool relaxing in the spa.</span></div></div></div></div></div><br />
<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcqoWGc9BpPvRRGX21dfkvB2QQY7mv9aO8DyzdZG-NRtNUuFaTmhqgOqzvzobn6vdC44GIdQuHyR5DNGr0HuOKIxKBUm1yWCi9x7uiGnCjK3tTxQh2As_vnp9XzqINKk0kdfACIewbN_7r/s1600/Young+pineapple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcqoWGc9BpPvRRGX21dfkvB2QQY7mv9aO8DyzdZG-NRtNUuFaTmhqgOqzvzobn6vdC44GIdQuHyR5DNGr0HuOKIxKBUm1yWCi9x7uiGnCjK3tTxQh2As_vnp9XzqINKk0kdfACIewbN_7r/s320/Young+pineapple.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Baby pineapple</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw7MxWoX4eKWpAfEoY5PZsD6EmpwjmeT86EyhbRM3vdNW0C7gv1F9rLLxPRxA6bbbcgaBczM_Fkvm3vLwWdTbOxPmBr9uUNHOMAisDbQItsgf6UNa3juNEtIqVtVowmAnwpRUmc8sDgrkF/s1600/Coffee+berries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw7MxWoX4eKWpAfEoY5PZsD6EmpwjmeT86EyhbRM3vdNW0C7gv1F9rLLxPRxA6bbbcgaBczM_Fkvm3vLwWdTbOxPmBr9uUNHOMAisDbQItsgf6UNa3juNEtIqVtVowmAnwpRUmc8sDgrkF/s320/Coffee+berries.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Coffee bean berries</div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The next morning the horse trainer came and I watched as he worked about 5 of Carlos’s prime horses, it was almost unbelievable the grace and maneuvers of the horses as the trainer put them through their paces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Carlos let me ride the brown one and that was a real experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike a “cow pony” these horses must be kept reined in; if you loosen they take off like a shot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaNpFjK1L4mdR1UkOUlu7XR9YjUmD0u5cY1n3BR_hTwwpMFhMo1QDkiPEFgiGyNiPTM-ttSPjUNBJ9gGiNsmUWgz7vws8Ow8X44-n50pfFik_vtc65wdxyUOHD5qIr7DEalg3qEwshmb_0/s1600/Rose+on+the+way+to+the+creek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaNpFjK1L4mdR1UkOUlu7XR9YjUmD0u5cY1n3BR_hTwwpMFhMo1QDkiPEFgiGyNiPTM-ttSPjUNBJ9gGiNsmUWgz7vws8Ow8X44-n50pfFik_vtc65wdxyUOHD5qIr7DEalg3qEwshmb_0/s320/Rose+on+the+way+to+the+creek.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Rose "4 wheelin'"</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTQtFbxeETKXwn-yS-8aIx-kQPIBXFsF9jz91nlDl5qRyWzQse1qoMWET29F3Kx6-P7wOXFyx0dV53wNE9J8_ZauWpKiw6NLgR2CAln5sBXlhx82Nrjl-dtrt2QYC67qLzxksxfqJB7eB/s1600/Girls+having+fun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTQtFbxeETKXwn-yS-8aIx-kQPIBXFsF9jz91nlDl5qRyWzQse1qoMWET29F3Kx6-P7wOXFyx0dV53wNE9J8_ZauWpKiw6NLgR2CAln5sBXlhx82Nrjl-dtrt2QYC67qLzxksxfqJB7eB/s320/Girls+having+fun.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Rose, Carlos's wife, and Mari</strong><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Later that afternoon we all got on 4 wheelers and went toward the back of the finca to where a creek cut through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I failed to notice that Carlos had attached a shotgun to the front of his until we got to the creek; I asked him why the shotgun and I was informed that a snake known in the U.S. as a Fer de Lance is very common as well as being very deadly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later that evening sitting around after dinner Carlos’s wife was telling about finding a small Fer de Lance in the bathroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About 2 in the morning I had to use the restroom and walking in the dark to the dark restroom all I could think about was a Fer de Lance in the “john”.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ3JGTRVW1IaCFS4icB37Yk-0QqP362KFw5EULt-iVoJLXbYogHtTTRGiUvbb6B9w7TDuOh4Mr_ckBDW7hkljk1DaK4MRydLEJuJ0lTm4lqm7uMv48PXE1uFs2lX-jOKn50UmXWrlTQ0cq/s1600/Well+Trained.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ3JGTRVW1IaCFS4icB37Yk-0QqP362KFw5EULt-iVoJLXbYogHtTTRGiUvbb6B9w7TDuOh4Mr_ckBDW7hkljk1DaK4MRydLEJuJ0lTm4lqm7uMv48PXE1uFs2lX-jOKn50UmXWrlTQ0cq/s320/Well+Trained.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>One of Carlos's horses and his trainer</strong><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdSJF-fpdJuF47-YF43PLG33g7IVpWBJ6FgyueZ50T_lTbax1X0LdlwCSVwwafcI2QPFP2-tCjBH_dD31krP6qmq_We3ImCKD3ZsGKqMTmgZpRJBGreVBr4HGoTdT8WQz0ohXbgSYtGBqm/s1600/Spanish+stallion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdSJF-fpdJuF47-YF43PLG33g7IVpWBJ6FgyueZ50T_lTbax1X0LdlwCSVwwafcI2QPFP2-tCjBH_dD31krP6qmq_We3ImCKD3ZsGKqMTmgZpRJBGreVBr4HGoTdT8WQz0ohXbgSYtGBqm/s320/Spanish+stallion.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>One of Carlos's horses and his trainer</strong><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNfUVItsUjXHhoR5uYY6NmmXQEB_0ZgL36Hcu5ccdkjlwqC1UaPKW0uxyN6nvjiUfbyEfoOiApQUJtWWsh_0nEUb4MxwqrHgPVwvRPSdEv7Q-3Ft3lM7feGuYXpDc4BK-03rrpEt85El8K/s1600/Not+a+cow+pony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNfUVItsUjXHhoR5uYY6NmmXQEB_0ZgL36Hcu5ccdkjlwqC1UaPKW0uxyN6nvjiUfbyEfoOiApQUJtWWsh_0nEUb4MxwqrHgPVwvRPSdEv7Q-3Ft3lM7feGuYXpDc4BK-03rrpEt85El8K/s320/Not+a+cow+pony.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>This ain't no "cow pony"</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYPPgzE2TYaF1r5YzTUtBxiFyZ_G9cJUioUeN1vyNhVVCgp_mTIQgKPSXPIY7ZKK5-jxkvaZN61wB1i_3wtdmVl9nDKgvKW8ZM0CbD-oVnt0L0w_NdbPoKgt5-EwlqeJ7xv4WBV_thbbou/s1600/Havin+fun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYPPgzE2TYaF1r5YzTUtBxiFyZ_G9cJUioUeN1vyNhVVCgp_mTIQgKPSXPIY7ZKK5-jxkvaZN61wB1i_3wtdmVl9nDKgvKW8ZM0CbD-oVnt0L0w_NdbPoKgt5-EwlqeJ7xv4WBV_thbbou/s320/Havin+fun.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>The ladies "chillin'"</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We returned the next day to Billy’s finca in Puerto San Jose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That evening we went to another beach further to the south same black sand due to the volcanic rock that it comes from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Same wave action but the waves were larger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had chivichi cameron at a restaurant on the beach and returned to Billy’s finca.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAN-QQZZ3BE_jxNldiunrZDqKgKcfCM6HbU-L870aMN5qAkwJdVzqkIDuKStq3P9jhKq-8fZ5hfw9VFaloOUX0nQ-PnpeiX7-0YDgx-6BE5Lemc6vDpysePJphjgdo493quXHC_XsQhBGN/s320/sunset+on+the+beach.jpg" width="320" /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Sunset on the beach in Puerto San Jose</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOyxwcvAEv5TWz2nTFGOszkiD-y77bzrC69W5Zb8MxZZU33G6mwXGFinqf32g1EhCChVaa7iF8C6kyzvxxvcLGA98B4Dg5M5kGVq0Fj6XqPZRUoFr8aj2GfGea1iFq6wmo_s31ZQeQ64a/s1600/Evening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOyxwcvAEv5TWz2nTFGOszkiD-y77bzrC69W5Zb8MxZZU33G6mwXGFinqf32g1EhCChVaa7iF8C6kyzvxxvcLGA98B4Dg5M5kGVq0Fj6XqPZRUoFr8aj2GfGea1iFq6wmo_s31ZQeQ64a/s320/Evening.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Relaxing by the pool at Billy's after a hard day at the beach</strong><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1qAsrIJoZxTkg62Y2nIGmTqzHYDFe-rv0ZHap-sWhD60hdAFgPxPXrvLXTzWonRVeTiv3lMxa0ASdOe6hePFrKXuhJ2QYd920k2jcMhslTBUiFimtmRs77nELVc_HZYoHP6UwsG4G4VN/s1600/Active+valcano+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1qAsrIJoZxTkg62Y2nIGmTqzHYDFe-rv0ZHap-sWhD60hdAFgPxPXrvLXTzWonRVeTiv3lMxa0ASdOe6hePFrKXuhJ2QYd920k2jcMhslTBUiFimtmRs77nELVc_HZYoHP6UwsG4G4VN/s320/Active+valcano+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>An active valcano "puffing"</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCAyszlOWHqXeXc_zsb-GqxxNjuZJaBVsBsFk4G07r9cEEV1DFq3Y-f7UPqxxnloD4Xfuiws87X_iCDkr87zyZMI0AYhH3dCZSPIeB2hQK0ns5fApNJIiFTla88unFUfNf-s68BWd8Z93v/s1600/Active+valcano+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCAyszlOWHqXeXc_zsb-GqxxNjuZJaBVsBsFk4G07r9cEEV1DFq3Y-f7UPqxxnloD4Xfuiws87X_iCDkr87zyZMI0AYhH3dCZSPIeB2hQK0ns5fApNJIiFTla88unFUfNf-s68BWd8Z93v/s320/Active+valcano+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>An active valcano "puffing"</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsXSdoxixILewW0IffJmxMpvOlbjReAWflPPiz5p3zVOi9DfeU4NWpjgZV5bo_Bzg1sSytbWvs4PWWZ6yzmyMx9sO5vnRnffQz2weJ4AvY2HDz4xZ_HgVxYcskkG46tAASVTQ1UEpgoNRW/s1600/Indian+head.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsXSdoxixILewW0IffJmxMpvOlbjReAWflPPiz5p3zVOi9DfeU4NWpjgZV5bo_Bzg1sSytbWvs4PWWZ6yzmyMx9sO5vnRnffQz2weJ4AvY2HDz4xZ_HgVxYcskkG46tAASVTQ1UEpgoNRW/s320/Indian+head.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>"Indian Head"</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the morning we loaded up and headed to Antigua one of the oldest cities in Guatemala.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To the north of us as we drove there was a volcano that was spewing smoke, gas, and ash about every 5 minutes, we joked that it had consumed too many beans the previous night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As stated earlier there are several active volcanoes in Guatemala and when they blow their tops it really makes a mess of things.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsuxXGnGCFah2SW4PQ4iLF3Oz_3hUVnjpUBEIEMGtPUITIfHk34uxCcm9OGOlU2z9OVlbdQ1vgtrJqt7zB5I-n4aDMeKERF_rU9-apEoJqzfDzpTLI6GQ2s8YvJVlUzpAQLErBYZKBekA/s1600/B%2526B+Antugia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsuxXGnGCFah2SW4PQ4iLF3Oz_3hUVnjpUBEIEMGtPUITIfHk34uxCcm9OGOlU2z9OVlbdQ1vgtrJqt7zB5I-n4aDMeKERF_rU9-apEoJqzfDzpTLI6GQ2s8YvJVlUzpAQLErBYZKBekA/s320/B%2526B+Antugia.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>The Chateau Bed and Breakfast</strong><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitT2iJVF4DefWGF6pIhKpQP7esAPr0n1e8DziYnJSZjmwdA8DtL4y7VFz2IsAtYEFaDXy5b-g6lECOsICdGIMtpdW5hxXJ4jJoRNV8xMIuX9u5s_Jckg20Qgfwa5LIdP-xuJ6bYvktB2nA/s1600/vinyard+Antugia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitT2iJVF4DefWGF6pIhKpQP7esAPr0n1e8DziYnJSZjmwdA8DtL4y7VFz2IsAtYEFaDXy5b-g6lECOsICdGIMtpdW5hxXJ4jJoRNV8xMIuX9u5s_Jckg20Qgfwa5LIdP-xuJ6bYvktB2nA/s320/vinyard+Antugia.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>The Chateau's vineyard</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-P3gfGABHjaYXOR5D8FmPAk7aBE_HMHnU47Rvekia_GLqNb61l5M4bfOv3N7hUAvAOBX70iFwhKbuZjuWeZzZxi7uWBx8Hg-dHqlAHo1YMS_EoPvaIuYCeXnA40EPw-onC1YE0dSvbNo/s1600/B%2526B+Antugia+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-P3gfGABHjaYXOR5D8FmPAk7aBE_HMHnU47Rvekia_GLqNb61l5M4bfOv3N7hUAvAOBX70iFwhKbuZjuWeZzZxi7uWBx8Hg-dHqlAHo1YMS_EoPvaIuYCeXnA40EPw-onC1YE0dSvbNo/s320/B%2526B+Antugia+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>The Chateau</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLd8Pne7jypdJ9Gy4BkNBK1PtbdCOY17IgeNwUUCfBqdwb0u3SsKJvafpRs9bgvGHAuWw9HvlzQdnDSkBGJ84NWDUVyzXPvjOypTBwfomgrohib7SU4J6glENl8k1TA10vMmHvhC_dBPX/s1600/Billy+%2526+Mari+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLd8Pne7jypdJ9Gy4BkNBK1PtbdCOY17IgeNwUUCfBqdwb0u3SsKJvafpRs9bgvGHAuWw9HvlzQdnDSkBGJ84NWDUVyzXPvjOypTBwfomgrohib7SU4J6glENl8k1TA10vMmHvhC_dBPX/s320/Billy+%2526+Mari+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Billy and Mari</strong></div><strong><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqP35SvzCJnF3U9_45xp6uC59TyRWDCtUNzqBoI4Sqy73AwHtP5W8vkeFLz5IBE5l1MYNDOl_on109nV40tjXgtNn_UUh_1h0ePCIyXkV0SMMsPolgRYDpUCBQgfOPrKvc2YBmXHzA545W/s1600/Old+Church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqP35SvzCJnF3U9_45xp6uC59TyRWDCtUNzqBoI4Sqy73AwHtP5W8vkeFLz5IBE5l1MYNDOl_on109nV40tjXgtNn_UUh_1h0ePCIyXkV0SMMsPolgRYDpUCBQgfOPrKvc2YBmXHzA545W/s320/Old+Church.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>An old church in Antigue</strong><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5qtKoTS7mhe2ZScNjdiGSUR7vNmKP-UNuwRnSfcd8tzakyyo4Tu9DcJHwWdtrQnOXIxKqfNmziUfqFKI2MuVmIN75DqXuJ2ybX_Hb1gXDxIH7SeCoFnEyHVtYAYm6slOIQ54RXd5hgmm/s1600/Aggies+are+everywhere.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5qtKoTS7mhe2ZScNjdiGSUR7vNmKP-UNuwRnSfcd8tzakyyo4Tu9DcJHwWdtrQnOXIxKqfNmziUfqFKI2MuVmIN75DqXuJ2ybX_Hb1gXDxIH7SeCoFnEyHVtYAYm6slOIQ54RXd5hgmm/s320/Aggies+are+everywhere.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Damn Aggies are everywhere, even in the oldest city in Guatemala</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIocVXL7Ac6ITje2oXQsNB5TvabMDvoH_qM7K1EGEkz4XIrd-DhUH6oi882GV-LMskLGpHWEPJM-vuH0NJF7Hm13Ns1iOS51mPNpHTOQxvTMUmPSfBRmjK9IHyjuZDFcL7dVWjuGCpD2L/s1600/Active+valcano+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIocVXL7Ac6ITje2oXQsNB5TvabMDvoH_qM7K1EGEkz4XIrd-DhUH6oi882GV-LMskLGpHWEPJM-vuH0NJF7Hm13Ns1iOS51mPNpHTOQxvTMUmPSfBRmjK9IHyjuZDFcL7dVWjuGCpD2L/s320/Active+valcano+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>An active valcano "puffing"</strong></span></div></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We arrived in Antigua late morning and drove around; we stopped at the Mission San Francisco over 400 years old,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>had an enjoyable evening at a restaurant and bar owned by a friend of Billy’s that had unique Guatemalan music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkubDoPJ27Su3_3inmMDZv1Ra_Czrc7RuSgWAZDqFu4-XrIrwkqpVYgY_VCjyP78ChkTugyB99MjofKJpEfu74EyTV45ovPAmxPK25wcxR2kaQbnKfjiIIDp4sp0LKJn3FRnkjZ1xhjzWE/s1600/Charango+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkubDoPJ27Su3_3inmMDZv1Ra_Czrc7RuSgWAZDqFu4-XrIrwkqpVYgY_VCjyP78ChkTugyB99MjofKJpEfu74EyTV45ovPAmxPK25wcxR2kaQbnKfjiIIDp4sp0LKJn3FRnkjZ1xhjzWE/s320/Charango+front.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>The front of a Charango</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAeG2A36TXPnIlDM_PZWEG2Uhw6CFqZCh5HnYyg5Lknt6CUxaXd3HCPP6jCKflbBtTjyxjQJ-StJV7VR43Ka2HAR8OHNucwNRtVISXSiVpNwe8ZxnfFZoLigAPBoI6lb42kq4SDtBoonD/s1600/Charango+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAeG2A36TXPnIlDM_PZWEG2Uhw6CFqZCh5HnYyg5Lknt6CUxaXd3HCPP6jCKflbBtTjyxjQJ-StJV7VR43Ka2HAR8OHNucwNRtVISXSiVpNwe8ZxnfFZoLigAPBoI6lb42kq4SDtBoonD/s320/Charango+back.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>The back of a Charango</strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I learned of a guitar called a “charango” which is from Bolivia only about 18 inches long has 10 strings and originally made from the shell of an armadillo the sound was like nothing I have ever heard.</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht8XU4MlKCuIJlO_iZ8ZJwj9u8sXqTHHSIrT2h_LLJpDETJSVT43AJRp0T9GJ3hG1sC2qXUP9Vsk3iW4z81d31zqUF25an6uCbgsXQNJt5_Z7L_3D62Wp7j6o1ucXVl4Oq-P3_0QwMxAgF/s1600/400+year+old+mission+San++Francisco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht8XU4MlKCuIJlO_iZ8ZJwj9u8sXqTHHSIrT2h_LLJpDETJSVT43AJRp0T9GJ3hG1sC2qXUP9Vsk3iW4z81d31zqUF25an6uCbgsXQNJt5_Z7L_3D62Wp7j6o1ucXVl4Oq-P3_0QwMxAgF/s320/400+year+old+mission+San++Francisco.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mission San Fransisco over 400 years old</strong><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhAdfDbAG3EsP2-AjHG_VLFDW8Qf3_7MLH_i39DZu0TuGVJlCQDAy8Fu9pNF8xqlV2LUKD7GWZgszbUrfskoPkJvX6orZw8tK2v_VilgIGYcN2zmTFmpHM6RK-ABW_AQctlrtz-l3tKMF/s1600/Antigua+street+scene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhAdfDbAG3EsP2-AjHG_VLFDW8Qf3_7MLH_i39DZu0TuGVJlCQDAy8Fu9pNF8xqlV2LUKD7GWZgszbUrfskoPkJvX6orZw8tK2v_VilgIGYcN2zmTFmpHM6RK-ABW_AQctlrtz-l3tKMF/s320/Antigua+street+scene.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Street scene Antuiga</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3oNZBNTUR2RImzCHOKZ4tbE0VhkBVXwfmxMyhVohJF6ITBMXpL28iWaN7mzcPyHEf1PMcSUMiuv3xLT4Vuw6xS8ihHl9S6qreVguUsHlCLFag1QxpToMzxaVVjsJ-PiTnqBZIpnBwlECy/s1600/Another+cutie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3oNZBNTUR2RImzCHOKZ4tbE0VhkBVXwfmxMyhVohJF6ITBMXpL28iWaN7mzcPyHEf1PMcSUMiuv3xLT4Vuw6xS8ihHl9S6qreVguUsHlCLFag1QxpToMzxaVVjsJ-PiTnqBZIpnBwlECy/s320/Another+cutie.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>A little cuitie</strong><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kiqVTfTHopC-OkVZ6w4FutPUqPCk7j1cAm-IFi8Vz1K0nM3CRAbteuqSVmTrpDxmaQXxrs36SkMRXJxuHmT1kKVO543Wy1pzsBsUk6IVBQMIRG7j_2nA7gYqw_fbaUp9u2XX7KiqsSIC/s1600/Guess+who.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kiqVTfTHopC-OkVZ6w4FutPUqPCk7j1cAm-IFi8Vz1K0nM3CRAbteuqSVmTrpDxmaQXxrs36SkMRXJxuHmT1kKVO543Wy1pzsBsUk6IVBQMIRG7j_2nA7gYqw_fbaUp9u2XX7KiqsSIC/s320/Guess+who.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Guess who?</strong><br />
</div></div></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Back to Billy’s for the night before returning to Rio Dulce with a “short” shopping trip in Guatemala city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have to remember in Rio Dulce we have very little selection for shopping so Rose is real excited, Wal Mart, Cosco, for me McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Burger King.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The shopping took a little longer than anticipated but we were able to find the things we needed including a crock pot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back on the road to Rio Dulce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got to the marina late Billy and Mari spent the night in the V berth on our boat and headed back to Guatemala City in the morning.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We have since pulled My Peace out of the water for some necessary work, bottom paint, rudder bushing replacement, keel damage repair from dumping a coral head in Belize, and to reinforce the dinghy davits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We should be out of the water for about 2 weeks and then back into our adventure.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> </div></div></strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On our way to Antugia we stopped at a French style chateau Billy k new of. It had a vinyard and when finished is going to be a bed and breakfast. finding this structure out in the middle of nowhere was a surprise. </span></div></div></div></div>My Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16363560994515892361noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690672007622172023.post-41076861545955001082011-11-02T15:55:00.220-06:002011-11-09T19:59:04.609-06:002 Nov 2011 – The Day of The Dead<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2 Nov 2011 – The Day of The Dead – or should I say the week of the dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Halloween is a real big thing in central America, at least here on the Rio Dulce, ours started by joining a “flotilla” of 3 other boats heading down the Rio Dulce toward the Caribbean to the far end of El Golfete.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rafted up Friday night behind a large island where the Rio Dulce became a river again after crossing El Golfete.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were with David’s Expectations, Les’ Wild Matilda, and Jim ad Laura’s boat which the name escapes me at the moment.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitqs1jRer3FXp_-Wwk7DVtBb_m2u_fJY2YywtyxkBozF3qrPgtFX3c8DfRXAySOYAc5FHJJU_jMDiTcwGqA2X-bN4bhEV4Jk1sEFXHRdiHKEL5EtJUIIXN1v33kMwPzHxYTsFp08OCAL1K/s1600/Raft+up+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitqs1jRer3FXp_-Wwk7DVtBb_m2u_fJY2YywtyxkBozF3qrPgtFX3c8DfRXAySOYAc5FHJJU_jMDiTcwGqA2X-bN4bhEV4Jk1sEFXHRdiHKEL5EtJUIIXN1v33kMwPzHxYTsFp08OCAL1K/s320/Raft+up+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXp7MrFSBStPP2OsJ19jM6qTusp4mQIv352f6JznV-zhzTJUI-R012XdXE-KHAYt9MNLQW6jZI7gU9tt9rN6OvY9fW_9MGai1XK-GqaRK-WgtgnoskhlKD0xyKQmlIKh97mL-ZNU99X1I2/s1600/Raft+up+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXp7MrFSBStPP2OsJ19jM6qTusp4mQIv352f6JznV-zhzTJUI-R012XdXE-KHAYt9MNLQW6jZI7gU9tt9rN6OvY9fW_9MGai1XK-GqaRK-WgtgnoskhlKD0xyKQmlIKh97mL-ZNU99X1I2/s320/Raft+up+5.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhltyij0yXgtPH16JQaNPkRFwUMKgrrdgrXU5wOvOENzTxXeENmNXbBW4eYppLPikRRPF8CD_GmwEouRk-kTdvHMi_UEUU4B_bX7HPhyMcPLwr4eIJsdtM1J8TmqWHeRv-3-n2agu1QWWyq/s1600/Raft+up+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhltyij0yXgtPH16JQaNPkRFwUMKgrrdgrXU5wOvOENzTxXeENmNXbBW4eYppLPikRRPF8CD_GmwEouRk-kTdvHMi_UEUU4B_bX7HPhyMcPLwr4eIJsdtM1J8TmqWHeRv-3-n2agu1QWWyq/s320/Raft+up+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWjnkZcSZoJtXDiJ1moroCWjklN_2zEBJcAlZdCvtq7WTMPgDOLiY2l8wUA24ypX__oxzM3RHX-eFFeTpD6AdIUYO75rKtobASpOZCV8wjbJNlifM6zCELhdv3UwVmJEs-QuRTLX7n0lbs/s1600/Raft+up+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWjnkZcSZoJtXDiJ1moroCWjklN_2zEBJcAlZdCvtq7WTMPgDOLiY2l8wUA24ypX__oxzM3RHX-eFFeTpD6AdIUYO75rKtobASpOZCV8wjbJNlifM6zCELhdv3UwVmJEs-QuRTLX7n0lbs/s320/Raft+up+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo1ehGM9OPo1OzJ5WMKX1dlXHPWha_3y4Kg0WL6euxi1biDyx9yC1fzGw70eouOOLrdCH5ubiAq0MF5gTPcEfR6kk_lQiSq2Z1t4maRzgISH6aBc_ZUW4qxir2Tb972w5OmwdgXD_6Q7Jp/s1600/Raft+up+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo1ehGM9OPo1OzJ5WMKX1dlXHPWha_3y4Kg0WL6euxi1biDyx9yC1fzGw70eouOOLrdCH5ubiAq0MF5gTPcEfR6kk_lQiSq2Z1t4maRzgISH6aBc_ZUW4qxir2Tb972w5OmwdgXD_6Q7Jp/s320/Raft+up+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Raft Up</strong></span></div><br />
Shortly after we were all rafted up a young man arou d 6 and his sister soon to be 2 paddled up to our boat wanting to sell us some wood carvings. I wanted one of the little cayucos (canoes) so we purchased one for 20Q. He then asked if we had any cookies for his sister, we don't encourage begging from the children so I told him we would give him a package of cookies if they would let us take their picture. He agreed and the deal was struck. He open the cookies for his sister as they were paddling off.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Pe19vTFpar1RNvj1y7izKFI92laQDC5F27O8Efe8rWv11jxQQ6NXhEDwCcDt4TvciDXnenekeFiRVRnZQqibx1oekcdG3LCPmpBvfl5cAvkPkqpMWi14IRBE2LxS4QyNMl-RpQxvFcZ3/s1600/protective+big+brother.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Pe19vTFpar1RNvj1y7izKFI92laQDC5F27O8Efe8rWv11jxQQ6NXhEDwCcDt4TvciDXnenekeFiRVRnZQqibx1oekcdG3LCPmpBvfl5cAvkPkqpMWi14IRBE2LxS4QyNMl-RpQxvFcZ3/s320/protective+big+brother.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Cute Kids</strong></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NExagXZJQnqa4T8EIF4ElQ8CjzFvgbjOfkgngLI5GDqiTW_E3QjBIi9BBAqwDYobVtRN47oWsTaXtdeDacj7IKrYg8uh2KBCyAi3_tf6UvhYIpFQFcl5E-tusKCeF6mt8LwhUVI5iOa8/s1600/cayuco+with+children.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NExagXZJQnqa4T8EIF4ElQ8CjzFvgbjOfkgngLI5GDqiTW_E3QjBIi9BBAqwDYobVtRN47oWsTaXtdeDacj7IKrYg8uh2KBCyAi3_tf6UvhYIpFQFcl5E-tusKCeF6mt8LwhUVI5iOa8/s320/cayuco+with+children.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>He is 6 and his sister will be 2 Nov 29</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8bhHoyF_cvaqf6aKXPFqufgYYcsQEgDri9NVc8Nb5o5elyuInN7sw46w-_DP8eP-FGsnSSNgR8henNgj5Du7mIhLTxNC2Y1k0Wh5o8yaPVNlDDD_58UBH22eISpYUUvIUu77deP128caB/s1600/kids+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8bhHoyF_cvaqf6aKXPFqufgYYcsQEgDri9NVc8Nb5o5elyuInN7sw46w-_DP8eP-FGsnSSNgR8henNgj5Du7mIhLTxNC2Y1k0Wh5o8yaPVNlDDD_58UBH22eISpYUUvIUu77deP128caB/s320/kids+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once the boats were secure with Wild Matilda as the anchor boat we got into our dinghies and went exploring down the Rio Dulce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped at Agua Caliente (hot water) which had a small dock and restaurant on the river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For 15Q ($.87 USD) you got a little lantern and a “guided tour” back up the mountain to 2 caves the climb up to the caves killed my knee, but it was worth the pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has only been open for a few years and still in pretty good shape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike the caves in the states, there are no laws protecting the formations inside, but most were still intact.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4xfdQhC-X2KgsEz37Jc3RpLPskn7u7KaGUDB9Cyenk2Zg9owkOrxmz0GsrsVk9pgrwCEvvf1uS81FxutBqvBjH6Fik3o9_Qr6srIOAWy0eCY4G9icn-oLSY5yRlOPbziKtrTMSJu8WOQs/s1600/heron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4xfdQhC-X2KgsEz37Jc3RpLPskn7u7KaGUDB9Cyenk2Zg9owkOrxmz0GsrsVk9pgrwCEvvf1uS81FxutBqvBjH6Fik3o9_Qr6srIOAWy0eCY4G9icn-oLSY5yRlOPbziKtrTMSJu8WOQs/s320/heron.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_LLzMvPZ2uVnSLqcafrFX0tERO-etl4-WXCYzfz483gr7-xXvo1cqlxTT_tvm-lRStgpgWrmoyFd25c7sL3G_XKT7cX7I1QrSAOnmXShXk-KgAvhpHOcn2Tl6lPDefIh3n7nYu0DnJ0d/s1600/river+side+village.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_LLzMvPZ2uVnSLqcafrFX0tERO-etl4-WXCYzfz483gr7-xXvo1cqlxTT_tvm-lRStgpgWrmoyFd25c7sL3G_XKT7cX7I1QrSAOnmXShXk-KgAvhpHOcn2Tl6lPDefIh3n7nYu0DnJ0d/s320/river+side+village.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBiIi5zoVTEl1sDbB4x3T5gqV5vtR6oa3XC7rYZ3GeSou2FZhbNDbR6oxpATs4zSHpZf-3HP2wM-vbftBGXcF8UR7dfZMyHraY3PeicA8I4amwuUiVEnOOkDO96RkEYzB_n_YejXGJfoof/s1600/village.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBiIi5zoVTEl1sDbB4x3T5gqV5vtR6oa3XC7rYZ3GeSou2FZhbNDbR6oxpATs4zSHpZf-3HP2wM-vbftBGXcF8UR7dfZMyHraY3PeicA8I4amwuUiVEnOOkDO96RkEYzB_n_YejXGJfoof/s320/village.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After the tour of the caves we walked down to the hot spring which was located in another cave, but emptied back into the river not far from the small dock, the water lived up to its name, it was HOT, almost too hot to enjoy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a quick cervesa (beer) it was back into the dinghies and back to the boats and a quick swim before dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dinner was a pitch in of spaghetti salad and garlic toast, visiting with each other and off to bed.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjds9bJ-Lzqj3bQxpxkJVGZF0Ii7lWaghlzByMAxLQmx8_eSx6KgPMMqBCKSObvt8c8fs7y4j8yIPR1FXxm0c3z94QcHL1grN0cGJLgm4TrGq6ur8Exzhpu4g5fTPcbo8gfOS9KguJp3Gyw/s1600/children.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjds9bJ-Lzqj3bQxpxkJVGZF0Ii7lWaghlzByMAxLQmx8_eSx6KgPMMqBCKSObvt8c8fs7y4j8yIPR1FXxm0c3z94QcHL1grN0cGJLgm4TrGq6ur8Exzhpu4g5fTPcbo8gfOS9KguJp3Gyw/s320/children.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2jkINZKaC6zYLJvtOfdVNTrPpQCSNuRvOJTaEMudQ9Rv7xsLNAsQWa0ux9fj7PE1LfcZClMKpVXqNliYCoj6XeLoegyBUJXfodbGQ9mtx_0ZyIidUnn0Vo8LaZK8R_67jc7hoM9QaJLqZ/s1600/crane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2jkINZKaC6zYLJvtOfdVNTrPpQCSNuRvOJTaEMudQ9Rv7xsLNAsQWa0ux9fj7PE1LfcZClMKpVXqNliYCoj6XeLoegyBUJXfodbGQ9mtx_0ZyIidUnn0Vo8LaZK8R_67jc7hoM9QaJLqZ/s320/crane.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3djgArShzl-fIp86WW2rgT7omT4SOOal8sI8RNZUqk6OjD_oLsQs9lqnIiPW1WQIj2QLdNdwIp70CzJy1h6pbI9BXOdfk-ycS3Mn55tJboOPpKbaMaN_0DKpXy_HfswkxOuFhFeiuEn1p/s1600/susan+from+South+aferica+and+Mia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3djgArShzl-fIp86WW2rgT7omT4SOOal8sI8RNZUqk6OjD_oLsQs9lqnIiPW1WQIj2QLdNdwIp70CzJy1h6pbI9BXOdfk-ycS3Mn55tJboOPpKbaMaN_0DKpXy_HfswkxOuFhFeiuEn1p/s320/susan+from+South+aferica+and+Mia.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Suzie and Mia</strong></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Up early Saturday morning and off on another dinghy adventure down river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time we went to a little spring feed tributary that feeds into the Rio Dulce at the end of which is located Ak Tenamit, the school tat benefited from the “Poker Run” that took place earlier in the month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went all the way to the end of the creek and put our feet in the cool water rushing from spring forming the creek.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGwasXj8V5P2J2T-mQYxAFn34cJeMJzTpJC2-VETAtKGUHuP-jIdx5zYJg-daJTA3KJtjUmHC4C-Q_j3f5VFermN4BpD_Jxp59M8rkUku6qDRhH5gQQQfddBITMvXLOBtbJdJnGPn7Snc/s1600/family+outing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGwasXj8V5P2J2T-mQYxAFn34cJeMJzTpJC2-VETAtKGUHuP-jIdx5zYJg-daJTA3KJtjUmHC4C-Q_j3f5VFermN4BpD_Jxp59M8rkUku6qDRhH5gQQQfddBITMvXLOBtbJdJnGPn7Snc/s320/family+outing.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Family outting</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZ8hG5TMcdNu4FypIJv2cSqlgXIxHDdmDFPnKPwj583OnQyJvLuZND4dAE5WYORgLXmvHz-ICuiaVG4TcYOqH4OfoM7wcgNoRCnrHDnM6JRyOtjzfhT1s8TCkAmD4gQPJHmRQ8RRwNPvN/s1600/hut+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZ8hG5TMcdNu4FypIJv2cSqlgXIxHDdmDFPnKPwj583OnQyJvLuZND4dAE5WYORgLXmvHz-ICuiaVG4TcYOqH4OfoM7wcgNoRCnrHDnM6JRyOtjzfhT1s8TCkAmD4gQPJHmRQ8RRwNPvN/s320/hut+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On the way back to the Rio Dulce we stopped at the dock for Ak Tenamit and toured the facility which was originally created by U.S. Aid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The facility was very nice containing a craft shop, restaurant, dormitories, education buildings, nature trails, computer center, and administrative building. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik3GjCB38dVPu5mzpeVxsWhCR1pqJS5get3G2Lllox21x-Ogbhsy1lapAdFD4KEX-BpQ9DdX4A4a9bC898o3P4b2TABdGXUtBVyzZODGZHAR9tnlBi25XrmCBP7zNfiGO8BppeALmHMlc_/s1600/Ak+Tenamit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik3GjCB38dVPu5mzpeVxsWhCR1pqJS5get3G2Lllox21x-Ogbhsy1lapAdFD4KEX-BpQ9DdX4A4a9bC898o3P4b2TABdGXUtBVyzZODGZHAR9tnlBi25XrmCBP7zNfiGO8BppeALmHMlc_/s320/Ak+Tenamit.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiepZkKvvXllNtyMuqNvVHdmD7tix4eDfTVStBqsPlavEwFQ28cpedXkk2DzJMb-cHBn2H4dV49YZ56N7q40acbmF6wkgScPJ0SiFwFMsNghzlNAdm8dBcFiSfZDW8LhnyVdDjQCD2-SuuH/s1600/bambo+chair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiepZkKvvXllNtyMuqNvVHdmD7tix4eDfTVStBqsPlavEwFQ28cpedXkk2DzJMb-cHBn2H4dV49YZ56N7q40acbmF6wkgScPJ0SiFwFMsNghzlNAdm8dBcFiSfZDW8LhnyVdDjQCD2-SuuH/s320/bambo+chair.jpg" width="214" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFsNSJXHyVBc7ofJWORIMo8vGuamm18EYOgshTylSelXSuFEjNgU1gxiWVf2SRPNCJNRsyN8JHR9u5Q4N8eUquYwWWtrBKDuOa5D31OpVkq-7qPN-3XVglbYgQdAoh_B7OcHwKj7PHwRf0/s1600/hammer+handle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFsNSJXHyVBc7ofJWORIMo8vGuamm18EYOgshTylSelXSuFEjNgU1gxiWVf2SRPNCJNRsyN8JHR9u5Q4N8eUquYwWWtrBKDuOa5D31OpVkq-7qPN-3XVglbYgQdAoh_B7OcHwKj7PHwRf0/s320/hammer+handle.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtP9zDNqtZZPTt4ynapiNwJZ9bSciJzoGa2k4bbu-DkGhGhUlfJzSTrv-ILmKK5RgsuCoxx7SE6LDCUz3a8OcCXwSzQkwI1UqOjfoYx4obRvSHY-Gx2_lWaMzHy-Z_aMEGG61lWwTboHFS/s1600/handicrafts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtP9zDNqtZZPTt4ynapiNwJZ9bSciJzoGa2k4bbu-DkGhGhUlfJzSTrv-ILmKK5RgsuCoxx7SE6LDCUz3a8OcCXwSzQkwI1UqOjfoYx4obRvSHY-Gx2_lWaMzHy-Z_aMEGG61lWwTboHFS/s320/handicrafts.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXuMFMLNEe5v_o8L2C6uALFWjiwA0N27TbIuFLxhguo8idbak98TtjGMJSZA_Oc1i2TyxLF3661j29Cd6690FIQoTedjNCR5qV0ibfcJbAM0KkEzZVIv-3L6vWrUaszp-xgL0ezn5LcLup/s1600/Mia+standing+guard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXuMFMLNEe5v_o8L2C6uALFWjiwA0N27TbIuFLxhguo8idbak98TtjGMJSZA_Oc1i2TyxLF3661j29Cd6690FIQoTedjNCR5qV0ibfcJbAM0KkEzZVIv-3L6vWrUaszp-xgL0ezn5LcLup/s320/Mia+standing+guard.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Mia standing guard on the dinghy</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT9C0bbeVoRjsuIKEd5iaAm7dhHf1qT2FgE_GpR7oo6uvpXe-zwgcCiWX2VXLpWyu0qWob8kFu0bTAcXFVQ83Ydhd4ngKkqAG6jX9krXv2KSqcmEioEfyJbyQ8fLkd0X9W6wFlsjjYawS2/s1600/mia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT9C0bbeVoRjsuIKEd5iaAm7dhHf1qT2FgE_GpR7oo6uvpXe-zwgcCiWX2VXLpWyu0qWob8kFu0bTAcXFVQ83Ydhd4ngKkqAG6jX9krXv2KSqcmEioEfyJbyQ8fLkd0X9W6wFlsjjYawS2/s320/mia.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNkGpUBBtYbqCifPAMOtloHnoy4jyh3O1pSxSH5i6wMcbAnDZ4Ur5pZqIMl4BgmyMcYHYYEqR9acr0uhT1jLrfPVkUBC-wFtmBR4IM3ltBAK7e0aRIhyihSVqZIQDPxQtnD81xMciitQk/s1600/shopping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNkGpUBBtYbqCifPAMOtloHnoy4jyh3O1pSxSH5i6wMcbAnDZ4Ur5pZqIMl4BgmyMcYHYYEqR9acr0uhT1jLrfPVkUBC-wFtmBR4IM3ltBAK7e0aRIhyihSVqZIQDPxQtnD81xMciitQk/s320/shopping.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Rose checking out the latest fashion jewelry</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd5ouh87NeEq-y7Zb3NzLK_DQjcELCuU-0WeHMZT3B902J-yYUlsMlPaawWC88IBzKe4TjVuvRUtSKDoLwC4KUMcZ7tDte1XHpaCy2tEYmwA5-2AgiU4vg4rWC5kSJR8gV3c_1EpamPzag/s1600/US+Aid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd5ouh87NeEq-y7Zb3NzLK_DQjcELCuU-0WeHMZT3B902J-yYUlsMlPaawWC88IBzKe4TjVuvRUtSKDoLwC4KUMcZ7tDte1XHpaCy2tEYmwA5-2AgiU4vg4rWC5kSJR8gV3c_1EpamPzag/s320/US+Aid.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB5nDQpfweZLgN4Mx0kkdpEzzXAv_v7EaYLGejPxWS-1azr2QMTyexNEp3GstEi5ICf3DJO6Cu2UEofj8G8OURVctRcflAZ4sqChUERb03LEr3iJ5HlAzPtm-8SLf0MExJ2_cieJvyDUFV/s1600/trail+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB5nDQpfweZLgN4Mx0kkdpEzzXAv_v7EaYLGejPxWS-1azr2QMTyexNEp3GstEi5ICf3DJO6Cu2UEofj8G8OURVctRcflAZ4sqChUERb03LEr3iJ5HlAzPtm-8SLf0MExJ2_cieJvyDUFV/s320/trail+1.jpg" width="214" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKiZlmnWYz-XapR-gxWdi2H90sQrrOz338dtNv5LyfJ2tCwzC3HnulYNUgoxX1jfWiTl8ivpRboUZBjArN5d4R5z_qOioUuUXQogLvM2ZyrtOtW2lNEAg1SgdXk7Umapu9jfNuz02jJYRB/s1600/trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKiZlmnWYz-XapR-gxWdi2H90sQrrOz338dtNv5LyfJ2tCwzC3HnulYNUgoxX1jfWiTl8ivpRboUZBjArN5d4R5z_qOioUuUXQogLvM2ZyrtOtW2lNEAg1SgdXk7Umapu9jfNuz02jJYRB/s320/trail.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Back in the dinghies and off to the other side of the river and up another tributary flowing down from the mountains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went about 3 or 4 miles up this one taking pictures of the rain forest and the birds flying around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then back to the Rio Dulce and heading back to the boats still at anchor for lunch.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpI1U2XKdjPOYWnqx2MoHU8M-YTj-yG9RH2CKd7WYo4kkOdm0MvurgX961DHdI9Xz-7aVyD9MPGL9IVEseEPz56SEXN9bpPQLVLjVvzp2g79SWkGaaexvXu3h_0utObeIekK-Vxy-vH1tE/s1600/father+and+son.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpI1U2XKdjPOYWnqx2MoHU8M-YTj-yG9RH2CKd7WYo4kkOdm0MvurgX961DHdI9Xz-7aVyD9MPGL9IVEseEPz56SEXN9bpPQLVLjVvzp2g79SWkGaaexvXu3h_0utObeIekK-Vxy-vH1tE/s320/father+and+son.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Father and son</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFI3HXuP7wGLDUJrdhw_E46u_1Qls7lB4Y2Tk40D_gbQEAcgiHLcgDwgoXwmzhSHxi1cnz0FsBe5Lg0a-fFazerNonaEzjRhZRWKmhscKEF6yxgadKavw4s3-3dH_elQzEHAWgGsUrBGU/s1600/spring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFI3HXuP7wGLDUJrdhw_E46u_1Qls7lB4Y2Tk40D_gbQEAcgiHLcgDwgoXwmzhSHxi1cnz0FsBe5Lg0a-fFazerNonaEzjRhZRWKmhscKEF6yxgadKavw4s3-3dH_elQzEHAWgGsUrBGU/s320/spring.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Spring at the head of a creek</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXO5CkfdO9dP32orFhbb1t2vMSb-6ihSaDztMfQLCiZjX9Uz1nx8Tqpm89M6VSrXYlPWcjEplBoAUA4byyNqw32FLBzGFlZg1drIK68PsMu7rU-iiex0Qa8iB-Jn__eR5P9LOKBPGnPftH/s1600/shipment+of+concret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXO5CkfdO9dP32orFhbb1t2vMSb-6ihSaDztMfQLCiZjX9Uz1nx8Tqpm89M6VSrXYlPWcjEplBoAUA4byyNqw32FLBzGFlZg1drIK68PsMu7rU-iiex0Qa8iB-Jn__eR5P9LOKBPGnPftH/s320/shipment+of+concret.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>My Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16363560994515892361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690672007622172023.post-25292449502636587972011-10-22T18:33:00.005-06:002011-10-22T19:06:47.141-06:0022 October 2011<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">22 October 2011 – Not much has been happening the past few weeks, Jessi returned to Hawaii, four days after she got home Benja called and said she brought home a souvenir she wishes she didn’t get, a case of Dengue Fever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At first the doctors thought she had contracted Malaria, but when they examined the symptoms the bone ache was a dead giveaway, otherwise the symptoms are very similar, much like flu symptoms. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is doing much better now and seems like she has about shook the disease.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">One of our favorite places to visit for a dinner out or just to stop by and visit is Bruno’s in Fronteras.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While Jessi was here we were talking to Roy McNett the manager, a real nice guy and the owner of the Rio Dulce Chisme, the local online news paper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the conversation the subject of Blanco, Texas came up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My family lived there many years and Jessi grew up there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Blanco is a town of 1,505 people according to the 2005 census, probably less than 1,000 back then, a small town about 60 miles north of San Antonio.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it turns out Roy McNett was the owner of the Blanco County News the newspaper for the area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knew my mother, my father, I believe he even wrote my mother’s obituary, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and watched our daughters grow up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His son even played football with my oldest son Paul in high school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Met a guy, Tom Allen at Ram Marina across the river, on the stern of his boat he listed Canyon Lake as its home port.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it turns out we knew the same people used the same sail maker when we used to sail on Canyon Lake years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Talk about a small world!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Last weekend the marina, Tijax, sponsored a poker run fund raiser for a local school to raise money for the “senior class” project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They wanted to purchase the necessary supplies to make a “sex education” information center.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here in Guatemala like many Central American countries, this material is not taught in school or at home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many young women are married with children by age 16, there is little to no information on how to avoid sexual transmitted diseases, the owners thought it a worthwhile project and so it happened.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">They contacted local businesses as well as all the marinas and ended up with several great prizes like both boatyards donated haul outs to include “block & lock” valued at $500.00 USD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this environment those are great prizes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several donated overnight stays some including meals at their hotels; all the restaurants donated meals and on it went.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">The cruisers came together and entered the event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The course was about 6 miles by dinghy to pick up their cards; each participating marina would hand out a card and had a snack and a beverage for the contestants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When everyone returned to the marina there was a meal, raffle, and silent auction, yes I was asked to “MC” the event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several of the students made a small speech which was interpreted to English so we could all get the full understanding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The final total of funds raised was about 11,000 Q or $1,384.00, the goal was 3,000 Q or around $377.00 USD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had 51 players out of a possible 52.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It cost 125 Q (around $15.75 USD) to enter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d say a job well done and we all had a blast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted to get pictures of the whole event but our new camera died that morning, still trying to find a way to get it to the official Canon repair location.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Our friends who lost their boat at Puerto Aventures are finally getting communication with the insurance company, if I had their agent I’d writing letters to every cruiser media in the world telling them how bad the service was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It does look like they’re going to total the boat and J & Jerr are [planning to come to Rio Dulce to look for a replacement.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Rose and I went boat shopping for them last week to pick out the better boats in their price range so they wouldn’t be wasting their time running around the river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found 2 that were a possible and one that was perfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>J & Jerr will be driving down from Isla Mujeres, Mexico next week to get a firsthand look.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Sorry no pictures haven’t been anywhere new.</div></span></div>My Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16363560994515892361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690672007622172023.post-82861228926751579582011-10-13T09:29:00.001-06:002011-10-13T09:33:12.113-06:0013 October 2011 Changes in Blog SpotBlog Spot has made a change, that I think I like, but I'll leave it up to the viewers. Before when you clicked on a picture it opened in a new window and you had to "back arrow" to get back to the blog. Now when you click on a picture to enlarge, it loads all pictures into a slide show and you just click on the thumbnails at the bottom of the page.<br />
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Please leave your comments after you try it out, I can go back to the old way if the majority of the viewers like it better. Also please leave your comments concerning what you would like to see more. For the time being we are kind of stuck on the Rio, but shortly we will start taking day trips around Guatemala and we will be able to post new pictures and adventures. We are planning a trip up Lago de Izabal in the very near future.<br />
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Geff, Rose, & Mia<br />
S/V M PeaceMy Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16363560994515892361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690672007622172023.post-54341675662007770672011-10-10T23:40:00.074-06:002011-10-11T15:40:23.125-06:0010 October 2011 A walk through the rain forestRose ad I decided to take a walk in therain forest today, so off we went, Rose, Mia and I up the road to the top of the "hill" to the tower. It was about a 2 mile hike up the road through the rubber plantation to the tower at the top of the "hill". Climbed to the top of the tower and looked out over the river and all around. You can even see the mountians of Belize from there.<br />
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the return trip was shorter as we took the canopy trail almost stright down across the swinging "Canopy Bridge" across the "top" of the forest.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw9s9FlbbwSFb-LS9KukS3u3b43iWVX8QnE7gCcJR26wOYXkoazul4Kglsdu0l33w8FXs00LHqd86TNDlbcTe7Q4j-tXzyhXScaTHSOuMqSdRsjJc5tEBla-WgjQPhe-t53WPIvEeMPiE9/s1600/Almost+to+the+tower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw9s9FlbbwSFb-LS9KukS3u3b43iWVX8QnE7gCcJR26wOYXkoazul4Kglsdu0l33w8FXs00LHqd86TNDlbcTe7Q4j-tXzyhXScaTHSOuMqSdRsjJc5tEBla-WgjQPhe-t53WPIvEeMPiE9/s320/Almost+to+the+tower.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>Road to the tower</strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA6q4vj9hDdOuL0ci5HWpphtJ76kpHM2ACK8tUAh0S8uO-QxHpGdFGIhpDKKcowwHGRrr1hjYpEznH79vVpopU498bhJEDnZryca5bx-16Mdp8jkUE3oX_17vmi0hOO5GbbMnDwLoFu9LK/s1600/Canopy+bridge+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA6q4vj9hDdOuL0ci5HWpphtJ76kpHM2ACK8tUAh0S8uO-QxHpGdFGIhpDKKcowwHGRrr1hjYpEznH79vVpopU498bhJEDnZryca5bx-16Mdp8jkUE3oX_17vmi0hOO5GbbMnDwLoFu9LK/s320/Canopy+bridge+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Canopy bridge over the rain forest, the bridge is 20 to 30 feet above the ground</strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgde4xS3r1mqJ454ZCEu1L9GuZgJWZfTASa7EHOGl0sarzRyxk4KXOlQw7CcxTrJYmjkdNkrCnMwR6UQE4314jN8CFKVTopX38luxG-jWRAm688ddwF3CnXiSeTMzQnNrPb8eR1BT5PZeLg/s1600/Castillo+de+San+Felipe+and+Fronteras.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgde4xS3r1mqJ454ZCEu1L9GuZgJWZfTASa7EHOGl0sarzRyxk4KXOlQw7CcxTrJYmjkdNkrCnMwR6UQE4314jN8CFKVTopX38luxG-jWRAm688ddwF3CnXiSeTMzQnNrPb8eR1BT5PZeLg/s320/Castillo+de+San+Felipe+and+Fronteras.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>View of upper Rio Dulce into Lago de Izabal from the top of the tower</strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTI_-LI4lAJd-6nHTvVyDKJunYAeZBY8gEtxbDzp7u0trIhHaWSy5b6S1W5nfKKbSPfz64AwD39SjtZWP29rPY2jKrCVIj3ss1G16gzQ7UJ0VD5i728dFAQftjkp_krt_LxbD1COALTTJ/s1600/Jungle+trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTI_-LI4lAJd-6nHTvVyDKJunYAeZBY8gEtxbDzp7u0trIhHaWSy5b6S1W5nfKKbSPfz64AwD39SjtZWP29rPY2jKrCVIj3ss1G16gzQ7UJ0VD5i728dFAQftjkp_krt_LxbD1COALTTJ/s320/Jungle+trail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Jungle Trail</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlc1ZaDNQH-HrQUEgu2_AaEWUXzv_XQguYFdP3XP-uFz1FFrSwQsR9FqXoC0bSAFk56_H-Kmfe-icBZl3YdzI3lRsfSGaxRWCKQJS6q72PmD3VhUdXcsb1mWvz_F4VmaefUwMZRrwindeF/s1600/Jesus+Lizard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlc1ZaDNQH-HrQUEgu2_AaEWUXzv_XQguYFdP3XP-uFz1FFrSwQsR9FqXoC0bSAFk56_H-Kmfe-icBZl3YdzI3lRsfSGaxRWCKQJS6q72PmD3VhUdXcsb1mWvz_F4VmaefUwMZRrwindeF/s320/Jesus+Lizard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Jesus Lizard called that because they can run across the water</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDm5jTC7kzoPUbahXbhPcHuVoNBxmXHfuvdwq8mZsnY4FJ5h2msnROT2GTek5EXWJg-JfJVY2G2P8W2xQ4VqIfL396uQ9uPSjYmd7vw1qgQn4o8kySXPMuah8OsAQKX90yElKJ2q1gWVR4/s1600/Fronteras+Rio+Dulce+and+Lago+de+Izabal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDm5jTC7kzoPUbahXbhPcHuVoNBxmXHfuvdwq8mZsnY4FJ5h2msnROT2GTek5EXWJg-JfJVY2G2P8W2xQ4VqIfL396uQ9uPSjYmd7vw1qgQn4o8kySXPMuah8OsAQKX90yElKJ2q1gWVR4/s320/Fronteras+Rio+Dulce+and+Lago+de+Izabal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>View from top of the tower</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPjjiBL3KPMnFmcpBK3968SV748baW5sgGpnFMtRDlDk2W7tszqEveogEJYYsMkbmzMkpQhrUMelLujdT3QPLuW5-jJ43472GDFUdg0GjxjYYajx6stfuqk_cQ7E12f07hAOlLZLav12J/s1600/latex+rubber.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPjjiBL3KPMnFmcpBK3968SV748baW5sgGpnFMtRDlDk2W7tszqEveogEJYYsMkbmzMkpQhrUMelLujdT3QPLuW5-jJ43472GDFUdg0GjxjYYajx6stfuqk_cQ7E12f07hAOlLZLav12J/s320/latex+rubber.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Latex rubber in this form about $8.00 per pound</strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvRDPRbMxdXXooM_I5dZL9VaiDfwHVjxlrgbPfA5wnNamxckmcrHNm2zs_OBFhQ-j43QxL4ZACWieydhMEzjjPsvSMAaa5WW9sVwx43DmMr-9VvBfgtJXXfpeemInPzZbGto16wDhg6Y2x/s1600/looking+down.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvRDPRbMxdXXooM_I5dZL9VaiDfwHVjxlrgbPfA5wnNamxckmcrHNm2zs_OBFhQ-j43QxL4ZACWieydhMEzjjPsvSMAaa5WW9sVwx43DmMr-9VvBfgtJXXfpeemInPzZbGto16wDhg6Y2x/s320/looking+down.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Looking down from the swinging bridge</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVLp23WtXPlWrC6dhLlCgAlixcsX62GJtgXwfH3mGvs7bW3fRFCYncuBFb3t2OB223-xsZxPjyhl52zWkeG4h3XoWUFUMYJo9I2fSMjUjGLjiTPWCvSiUHi5wzcPUvVX8MbgOQA75Urgjc/s1600/mature+rubber+trees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVLp23WtXPlWrC6dhLlCgAlixcsX62GJtgXwfH3mGvs7bW3fRFCYncuBFb3t2OB223-xsZxPjyhl52zWkeG4h3XoWUFUMYJo9I2fSMjUjGLjiTPWCvSiUHi5wzcPUvVX8MbgOQA75Urgjc/s320/mature+rubber+trees.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Rubber plantation</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSlJyd0GgeE1s5PnGgUb99Ybfs9FxoQXXCWnx7L4cYRzDXFYXgOTkXnI38dn2LO7JVAl89oaI7z9N6kQtCf6IhmoypKxdSRE9jehIiNxQdDycRR6q1X3x3IdX4K-K9UZiqn-HVzFd5SdsF/s1600/Mia+checking+things+out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSlJyd0GgeE1s5PnGgUb99Ybfs9FxoQXXCWnx7L4cYRzDXFYXgOTkXnI38dn2LO7JVAl89oaI7z9N6kQtCf6IhmoypKxdSRE9jehIiNxQdDycRR6q1X3x3IdX4K-K9UZiqn-HVzFd5SdsF/s320/Mia+checking+things+out.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mia checking things out</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWugwEG5Bvy5isOfD6GZ87B-UdyQUxA45f-8raJ7r-tqC81zhdQimzEHo0pSrl_6ci66qCqJr-jh3_qD6XiR1vhmr3taJAxlGprUybb36f_F1ZYmi71OAJJpayS1gG1hcIIWvhgE11GE9/s1600/Mia+on+swing+bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWugwEG5Bvy5isOfD6GZ87B-UdyQUxA45f-8raJ7r-tqC81zhdQimzEHo0pSrl_6ci66qCqJr-jh3_qD6XiR1vhmr3taJAxlGprUybb36f_F1ZYmi71OAJJpayS1gG1hcIIWvhgE11GE9/s320/Mia+on+swing+bridge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Swinging bridge</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Q6oQ3lMPGsoS0KfqMBiDytBs0wORjfVbgzZKD1elKHqTFzv9_tMJ-4S8q4RgOfy2y7CnUvyx1goQlgWCtGWZ6Qq-NHAB8iNnpooFJ9lXHolEn1bMNVRkgV_gduil38TYu3VfK8CGJA3w/s1600/Mountains+of+Belize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Q6oQ3lMPGsoS0KfqMBiDytBs0wORjfVbgzZKD1elKHqTFzv9_tMJ-4S8q4RgOfy2y7CnUvyx1goQlgWCtGWZ6Qq-NHAB8iNnpooFJ9lXHolEn1bMNVRkgV_gduil38TYu3VfK8CGJA3w/s320/Mountains+of+Belize.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mountains of Belize</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvCjSCbIumL7gNsAyB6lMf7qJnRvgNx7hBi4hHgQcc7ANYha7Dc4jWI8WTdSAOrBll-rNONP9GOW_xnaypHaUM0HibimUpUb2X5E6flqepcgjjdwnJYk_TCVbGrNP2iy3msg8LLcbnN6tu/s1600/Palapa1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvCjSCbIumL7gNsAyB6lMf7qJnRvgNx7hBi4hHgQcc7ANYha7Dc4jWI8WTdSAOrBll-rNONP9GOW_xnaypHaUM0HibimUpUb2X5E6flqepcgjjdwnJYk_TCVbGrNP2iy3msg8LLcbnN6tu/s320/Palapa1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Palapa on the trail</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip09cRRu70elM52SVcyZrX-gybsvQQkp3HkjVRWdCQmcT5tZ_EuSKM61PJ6F2qQLnNugKQDzhKmjm0n0sWI0CH6WcAAKrTYW0ARKaUjDvvAjwu7Z4_cRQSqKSYfPGFN51Lo2mVe3wRxPzL/s1600/Raw+rubber.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip09cRRu70elM52SVcyZrX-gybsvQQkp3HkjVRWdCQmcT5tZ_EuSKM61PJ6F2qQLnNugKQDzhKmjm0n0sWI0CH6WcAAKrTYW0ARKaUjDvvAjwu7Z4_cRQSqKSYfPGFN51Lo2mVe3wRxPzL/s320/Raw+rubber.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Raw rubber in this form about $4.00 per pound</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><br />
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<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuFPyv7ZiHxrKu1XWfYWiRC_NVyry_yJpVDN_7xF5-GMw2rh0vlBQuQYnXoOrfa33iqJVdcxHfjCVAad7CZiyDy2iDkfFV74BP_urMZZNEpOzi1D1_FV7aZFwRAlnCx1rxaEDmwLQ9AZDI/s1600/Road+to+the+tower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuFPyv7ZiHxrKu1XWfYWiRC_NVyry_yJpVDN_7xF5-GMw2rh0vlBQuQYnXoOrfa33iqJVdcxHfjCVAad7CZiyDy2iDkfFV74BP_urMZZNEpOzi1D1_FV7aZFwRAlnCx1rxaEDmwLQ9AZDI/s320/Road+to+the+tower.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span id="goog_241070613"></span><span id="goog_241070614"><strong>Road up to the tower</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivIlOT0Mubtw313z7eLnDA11QhyphenhyphenpSa2Kl9sMC60z8YzNHrWdeByqqHcPh9ZqnjCohM1LX0InKGxMyRlDowmVToE0oSfD1-yhTgsUkHvuy0HecFIcbv1wXBDuOIqubHUjGWpootj6gf88bv/s1600/Rose+on+swinging+bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivIlOT0Mubtw313z7eLnDA11QhyphenhyphenpSa2Kl9sMC60z8YzNHrWdeByqqHcPh9ZqnjCohM1LX0InKGxMyRlDowmVToE0oSfD1-yhTgsUkHvuy0HecFIcbv1wXBDuOIqubHUjGWpootj6gf88bv/s320/Rose+on+swinging+bridge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong> Rose on the swinging bridge over the swamp</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi95RyX-idQ16vl3skleSB3CeZFqZcvMbsH2wHqn0sX4k3mVvSvhdX0vYew4-qPbP29n9tabfQkxGuO_nI3d-1KyoJGPoyxtEM-o361KOF1whT79D2L8D4SrjIP43MZWL3ozgu1BOLDPEA4/s1600/rubber+producing+trees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi95RyX-idQ16vl3skleSB3CeZFqZcvMbsH2wHqn0sX4k3mVvSvhdX0vYew4-qPbP29n9tabfQkxGuO_nI3d-1KyoJGPoyxtEM-o361KOF1whT79D2L8D4SrjIP43MZWL3ozgu1BOLDPEA4/s320/rubber+producing+trees.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong> Producing rubber trees, 1 pound a day</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSSHvVygQl8ZxOGxW2BgBEmP8AuC3TiUiE7xIAlzW4_UdCvelWaVSlpDfwBetOwIIDz3AxUb6v_S2rysJpBK8O7D66158VSKzxv00xlYsyY_PfDZCTZtT5sbhT0dCiyocTyivz33HwOf43/s1600/swamp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSSHvVygQl8ZxOGxW2BgBEmP8AuC3TiUiE7xIAlzW4_UdCvelWaVSlpDfwBetOwIIDz3AxUb6v_S2rysJpBK8O7D66158VSKzxv00xlYsyY_PfDZCTZtT5sbhT0dCiyocTyivz33HwOf43/s320/swamp.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong> Swamp</strong><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-aPrYHfHUxS_FGJ0X1Onh0C0efpnNnERI40vCWqNHc7Mh6acW35RLePmJFm4Bkr4bvufqa_lw54dGRR9pI_v8xxpwY9rCXvtbgxazA9wQLi8uqJ3xQoSrfqrLhwo4gvLHuAlHbpU2N9r/s1600/The+road+we+followed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-aPrYHfHUxS_FGJ0X1Onh0C0efpnNnERI40vCWqNHc7Mh6acW35RLePmJFm4Bkr4bvufqa_lw54dGRR9pI_v8xxpwY9rCXvtbgxazA9wQLi8uqJ3xQoSrfqrLhwo4gvLHuAlHbpU2N9r/s320/The+road+we+followed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>Road up the "hill" to the tower</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRG8GVADkkapRs9ta32WnsMIXA3-sen26e2DD-aRcJxMEGpYfVcgP_Mb64iaNaYIR-v6HH07KMN8d77U7i7M0sWWLEan8sYdQxCzElZjO3QVMYinIDv8hZiH39CpoHva34XqzG_qeCr9d/s1600/the+tower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRG8GVADkkapRs9ta32WnsMIXA3-sen26e2DD-aRcJxMEGpYfVcgP_Mb64iaNaYIR-v6HH07KMN8d77U7i7M0sWWLEan8sYdQxCzElZjO3QVMYinIDv8hZiH39CpoHva34XqzG_qeCr9d/s320/the+tower.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong> The "tower"</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJaNPVwihvGl8gHXTKndoXfmPS8m46gR0ZM79wDvMnVvY0A-WRrdDJEkC7p78sw_bR9JoGeEGswuEbzbiida-X2zmS7qdf875Ifpshi6o2nwwCb7BRSo-NbA_YroPibHOoe4rjw87Y0_Q/s1600/Trail+to+canopy+swinging+bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJaNPVwihvGl8gHXTKndoXfmPS8m46gR0ZM79wDvMnVvY0A-WRrdDJEkC7p78sw_bR9JoGeEGswuEbzbiida-X2zmS7qdf875Ifpshi6o2nwwCb7BRSo-NbA_YroPibHOoe4rjw87Y0_Q/s320/Trail+to+canopy+swinging+bridge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong> Path to the "Canopy Swinging Bridge"</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMt94q2jSYxxIzUaPRVsXn1ZBtWGeu6mxiYUBQld9PL606Mg0xR3BLeRnHG-NZpXikxXW0Ix5RUZ8Dih-VJS3Q4s2jQuwff4KdL0OjPjxsA6FEwoDd1tl6VDXqqtwv9cU9PVvxqDcimiHs/s1600/young+rubber+trees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMt94q2jSYxxIzUaPRVsXn1ZBtWGeu6mxiYUBQld9PL606Mg0xR3BLeRnHG-NZpXikxXW0Ix5RUZ8Dih-VJS3Q4s2jQuwff4KdL0OjPjxsA6FEwoDd1tl6VDXqqtwv9cU9PVvxqDcimiHs/s320/young+rubber+trees.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>Young rubber trees</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6VYYQXKk1soyOPIw7ZYFZ0htlJP3ys3dN3H-9WSOK_sv_smT5l4qIJTK9OqugQLkafzmZyixAmH7PKgPKJyVsut_-SNHvFQEpl4OG-D6lRkVyVFy1x9FB5h_dic8WCFEOOGHZE2AhjIbB/s1600/Young+rubber+trees+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6VYYQXKk1soyOPIw7ZYFZ0htlJP3ys3dN3H-9WSOK_sv_smT5l4qIJTK9OqugQLkafzmZyixAmH7PKgPKJyVsut_-SNHvFQEpl4OG-D6lRkVyVFy1x9FB5h_dic8WCFEOOGHZE2AhjIbB/s320/Young+rubber+trees+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>Young rubber trees</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJf57CVLXAVdl0M8nf3LSbA0J4yNTNcPEkxfWnaBBHIVHBKiLaL7HLUSbI7jF8RLw65OoR8x4Am8Bzj4sCnPLbqYZaCfpcpCiND1-5RIBA8uRGJggaEbj6RcPpq0k12gkNaptV64yGyh6M/s1600/Young+rubber+trees+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJf57CVLXAVdl0M8nf3LSbA0J4yNTNcPEkxfWnaBBHIVHBKiLaL7HLUSbI7jF8RLw65OoR8x4Am8Bzj4sCnPLbqYZaCfpcpCiND1-5RIBA8uRGJggaEbj6RcPpq0k12gkNaptV64yGyh6M/s320/Young+rubber+trees+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center"><strong>Young rubber trees from the top of the tower</strong></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>My Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16363560994515892361noreply@blogger.com3Río Dulce, Guatemala15.658788 -89.001798515.653664 -89.008922500000011 15.663912 -88.9946745tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690672007622172023.post-55106992633648123292011-10-08T18:21:00.003-06:002011-10-08T18:33:01.959-06:007 October 2011 Mia's 4th BirthdayToday's blog is devoted to Mia's 4th Birthday. She spent the morning at Castillo de San Felipe, she likes it there as there aren't any "street dogs" and it is a nice park where she can run and play safely. She climbed a slanted coconut tree and stood on a canon, just basically had a good time. We stopped at Rosita's Restaurant on the way back to Tijax and had lunch. Mia got to share some of my fish sandwich and the waitress gave her a birthday hug. That evening she had a hamburger patty with swiss cheese on top instead of a cake and icing. She had a busy day and went to sleep earlier than usual.<br />
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I have attached some pictures of Mia's life so far, her puppy pictures are on my other computer back at the house, so I only had a few of the early Mia pictures.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Click on pictures to enlarge</strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgYn0-xWHt5Dt9QksW1AlYWdDKakEBnmM5yMULpmNd_nYT3uI_82zgN_oiHeVdVqEj7uEw_kw0iRxeRArvIcmkaOtRF9wIw5AnjSvHN0W7XGzDFga61drj5fosTlr4AkPrzPamjqVs-t8/s1600/Mia+Birthday+hamburger+patty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgYn0-xWHt5Dt9QksW1AlYWdDKakEBnmM5yMULpmNd_nYT3uI_82zgN_oiHeVdVqEj7uEw_kw0iRxeRArvIcmkaOtRF9wIw5AnjSvHN0W7XGzDFga61drj5fosTlr4AkPrzPamjqVs-t8/s320/Mia+Birthday+hamburger+patty.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><strong>Mia's 4th Birthday hamburger and swiss</strong> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4iW0ytnO0X3Wl_7L05UpaxTsGbdtCs1Enxt-x0P9k6ucQI8w5x8n7az6fFGchzf4o9HK5A_jZ371LfLoLRobxLSv8GLzh03tqcayyCCoxxRqgLKKVTJM2d8ovV6UllQYnuvGADf4HC0tJ/s1600/Mia+4+months.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4iW0ytnO0X3Wl_7L05UpaxTsGbdtCs1Enxt-x0P9k6ucQI8w5x8n7az6fFGchzf4o9HK5A_jZ371LfLoLRobxLSv8GLzh03tqcayyCCoxxRqgLKKVTJM2d8ovV6UllQYnuvGADf4HC0tJ/s320/Mia+4+months.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mia at 3 months </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJz9bo3Rrerj6fJcTqTOUgOmhyphenhyphenHr2O-VDDDpnn1MnFLVjaAOFw0WUFc7ho0ewdvH9AHYf0lBZe6tL0fYIsihrTncct2gVe_6O-D47dcojf2pNhLm7RPC0RNcoHhv6P3oPuD_tlNiIKvjj/s1600/Mia+at+2+months.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJz9bo3Rrerj6fJcTqTOUgOmhyphenhyphenHr2O-VDDDpnn1MnFLVjaAOFw0WUFc7ho0ewdvH9AHYf0lBZe6tL0fYIsihrTncct2gVe_6O-D47dcojf2pNhLm7RPC0RNcoHhv6P3oPuD_tlNiIKvjj/s320/Mia+at+2+months.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mia at 2 months </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjskaKB68UzI8PCC6YxEHwlw8XnHG1ZL83XSgsYJ4WKMhKtm91YPSXODKRa_q4ntPqBzRG4rL-duuyFgJr42Njdzo7WXmSqDErVZIAwrjP9NtFvrl_nHAS3n3Hv_FjiVkSOtGlBZXP1Z9Ke/s1600/Mia+6+months.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjskaKB68UzI8PCC6YxEHwlw8XnHG1ZL83XSgsYJ4WKMhKtm91YPSXODKRa_q4ntPqBzRG4rL-duuyFgJr42Njdzo7WXmSqDErVZIAwrjP9NtFvrl_nHAS3n3Hv_FjiVkSOtGlBZXP1Z9Ke/s320/Mia+6+months.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mia at 4 months</strong> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMI_GCDyovGKUslX3bvSfTkEbxSWKEsjt5FS9IpAIJmH-n7f6uDhfSgkMNyYGEnmx8rg-60mA7EUpJT_yeSL08UBjlccOGj7g505J4oYRqWiiWd-ppqhAl-pZGT8xs8Mx2YY8H5fTdIvFP/s1600/Mia+puppy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMI_GCDyovGKUslX3bvSfTkEbxSWKEsjt5FS9IpAIJmH-n7f6uDhfSgkMNyYGEnmx8rg-60mA7EUpJT_yeSL08UBjlccOGj7g505J4oYRqWiiWd-ppqhAl-pZGT8xs8Mx2YY8H5fTdIvFP/s320/Mia+puppy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mia at 2 months playing with Heather's dog Libby </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNvo3hm_4aKxACtRUzZBJWp_9P5Qfp6thzxrzuQ1hQjUqZI3v5CtUFPceVuBy8V5K324QhhucIgNcU2H8Uh_tl8s-00J3pgJkIwNyz_7m7DMRGeDurL7g6zn_qjX0VVBSKQQM4T6XWQ4IQ/s1600/Mia+and+Dad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNvo3hm_4aKxACtRUzZBJWp_9P5Qfp6thzxrzuQ1hQjUqZI3v5CtUFPceVuBy8V5K324QhhucIgNcU2H8Uh_tl8s-00J3pgJkIwNyz_7m7DMRGeDurL7g6zn_qjX0VVBSKQQM4T6XWQ4IQ/s320/Mia+and+Dad.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mia's 4th Birthday on the shore of Lago de Izabal </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PdKuSRy7rou8Q1bZgxSsuPEA_GyPqHOR2cru7DiPg8zXfIUrT1mvKCGcY1s5juajFAZ7XbSBtXlkrd_IgdCBS6bbC2mKXT9fogETsWdcO1v9y_-3JEvn7ts4rsO_OxL3l-CJu6VDoz0J/s1600/Mia+and+Mommy+Isla+Mujeres+Mexico.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PdKuSRy7rou8Q1bZgxSsuPEA_GyPqHOR2cru7DiPg8zXfIUrT1mvKCGcY1s5juajFAZ7XbSBtXlkrd_IgdCBS6bbC2mKXT9fogETsWdcO1v9y_-3JEvn7ts4rsO_OxL3l-CJu6VDoz0J/s320/Mia+and+Mommy+Isla+Mujeres+Mexico.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mia and Rose, note sign in background "BEWARE GUARD CHIHUAHUA ON DUTY" </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGqWorm2ypqeDHZhW6goB_a0oXRCAFJI_2_17AAZgN4r3Me2Kzl9Tz6mXFjqtQvRbTvcBgUY4ot7YKaP7aGqHpIzMwfWvugR6zw83QKw2EMJtPegcwvRhOAuq24Ff6_taZ4Rgu9lJaLp8N/s1600/Mia+bar+fly+Belize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGqWorm2ypqeDHZhW6goB_a0oXRCAFJI_2_17AAZgN4r3Me2Kzl9Tz6mXFjqtQvRbTvcBgUY4ot7YKaP7aGqHpIzMwfWvugR6zw83QKw2EMJtPegcwvRhOAuq24Ff6_taZ4Rgu9lJaLp8N/s320/Mia+bar+fly+Belize.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mia at "J" Byrd's in Placeincia, Belize </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhycETjugvxQj3obrz4x5cpGQnd7vNSp6QQORskDisAq5hjNZ05A4QFIsj7y-SO4m06tCKvzbR6jU88XTaCaGa0vxxH5wwC4CxhixXbMGSKKUJvWWv6NntgZzivBE7sNjri5zKsB9rj4ghU/s1600/Mia+bar+fly+Guatemala.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhycETjugvxQj3obrz4x5cpGQnd7vNSp6QQORskDisAq5hjNZ05A4QFIsj7y-SO4m06tCKvzbR6jU88XTaCaGa0vxxH5wwC4CxhixXbMGSKKUJvWWv6NntgZzivBE7sNjri5zKsB9rj4ghU/s320/Mia+bar+fly+Guatemala.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mia at Bruno's in Fronteras, Guatemala </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzXOXXX33kDxW-fz5uZM-2smiUyyEB4nCONx0nlg_W-tzRp0Fy10h5dbmBJYEcjkQpqoCel-Vwlx14vIte8GMZYTkvpw9U868ZxfyDZxk4SbpkJT2d97OUpOM7Jkn6njdOMvzJWyZppgGk/s1600/Mia+canon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzXOXXX33kDxW-fz5uZM-2smiUyyEB4nCONx0nlg_W-tzRp0Fy10h5dbmBJYEcjkQpqoCel-Vwlx14vIte8GMZYTkvpw9U868ZxfyDZxk4SbpkJT2d97OUpOM7Jkn6njdOMvzJWyZppgGk/s320/Mia+canon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mia on a 350 year old canon at Castillo de San Felipe, Rio Dulce, Guatemala</strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmB1IXzi91O10gzQ9Uyi7I_fUQZ3CzCByyi1qE4PkIybHJG86KMrTA5xJxTLeOJFBWixwJpGHgrb7zsbIr-wqgO0KaKV4cLT63UAeuH59l6PWAYFTvSO56L461dCM7MbF7s2lz0YZfwNHm/s1600/Mia+Castillo+de+San+Felipe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmB1IXzi91O10gzQ9Uyi7I_fUQZ3CzCByyi1qE4PkIybHJG86KMrTA5xJxTLeOJFBWixwJpGHgrb7zsbIr-wqgO0KaKV4cLT63UAeuH59l6PWAYFTvSO56L461dCM7MbF7s2lz0YZfwNHm/s320/Mia+Castillo+de+San+Felipe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Rose and Mia at Castillo de San Felipe, Rio Dulce Guatemala </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0gJfTgzToZ1pDIJ8wOlea8NctaHvjKqldoDEigvFnUv65zwxUWftxiSjNaXAUR1gvfUw-jr5RlPHu1LGsy-YMfrd1bAChQMDBz2-EMzDiGd-k0sylC3_q_f-h5nxx8JYZ2XvW3D1RVomA/s1600/Mia+climbing+tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0gJfTgzToZ1pDIJ8wOlea8NctaHvjKqldoDEigvFnUv65zwxUWftxiSjNaXAUR1gvfUw-jr5RlPHu1LGsy-YMfrd1bAChQMDBz2-EMzDiGd-k0sylC3_q_f-h5nxx8JYZ2XvW3D1RVomA/s320/Mia+climbing+tree.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Tree climbing Mia </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj91tyMkHZ3Oy0ZtZJVW6Vw_K6DRxSXPxsrVezS2kHcIuzuhlAQ7kYoxW33Nr1PCEk3ZkwfqBYVEquU2KJuJvr_eY4BCoYvWmAmkSGyYMX8OAHc_MHXitDZfzOKGragR3goQZUcuSBlytp1/s1600/Mia+dinghy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj91tyMkHZ3Oy0ZtZJVW6Vw_K6DRxSXPxsrVezS2kHcIuzuhlAQ7kYoxW33Nr1PCEk3ZkwfqBYVEquU2KJuJvr_eY4BCoYvWmAmkSGyYMX8OAHc_MHXitDZfzOKGragR3goQZUcuSBlytp1/s320/Mia+dinghy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mia watching for "whatever" </strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhPWc42aZg5SPYivSHTfeGsu2eVpdC7xzkHG7HK0ymphtQnl29YgVi7UZD7iBDJto45L6J2mcwoZKan5URNgk8XdDg-l3T2ujsZSmKfLSkuNAR9WAsia4GJpjM_yJmW3q4rU9-LMVqE49v/s1600/Birthday+hug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhPWc42aZg5SPYivSHTfeGsu2eVpdC7xzkHG7HK0ymphtQnl29YgVi7UZD7iBDJto45L6J2mcwoZKan5URNgk8XdDg-l3T2ujsZSmKfLSkuNAR9WAsia4GJpjM_yJmW3q4rU9-LMVqE49v/s320/Birthday+hug.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><strong>Birthday hug at Rosita's</strong> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CBjI92WooPcuOnE1lL4FQAk0DhMfL0pKEEDDVNAJMT8wDbvZq0EYQGO0py7HhRP_6cC9ihndwPhhA5ZhkWWvGn6VTucMz3G6w27JK1B21X7GP3JyN_1iPbwlSw-M8vXFDAbXPMBFgR9f/s1600/Mia+hard+day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CBjI92WooPcuOnE1lL4FQAk0DhMfL0pKEEDDVNAJMT8wDbvZq0EYQGO0py7HhRP_6cC9ihndwPhhA5ZhkWWvGn6VTucMz3G6w27JK1B21X7GP3JyN_1iPbwlSw-M8vXFDAbXPMBFgR9f/s320/Mia+hard+day.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>Tired Mia</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjguyOjpcDVcmsqaCZmWMREMvhGvLEMjkt8Cydj1x5-zvQezWJFbYQILUcpC5Yw9WRRirx2jXtb3DPW3AbGCEn8hK0pDAVQRrsjFQo6a_2aJhhvxxHsKF2QEewe5ymhbWJMYxbpaJDpt8il/s1600/Mia+Mommy+and+Daddy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjguyOjpcDVcmsqaCZmWMREMvhGvLEMjkt8Cydj1x5-zvQezWJFbYQILUcpC5Yw9WRRirx2jXtb3DPW3AbGCEn8hK0pDAVQRrsjFQo6a_2aJhhvxxHsKF2QEewe5ymhbWJMYxbpaJDpt8il/s320/Mia+Mommy+and+Daddy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Family portrait </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ApQ6sgI8OHWbXRPAuzUGSw9QUjBRbOgMM6IOJ06YcSvX3kbyLeLd28a0LS6GtRbISfmhxKiVbsoRuDCR2ebyFcCqI5QZ6iozdYaqlZMHdJ0TdbG3Ici0QXq4nZ8Y9FW4HeQ9eO_NmVZA/s1600/Mia+on+the+prowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ApQ6sgI8OHWbXRPAuzUGSw9QUjBRbOgMM6IOJ06YcSvX3kbyLeLd28a0LS6GtRbISfmhxKiVbsoRuDCR2ebyFcCqI5QZ6iozdYaqlZMHdJ0TdbG3Ici0QXq4nZ8Y9FW4HeQ9eO_NmVZA/s320/Mia+on+the+prowl.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mia on the prowl Castillo de San Felipe, Rio Dulce, Guatemala</strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgef-zR65k6FhZhVcTijB6qENPXkyD10oYjwKQUOtmeUikeKCAEa86KcLatOn2uIOSvi7qmGbexs1n3af_uLNpeUnM_u7WRxC8qJUXg6yqgBr2f7BqnNgLNVluBwombopFrCg71VCR3MZRD/s1600/Mia+Potty+run+Xcalak%252C+Mexico.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgef-zR65k6FhZhVcTijB6qENPXkyD10oYjwKQUOtmeUikeKCAEa86KcLatOn2uIOSvi7qmGbexs1n3af_uLNpeUnM_u7WRxC8qJUXg6yqgBr2f7BqnNgLNVluBwombopFrCg71VCR3MZRD/s320/Mia+Potty+run+Xcalak%252C+Mexico.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Potty run to shore Puerto Morles, Mexico </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8fVxZxufTD2SW53Wz_L7N1UHoKKf9-_DGvgkAHeeJ6aJXtWXvVz7yPBWJEyZKSH-kS-24DoR0uHw73hHAADh9dUjhVzKdhEmdCYKjVU7psa4jQ6czcjkVsYd6ugd-cJgmHSa8B2Z71rMF/s1600/Mia+Puerto+Morlas+Mexico.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8fVxZxufTD2SW53Wz_L7N1UHoKKf9-_DGvgkAHeeJ6aJXtWXvVz7yPBWJEyZKSH-kS-24DoR0uHw73hHAADh9dUjhVzKdhEmdCYKjVU7psa4jQ6czcjkVsYd6ugd-cJgmHSa8B2Z71rMF/s320/Mia+Puerto+Morlas+Mexico.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mia, Matt, Carla, & Beef, Puerto Morles, Mexico </strong></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPH3BSU4QPDGfdNztdrkIlV5lzF-v0Tm9MCD9yEFpSd5fb-Ivvu00qErszApTVgbAIx1oWRsOVXoXsDR5GHzy0JPE54R2UCvmR4WTMkGVS2GwdctOqMse7-BTNJc0gsaeM7LjYUNklsdx/s1600/Mia+resting+with+Dad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPH3BSU4QPDGfdNztdrkIlV5lzF-v0Tm9MCD9yEFpSd5fb-Ivvu00qErszApTVgbAIx1oWRsOVXoXsDR5GHzy0JPE54R2UCvmR4WTMkGVS2GwdctOqMse7-BTNJc0gsaeM7LjYUNklsdx/s320/Mia+resting+with+Dad.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mia and Geff somewhere in Belize </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSdGwDEs5J2RYlfh1tcYSpXWgyKjVlF1vvENy7nq-WV8VwHrcKRDMULPRo9cE6yWAPh1rDhBN2oWvtFwuqmAAHz-Oxznx9HFrmLh2taqWBmE_VQPa3M2s3Qq8gAsZ79XvPSVkjJnxKWfZf/s1600/Mia+running.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSdGwDEs5J2RYlfh1tcYSpXWgyKjVlF1vvENy7nq-WV8VwHrcKRDMULPRo9cE6yWAPh1rDhBN2oWvtFwuqmAAHz-Oxznx9HFrmLh2taqWBmE_VQPa3M2s3Qq8gAsZ79XvPSVkjJnxKWfZf/s320/Mia+running.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mia at park at Castillo de San Felipe, Rio Dulce, Guatemala </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJmlQ24s8Ie0udmPyHNlNypMp-C0eI8lfOnq5Uk76_Xd4khduWPnnBk_K4p3bj4u6l8chPTqgA-IoWMGZD4YUaBb1lfhGa88vadRmf_de0rkLQcCBMwd8CW6NHUtmdyGp53lM06a56ZkZ2/s1600/Mia+San+Pedro.+Belize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJmlQ24s8Ie0udmPyHNlNypMp-C0eI8lfOnq5Uk76_Xd4khduWPnnBk_K4p3bj4u6l8chPTqgA-IoWMGZD4YUaBb1lfhGa88vadRmf_de0rkLQcCBMwd8CW6NHUtmdyGp53lM06a56ZkZ2/s320/Mia+San+Pedro.+Belize.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mia at BC's San Pedro, Belize </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzksykjWmelta73-CPcTuuA3cW2GT2U8RLeHa7WAzbiKx5WS1_VfSG_D_jfR-k709a-QuiczS5Ke1YxUJmErmnGi5k1a6wdUrfEjDyzvR0WjUTUhASm5kpuIJBRtK2SZ9kxLkT8D5q5esx/s1600/Mia+with+friends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzksykjWmelta73-CPcTuuA3cW2GT2U8RLeHa7WAzbiKx5WS1_VfSG_D_jfR-k709a-QuiczS5Ke1YxUJmErmnGi5k1a6wdUrfEjDyzvR0WjUTUhASm5kpuIJBRtK2SZ9kxLkT8D5q5esx/s320/Mia+with+friends.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mia, Felipe & Margretia Playa Norte, Isla Mujeres, Mexico </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>My Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16363560994515892361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690672007622172023.post-15931801238973027942011-10-05T20:41:00.002-06:002011-10-06T00:05:24.434-06:001 October 2011 Trip To Tikal Mayan Ruins<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 October 2011 – rose and Jessi decided to take a road trip on the bus to the Mayan ruins at Tikal, said to be the capital of the Mayan civilization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a 5 hour bus ride north; they took the regular bus without air conditioning, like most of the buses here with the exception of the “Express Bus” it was full and people had to stand in the aisles until someone got off and you were lucky enough to get a seat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the got to El Remate the changed to a collectivia (a local van) for the final ride to their hotel.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The next morning they got up with the sun for their trek to the ruins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a 20 minute walk through the rain forest they arrived at Temple VI.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During their walk they encountered a grey fox, spider monkeys, several bird spices, and well as many insects and mosquitoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had been forewarned to wear long sleeves and long pants as well as to cover themselves with plenty of mosquito repellant.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After Temple VI they took the trail to Temple I “o Gran Jaguar”, from the pictures it looked like the temple that they filmed the movie “Apocalypto” .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to Rose and Jessi <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>these are the nicest and best restored ruins that we have seen on the whole trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike the other ruins we have been at you are able to go inside the rooms, tunnels, and pyramids.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">They stayed most of the day at Tikal and returned to their hotel for dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next morning they got up, caught the collectivia from the hotel to El Remate where this time they caught the “Express Bus”, which is air conditioned complete with a restroom and a guaranteed seat.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Click on pictures to enlarge</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhweS-vwo2WW4-_ZNjWZQi7yE181_jleTBw6NR40Mwn0NxrFrpMIYY-M-rh-u8yMY5CKif8cf-B8nZgUoY6zQB4vbvUCMZph1AkdSZAxaU7OXOS-N8WcmivIq5gNsiDmkkQy0xm0UUr19w7/s1600/Acropolis+Norte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhweS-vwo2WW4-_ZNjWZQi7yE181_jleTBw6NR40Mwn0NxrFrpMIYY-M-rh-u8yMY5CKif8cf-B8nZgUoY6zQB4vbvUCMZph1AkdSZAxaU7OXOS-N8WcmivIq5gNsiDmkkQy0xm0UUr19w7/s320/Acropolis+Norte.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Arcopolis Norte </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqe04xDIcRCsCo5URRA_eLWzFfxq5EFvzSimG1lbKWQXDcJyLWRacGKYYiOtflNAHGhyphenhyphen0BZEWUi1tlrmn8st4tXNEdL5Kq5g97MxTpgRPbrW1aQjjY0lo2z2JT1DPHuy0PD0p5LXO7FSkU/s1600/Back+of+Temple+VI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqe04xDIcRCsCo5URRA_eLWzFfxq5EFvzSimG1lbKWQXDcJyLWRacGKYYiOtflNAHGhyphenhyphen0BZEWUi1tlrmn8st4tXNEdL5Kq5g97MxTpgRPbrW1aQjjY0lo2z2JT1DPHuy0PD0p5LXO7FSkU/s320/Back+of+Temple+VI.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Back of Temple VI </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLQ45Q3AZpd0YwIUr4ZZsgbPnkLJZPcEQfem0vjLEsgECvuk37qLANdBWNm0NEelxcJIkFUdT9spgc9vDUjSIVFWg_xlVZFOzqo-s3C8a9GIl8S2nERd5yG3aN4PY1on_rZR5Im3J3w8t0/s1600/Backyard+of+Hotel+La+Casa+de+Don+David.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLQ45Q3AZpd0YwIUr4ZZsgbPnkLJZPcEQfem0vjLEsgECvuk37qLANdBWNm0NEelxcJIkFUdT9spgc9vDUjSIVFWg_xlVZFOzqo-s3C8a9GIl8S2nERd5yG3aN4PY1on_rZR5Im3J3w8t0/s320/Backyard+of+Hotel+La+Casa+de+Don+David.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Backyard of Hotel La Casa de Don David</strong> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1apg66Cr1ihP0saSpwNzC8F-R-0tWc73vK1fgV8R48sZF0FP1um-u-BX81lQ0BOfr90uuJ0MDXpW05uyJyRyII_iEWjmi7XjrDLjXgZYZ0MQTq2S6hq-4qK1ddeJeOzn_QOeMFa0OSO7i/s1600/Caution+monkeys+overhead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1apg66Cr1ihP0saSpwNzC8F-R-0tWc73vK1fgV8R48sZF0FP1um-u-BX81lQ0BOfr90uuJ0MDXpW05uyJyRyII_iEWjmi7XjrDLjXgZYZ0MQTq2S6hq-4qK1ddeJeOzn_QOeMFa0OSO7i/s320/Caution+monkeys+overhead.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Caution Monkeys overhead </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZp9qc5ur3LCYLHPkVmzK5AsmjZnXgjcQyQegJA-EFDvHV3vGYkm_KDDyVABwh1WtO1ZrolI4SitwQLle1x5D8DupUhUS2PNqNCmG8kn7vqO9spjBsIxUjYPmi-onA8ZDKREH3NHEIXT7i/s1600/Chicken+smothered+with+a+tomato+sauce+on+rice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZp9qc5ur3LCYLHPkVmzK5AsmjZnXgjcQyQegJA-EFDvHV3vGYkm_KDDyVABwh1WtO1ZrolI4SitwQLle1x5D8DupUhUS2PNqNCmG8kn7vqO9spjBsIxUjYPmi-onA8ZDKREH3NHEIXT7i/s320/Chicken+smothered+with+a+tomato+sauce+on+rice.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Rose's dinner after a hard day </strong></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYH0ifXcPRxPrnibtgHocit9nTWHNir7_5k-Cpt4E8pe4UMdpd_UA0UiZbBtNo__u18oT4n40AUFelVjo4a9A0fe0LO8Giv1IJsz_WceP7TzPscjfHxbXDe3ZtPBYTB3q9BQKoiv14Y7kr/s1600/Detail+Mayan+stone+carving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYH0ifXcPRxPrnibtgHocit9nTWHNir7_5k-Cpt4E8pe4UMdpd_UA0UiZbBtNo__u18oT4n40AUFelVjo4a9A0fe0LO8Giv1IJsz_WceP7TzPscjfHxbXDe3ZtPBYTB3q9BQKoiv14Y7kr/s320/Detail+Mayan+stone+carving.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Detail Mayan stone carving </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRdLANB30tS9yAeqdHC8VHs0KxBTJSxGeChrS_zRH7dvExtR-yRSlpPBVddratclBQndqkdxcaeRlehNHsMdJnFqLqmfMRNqLDZgGrJdJgQTtz52LubyQztU0e6hBTht-bPDS2HK-Q1D6y/s1600/Gran+Plaza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRdLANB30tS9yAeqdHC8VHs0KxBTJSxGeChrS_zRH7dvExtR-yRSlpPBVddratclBQndqkdxcaeRlehNHsMdJnFqLqmfMRNqLDZgGrJdJgQTtz52LubyQztU0e6hBTht-bPDS2HK-Q1D6y/s320/Gran+Plaza.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Gran Plaza </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqWi4ocPEc69aD5rGsICC5_ck2v03Ev7dvMWEQwVCsdSdjdS3oFl9Hru1e9bHD1RRjUOfXPn87pOOhQSM-gzRXO88xgLOazk6srWO5cENawXZ1oNS8WWXSR23FKTw-F9jSBOD4KTfz-Qp2/s1600/Gran+Plaza+-+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqWi4ocPEc69aD5rGsICC5_ck2v03Ev7dvMWEQwVCsdSdjdS3oFl9Hru1e9bHD1RRjUOfXPn87pOOhQSM-gzRXO88xgLOazk6srWO5cENawXZ1oNS8WWXSR23FKTw-F9jSBOD4KTfz-Qp2/s320/Gran+Plaza+-+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Gran Plaza </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwPEXYBPbfJ5Lamarh_0rfkeyu7pExiChBYCeG0TeZga59Z7YfKSZXfGi7BA2zOxdAz3vrFiTEWq6Xc1plYL_xy-TnfHgqvOLkNHchyTrOcpEOXmeZ_eq0HkAshWMMmUjWyn_x3PwIosz/s1600/Happy+travelers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwPEXYBPbfJ5Lamarh_0rfkeyu7pExiChBYCeG0TeZga59Z7YfKSZXfGi7BA2zOxdAz3vrFiTEWq6Xc1plYL_xy-TnfHgqvOLkNHchyTrOcpEOXmeZ_eq0HkAshWMMmUjWyn_x3PwIosz/s320/Happy+travelers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Happy travelers </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_PtLwbU2PzL_z_q8soIhBS8X4JjiqXjvYM0JTCNEHyxKPW4m0gcBCdsSaYSt_ZJo8gA6MR2T4TAGi3Quqq6ScBx86ntWRM3WyeeYnQDfq6UvnDFCigN9Sr_MvLpYdSfFhnAGxhNrh_1H/s1600/Inside+Temple+VI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_PtLwbU2PzL_z_q8soIhBS8X4JjiqXjvYM0JTCNEHyxKPW4m0gcBCdsSaYSt_ZJo8gA6MR2T4TAGi3Quqq6ScBx86ntWRM3WyeeYnQDfq6UvnDFCigN9Sr_MvLpYdSfFhnAGxhNrh_1H/s320/Inside+Temple+VI.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Inside Temple VI </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13JPNNS_JmJJJtMOOfEJoL6iYzoHAHnP5L6xFlwnOQp0N1aSdysbLHMsSyIshu0cZIkCZ4rg-hJK4JNvvCa2pagWZPGH7AtGXjfqB1_uQpt0PJiEzUUdudEmQ5v9ND1uOf0-QmsgsnAu4/s1600/Jessi+Temple+VI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13JPNNS_JmJJJtMOOfEJoL6iYzoHAHnP5L6xFlwnOQp0N1aSdysbLHMsSyIshu0cZIkCZ4rg-hJK4JNvvCa2pagWZPGH7AtGXjfqB1_uQpt0PJiEzUUdudEmQ5v9ND1uOf0-QmsgsnAu4/s320/Jessi+Temple+VI.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Jessi at Temple VI </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLCM94eS1QcUGfXbFd4As2HhnPZYV3AwZSwXKQdI5zVr-QVxDjahRiDLYwy4_SG0gOcuTC4xzA2RxcOHTLTsAzfrRvEjGE46zSiqfApBe4jbf5pjVmdq7YDMshjJjec-f_Cqh3xzGoOp1i/s1600/Lago+Pente+Itza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLCM94eS1QcUGfXbFd4As2HhnPZYV3AwZSwXKQdI5zVr-QVxDjahRiDLYwy4_SG0gOcuTC4xzA2RxcOHTLTsAzfrRvEjGE46zSiqfApBe4jbf5pjVmdq7YDMshjJjec-f_Cqh3xzGoOp1i/s320/Lago+Pente+Itza.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Lago Pente Itza </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioUHHV7kTSg_xyrh9CVm_6bY3gdoP2VshxYi00mUFFIFxcbVbaz937EEGHv0DFDqOJSYEuX3UFhn9gNXIaC3U9y9XCdMMtvyHeWDGZgs_Gf6bDrXUHzdBSg8M7axo9YbM9039EdnPOX7B0/s1600/Mayan+stone+carving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioUHHV7kTSg_xyrh9CVm_6bY3gdoP2VshxYi00mUFFIFxcbVbaz937EEGHv0DFDqOJSYEuX3UFhn9gNXIaC3U9y9XCdMMtvyHeWDGZgs_Gf6bDrXUHzdBSg8M7axo9YbM9039EdnPOX7B0/s320/Mayan+stone+carving.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mayan stone carving </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLxQaedUEkMaBUMYAi6Yo8ud76IqRrKUZ7KbGBqH_EhGKNqvwf4w7VgTbB6VBvgyG2TL7dIjEjhN40fSneDOG8IVddhLAR8naqx596hd8UGHIDT3a4iYESoxYOcq9p7k0q6XVwsP5OxMp/s1600/Parrots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLxQaedUEkMaBUMYAi6Yo8ud76IqRrKUZ7KbGBqH_EhGKNqvwf4w7VgTbB6VBvgyG2TL7dIjEjhN40fSneDOG8IVddhLAR8naqx596hd8UGHIDT3a4iYESoxYOcq9p7k0q6XVwsP5OxMp/s320/Parrots.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Parrots </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmb9W6EXrr7hw_5I3Y5lySURKN60W7Vuhuk8d286KUA5hDSWfNKXa0z8qc2AkjACNUWXTNcnwcjlrBrrkfVtC6vu3tlLrgnPOrNn4o1QJH4r82mVndm84fmnlzh_7PMuyzc1PvafILVOo/s1600/Rain+Forest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmb9W6EXrr7hw_5I3Y5lySURKN60W7Vuhuk8d286KUA5hDSWfNKXa0z8qc2AkjACNUWXTNcnwcjlrBrrkfVtC6vu3tlLrgnPOrNn4o1QJH4r82mVndm84fmnlzh_7PMuyzc1PvafILVOo/s320/Rain+Forest.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Rain forest </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvyyAh7Ktr5bUTyo3YIeHCpewwO5_YATp6dNS6wQxyLSAInxkWkE4q72eer0uy1I21fozA5UXoQ0R-vMKUGJ7spy_mcsKfZJCiCmOlswmmyM9K8qOXp8kuIF_XM6SXi54x7uFUTyho98z/s1600/Restaurant-lobby+La+Casa+De+Don+David.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvyyAh7Ktr5bUTyo3YIeHCpewwO5_YATp6dNS6wQxyLSAInxkWkE4q72eer0uy1I21fozA5UXoQ0R-vMKUGJ7spy_mcsKfZJCiCmOlswmmyM9K8qOXp8kuIF_XM6SXi54x7uFUTyho98z/s320/Restaurant-lobby+La+Casa+De+Don+David.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Lobby/restaurant La Casa de Don David </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNnCSul8EePlqu9u1L0NBMmnhyphenhyphen2vqwN8qqBQ45DKTEJ6YuxmfxsUTzEsWcb6EcQO3dY-Mo070jFmJc0-blM65KHTPxIQFchysNuU8iBhz8c5SXJLue66QGtlZYmQgfh9U9kpuRGOXEjD6E/s1600/Restored+stone+carving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNnCSul8EePlqu9u1L0NBMmnhyphenhyphen2vqwN8qqBQ45DKTEJ6YuxmfxsUTzEsWcb6EcQO3dY-Mo070jFmJc0-blM65KHTPxIQFchysNuU8iBhz8c5SXJLue66QGtlZYmQgfh9U9kpuRGOXEjD6E/s320/Restored+stone+carving.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mayan stone carving </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-kx-_xGTb0n1S4qZAw8BJ6lP9_e5EmzR0nuxtDv80nk9dFGl__WlycTMcyML2amiRa698liBPKufQtYAueCTVhxKBIRDyi4M3UI9r21pSQRn4e9JsgaVIpPHbtgWMK70QynG6HC-RKlm/s1600/Spider+Monkeys+playing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-kx-_xGTb0n1S4qZAw8BJ6lP9_e5EmzR0nuxtDv80nk9dFGl__WlycTMcyML2amiRa698liBPKufQtYAueCTVhxKBIRDyi4M3UI9r21pSQRn4e9JsgaVIpPHbtgWMK70QynG6HC-RKlm/s320/Spider+Monkeys+playing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Spider monkeys playing </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqLL5-p-vqS93OoU3kzNwo-dHD2nB5YpFQRTeHMIfS6zJZqOmXiikIX4dwIbSQjEDrwpIfneWQcc8wFffplc2Gc3d9-ng4S1Xj9UarNgsn1kPArKo-1FBTUblZe-TnWHzvMs6wAzLjSZh/s1600/Rose+at+the+base+of+Gran+Jaguar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqLL5-p-vqS93OoU3kzNwo-dHD2nB5YpFQRTeHMIfS6zJZqOmXiikIX4dwIbSQjEDrwpIfneWQcc8wFffplc2Gc3d9-ng4S1Xj9UarNgsn1kPArKo-1FBTUblZe-TnWHzvMs6wAzLjSZh/s320/Rose+at+the+base+of+Gran+Jaguar.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Rose at the base of the Temple I o Gran Jaguar</strong> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1BswzzlPoZDb9FqvpThOMJ0H0THf0YxK21niDLaJ4v0UVvmPyURYhC4L1axB69v0jKWUjXw7mQKaBtP1PXURcwZa1CqQ8A6BTKBtPuDF1_E7K1Y_o22h5hM5kK59KGUbWyuBtD05x_k1/s1600/Stone+carving+in+front+of+Temple+VI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1BswzzlPoZDb9FqvpThOMJ0H0THf0YxK21niDLaJ4v0UVvmPyURYhC4L1axB69v0jKWUjXw7mQKaBtP1PXURcwZa1CqQ8A6BTKBtPuDF1_E7K1Y_o22h5hM5kK59KGUbWyuBtD05x_k1/s320/Stone+carving+in+front+of+Temple+VI.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Stone carving in front of Temple VI </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpVFx3ftAkke_YqGRVKFis_WE6MD_as5CLpHmtnkWe7DbXFG2r8Irc6l2m1T0Z0t4h38jUnWmrxiNWPcwcPgoet4Z4zScRncJfk8zw9IFHuYvOS73DMZT0hzBTv-oPbY7rr3BlvD_ydfu/s1600/Stone+carving+in+Gran+Plaza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpVFx3ftAkke_YqGRVKFis_WE6MD_as5CLpHmtnkWe7DbXFG2r8Irc6l2m1T0Z0t4h38jUnWmrxiNWPcwcPgoet4Z4zScRncJfk8zw9IFHuYvOS73DMZT0hzBTv-oPbY7rr3BlvD_ydfu/s320/Stone+carving+in+Gran+Plaza.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Stone carving in Gran Plaza </strong></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQJavdH7yrLyy4nDp6tTE6ywNHkdTchKeHnw5JeHBc9mb5OqRt0Kdz7AzE-J3r9yk9BGkvcCQWq57U2Sxf7HFhANeKtGtfRgnZn2hA4ZtoWwy7CsGySxOC37lxXq8fVd07qv_Fmv6EUbk/s1600/Temple+I+o+Gran+Jaguar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQJavdH7yrLyy4nDp6tTE6ywNHkdTchKeHnw5JeHBc9mb5OqRt0Kdz7AzE-J3r9yk9BGkvcCQWq57U2Sxf7HFhANeKtGtfRgnZn2hA4ZtoWwy7CsGySxOC37lxXq8fVd07qv_Fmv6EUbk/s320/Temple+I+o+Gran+Jaguar.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Temple I o Gran Jaguar</strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6QCwSuA0aHR6JfliCUkxOT9LzmZcXe8FjnO6dUvZNSWkLQZVoAXGHEEOb8Bcn_BBGI_lwUAOYoWZC-1UXnkJAotkBynHkCMA6l7EL8sx1oOhKrhRzK2qvBpP3n-yakWcIZ7N7O5r-UTa7/s1600/Temple+VI+-+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6QCwSuA0aHR6JfliCUkxOT9LzmZcXe8FjnO6dUvZNSWkLQZVoAXGHEEOb8Bcn_BBGI_lwUAOYoWZC-1UXnkJAotkBynHkCMA6l7EL8sx1oOhKrhRzK2qvBpP3n-yakWcIZ7N7O5r-UTa7/s320/Temple+VI+-+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Temple VI </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiCT-Vc7dY2CcUaSSntXU0XY1GJIDR8CluTJJ97ru26YS_MZFCCopKQsdcn_ITZ4dxUrg1iouwKWTqWAGHpqJrf3l5Jpjrl1q6akx4F2KYuakSuDvoMUiFMTVsNcBVY9iPUn6eZiVJ8HUV/s1600/Temple+VI+-+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiCT-Vc7dY2CcUaSSntXU0XY1GJIDR8CluTJJ97ru26YS_MZFCCopKQsdcn_ITZ4dxUrg1iouwKWTqWAGHpqJrf3l5Jpjrl1q6akx4F2KYuakSuDvoMUiFMTVsNcBVY9iPUn6eZiVJ8HUV/s320/Temple+VI+-+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Temple VI </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF6FlfcR8lVAWtb3fbHRblRYR8XMl2ovvfJuSJT1UgRXSWuYdqjSSMMLdLW20wHWzVBNIDbUKaG-V7R6bDW1PBUuWtvOibTRJcgMNd-YA8Rql7P8iakIqrNsHrgLjtE_Tlq-SUnj3eLEpJ/s1600/Temple+VI+-+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF6FlfcR8lVAWtb3fbHRblRYR8XMl2ovvfJuSJT1UgRXSWuYdqjSSMMLdLW20wHWzVBNIDbUKaG-V7R6bDW1PBUuWtvOibTRJcgMNd-YA8Rql7P8iakIqrNsHrgLjtE_Tlq-SUnj3eLEpJ/s320/Temple+VI+-+3.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Temple VI </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Wf-JzYxzLQImOPlpEbnsJJUXX-UtZxQn1IVEDW6VhJaaXJzLUKxjFIhY6IkDYBj8LMl22vA7RUUkSYObpksLxqU1YW8qrdo5J98aNDPJARdiRo1PVQ09w09JkW6z7VvzjNN6HeELqA6P/s1600/Termite+nest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Wf-JzYxzLQImOPlpEbnsJJUXX-UtZxQn1IVEDW6VhJaaXJzLUKxjFIhY6IkDYBj8LMl22vA7RUUkSYObpksLxqU1YW8qrdo5J98aNDPJARdiRo1PVQ09w09JkW6z7VvzjNN6HeELqA6P/s320/Termite+nest.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Termite nest </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2b5kQeLbOaewVwoCLUgsXh1HQuuJN6D4iN6mcq7ioDSidey4AeK3_AyIOTZyqID6rfnAHmMQK7gnPsSWWoRi0RnPKFY-E_jcDpUzwdqq-MukplGP6rtAOVr6Cecqp8UgWOt_L2BNpxc_b/s1600/Toad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2b5kQeLbOaewVwoCLUgsXh1HQuuJN6D4iN6mcq7ioDSidey4AeK3_AyIOTZyqID6rfnAHmMQK7gnPsSWWoRi0RnPKFY-E_jcDpUzwdqq-MukplGP6rtAOVr6Cecqp8UgWOt_L2BNpxc_b/s320/Toad.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Toad</strong> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqsm_Yj1msBpR9QhsW7CQb6WX2lyNcsoMpC8cSWIpXbjrxvTtru2l_FQI2YM4qOFdHx3yuN_Zib9ra4ESSN5Ys5E3QfmmVXFqbgWgzh5cYWFtkKkJBIHPhBS7J2NrS2h_LJLtlb2mng2-e/s1600/Tucan+Carving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqsm_Yj1msBpR9QhsW7CQb6WX2lyNcsoMpC8cSWIpXbjrxvTtru2l_FQI2YM4qOFdHx3yuN_Zib9ra4ESSN5Ys5E3QfmmVXFqbgWgzh5cYWFtkKkJBIHPhBS7J2NrS2h_LJLtlb2mng2-e/s320/Tucan+Carving.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Tucan wood carving </strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKqsIJz9ZK8jfNffk59xu_4NNTnMuGInKHwNdfyGxsKB9xWkOdgZHfC_uoi2duBerqd9y7x9NPSZVsPlEjeBqdWgAGvKqDG_WrWwCc6Pw_tB48vEAxC8wlIo-ti4s9VcxLB-JmDLndhRRs/s1600/Tunnel+under+Temple+I+o+Gran+Jaguar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKqsIJz9ZK8jfNffk59xu_4NNTnMuGInKHwNdfyGxsKB9xWkOdgZHfC_uoi2duBerqd9y7x9NPSZVsPlEjeBqdWgAGvKqDG_WrWwCc6Pw_tB48vEAxC8wlIo-ti4s9VcxLB-JmDLndhRRs/s320/Tunnel+under+Temple+I+o+Gran+Jaguar.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Tunnel under Temple I o Gran Jaguar</strong></div>My Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16363560994515892361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690672007622172023.post-39338105278107287772011-09-26T22:33:00.002-06:002011-09-26T23:06:24.328-06:0026 September 2011<span style="background: white;">I received a comment about Mia not having her lifejacket on while on the dock at Moko Marina in Rio Dulce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6n92vTFstbkPJEDXRtEMZ-y9wXp5JoYxbMY82ZirrBSDZVsKWbBbOK9t6Z-tcSG7AlI3n-JPe0DNKqTUyOY5MG5mcCAIdjYZg2KLZLgklTGQqjwaQ342HHSRG8hnzx3Uysa8g15ZX5p6O/s1600/Mia+chillin%2527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6n92vTFstbkPJEDXRtEMZ-y9wXp5JoYxbMY82ZirrBSDZVsKWbBbOK9t6Z-tcSG7AlI3n-JPe0DNKqTUyOY5MG5mcCAIdjYZg2KLZLgklTGQqjwaQ342HHSRG8hnzx3Uysa8g15ZX5p6O/s320/Mia+chillin%2527.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mia Chillin' on the dock at Moko Marina, Rio Dulce Guatemala</strong></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFjReFtorUOmv-nbjwU5JPVDIF2_rtQ8D8e0hYfvpLsx_H2QvqzlKtFFlNMcSLqpqMH-A25p0UDOxZ22_F4yCIvEqFkgyYZBT28rkdVae8oJYK6TsK-5BJzDAxASLIJAcwmr3aNJDY7jn/s1600/Mia+Rum+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFjReFtorUOmv-nbjwU5JPVDIF2_rtQ8D8e0hYfvpLsx_H2QvqzlKtFFlNMcSLqpqMH-A25p0UDOxZ22_F4yCIvEqFkgyYZBT28rkdVae8oJYK6TsK-5BJzDAxASLIJAcwmr3aNJDY7jn/s320/Mia+Rum+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mia relaxing on My Peace with some Caribbean White Rum</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLi_7f3zBZ8Qe1w1MLTjBd9A0j7bFkpeJKMu11J3vmcFdP7aqU_JgAg7bZvmNLthSgMDPMSFAznJ-5lNqvJqHnIhH8KL-ujd2t-CqkCD9E9Hq3Jre0E6P7xO7Smf6rquAhi5Gz-7C1avUe/s1600/Mia+Rum+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLi_7f3zBZ8Qe1w1MLTjBd9A0j7bFkpeJKMu11J3vmcFdP7aqU_JgAg7bZvmNLthSgMDPMSFAznJ-5lNqvJqHnIhH8KL-ujd2t-CqkCD9E9Hq3Jre0E6P7xO7Smf6rquAhi5Gz-7C1avUe/s320/Mia+Rum+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>"Can I have some Coke and ice with my rum?"</strong><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiEyeLDqrsdg18Ml0dV4Bh6xEGkWTNJbOF8LiHLBrB0jVR4awQf_eqqrzFk8NpQMusJw-l2twv_5TuuY6CocrWPhSN0Yl3v0ZRR91Ur8vl_9yd6uF_fEp2PwNMms9Z8QLdBrtA_3cM_MuH/s1600/Mia+Rum+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiEyeLDqrsdg18Ml0dV4Bh6xEGkWTNJbOF8LiHLBrB0jVR4awQf_eqqrzFk8NpQMusJw-l2twv_5TuuY6CocrWPhSN0Yl3v0ZRR91Ur8vl_9yd6uF_fEp2PwNMms9Z8QLdBrtA_3cM_MuH/s320/Mia+Rum+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Note: Mia has her lifejacket on.</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>In Belize as well as Guatemala, dogs are not required to wear lifejackets on the docks or boats unless they have been drinking; they are not required to wear lifejackets in bars even when the bar is built over the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mia loves to go bar hopping to check out the local dogs, the 4 legged types.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuo8NczSKaFtOxtosHm-R3N22hi0RZaQQt5oyh98IxeDLWcqLXNkB8wC3_Wv0xVqyTU7BN90gxDaAU2dtG93hOyb0tuzswtcAfIm4zu6mZY2YFyL9t-lcvEPc2b_9m_Jv44-VLj1r09A3c/s1600/Mia+rum+%2526+coke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuo8NczSKaFtOxtosHm-R3N22hi0RZaQQt5oyh98IxeDLWcqLXNkB8wC3_Wv0xVqyTU7BN90gxDaAU2dtG93hOyb0tuzswtcAfIm4zu6mZY2YFyL9t-lcvEPc2b_9m_Jv44-VLj1r09A3c/s320/Mia+rum+%2526+coke.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;"><strong>"Hey, I ordered water on the rocks!" "J" Byrd's Bar in Placencia, Belize</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3b0jFODcJp6TUYFaQIRDoblwBRSWziPyPaHdYCVgrcsYaAdwKZHuxrh66fQ3XZOD43Oh6tijCi2ZO15FpECsQQJeW7qMcPSn5Mhv-UoqAHVxrhzr4zdtHH9AoUq2KULFj_NWtb0tKUIN9/s1600/Mia+rum+%2526+coke2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3b0jFODcJp6TUYFaQIRDoblwBRSWziPyPaHdYCVgrcsYaAdwKZHuxrh66fQ3XZOD43Oh6tijCi2ZO15FpECsQQJeW7qMcPSn5Mhv-UoqAHVxrhzr4zdtHH9AoUq2KULFj_NWtb0tKUIN9/s320/Mia+rum+%2526+coke2.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>"That's better!"</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHOX-LzILBmDAsfnpijuxEBFxXJXOaLy54thEYs6bs16XIkvkyGXx_QtKSpxl0ijaaGpQIXXcyLbDcS1Ubsfm6-kB6GrFfpbki_RND8XG_E3XLmNP6jrtdENnPZ5zk3YQ7trwS1totv6Vp/s1600/Mia+rum+%2526+coke+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHOX-LzILBmDAsfnpijuxEBFxXJXOaLy54thEYs6bs16XIkvkyGXx_QtKSpxl0ijaaGpQIXXcyLbDcS1Ubsfm6-kB6GrFfpbki_RND8XG_E3XLmNP6jrtdENnPZ5zk3YQ7trwS1totv6Vp/s320/Mia+rum+%2526+coke+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>"I love ice water in this heat!"</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white;">Unlike the U.S. Mia is welcome almost everywhere as long as she behaves, which she usually does unless a cat enters the establishment. The only place Mia was denied service was in Puerto Morelos, Mexico. There was a big sign at the door that said "NO DOGS ALLOWED", Mia's feelings were hurt so we went elsewhere for dinner.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7NG29qswzjLJTwZguuLz_y9qYKsgvRPU5MFIvgJOAULUsnFcZndPz1JR2JXWdyusFwo8CODrodkbbOWrKD6gPc_1jTjieD0AthY_5GfyWW1rlWTudAyHFtRwoFWWa1iJ_4p8FCQxcTxG3/s1600/Mia+at+Bruno%2527s+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7NG29qswzjLJTwZguuLz_y9qYKsgvRPU5MFIvgJOAULUsnFcZndPz1JR2JXWdyusFwo8CODrodkbbOWrKD6gPc_1jTjieD0AthY_5GfyWW1rlWTudAyHFtRwoFWWa1iJ_4p8FCQxcTxG3/s320/Mia+at+Bruno%2527s+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>"Watch out Dad, here comes Mom!" Bruno's Rio Dulce, Guatemala</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8tw6rqghBvOoXTpweSs829DMY_xLnqEKkkJfsxJ211x5A7X_l9eeQvyGMYuaaqXiTkCxQUKbv0xMNvDv-kRWuX3zZfgFC0t-6cLUWyQeC3EuZwK7yfV5ZMf-x32bVZy5X0UXJfkKfawsX/s1600/Mia+at+Bruno%2527s+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8tw6rqghBvOoXTpweSs829DMY_xLnqEKkkJfsxJ211x5A7X_l9eeQvyGMYuaaqXiTkCxQUKbv0xMNvDv-kRWuX3zZfgFC0t-6cLUWyQeC3EuZwK7yfV5ZMf-x32bVZy5X0UXJfkKfawsX/s320/Mia+at+Bruno%2527s+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>"Wish there was a nice strong Dachshund, Chihuahua, or better yet a Chi-winnie to talk to."</strong><br />
<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPP3zw7Nf3QZjbOol7_HL_IzetREBC8SqtVyA7I17PgcpK98iizI_u_Siett9MekiQWsxXIOkBN9801P_axblIAlzRASt8B76tcJltcB3VqL1LgJUhyphenhyphenwK8FtlY1JW0FRgJO44RLfghZd4/s1600/Mia+at+Bruno%2527s+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPP3zw7Nf3QZjbOol7_HL_IzetREBC8SqtVyA7I17PgcpK98iizI_u_Siett9MekiQWsxXIOkBN9801P_axblIAlzRASt8B76tcJltcB3VqL1LgJUhyphenhyphenwK8FtlY1JW0FRgJO44RLfghZd4/s320/Mia+at+Bruno%2527s+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>"This heat gets me down."</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white;">This posting is for humor purposes only, we never give Mia alcoholic beverages, the bowl she is drinking from in Placencia, Belize is filled with water.</span></div></div>My Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16363560994515892361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690672007622172023.post-21225336369459307242011-09-24T23:20:00.001-06:002011-09-24T23:59:47.818-06:0024 September 2011<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We have been in Rio Dulce at Tijax Marina for almost a month now, most of the little stuff we needed to do is done and now it is time to enjoy the area for a while. Our daughter Jessi flew in </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjJ65MXRHp4IV_ToAQogjVwqqTUd2eCFjsW0TsDy855eRRvGa0CwsQ5A5UJGitHVngvolUoAgT5SmvshURJOpzvX8kezpUxlOGsOAPZYMVcTLGkHPzJnDYlivOkY5rkzW0-6NwgzNCdc-/s1600/Bridge+to+the+rubber+plantation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjJ65MXRHp4IV_ToAQogjVwqqTUd2eCFjsW0TsDy855eRRvGa0CwsQ5A5UJGitHVngvolUoAgT5SmvshURJOpzvX8kezpUxlOGsOAPZYMVcTLGkHPzJnDYlivOkY5rkzW0-6NwgzNCdc-/s320/Bridge+to+the+rubber+plantation.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Bridge to the rubber plantation</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">from Maui for a month long visit which is great to have her with us for a while. We have made many friends at several of the marinas on the Rio and it seems the “pitch-in dinners” together is never </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiToCnv24rO-2U8iKJo6KfYxnMh1lKH2udsX2BxptJoMfJ-Bd-rwWiHZuFMyf3yEH06IwiGFZWi6Rh-0sEYhLyY-PU5VOkDSPMqiIpL-6RgSsSi0M5CpcyJNt09Ocj1-15vhdmkmG86K9uq/s1600/Cabins+at+Tijax.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiToCnv24rO-2U8iKJo6KfYxnMh1lKH2udsX2BxptJoMfJ-Bd-rwWiHZuFMyf3yEH06IwiGFZWi6Rh-0sEYhLyY-PU5VOkDSPMqiIpL-6RgSsSi0M5CpcyJNt09Ocj1-15vhdmkmG86K9uq/s320/Cabins+at+Tijax.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Walks to cottages at Tijax</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">ending. Last week it was bar-b-que chicken at Moko Marina with Matt, Carla, Lenny, Peggy, Miguel, Brian, and Jennifer. Tomorrow is Miguel’s birthday party and it is going to be a shrimp boil. Tonight Peter and Karla came over for dinner and we all had an enjoyable dinner on My Peace.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjwf4iKZlISEFfCIcK-MKaRaY6-sJlaadAFBjQ_S14H480Hq7ZHB9RvrNwlZ4duHFnMcCRc217ep8j1S5LCiLv_dX9gQkx6TnF3CXyXPDeC3tp7vaqhRWQqNmsdXDm0TuXek43dVFfT2B/s1600/Fronteras.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjwf4iKZlISEFfCIcK-MKaRaY6-sJlaadAFBjQ_S14H480Hq7ZHB9RvrNwlZ4duHFnMcCRc217ep8j1S5LCiLv_dX9gQkx6TnF3CXyXPDeC3tp7vaqhRWQqNmsdXDm0TuXek43dVFfT2B/s320/Fronteras.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><strong>View of Fronteras from Tijax Marina</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFXtsACMJ7qQzeB2d46zCVrR8u3uxpzSApx0jDQAR4-pe8cE6CWiF1D1_fgq6cLlnIAvKiGgvba_QW38MgSv0KnSunx95ITZ67yKWwBSBnWAbZVP7BCnOpGFV3rZboyZBhDujJYvbfdpLZ/s1600/Our+swimming+pool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" hca="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFXtsACMJ7qQzeB2d46zCVrR8u3uxpzSApx0jDQAR4-pe8cE6CWiF1D1_fgq6cLlnIAvKiGgvba_QW38MgSv0KnSunx95ITZ67yKWwBSBnWAbZVP7BCnOpGFV3rZboyZBhDujJYvbfdpLZ/s320/Our+swimming+pool.jpg" width="320" /></strong></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Swimming pool at Tijax Marina</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0kxktsqmkTCJQ7-d_LeZQ95_pY_MVwUOdMPFRTAJCp7FnPJc5ywuuicgOJKWpGkCom_d4l5VHynO8uFVCoXzMSQp1H5x643T-LQzkDV_h4Uv1HwBc5EChc7z3KMkGrA1JMzPrkM3sRdpT/s1600/Tijax+Marina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0kxktsqmkTCJQ7-d_LeZQ95_pY_MVwUOdMPFRTAJCp7FnPJc5ywuuicgOJKWpGkCom_d4l5VHynO8uFVCoXzMSQp1H5x643T-LQzkDV_h4Uv1HwBc5EChc7z3KMkGrA1JMzPrkM3sRdpT/s320/Tijax+Marina.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>View of the front of Tijax Marina</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirk-Js8_94XM7-OrYeUq5WD9md2Z5LLsWNrkGTRoFfduyGNEjs2pEQ1wbacMC8TElZzHTC_L98flFNpvrNLUbxiuw4GQa-UXurI016-ccPqI0PJk1reCYO4YGSWzRXGygsDN7n4uTe8iUd/s1600/My+Peace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirk-Js8_94XM7-OrYeUq5WD9md2Z5LLsWNrkGTRoFfduyGNEjs2pEQ1wbacMC8TElZzHTC_L98flFNpvrNLUbxiuw4GQa-UXurI016-ccPqI0PJk1reCYO4YGSWzRXGygsDN7n4uTe8iUd/s320/My+Peace.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>My Peace at Tijax Marina</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUniubakeOBnjygIHkBorDAMg5TjT03wozWY9Ev5zjkK316ApTwGCe-Wdl_pJjmvoHA5i5mFKTqDAc1JYewhFcMqASajc5YTYxs-c-QjtmKWAKY7OXp058Sx3XPJJrOqqhJcUvuiOBnxfo/s1600/Tallest+bridge+in+Guatemala+90+feet+vertical.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUniubakeOBnjygIHkBorDAMg5TjT03wozWY9Ev5zjkK316ApTwGCe-Wdl_pJjmvoHA5i5mFKTqDAc1JYewhFcMqASajc5YTYxs-c-QjtmKWAKY7OXp058Sx3XPJJrOqqhJcUvuiOBnxfo/s320/Tallest+bridge+in+Guatemala+90+feet+vertical.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Bridge over the Rio Dulce</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXVecMJLFntkRqXKGM0A3sexY6QhgdjGrLg1Ip3hav2svwYgTiqVTNgq2X-SdsbACQRuAXL4Zq2ynpoB_0I8n2qMM3JhKz7kgrLtXPrta8-QoIhAk_iOCbYXDK_5oiTwp10jtXj1fat0sQ/s1600/Rose+%2526+Jessi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXVecMJLFntkRqXKGM0A3sexY6QhgdjGrLg1Ip3hav2svwYgTiqVTNgq2X-SdsbACQRuAXL4Zq2ynpoB_0I8n2qMM3JhKz7kgrLtXPrta8-QoIhAk_iOCbYXDK_5oiTwp10jtXj1fat0sQ/s320/Rose+%2526+Jessi.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;"><strong>Jessi and Rose at the Tijax Resturant</strong></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYiwj2Dh4XhlNI9el2JI2jAU2Bl3yupFmGd4CBPAwGYggLb2ykmEKKbWy6EoVKGJqyFGhsmZobyTJW2NbKo8kvuGUp1Ssji_-tqyGZAY-r7WTWLs-8OBSC9lgWAcn5hgKugxxtCDADE8yo/s1600/Lodge+Cottage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYiwj2Dh4XhlNI9el2JI2jAU2Bl3yupFmGd4CBPAwGYggLb2ykmEKKbWy6EoVKGJqyFGhsmZobyTJW2NbKo8kvuGUp1Ssji_-tqyGZAY-r7WTWLs-8OBSC9lgWAcn5hgKugxxtCDADE8yo/s320/Lodge+Cottage.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> <strong>Cottage at Tijax Marina</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoj4Rij7rDLDCM_Y-nY-eLrFhAx25ts2pRN1EmtmzgvCPbgqrxtRJx24O7EFtp94xEjiJS0XqIqkcO4p1mhLcglmEOM4M_vnCER9He3ywDqvBtT03ttoCLXUnKfEQgmYd28Y3C56ehu5ii/s1600/Geff+cooking+chicken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoj4Rij7rDLDCM_Y-nY-eLrFhAx25ts2pRN1EmtmzgvCPbgqrxtRJx24O7EFtp94xEjiJS0XqIqkcO4p1mhLcglmEOM4M_vnCER9He3ywDqvBtT03ttoCLXUnKfEQgmYd28Y3C56ehu5ii/s320/Geff+cooking+chicken.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> <strong>Geff grillin' chicken at Moko Marina</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWL043Eeoh168a_ioKIweLkUSr5zepIYTJnP2w4d4R7ilsCEHk1IKYxpzR-c1SYdPADTxn7f236mwbAyNkJqSUSs8bcX5zoY6wT_WXR_HcQc7VHq8LkGrs0H1IHst80s0EnMh6NCMR8vM/s1600/Moko+Marina+group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWL043Eeoh168a_ioKIweLkUSr5zepIYTJnP2w4d4R7ilsCEHk1IKYxpzR-c1SYdPADTxn7f236mwbAyNkJqSUSs8bcX5zoY6wT_WXR_HcQc7VHq8LkGrs0H1IHst80s0EnMh6NCMR8vM/s320/Moko+Marina+group.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><strong>Moko Marina group</strong> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8REC3EA3wwdKYMOhMJtxFhX1fLBMHrEbTF_nnhxlEG3KHB8qioDhmzlTPmtucym4GIZeElLoEiMyOo-vci1eVqRvMPoMHUOXljgOvLASwkgxLaDIYIsq7msVyozd0TZPj6nAX95POgAWP/s1600/Mia+chillin%2527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8REC3EA3wwdKYMOhMJtxFhX1fLBMHrEbTF_nnhxlEG3KHB8qioDhmzlTPmtucym4GIZeElLoEiMyOo-vci1eVqRvMPoMHUOXljgOvLASwkgxLaDIYIsq7msVyozd0TZPj6nAX95POgAWP/s320/Mia+chillin%2527.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> <strong>Mia chillin' at Moka Marina</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today Rose, Jessi, and I took the dinghy up the Rio Dulce about 4 miles to Castillo de San Felipe, check out the web site at </span><a href="http://www.mayaparadise.com/izabal/riodulce/castillo.htm"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">http://www.mayaparadise.com/izabal/riodulce/castillo.htm</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> it was awesome and the history brings it all to life. After touring the castle we walked out to the little </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEkc4sKZSgC5dLUbpOonAP94lu-j1XmPDp36n0qwq60fxdBf8ArnHYDGI3QTZWb6L7R_Cr0VjvKem7jGof-cngoN-ZWuORqmMMdIBfWK-3ETHtcwp9sC8G9tCYtaMZO-tlX_FlmvkKNEfJ/s1600/Castillo+de+San+Felipe+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEkc4sKZSgC5dLUbpOonAP94lu-j1XmPDp36n0qwq60fxdBf8ArnHYDGI3QTZWb6L7R_Cr0VjvKem7jGof-cngoN-ZWuORqmMMdIBfWK-3ETHtcwp9sC8G9tCYtaMZO-tlX_FlmvkKNEfJ/s320/Castillo+de+San+Felipe+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> <strong>Castillo de San Felipe</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">village at the entrance , we came by water, there was a hotel called the Buccaneer, it looked interesting so Rose and Jessi asked if they could look around, it was being remodeled but they </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC43d_QZ8b9LLDroj2Y-xBF4HsYyLBqsdjtHkPnuWFGMHM3s5tSdJuGxmJUYEtv8WI-Bmg-E0rHU_EIS5Rk8aTiIw4bQdwL4bG8xdf5TMsVeGOqtBZN1EbEGVNOgMFINo44PPhBdt0RGle/s1600/Hotel+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC43d_QZ8b9LLDroj2Y-xBF4HsYyLBqsdjtHkPnuWFGMHM3s5tSdJuGxmJUYEtv8WI-Bmg-E0rHU_EIS5Rk8aTiIw4bQdwL4bG8xdf5TMsVeGOqtBZN1EbEGVNOgMFINo44PPhBdt0RGle/s320/Hotel+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> <strong>Swinging Bridges at Buccaneer Hotel</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">allowed them in anyway, and they had a ball. The rooms were connected by swinging bridges one of which crossed a pool with 2 crocodiles in it. Of course they had to play with the crocs.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbv6oNeOXZjX7i6KYZ7L8LFR77kRoWUgrc0EoM0MK-IpzIeV94Vthj8LYxAOxh0fApsw5OcR_q3JoqpcArWmkYGjjVfJFGf6NAn_ghkW2xIKymG-GQ263DLaPhS8rww7xtougpuRAhvql7/s1600/Rose+and+Jessi+Crocadile+hunters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbv6oNeOXZjX7i6KYZ7L8LFR77kRoWUgrc0EoM0MK-IpzIeV94Vthj8LYxAOxh0fApsw5OcR_q3JoqpcArWmkYGjjVfJFGf6NAn_ghkW2xIKymG-GQ263DLaPhS8rww7xtougpuRAhvql7/s320/Rose+and+Jessi+Crocadile+hunters.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Jessi & rose crocodile hunters </strong></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The history of Castillo de San Felipe was interesting, seems that in the 1600s the Spanish treasure ships would come into Lago de Izabal in route to their various ports and lay up in the lake. Didn’t </span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmkuIF8Y9ad4hLBX6rrdhzT7cWUkXp-QGANDfuaYXoYgyiydzAw7bPd23QBtU9exLXQLa9wkcJhE4YMYHyJY2EXDyP02viwlfRHicxU7CyJoucCec_AMlhZNj3QtieiqAB-oY-AWsBGTEs/s1600/Castillo+de+San+Felipe+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmkuIF8Y9ad4hLBX6rrdhzT7cWUkXp-QGANDfuaYXoYgyiydzAw7bPd23QBtU9exLXQLa9wkcJhE4YMYHyJY2EXDyP02viwlfRHicxU7CyJoucCec_AMlhZNj3QtieiqAB-oY-AWsBGTEs/s320/Castillo+de+San+Felipe+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> <strong>Castillo de San Felipe</strong></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> <span style="font-family: Calibri;">take the pirates long to find them so the Spanish built a fort at the mouth of the lake where the Rio Dulce entered the lake. Over the next 94 years I think the pirates either controlled or destroyed the fort as quickly as the Spanish could rebuild it. At one point they put a chain across the river to keep </span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCP6Ho32f3kohCuTEh-4qJ0Hkx1qlXOlc-wKUFgqEFS9HumAnQ0razEUcUVt5M4uCdMZYfqiYsEH2iHV7Nr_T6_eQniEUyOTPtS1HfyrMl2B9pNHEZcinwpPYvcFv-IhK5yginpJFbg8Yb/s1600/Castillo+de+San+Felipe+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCP6Ho32f3kohCuTEh-4qJ0Hkx1qlXOlc-wKUFgqEFS9HumAnQ0razEUcUVt5M4uCdMZYfqiYsEH2iHV7Nr_T6_eQniEUyOTPtS1HfyrMl2B9pNHEZcinwpPYvcFv-IhK5yginpJFbg8Yb/s320/Castillo+de+San+Felipe+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> <strong>Castillo de San Felipe</strong></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">the pirates out with little success. At one point the pirates not only took control of the fort but also stole all the munitions and canons. In 1955 the reconstruction project started which was successful </span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhceH6kXcFxz1vN21IzabsP-XWJiDHaw-xccIkpc5Be7CDX4g05AZEMkAw-lHSKCKRGEMSGMdcfhZVEw5ezR7d3W6-8gNPFvOE2WRvFBcHuY_TBGCCTnM5-3kOVxCxbVfGsmpHdNaq8cT8d/s1600/Castillo+de+San+Felipe+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhceH6kXcFxz1vN21IzabsP-XWJiDHaw-xccIkpc5Be7CDX4g05AZEMkAw-lHSKCKRGEMSGMdcfhZVEw5ezR7d3W6-8gNPFvOE2WRvFBcHuY_TBGCCTnM5-3kOVxCxbVfGsmpHdNaq8cT8d/s320/Castillo+de+San+Felipe+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> <strong>Castillo de San Felipe</strong></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">and the Castillo de San Felipe is open from 8 to 5 daily for tours. If you ever are down this way and want to visit the castle, be sure to bring your own flashlight, the interior rooms are not lite and it is very hard to see what is inside them.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizGl3Vzv8knL3ZgKHxmkSH1q0K_v8s4p0GQJTDpWScJjmQM6HF75Lg8IVJnZWYo2FzNY7gdTqjK-VhanPjSIsSYr0dMJay3xsvT-DWG4WgYWfuYVGCUenFpocl-11YPAREyOLysxk6nqD8/s1600/3+foot+crocodile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizGl3Vzv8knL3ZgKHxmkSH1q0K_v8s4p0GQJTDpWScJjmQM6HF75Lg8IVJnZWYo2FzNY7gdTqjK-VhanPjSIsSYr0dMJay3xsvT-DWG4WgYWfuYVGCUenFpocl-11YPAREyOLysxk6nqD8/s320/3+foot+crocodile.jpg" width="239" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><strong>3 foot crocodile</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The only bridge over the Rio Dulce is at Fronteras, it has a 90 foot vertical clearance, the only reason for the height is to accommodate the pleasure boats that come here to escape the hurricanes during the hurricane season. There is no large commercial vessels on the river, due to the “bar” at the mouth of the river in Livingston where the Rio Dulce empties into the Bay of Honduras commercial traffic cannot get into the Rio Dulce. At one time in past history Livingston was a busy sea port, but </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoMv0oe8ZpyunbBfaYTml5hLsEgZXxiUuQfMLmhMXTXh3pW-f0C70iwnj1GtcWuE3L7Psr2w88_ACXSUvlFU6cfDJFu0D-wBcAY0uglu9H7x25-kvb1QndvgUQg5u5mQjePmXbCIUFHvcU/s1600/6+foot+crocodile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoMv0oe8ZpyunbBfaYTml5hLsEgZXxiUuQfMLmhMXTXh3pW-f0C70iwnj1GtcWuE3L7Psr2w88_ACXSUvlFU6cfDJFu0D-wBcAY0uglu9H7x25-kvb1QndvgUQg5u5mQjePmXbCIUFHvcU/s320/6+foot+crocodile.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbv6oNeOXZjX7i6KYZ7L8LFR77kRoWUgrc0EoM0MK-IpzIeV94Vthj8LYxAOxh0fApsw5OcR_q3JoqpcArWmkYGjjVfJFGf6NAn_ghkW2xIKymG-GQ263DLaPhS8rww7xtougpuRAhvql7/s1600/Rose+and+Jessi+Crocadile+hunters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> <strong> 6 foot crocodile</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">with no roads connecting Livingston to the rest of the world, the port was mover further south to Puerto Barrios which had overland access to the rest of the country. The river is plenty deep to </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">navigate up river to Lago de Izabal with an average depth of well over 20 feet, but the bar remains at around 6 feet at a normal high tide and maybe as much as 8 feet on a full moon high tide.</span></div>My Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16363560994515892361noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690672007622172023.post-48295670185763128762011-09-09T23:27:00.000-06:002011-09-09T23:30:36.852-06:009 September 2011<strong>9 Sep 2011 -</strong> Today was a great day, I went online to check the "SPOT TRACK" for Escondida and found that she was in Livingston, Guatemala. Matt & Carla got beat up pretty bad in Placencia, Belize by the evening storms and decided to head to Rio Dulce. They arrived in Fronteras around 1430 hours and we met at Bruno's for a celebration drink, than this evening Matt, Carla, Peter, Karla, Rose and I had dinner on My Peace.<br />
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Later I went out to the "Blog Site" for Second Chance to see if there was any progress made on saving Mahalo Nui and found out that they had a very successful day, let us all Pray that the temporary patch applied today holds through the night so they can get her across the reef and into the marina in the morning. You can follow the progress of saving Mahalo Nui on John & Beth's Blog Site at <a href="http://gemini2ndchance.blogspot.com/"><strong><span style="color: red;">http://gemini2ndchance.blogspot.com/</span></strong></a> Let us all say a Prayer for J & Jerr that they will be successful Saturday morning in moving Mahalo Nui to the marina.<br />
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So far this evening we haven't received our nightly thunder storm, maybe we will be spared tonight, the thunderstorm isn't so bad it is that we always loose our electrical power for several hours when they come through. I wish some of this rain would fall in south central Texas, when I spoke with my son David, that whole area is just ready to explode it is so dry, several hundred homes have already been lost in the area. I was kind of hoping that Tropical Storm Nate would turn northward and bring them some relief but as it stands now with 3 storms working none are heading toward Texas.My Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16363560994515892361noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690672007622172023.post-33056079262049242832011-09-06T18:39:00.000-06:002011-09-06T19:02:18.685-06:006 September 2011 Mahalo Nui.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong></strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>6 September 2011 –</strong> Received pictures from Mahalo Nui, which I thought I would share with you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Mahalo Nui was sailing with Second Chance, they were in route to Punta Allen, Mexico and Second Chance hit the reef at Punta Allen, so both boats headed back north to Puerto Aventures, about 35 miles back, as the seas were too rough to attempt repairs at Punta Allen. They arrived at Puerto Aventures around 2000 hours and attempted entry in the dark. Second Chance made it in through the jetties, but Mahalo Nui missed and ended up on the rocks. </span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m not going to write much here other than to title the pictures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are all Praying that the damage isn’t as bad as it looks and they will be able to once again sail Mahalo Nui.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><strong>Click on pictures to enlarge</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0M-JdSJ71BPkE-MekP4C1UuaIvxAdN_soIU9zgP9XLS5fyWvzCotmeguAbzWDKKwb2pgUsvP1y2qc6uj5HZA3fB8j8EUOcjPpuMiy8jo4O7xpH6XEKlEle0fVJ0nCMUB4a8fubvWHzQ4/s1600/Mahalo+Nui+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0M-JdSJ71BPkE-MekP4C1UuaIvxAdN_soIU9zgP9XLS5fyWvzCotmeguAbzWDKKwb2pgUsvP1y2qc6uj5HZA3fB8j8EUOcjPpuMiy8jo4O7xpH6XEKlEle0fVJ0nCMUB4a8fubvWHzQ4/s320/Mahalo+Nui+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>Mahalo Nui.in the south side of the jetties</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bHbJIvL_NPz6A71J_XH3X2iNW4u9Tqqp8c8vldDThfsWy1JMKDxiOJbXYF8wUAZNi6T9MecCE5JnFnImbkXMNHZfn2Ji3D97Kcl1oYbegcfeZQzMBtVFtKj2ze-odLycTLxXUKckK4gq/s1600/Mahalo+Nui+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bHbJIvL_NPz6A71J_XH3X2iNW4u9Tqqp8c8vldDThfsWy1JMKDxiOJbXYF8wUAZNi6T9MecCE5JnFnImbkXMNHZfn2Ji3D97Kcl1oYbegcfeZQzMBtVFtKj2ze-odLycTLxXUKckK4gq/s320/Mahalo+Nui+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong> Mahalo Nui.in the south side of the jetties</strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7hPpIk1-0F3CsFySjkjEaTQ4-a4602CQ_b-Dx3Wqkz7cPvTWB8JVGNPJlt40zGIrFLs7YkQh9baQGY70rBmsPEaguwEhMlOm89h_vFdYyFpYW2UkY21qm4wHwjsMBAEh_PuJt55JceqSP/s1600/Mahalo+Nui+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7hPpIk1-0F3CsFySjkjEaTQ4-a4602CQ_b-Dx3Wqkz7cPvTWB8JVGNPJlt40zGIrFLs7YkQh9baQGY70rBmsPEaguwEhMlOm89h_vFdYyFpYW2UkY21qm4wHwjsMBAEh_PuJt55JceqSP/s320/Mahalo+Nui+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>Mahalo Nui.washes to the beach on the south side of the jetties</strong></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIllXBVGmXYCWCiwWHLNsj-5QFC7hiByqGYO7zUXmg4mezqDLu2WTJSUEuencHE-lYCP_sxliyecDv2HInIEC-XYsWJte99GYQkHLZ-7YnjmGTGN-gpANuLtPqQtt4zWqh7VZZIklH2Zw0/s1600/Mahalo+Nui+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIllXBVGmXYCWCiwWHLNsj-5QFC7hiByqGYO7zUXmg4mezqDLu2WTJSUEuencHE-lYCP_sxliyecDv2HInIEC-XYsWJte99GYQkHLZ-7YnjmGTGN-gpANuLtPqQtt4zWqh7VZZIklH2Zw0/s320/Mahalo+Nui+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>Mahalo Nui.washes to the beach on the south side of the jetties</strong></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXG_QZgfsI1JqDl9FRkfxUTsQSEL-R-IhkJn1igE4ZC9XRN1vdnCJEQS19vhXDBYiWCvQRgESk06oZJlmDQrSkS5B7G6_FknWuI5R5gadu_tjAy6MVex9Mvp3lX6uHLBjqhhovb5y1gNTW/s1600/Mahalo+Nui+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXG_QZgfsI1JqDl9FRkfxUTsQSEL-R-IhkJn1igE4ZC9XRN1vdnCJEQS19vhXDBYiWCvQRgESk06oZJlmDQrSkS5B7G6_FknWuI5R5gadu_tjAy6MVex9Mvp3lX6uHLBjqhhovb5y1gNTW/s320/Mahalo+Nui+5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>South side of the south jetty Puerto Aventures</strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwI-KpKd1Hu3LbF13BoPxiuuWfU01druBxzs9W-O04oBlvBmyGeMdyjURBZugGYtFF7RWtDklazfJ2ynBSsUD8OXpTxnE3Pqs1oALPkxqLVzmL1YuNGHJHrOTPQRyEl3_jvjN3wqkhTnFM/s1600/Mahalo+Nui+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwI-KpKd1Hu3LbF13BoPxiuuWfU01druBxzs9W-O04oBlvBmyGeMdyjURBZugGYtFF7RWtDklazfJ2ynBSsUD8OXpTxnE3Pqs1oALPkxqLVzmL1YuNGHJHrOTPQRyEl3_jvjN3wqkhTnFM/s320/Mahalo+Nui+6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>Inside Mahalo Nui.</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Q0GNmlpp5Kj26hUYlsp8PcUyH_ilpuDiKK5qFv9vlhut2bapj-zLomCBrJWr6gW4tilu7igX9iHKwhAUB9XPxoBQiUAWrOOouv8uIY_96nw_0rfdiRK16YTks5iqamemhxY8sFzexUpP/s1600/Mahalo+Nui+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Q0GNmlpp5Kj26hUYlsp8PcUyH_ilpuDiKK5qFv9vlhut2bapj-zLomCBrJWr6gW4tilu7igX9iHKwhAUB9XPxoBQiUAWrOOouv8uIY_96nw_0rfdiRK16YTks5iqamemhxY8sFzexUpP/s320/Mahalo+Nui+7.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>Inside Mahalo Nui.</strong></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcvUK-QaKSiQb5vbeaW0qAMY09LVeSPlgPGm3LAGYRYav820ADcucpFwG1gbDMhRxCCEtyA66Lqh9UQ42a4Ui5GbX0MQnD3MhWbNTuFEYZjEPm5buya8hlD3kqDWfg38QfxOqE01L-DFG8/s1600/Mahalo+Nui+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcvUK-QaKSiQb5vbeaW0qAMY09LVeSPlgPGm3LAGYRYav820ADcucpFwG1gbDMhRxCCEtyA66Lqh9UQ42a4Ui5GbX0MQnD3MhWbNTuFEYZjEPm5buya8hlD3kqDWfg38QfxOqE01L-DFG8/s320/Mahalo+Nui+8.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>J captain/owner of Mahalo Nui.</strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BMCC3yisipuxy9rkhGpM49glUwCXl0TeRYx-D1lRRVp9vRsFU1991pyDMcW7_NWI1buAbA35BNnPne62vJduRGkmpRPWW5km4KHMUWZEDcQzjKG5xtjG2jW4EgRpB0llGHysB2RjltrI/s1600/Mahalo+Nui+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BMCC3yisipuxy9rkhGpM49glUwCXl0TeRYx-D1lRRVp9vRsFU1991pyDMcW7_NWI1buAbA35BNnPne62vJduRGkmpRPWW5km4KHMUWZEDcQzjKG5xtjG2jW4EgRpB0llGHysB2RjltrI/s320/Mahalo+Nui+9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <strong>Inside Mahalo Nui.</strong></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6RNe1FV3GNbZ-8TaWb38nUBdAASrEXyPTL_VsuxiQABi7FsflZ4k6Ir92FwNmFVqk7tKCk89L_Kp0thGqW0M9iDBPEG1Yqc-NBGsoPi8pr0kVwEaQbTvDFYkCwyI09l6SimJ_Q83hpRTp/s1600/Mahalo+Nui+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6RNe1FV3GNbZ-8TaWb38nUBdAASrEXyPTL_VsuxiQABi7FsflZ4k6Ir92FwNmFVqk7tKCk89L_Kp0thGqW0M9iDBPEG1Yqc-NBGsoPi8pr0kVwEaQbTvDFYkCwyI09l6SimJ_Q83hpRTp/s320/Mahalo+Nui+10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>Inside Mahalo Nui.</strong></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>My Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16363560994515892361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690672007622172023.post-30329251949590046672011-09-06T00:05:00.000-06:002011-09-06T00:05:56.329-06:005 September 2011<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">5 Sep 2011-</b> Just received sad news from some of our cruising friends who were on their way down to Rio Dulce, Guatemala from Isla Mujeres, Mexico.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were at Punta Allen when the catamaran Second Chance, belonging to John and Beth Shaw hit a reef causing minor damage to their rudder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Due to high seas they were unable to attempt repairs at Punta Allen so they returned north to Puerto Aventures arriving around 2000 hours.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrNGvnnlfdd4YPf1dUL1CcGkUb7ImAY7ENwL2YICcFXnXFsTp-H7O-vrzJMAC9ptY-P8ZwoRHRA44Y0SOGtMVSKvuqs6DHkIZecBiS-fsvxtYfVYDdnX1hD8axptpaVRU9VHslXjkaTGLg/s1600/south+jetty+Puerto+Aventures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrNGvnnlfdd4YPf1dUL1CcGkUb7ImAY7ENwL2YICcFXnXFsTp-H7O-vrzJMAC9ptY-P8ZwoRHRA44Y0SOGtMVSKvuqs6DHkIZecBiS-fsvxtYfVYDdnX1hD8axptpaVRU9VHslXjkaTGLg/s320/south+jetty+Puerto+Aventures.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>South jetty Puerto Aventures</strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKbRMJXETInsDXX4b1Ck64HQwMQXi5kFwwche3L5wyz-YKbRz-hSYWUgAoRLnKNO0OH1jhwb8Z8-wCmaDftOOnz_aTLdh0hGVZMqRP7Ltc9GJiXAWilMw0dmB4ypk230Y7IgUdO-tBrGWL/s1600/Power+boat+entering+Puerto+Aventures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As you may remember I had difficulty entering Puerto Aventures in the daylight, I would never want to enter that port in the dark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The catamaran Second Chance made it in but the mono hull Mahalo Nui that was traveling with them missed and ended up on the rocks on the south side of the entrance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>J & Jerr both made it off the boat safely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7gOX87RhKpg2PSyBiHlY-geLL0a3dFmMEtWLB44rgbhRMIHYQ_NEbOwbXEFa4L_tMSew7kcoMgAa-pTJDdkyJ9xvrn6m7FkV7mOesieQIqBa6bNKvMoEBeAU8Y1DBSYwTslhfh3VZi8Wn/s1600/north+jetty+Puerto+Aventures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7gOX87RhKpg2PSyBiHlY-geLL0a3dFmMEtWLB44rgbhRMIHYQ_NEbOwbXEFa4L_tMSew7kcoMgAa-pTJDdkyJ9xvrn6m7FkV7mOesieQIqBa6bNKvMoEBeAU8Y1DBSYwTslhfh3VZi8Wn/s320/north+jetty+Puerto+Aventures.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><strong>North jetty Puerto Aventures</strong></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>This morning she had drifted to the south and was laying at 45 Degrees on the beach and had taken on a large amount of water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They hooked up a high powered bilge pump and are able to reduce the amount of water in the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Due to rough seas they won’t be able to attempt to move her into sheltered water until Wednesday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank God J & Jerr are alright.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKbRMJXETInsDXX4b1Ck64HQwMQXi5kFwwche3L5wyz-YKbRz-hSYWUgAoRLnKNO0OH1jhwb8Z8-wCmaDftOOnz_aTLdh0hGVZMqRP7Ltc9GJiXAWilMw0dmB4ypk230Y7IgUdO-tBrGWL/s1600/Power+boat+entering+Puerto+Aventures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKbRMJXETInsDXX4b1Ck64HQwMQXi5kFwwche3L5wyz-YKbRz-hSYWUgAoRLnKNO0OH1jhwb8Z8-wCmaDftOOnz_aTLdh0hGVZMqRP7Ltc9GJiXAWilMw0dmB4ypk230Y7IgUdO-tBrGWL/s320/Power+boat+entering+Puerto+Aventures.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Power boat entering jetties Puerto Aventures</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The entrance to Puerto Aventures is unprotected there is a very small jetty on each side of the entrance to the harbor which opens directly into the Caribbean in the best conditions it is very dicey to enter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I almost lost My Peace when we were there in 1 meter seas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would have to say that Puerto Aventures is the most dangerous port we have entered thus far in our voyage.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpTiFXQmXoa07RPmkMx7L8e0lxMdz_1Z1X-ehF3ajoOuOdcsXBvnrs_TUqRZ4eGtrcxMxL63D5X0m-ApfGPkMu-GuCJ0UHCD0lddFhq4jhgnbhP0U9cWuYCCvgih3154HLJgcBJAZ2C9lK/s1600/Power+boat+entering+Puerto+Aventures+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpTiFXQmXoa07RPmkMx7L8e0lxMdz_1Z1X-ehF3ajoOuOdcsXBvnrs_TUqRZ4eGtrcxMxL63D5X0m-ApfGPkMu-GuCJ0UHCD0lddFhq4jhgnbhP0U9cWuYCCvgih3154HLJgcBJAZ2C9lK/s320/Power+boat+entering+Puerto+Aventures+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Power boat entering jetties Puerto Aventures</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">With a power boat you have enough power to control the boat in the “surf”, a sail boat weighing 17 tons like My Peace and you only have 62 hp it is very difficult to maintain control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we entered I almost ended up on the rocks on the north jetties in 1 meter seas in broad daylight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a range marker and supposedly if you line up correctly on the range lights and ride in on the valley between two swells it isn’t too bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mistake I made was I rode in on the top of a swell and it was like surfing a 17 ton surfboard with no control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pushed my throttle all the way forward and cranked the wheel as far to port as I could and almost didn’t make it. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1v8dc16LOzLyuo_lTrFs12fK6GUTKeITboBMv9oo-8iFSqOxTKurD4JJJQj7ssAAhoM380yaXmc0uvwN5gUFjBN2dhyw5nYxT1vLoD6Ljsw3bABHI-TQKOnkPWtIAz0yVtxfSKpz2b6jn/s1600/Power+boat+entering+Puerto+Aventures+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1v8dc16LOzLyuo_lTrFs12fK6GUTKeITboBMv9oo-8iFSqOxTKurD4JJJQj7ssAAhoM380yaXmc0uvwN5gUFjBN2dhyw5nYxT1vLoD6Ljsw3bABHI-TQKOnkPWtIAz0yVtxfSKpz2b6jn/s320/Power+boat+entering+Puerto+Aventures+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> <span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Power boat entering jetties Puerto Aventures</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mahalo Nui is a smaller boat than My Peace and has a much smaller engine, our hearts go out to J & Jerr and we Pray the damage isn’t too extensive. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As we hear more I will relay it.</span></div><div align="center"></div>My Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16363560994515892361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690672007622172023.post-18650627121132191302011-08-30T19:16:00.000-06:002011-08-30T19:16:22.896-06:0030 August 2011<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>30 August 2011 -</strong> Interesting day, we found a new marina the other day, Hacienda Tijax Marina, $100.00 a month less than Mario’s and we like it better and I can put up my satellite dish, so we checked out of Mario’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had started checking on bottom jobs the other day and there are two boatyards that come highly recommended Abel’s and Ram.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>WE got a “guesstimate” from Abel’s and then went to Ram’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We met Richard the owner, a very nice man, and he informed us that he would not do a estimate without seeing the bottom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We pulled the boat and it isn’t as bad as we thought, surprising enough his price wasn’t that much more than the “guesstimate” we got from Abel’s and we strongly feel we will get a far better job.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the cruisers, both yards charge for being on the hard, Abel’s $20.00 per day and Ram’s $25.00 a day, the difference is that if you are staying at Ram’s marina, they don’t charge for being on the hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Something to think about if you are planning to hull out in the Rio Dulce.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Spending the night here at Ram’s tonight, then off to Hacienda Tijax Marina in the morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Poor Mia is wondering where she will be on land in the morning, I don’t really think she cares where the land is as long as she can go ashore at least once a day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we get settled in tomorrow Rose will take some pictures and I’ll add them to the blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hacienda Tijax Marina is really unique, there are several cottages on the property all connected by boardwalks winding through the jungle, there is a swimming pool, 24 hour security, free WIFI, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>bar, restaurant, free coffee from 0700 – 1000, they wash down your boat for free once a week, palatable free water, a workshop, storage for guests, walking trails, garbage pickup at the boat, a travel agency, and more for about a $100.00 less than we were paying at Mario’s.</span></div>My Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16363560994515892361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690672007622172023.post-16842975017006447712011-08-28T20:32:00.001-06:002011-08-28T22:33:49.705-06:0028 August 2011<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">If you see any pictures in the blog that you would like to have a larger view of, just click on the picture or e-mail me, <a href="mailto:willstrop.MyPeace@gmail.com">willstrop.MyPeace@gmail.com</a> the date and comment under the picture and I will be glad to send you a larger view.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">28 August 2011 -</b> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Been one great trip, the only time we were really worried was when tropical storm, cat 1 hurricane, tropical storm Harvey was coming at us. When we first took notice it was a tropical storm about 350 miles away then it was upgraded to a cat 1 hurricane so we decided to take shelter as all indications were a direct somewhere between Placencia and Dangriga, Belize. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzM4kCDXjGj-ddCuoOsC1GxDX5hzeazOP_UMXy-ipi7OsbwoaLL1nvmovRu7E2Tbk-cGBe6sPzit6q_7GYZrjAbBy3GVBBnHQO_u1plKQ4rAyzF-Vk2kSFO2YOF8Ai12c2gZOWgFwfexJy/s1600/Dinghy+dock+Placencia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzM4kCDXjGj-ddCuoOsC1GxDX5hzeazOP_UMXy-ipi7OsbwoaLL1nvmovRu7E2Tbk-cGBe6sPzit6q_7GYZrjAbBy3GVBBnHQO_u1plKQ4rAyzF-Vk2kSFO2YOF8Ai12c2gZOWgFwfexJy/s320/Dinghy+dock+Placencia.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong>Dinghy dock at Placencia, Belize</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">At that time we were anchored offshore at Placencia. We decided to try to run back into the mangroves in Mango Creek but the water was too shallow, so we headed out into Placencia Lagoon which was our second best place. As the storm got closer it was downgraded back to tropical storm status, winds less than 75 mph. As it got closer the wind were sustained at 60 mph and was headed 30 miles north of us at Dangriga. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7UnvZF51AdSoo-2d3ULYXqWKgF8-JJqt58vwwDx-PKOHWgY_9T6Xm86hbkBk6EMvSdNTb_lPAadvUQ4F3VCRy5j93mTid2_I5a4KJOB4MmG5Y_iUZnCA60BayyKORSE-jZMxGZtC-_oa/s1600/Mango+Creek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7UnvZF51AdSoo-2d3ULYXqWKgF8-JJqt58vwwDx-PKOHWgY_9T6Xm86hbkBk6EMvSdNTb_lPAadvUQ4F3VCRy5j93mTid2_I5a4KJOB4MmG5Y_iUZnCA60BayyKORSE-jZMxGZtC-_oa/s320/Mango+Creek.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong>Mango Creek, Belize</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We were on the southern side so the high winds we would get would be coming from the west. I set two anchors, the primary to the west and the secondary to the south. The storm hit us around 1500 hours that afternoon; thank God we didn't get the brunt of it. In fact Belize was pretty much spared, a tornado hit Dangriga and destroyed two homes and killed 50 chickens, some flooding, but nothing major.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYw7QiMtIO8mtWkolxc9RqoELXuDQTjxSFL9-U7w6HS0M3Ekuo4RGOPXRW_sYZitFD71eB3HsQK_S9CjogEt8fNSuVVSNd77ln94YMkAv0TYij3hUOfoudoyk5vh60QmPYHxfKqU287-Lr/s1600/Caribbean+side+of+New+Haven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYw7QiMtIO8mtWkolxc9RqoELXuDQTjxSFL9-U7w6HS0M3Ekuo4RGOPXRW_sYZitFD71eB3HsQK_S9CjogEt8fNSuVVSNd77ln94YMkAv0TYij3hUOfoudoyk5vh60QmPYHxfKqU287-Lr/s320/Caribbean+side+of+New+Haven.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Caribbean side of New Haven, Belize</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I made up my mind then it was time to get down to Livingston, Guatemala and up the Rio Dulce and quit playing chicken with the storms. What makes being up the Rio Dulce around Fronteras so hurricane proof is that you travel up the river through the canyons about 8 miles to El Golfete, a small lake about 9 miles long and 4 miles wide, then back in the river another 6 or so miles through the canyon to Fronteras. We are protected from the Caribbean by mountains to the east that the major force of the storms can't get through. We do get storms here but nothing like hurricane force.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWuKh6NruB3fVSnQgQDDTnDfm39_TkyEyGynDwv1DbOJ5eX2BT2RizOwbT_BB3GpAQ2rijw_y7w4iUeIFLLLY3iA2yp1gSZSM1YGP9qciO2xqqWWm01foqxFxS36mrXlewbk9FIaHmABG/s1600/Mia+checking+the+shoreline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWuKh6NruB3fVSnQgQDDTnDfm39_TkyEyGynDwv1DbOJ5eX2BT2RizOwbT_BB3GpAQ2rijw_y7w4iUeIFLLLY3iA2yp1gSZSM1YGP9qciO2xqqWWm01foqxFxS36mrXlewbk9FIaHmABG/s320/Mia+checking+the+shoreline.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Mia checking out the shoreline</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Every night the thunderstorms come into the mountains from the Caribbean putting on the most beautiful light show, and yes it is the rainy season so almost every day we get a shower that last a half hour or so, but it cools everything off. You just have to plan your day so that if you are going to Fronteras, the only way to get there is by dinghy you do it in the morning so you can get back before the daily showers.</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgufk8gYaWJPh6px-jPiItvkjAUlhF9hF_ndBHnw8UKc15-rUyzcdxvc4yLJYp9Qz1ZNtybSpwamYU6Nk2L3HgYNaqoqrIBRhYjQd5MqeUq829caYT9_Ig4jn08V76R_n8BzJrGG-PZGQlt/s1600/Freighter+heading+to+Big+Creek%252C+Belize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgufk8gYaWJPh6px-jPiItvkjAUlhF9hF_ndBHnw8UKc15-rUyzcdxvc4yLJYp9Qz1ZNtybSpwamYU6Nk2L3HgYNaqoqrIBRhYjQd5MqeUq829caYT9_Ig4jn08V76R_n8BzJrGG-PZGQlt/s320/Freighter+heading+to+Big+Creek%252C+Belize.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong>Freighter entering Big Creek </strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The life here is not as bad as all the "talking heads" that have never been here say it is. Before we left the states, we heard all sorts of horror stories about murder, thefts, ppricey, drugs and the like. Yes it is a very poor area and if you leave something lying around it will be gone in town. According to those that have been here for years there hasn't been a theft at this marina in years, for that matter there hasn't been any crime. That is not to say that I wouldn't be walking around at midnight in Fronteras, but for that matter I wouldn't do that in San Antonio.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The worst of the storm season lays ahead of us for this part of the world, September and October is when it really gets active, but while my daughter Jessi is visiting I'm going to make a weather check and if nothing is brewing we will go out to Sapodillo Caye and the surrounding cayes, a long day sail back into Belize for a few days. We have only been at dock for 4 days and Rose and I both are getting itchy to travel.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTPWapenUOsAYD08jk1ARby4ucC-m21pSpzIH4LIKxIATGvpHT4eS_kZODlUSf4mh7pHruUpGNmGBMFv0TMWnv4UN-DB48Gq7SD0DFVsKsQEvuvM4p9nbIgecClSadi-ukNQaXHfY3tpcT/s1600/Mountains+of+Guatemala+from+New+Haven%252C+Belize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTPWapenUOsAYD08jk1ARby4ucC-m21pSpzIH4LIKxIATGvpHT4eS_kZODlUSf4mh7pHruUpGNmGBMFv0TMWnv4UN-DB48Gq7SD0DFVsKsQEvuvM4p9nbIgecClSadi-ukNQaXHfY3tpcT/s320/Mountains+of+Guatemala+from+New+Haven%252C+Belize.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Mountains of Guatemala behind the cayes of Belize from New Haven, Belize</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Due to the location of Sapodillo Caye the Belize government allows cruisers from Guatemala to visit those cayes without checking in with customs. Immigration and the port authority. It is a nice break from being in a marina.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBKicG-XmpiVvXPtJhXQigO2G2AtcHu6PrpPempEPiTfIl9j9fwdB3Xwoidu47HsLZpAd1mfOGpnKvd05kXxBCy76j21IHgT6P9UPxnKcy72bQdc6o78P38TwxBJn_bB2miPShZF3kSOhD/s1600/Hard+Luck+Charlies+marine+railroad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBKicG-XmpiVvXPtJhXQigO2G2AtcHu6PrpPempEPiTfIl9j9fwdB3Xwoidu47HsLZpAd1mfOGpnKvd05kXxBCy76j21IHgT6P9UPxnKcy72bQdc6o78P38TwxBJn_bB2miPShZF3kSOhD/s320/Hard+Luck+Charlies+marine+railroad.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Hard Luck Charlie's "marine railroad", New Haven, Belize</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 4.6pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This morning I got up had my coffee and re-tied the mooring lines, and continued putting away stuff we don't need tied up and just basically turning a sailing vessel into a dock side cottage. Rose finished catching up on the laundry; she had almost a month’s worth. We had brunch and lay around and watched the movie Patton from beginning to end that is one long movie, 172 minutes, almost 3 hours. When it was over the sun was setting. Retirement is hard work!</span></div>My Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16363560994515892361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690672007622172023.post-1442158988209374592011-08-27T20:13:00.000-06:002011-08-27T20:14:54.960-06:0025 - 27 August 2011<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">26 August 2011 –</b> Went to Fronteras yesterday with Mia and Rose just to look around, very interesting little town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped at Bruno’s Bar and Grill where we left the dinghy and Mia had to have her water on the rocks. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><strong>She is turning into a regular bar fly</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshpE6jp605rzI-QvaY4ueJYBZYxqip3OvfN3CwJ16C7ZdHjza8x0EDhMOCD7OSsTuP90jJtjMp4VWC5wrPxDHVp1r2gqEmZIDje3kv44KLjfI6JmOHBQAWvtqXotxLbULrMyt9J9-GNC9/s1600/All+right+water+on+the+rocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshpE6jp605rzI-QvaY4ueJYBZYxqip3OvfN3CwJ16C7ZdHjza8x0EDhMOCD7OSsTuP90jJtjMp4VWC5wrPxDHVp1r2gqEmZIDje3kv44KLjfI6JmOHBQAWvtqXotxLbULrMyt9J9-GNC9/s320/All+right+water+on+the+rocks.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>"That's my kind of drink water on the rocks!"</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFYsB9BkMcjD5wwZUSsQhJrVIEllZWJVSB48KjjYWUD4WU_M8GelQWNc6o0CYzrzErF7H_WzClDCYpAECkSCDNaTQ8hdrHmXY_sFfSKryP_W-WHC5LnwaQqNRElczgJH3KDVPUg0Awaxq4/s1600/Mia+at+it+again.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFYsB9BkMcjD5wwZUSsQhJrVIEllZWJVSB48KjjYWUD4WU_M8GelQWNc6o0CYzrzErF7H_WzClDCYpAECkSCDNaTQ8hdrHmXY_sFfSKryP_W-WHC5LnwaQqNRElczgJH3KDVPUg0Awaxq4/s320/Mia+at+it+again.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>"Watch it Dad, Mom is coming!"</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">27 Aug 2011 –</b> Our friend Tony here at the marina said he would go into Fronteras with us and show us around so we would be able to find what we were looking for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took 2 dinghies and tied them up at Bruno’s and walked up to the main street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He showed the market place and where to go to find what we wanted at the best prices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sad part is I like margaritas and Tequila is an imported liquor in Guatemala, $160.00 “Q” a liter or about $20.00 USD, 3 times what it cost in Mexico.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now Guatemalan rum on the other hand is about $50.00 a liter ($6.00 USD)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So now I guess if I want a drink is going to be rum and coke.</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYv9rYkeVp_pHZcJLFlsfdyRVeQFfX4Vqhs46b2wwfMgx8pXj8sgAyjjl6M_vd2aZG6C7UzgtDCzYIBYitYX_AMMyZKe_-XVzbaj1ElLNyTrzBSi9vnzCvvatHtzpeE2AK_V7MbI9IH2XR/s1600/Our+new+friend+Tony+showing+us+around.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYv9rYkeVp_pHZcJLFlsfdyRVeQFfX4Vqhs46b2wwfMgx8pXj8sgAyjjl6M_vd2aZG6C7UzgtDCzYIBYitYX_AMMyZKe_-XVzbaj1ElLNyTrzBSi9vnzCvvatHtzpeE2AK_V7MbI9IH2XR/s320/Our+new+friend+Tony+showing+us+around.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Our friend Tony</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We walked around the streets and found what we need for groceries we needed and met Tony back at Bruno’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From Bruno’s we went under the bridge and across the river to Cheekies (sp) has good prices and variety, then back under the bridge to Mar Marina to the West Marine Port supply store they have almost as much as the West Marine in San Antonio, but at 30% more than the catalog price.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They did say they could exchange my fresh water pump that is still under warranty.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwfMuS2xfc6A_iHiYrPZkKzzWZA7nPD_qzBuedT9GPpaeE0v6Y3-ZqCmZmd8nO8eoVcsT48DWPGtdm2U1W5ns3SOg2FnfVTFsda_I9j0g9eH35Wo7qWOvtx-KiX2JuGs5xvdHUE-EJMuw/s1600/market+place+in+Fronteras.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwfMuS2xfc6A_iHiYrPZkKzzWZA7nPD_qzBuedT9GPpaeE0v6Y3-ZqCmZmd8nO8eoVcsT48DWPGtdm2U1W5ns3SOg2FnfVTFsda_I9j0g9eH35Wo7qWOvtx-KiX2JuGs5xvdHUE-EJMuw/s320/market+place+in+Fronteras.jpg" width="320" /></strong></a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>In the market place</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As you may have figured out by now, the dinghy in our case and pangas in the case of the Guatemalans is not only the prime mode of transportation, but in most cases the only mode of transportation.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_iTb6Pt6V3ld3ixy-vKFOF1kmgkxqNLaepINWiNPswFt3NR0L7xbNJ0XgraEQS8Gn_Eo6PZ7kaHb8ey0STndXjsiloDgdVFXdh623n1HBpSi0MIrE4yhG502LkG_gvJWSntmiJo2_EID/s1600/Two+young+guatemalan+girls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_iTb6Pt6V3ld3ixy-vKFOF1kmgkxqNLaepINWiNPswFt3NR0L7xbNJ0XgraEQS8Gn_Eo6PZ7kaHb8ey0STndXjsiloDgdVFXdh623n1HBpSi0MIrE4yhG502LkG_gvJWSntmiJo2_EID/s320/Two+young+guatemalan+girls.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Guatemalan children in the market</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Back to Mario’s as the heat of the day is rapidly approaching so we can get in the pool and stay cool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today in the boat at 1400 hrs it was 103 degrees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t use the air conditioner in the day time due to the price of electricity being 43 cents per KW.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY-kt414YE_BHn4TonqXhLaBklpsKNFr6SHWj9QiJNdZFCUoDXIz7rbKlHXYocNrgTCmP-e6tLEH55_F_0f8LjY0w4yNjIG3yg58XKCCBmRM_zMDKNSdYKzZZoiV_spSTtj8edLpYj82Yf/s1600/You+want+it+they+got+it.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY-kt414YE_BHn4TonqXhLaBklpsKNFr6SHWj9QiJNdZFCUoDXIz7rbKlHXYocNrgTCmP-e6tLEH55_F_0f8LjY0w4yNjIG3yg58XKCCBmRM_zMDKNSdYKzZZoiV_spSTtj8edLpYj82Yf/s320/You+want+it+they+got+it.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><strong>This place has everything</strong></span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>So we do the cheap thing and sit around with our friends in the cool shade around the pool and swap stories about the places we have been, storms encountered, problems with the various governments checking and checking out and where we’re going after hurricane season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is truly amazing the way we all know the same people from different ports.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9-lCBhwjTYxeAToYi-Dr16RHMrmRuQ_g62IOnRwSGIiPYwSyPRxr3fB4VvA1v5VqyVTpsXuqTowL1D6PED8nKTvOXU0hDNzQoaxLMbhKw3zhuAIiHnL9idq0nvjUgDBevkzyow8U-K9k/s1600/Saturday+shopping+in+Fronteras.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9-lCBhwjTYxeAToYi-Dr16RHMrmRuQ_g62IOnRwSGIiPYwSyPRxr3fB4VvA1v5VqyVTpsXuqTowL1D6PED8nKTvOXU0hDNzQoaxLMbhKw3zhuAIiHnL9idq0nvjUgDBevkzyow8U-K9k/s320/Saturday+shopping+in+Fronteras.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Main street Fronteras </strong></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I told tony I planned on cooking on the grill on the boat this evening and he countered with we should use the marina grill and share the heat, as it ended up we had a pitch-in dinner by the pool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was great!</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjBRZ2Fw05sj1kFxE1ks6zobFRuAL0v7RChvzs2XwAehdzE0sveGKVkEFS4LpGJ_8mcOcVAAFMle5SZKdjfxSno9LjSoez6WhYi_fVbflKwuhT9g1Dyqr1HWvpXyC6DtujDYKbu5AMCvh/s1600/More+shops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjBRZ2Fw05sj1kFxE1ks6zobFRuAL0v7RChvzs2XwAehdzE0sveGKVkEFS4LpGJ_8mcOcVAAFMle5SZKdjfxSno9LjSoez6WhYi_fVbflKwuhT9g1Dyqr1HWvpXyC6DtujDYKbu5AMCvh/s320/More+shops.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>More of the market</strong></div>My Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16363560994515892361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690672007622172023.post-68348045955860333842011-08-26T21:12:00.001-06:002011-08-27T07:13:43.837-06:0022 August through 26 August 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>22 August 2011 –</strong> Took the Hooky Poky water taxi to Mango Creek and checked out of Belize leaving in the morning for New Haven, Belize where we will spend the night at anchor before heading to Livingston, Guatemala on Wednesday morning to check into Guatemala, then up the Rio Dulce to Mario’s Marina until late November. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBivujsdKdrCP1PABiuAgPMCVz3SFOCC6avEpbBtKkrB3ODfhfbXdoittzcaEsO4Dl9Llb_jJB2JUYS7UcmgrqW0ZO_z9AiYpYTBK_yKyEIwIn7rqGu2FWtlL7KJQjRAq3yXolwg8e78HC/s1600/22+Aug+Hokey+Pokey+Water+Taxi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBivujsdKdrCP1PABiuAgPMCVz3SFOCC6avEpbBtKkrB3ODfhfbXdoittzcaEsO4Dl9Llb_jJB2JUYS7UcmgrqW0ZO_z9AiYpYTBK_yKyEIwIn7rqGu2FWtlL7KJQjRAq3yXolwg8e78HC/s320/22+Aug+Hokey+Pokey+Water+Taxi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong> Hokey Pokey Water Taxi</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKbbZj6C8iKou5bYkfhGtHLrQfrusvDtv5hePqkAPOOBhIZ-m0se9xngKbwU6HvEqQApzJtJX828dDPQ01S-ITQx8zKr-QozYWEn2EBoGnYvzDrK9EWJ8uxOeh0oDQECccSkk8brXFqrUR/s1600/22+Aug+Hokey+Pokey+Water+TaxiMango+Creek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKbbZj6C8iKou5bYkfhGtHLrQfrusvDtv5hePqkAPOOBhIZ-m0se9xngKbwU6HvEqQApzJtJX828dDPQ01S-ITQx8zKr-QozYWEn2EBoGnYvzDrK9EWJ8uxOeh0oDQECccSkk8brXFqrUR/s320/22+Aug+Hokey+Pokey+Water+TaxiMango+Creek.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong> Hokey Pokey Water Taxi Mango Creek</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Got an e-mail from our daughter Jessi today and she is thinking about joining us in Rio Dulce for a week or so, she is the daughter that has the hard life and lives on Maui. Won’t publish again until we are settled in at Mario’s. Thanx to all of you for your Prayers concerning the storm, the Lord Blessed us and the country of Belize well as there was no loss of life and the storm was minimal.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0_MyO_WuUp6DHFZ_so5zoowcK8vpReS5bOwqr6YR3Mxeek7dnAKkgmv23cp8hjyrRvljB2ocjLJ_ETGuFbTlIj1d651IzG4QWhDCQJfj-wNIGY1ynVwFrkqz3RD1PJpj1-xi3RPrLzSy/s1600/23+Aug+anchored+New+Haven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0_MyO_WuUp6DHFZ_so5zoowcK8vpReS5bOwqr6YR3Mxeek7dnAKkgmv23cp8hjyrRvljB2ocjLJ_ETGuFbTlIj1d651IzG4QWhDCQJfj-wNIGY1ynVwFrkqz3RD1PJpj1-xi3RPrLzSy/s320/23+Aug+anchored+New+Haven.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">My Peace at anchor in New Haven, Belize</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">23 August 2011 –</b> Had dinner with matt & Carla last night at the “Secret Garden Restaurant” last night the dinner and presentation was “4 Star”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a very enjoyable evening; we are going to miss Matt and Carla as we have traveled together for the past 2 months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If it hadn’t been for Matt & Carla we would have missed Belize due to the negative things we had heard about it from other cruisers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I must admit it was a little more expensive checking in and out than Mexico, but it was worth every penny, nowhere else in the world will a person find such a verity in culture, language, food, and beauty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilUHak4t4lPwIktWI-fG39jYf3PPvLYiScRHqSg6rZd1Dlml3-OgxgLgHOG4tk_21B7qXEdRsrcWeGPG04ufkmxo2CAIcRjvNg3QtWiodE8b3Aa_kKSHJzhnPjjXANNrznxPahz5EBlaSi/s1600/22+Aug+Last+dinner+with+Matt+%2526+Carla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilUHak4t4lPwIktWI-fG39jYf3PPvLYiScRHqSg6rZd1Dlml3-OgxgLgHOG4tk_21B7qXEdRsrcWeGPG04ufkmxo2CAIcRjvNg3QtWiodE8b3Aa_kKSHJzhnPjjXANNrznxPahz5EBlaSi/s320/22+Aug+Last+dinner+with+Matt+%2526+Carla.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>Last dinner with Matt & Carla</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We upped anchor at 0935 and headed south to New Haven lagoon about 25 miles south of Placencia to spend the night before heading across the Bay of Honduras to Livingston, Guatemala.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>New Haven is a small lagoon about 1 mile long and wide; for the most part it is totally uninhabited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Years ago there was a man known as “Hard Luck Charlie” who cleared most of his 100 acres and planted it with citrus, cassava, Cuban sugar apple, cashew, pineapple, mango and rice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before he could realize his dream he was killed in a tragic boating accident.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xunB_cY0V0iHw9St_fTIBqtXPI-uW_09bOvjBsjYEAMwhFxo7xBbSNjuIPMTGzdjaUm0PKaCtuGTxiP7rtWJzqj_GJSBDsJ-jxvMMyDQykCqFISsyTxpAdMYQrlnrRAGoPekp5dVMp1a/s1600/23+Aug+New+Haven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xunB_cY0V0iHw9St_fTIBqtXPI-uW_09bOvjBsjYEAMwhFxo7xBbSNjuIPMTGzdjaUm0PKaCtuGTxiP7rtWJzqj_GJSBDsJ-jxvMMyDQykCqFISsyTxpAdMYQrlnrRAGoPekp5dVMp1a/s320/23+Aug+New+Haven.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Very little is visible from shore and the bugs are so fierce we were advised not to go ashore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a very well protected lagoon from all directions except southwest winds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tonight it appears the wind will be out of the north.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are anchored in the middle in 11 feet of water with a very slight 3 knot wind from the north.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We plan on upping anchor around 0700 hours in the morning and heading 25 miles southwest across the Bay of Honduras (open water) to Livingston and checking in to Guatemala.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is really unique as from where we are anchored you are able to see three countries without turning your head, Honduras to the southwest, Guatemala to the south, and Belize to the west.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">About all that's left of Hard Luck Charlie's New Haven</b></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7mB_RFgJtuWtH-44Wo2lcikAzYto5Ybx5yaGJ2ynIonSDq2iPsKjq1FmdJar_qEi9O3TomEWhB3tTBOtf_lQNxGUcfeNNK9BolXcemTycfNPR61V90l9S0-UaJ5L1jeO5n5pyehc3FO9t/s1600/24+Aug+Rio+Dulce11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7mB_RFgJtuWtH-44Wo2lcikAzYto5Ybx5yaGJ2ynIonSDq2iPsKjq1FmdJar_qEi9O3TomEWhB3tTBOtf_lQNxGUcfeNNK9BolXcemTycfNPR61V90l9S0-UaJ5L1jeO5n5pyehc3FO9t/s320/24+Aug+Rio+Dulce11.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Palapas on the Rio Dulce</strong></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I haven’t written much about the food we eat on the boat and what we miss, ran out of Fritos about two months ago (miss them), ran out of Land-o-Lakes butter about the same time, tried Mexican butter, no comparison so I found New Zealand butter, better than Land-o-Lakes, beef in this part of the world is much different than the U.S. still have two rib eyes in the freezer saving for a special occasion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pork is about the same, but the cuts are different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then there is chicken the most popular meat in this part of the world, I have eaten so much chicken I’m starting to grow feathers and cluck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tonight we cooked the last of our American hamburger that was given to us by our friend Mike Kelm of Rockport, Texas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He raised some dairy steers and took them to slaughter and was kind enough to give us a few packages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSBDfSmU68_HYdv8K_W8ck_KjcmYMZ9oF1t1gZTlT3dzcv7VJT1AxpbjpjIYr2K2F0zB8SGhRM-yllDrNTcIJk0n9Wutz6ph9hcS6U-egZV9BpAI8p95x4PPO6Cy0CQOZzOOYHSKeUVasm/s1600/24+Aug+Mia+likes+Kippers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSBDfSmU68_HYdv8K_W8ck_KjcmYMZ9oF1t1gZTlT3dzcv7VJT1AxpbjpjIYr2K2F0zB8SGhRM-yllDrNTcIJk0n9Wutz6ph9hcS6U-egZV9BpAI8p95x4PPO6Cy0CQOZzOOYHSKeUVasm/s320/24+Aug+Mia+likes+Kippers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mia likes Ritz Crackers & Kippers now</strong> </div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The hamburger is so lean that it doesn’t shrink when you cook it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ate the last package for dinner tonight and thought about Mike the whole time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the way Mike is also one of the best metal fabricators I have ever had the pleasure of doing business with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coca-Cola is much better here than in the U.S., they use real cane sugar instead of corn syrup which makes a world of difference, (the way they used to make it in the states).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most everything you want can be found if you are willing to pay the price, Rose and I prefer to save money and us the products the locals use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like when we eat out we go to the locals’ restaurants not the tourist restaurants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The local restaurants & street vendors have similar food to their tourist counterparts, but at half the price.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cruisers refer street vendors as “street meat”, as far as the sanitation difference, there isn’t much difference between the 3 behind the kitchen doors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When it comes to fish, kind of like chicken, think I’m growing scales on my skin I have eaten so much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have even gotten tired of lobster, still have 6 tails in the freezer, I think that will change when we get to Mario’s, there won’t be much fish or lobster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The water in the Rio Dulce is very polluted and you don’t want to eat the fish from it.</span> <br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyaknVacz3b9vjJXdCIaDCvgXZeCmslBUU8sjrduGorfT6UJ-5qi-84xeTmV1_xFjW5-uICgiuaFbLxlYQOymobRTgPguPBrX3yqZyxit_34KKy3igRzKQMOXQsm-ri6sjTu3zsp8AefE5/s1600/24+Aug+Livingston+Harbor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyaknVacz3b9vjJXdCIaDCvgXZeCmslBUU8sjrduGorfT6UJ-5qi-84xeTmV1_xFjW5-uICgiuaFbLxlYQOymobRTgPguPBrX3yqZyxit_34KKy3igRzKQMOXQsm-ri6sjTu3zsp8AefE5/s320/24+Aug+Livingston+Harbor.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong> Livingston Harbor</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">24 August 2011 –</b> Anchor up 0730 new haven, Belize heading to Livingston, Guatemala.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Motor sailed most of the way trying to maintain 5.5 knots to get to Livingston by 1330 hrs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arrived Livingston at 1335 hrs contacted Raul to let him know we were in port.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had sent him an e-mail a few days ago to let him know when we would be in port.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Raul is the agent in Livingston, speaks English perfectly and handles everything to do with documentation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><img border="0" height="214" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEP2RtqBFrBihv3nO3nv5GER1iRvId2cdijFbEbR4huTKGuGZ2n1peepPoL-Yyq4N5wMAfpdyvXSn9vurDXV1LKbDAlJfmFBK8aUccqgtqjAemXLr2WiAW_AZp-E9cp6hcl7Up1Rn5vWk-/s320/24+Aug+Livingston+Harbor+1.jpg" width="320" /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Livingston, Belize</strong></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Immigration, customs, port captain, and health inspector arrived at 1405 hrs by launch, rose fixed them all a coke, all my papers we ready laying on the table, and the air conditioner was cranked down to 74.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The finished the paperwork in about 10 minutes and sat around and visited for another 10 minutes enjoying their cokes and air conditioning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Raul gave us a map to his office and to the bank he told use to pick up our papers in a half hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCeMMO47GM7Y2m_40pPIMrmefCX3QDewa8G_kJ4uZ6NmzHV7ZPaUTA4xD-bZbIiQSflhaVs6pFbsKC2yJJnL1NCRqKtnC56GEAbc7jpXfm5cOAonzfwTe5O5R2oZ8q8RT3MWNdsyo7Flgc/s1600/24+Aug+Main+Street+Livingston.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCeMMO47GM7Y2m_40pPIMrmefCX3QDewa8G_kJ4uZ6NmzHV7ZPaUTA4xD-bZbIiQSflhaVs6pFbsKC2yJJnL1NCRqKtnC56GEAbc7jpXfm5cOAonzfwTe5O5R2oZ8q8RT3MWNdsyo7Flgc/s320/24+Aug+Main+Street+Livingston.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> <strong>Main Street Livingston, Belize</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I walked to the bank to get some “Q”s but the ATM was out of order.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went inside and the young lady tried to get the money out of my account directly with no success, said my card was no good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I gave her Rose’s card, same result.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I gave her a card to another account still no luck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went back to Raul’s office and asked if he would take a personal check for the $1,200.00 “Q” for the paperwork, instead I tried using his computer to access my account, no luck, wouldn’t accept my login/password.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we called Broadway Bank in San Antonio and got hold of one of the ladies at the Randolph Branch, Jeanette and Vicki weren’t in so the lady who answered to control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it turns out Guatemala is blocked by most American banks and only access is open by special request.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the few short minutes I was on the phone she transferred funds from one account to another, contacted “Bank Card” unblocked our cards and told me by the time I got to the bank in Livingston (a 5 minute walk) everything would be OK.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time I got to the bank and gave the card to the teller, I was able to withdraw the $1,500.00 “Q” I needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">THAT’S WHY I LOVE BROADWAY BANK!</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Papers in hand we walked back to the dinghy dock, set a record loading the dinghy and pulling anchor, and headed up the Rio Dulce to get to Texan Bay before dark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(We had 2 hours to make 8 miles)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The current against us the first part of the way up river was about 3 knots, the best I could get out of My Peace against the current was 5.6 knots, after about 5 miles the current weakened and I was able to get 6.2 at 2,500 RPM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1wuUbqInDf8Z2BP0eoaI724jt4MROthSGhvARtSa5BQ1rD1VE703kAAIEmEovOxzzUoPn7hGPt6Yfq99qJh9rmwqz8_wt93n5Tg1vzyLxel27Ma94NNGqKiu4iA7mbATCcSAbs08MJtys/s1600/24+Aug+Rio+Dulce+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1wuUbqInDf8Z2BP0eoaI724jt4MROthSGhvARtSa5BQ1rD1VE703kAAIEmEovOxzzUoPn7hGPt6Yfq99qJh9rmwqz8_wt93n5Tg1vzyLxel27Ma94NNGqKiu4iA7mbATCcSAbs08MJtys/s320/24+Aug+Rio+Dulce+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Rio Dulce </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3920sjI1Uc2LShu92rW3vu07FLO3a-neZ-sH2qPEoTEH6waufHv8ajRCDJbhP28dBzfpIy0TbeDl-i1Z0YUMXZMQO8Ldag5Pmp-dexBxNmvho0IR-rXfEudhlqJqR88qfOVQhPBPqIB1H/s1600/24+Aug+Rio+Dulce+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3920sjI1Uc2LShu92rW3vu07FLO3a-neZ-sH2qPEoTEH6waufHv8ajRCDJbhP28dBzfpIy0TbeDl-i1Z0YUMXZMQO8Ldag5Pmp-dexBxNmvho0IR-rXfEudhlqJqR88qfOVQhPBPqIB1H/s320/24+Aug+Rio+Dulce+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Cliffs lining the Rio Dulce</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I think Rose set a new record taking pictures today going up the river, Mayans in canoes paddling up the river fishing, throwing cast nets, the shear walls of the canyon, a flock of parrots squawking and flying overhead, the palapas lining the river banks, just the beauty of it all boggled the mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-8vNegrPyajW_GHp21vxD1VSB3V0EMMYeChT_Jw_S0goN228UGCXlz8bp8t-T4EprB2wQqeQ8ZACWg9F3iJdDjxdpWByj3fV7QWnsZxRr_jH7FVbDkrxQZm9DNMWroPBKZv2ZlbBbr2K1/s1600/24+Aug+Rio+Dulce+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-8vNegrPyajW_GHp21vxD1VSB3V0EMMYeChT_Jw_S0goN228UGCXlz8bp8t-T4EprB2wQqeQ8ZACWg9F3iJdDjxdpWByj3fV7QWnsZxRr_jH7FVbDkrxQZm9DNMWroPBKZv2ZlbBbr2K1/s320/24+Aug+Rio+Dulce+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong> Rio Dulce</strong></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vQhMhxiXQ_3103CKHzAttDx1fk0AZSNnBtIH5sBpsy_KvcB4AxugayztByYxykz8QLPQfG2yqtzli-sxuGxWHm71WlKqR17D0oOL82K3jbvlSiqOLsBqFdSpwNSHoQtb3c0iapdTLESl/s1600/24+Aug+Rio+Dulce+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vQhMhxiXQ_3103CKHzAttDx1fk0AZSNnBtIH5sBpsy_KvcB4AxugayztByYxykz8QLPQfG2yqtzli-sxuGxWHm71WlKqR17D0oOL82K3jbvlSiqOLsBqFdSpwNSHoQtb3c0iapdTLESl/s320/24+Aug+Rio+Dulce+6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong> Rio Dulce</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzdx-3XnXi-NOA569uxfBKxV29QuPotZybFV0zWyZx6NK64DEFtnfKcolOwp3wU-lzK8pCfrm3tSpEAG0Xc1o-7btPf8pypBO0CZOoUL1kiTefm0hKwtyj6C_sKteIDTWFjUDXgel02YKu/s1600/24+Aug+Rio+Dulce+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzdx-3XnXi-NOA569uxfBKxV29QuPotZybFV0zWyZx6NK64DEFtnfKcolOwp3wU-lzK8pCfrm3tSpEAG0Xc1o-7btPf8pypBO0CZOoUL1kiTefm0hKwtyj6C_sKteIDTWFjUDXgel02YKu/s320/24+Aug+Rio+Dulce+9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong> Cliffs on the Rio Dulce</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh5LnkPfPd1XBYp9JKEif4y6DLuMmhzQ5OFh5D1c-WE0wy3G8rp5CQxWnpYH6vsa9dW13yNZ3uWqyaRfSXwJEN1c6dZxrejpMjTZeleNeVmzqkzuOeHOJ-FEE9A78qrBF_RWoZaCtoP6xX/s1600/24+Aug+Rio+Dulce+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh5LnkPfPd1XBYp9JKEif4y6DLuMmhzQ5OFh5D1c-WE0wy3G8rp5CQxWnpYH6vsa9dW13yNZ3uWqyaRfSXwJEN1c6dZxrejpMjTZeleNeVmzqkzuOeHOJ-FEE9A78qrBF_RWoZaCtoP6xX/s320/24+Aug+Rio+Dulce+8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong> Palapas on the Rio Dulce</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWnRY6SpzHHFGskAH_uokFEWBO_D1hDTu3hv9_KhIW15Ca86ZvNn4R3mBHI51_Z4zeZEq4h23flVx89WLhXwORauz5IHgLJVxJ1NJ8pvv-f2SSCMmvNPXpi_Eh3a0TtV2D-NK973SvCQs/s1600/24+Aug+El+Golfete.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWnRY6SpzHHFGskAH_uokFEWBO_D1hDTu3hv9_KhIW15Ca86ZvNn4R3mBHI51_Z4zeZEq4h23flVx89WLhXwORauz5IHgLJVxJ1NJ8pvv-f2SSCMmvNPXpi_Eh3a0TtV2D-NK973SvCQs/s320/24+Aug+El+Golfete.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><strong> Looking across El Golfete</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The sun was in my eyes and trying to follow the charts and watch the depth kept me busy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m glad to she took the pictures so I can enjoy them latter this evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Thank God for digital) We arrived at Texan Bay 1800 hrs just as the sun set.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this canyon when the sun goes behind the mountains to the west it is pitch black in an instant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I called Mario’s Marina on the radio and told them I would be in around noon tomorrow.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio5HAr5tcY5hGFABNUZm2_PFwLdVsym_oA2-v69iiSnKymLnK02lmtcVMQWI9DXAJ0hkOzrcs4rkPuCjJclphPe-U9ucnSdTiaLDFtD6kJyg_dfW-o-bFgLRpGbBDSCg6J7XM07axwlwV1/s1600/24+Aug+Rio+Dulce+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio5HAr5tcY5hGFABNUZm2_PFwLdVsym_oA2-v69iiSnKymLnK02lmtcVMQWI9DXAJ0hkOzrcs4rkPuCjJclphPe-U9ucnSdTiaLDFtD6kJyg_dfW-o-bFgLRpGbBDSCg6J7XM07axwlwV1/s320/24+Aug+Rio+Dulce+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Rio Dulce</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">25 August 2011 –</b> Up anchor 0900 and headed across Golfete, a lake just a little larger than Canyon Lake back home 10 miles long and about 4 miles wide, we have to travel the full length and then back into the Rio Dulce for another 2 miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arrived at Mario’s Marina at 1130 hrs, Marco the marina manager greeted us on the radio and directed us to our slip where 3 dock hands helped us tie up My Peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mario’s is located just a few east of Fronteras.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got settled in and rested a few minutes before taking the dinghy to Fronteras to pick up a few things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6qzfFZcYXB4VQEGJvlRIO525rWBo-yT4ruT8KSD69CMQcsFL9Mh9a-kmA9MuVoy4bF2HYkEerItIWuQJ24BPeRTVq7pYLBzmosWEREbQysREbWIp3TXJP-esgaaUaWaCCImTQPfJnMHW/s1600/24+Aug+Rio+Dulce12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6qzfFZcYXB4VQEGJvlRIO525rWBo-yT4ruT8KSD69CMQcsFL9Mh9a-kmA9MuVoy4bF2HYkEerItIWuQJ24BPeRTVq7pYLBzmosWEREbQysREbWIp3TXJP-esgaaUaWaCCImTQPfJnMHW/s320/24+Aug+Rio+Dulce12.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Palapas</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">An interesting little town, unlike any I have ever seen in Mexico.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The main street has vendors on each side of the street where you can buy anything you need, produce, meat, prepared food, and yes fried chicken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went to the local “Wal-Mart” actually a Wal-Mart owned business that has good prices and lots of the basic necessities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Went to Sun Dog Grill for a hamburger and back to Bruno’s, where we had left the dinghy met some cruisers had a drink then headed back to the marina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The wind had picked up and it was a rough ride in the dinghy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have latter learned that you go to town in the morning and return before 1500 because the afternoon thunderstorms come in from the Caribbean around 1530 to 1630 hrs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Had dinner and called it a day.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFc2xTtmzfTa0NSUJlaj2nm5vOcSfE8mHomdeBA6PPfNSfXJ1PTKMGhAzLtWlbzhVlF9QlLWGnZpQI04pegbPmM5ptYOEypDiFwI43zviYV1x69CSiCIWogTXU0VrQPfDQL5RP8WHbLTM4/s1600/24+Aug+Texan+Bay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFc2xTtmzfTa0NSUJlaj2nm5vOcSfE8mHomdeBA6PPfNSfXJ1PTKMGhAzLtWlbzhVlF9QlLWGnZpQI04pegbPmM5ptYOEypDiFwI43zviYV1x69CSiCIWogTXU0VrQPfDQL5RP8WHbLTM4/s320/24+Aug+Texan+Bay.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Texan Bay El Golfete</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">26 August 2011 –</b> Slept in until around 0700 and got up to start changing the boat from sailing mode to dock mode as we will be here for 3 months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Filled the water tanks after checking the water quality, 043 ppm, about the same quality you get from bottled water, packed away the on deck safety equipment, adjusted the dock lines and basically started making it home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rose sent the bedding to the marina laundry to get cleaned, and went off visiting our new neighbors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcACX-ggC0EctNPSiqLz13ztb52z4z8vK83wyz66ByJVph94eo_cQtb2ZxPdXCxtnot_RWukjSExc5szsoQBQ3jHxQ19XkdwWZMQN0lU53Y3UqzDPqWytGyw57ACFsiRRqn1b5nljH38E/s1600/24+Aug+Rio+Dulce10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcACX-ggC0EctNPSiqLz13ztb52z4z8vK83wyz66ByJVph94eo_cQtb2ZxPdXCxtnot_RWukjSExc5szsoQBQ3jHxQ19XkdwWZMQN0lU53Y3UqzDPqWytGyw57ACFsiRRqn1b5nljH38E/s320/24+Aug+Rio+Dulce10.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Fishermen on the Rio Dulce</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are many nice cruisers here; some have been coming here for over 10 years to spend the hurricane season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our friends Floyd & Lauren‘s boat, who we met in Isla Mujeres on our trip last year, is just 4 slips down from ours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At dinner this evening talking with Tony, he related a horror story about a mistake he made checking out of Belize.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhofmOUrOyM1vj607ETOBNpjrEnt9XzDof_ZVp1GrnGHsSotj8T9OHt6YokyuzI1Z7jEkxIj5QXz75R1j9lGidvaLOWRZ-UISYGuBlti04F9JK5u-HhyTKnG8blWJBgVjVXumvStmcN61Xs/s1600/24+Aug+Rio+Dulce+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhofmOUrOyM1vj607ETOBNpjrEnt9XzDof_ZVp1GrnGHsSotj8T9OHt6YokyuzI1Z7jEkxIj5QXz75R1j9lGidvaLOWRZ-UISYGuBlti04F9JK5u-HhyTKnG8blWJBgVjVXumvStmcN61Xs/s320/24+Aug+Rio+Dulce+7.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><strong>Waved to by everyone we passed</strong></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Seems when <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>he went to check out in Big Creek, Belize he went to customs to get his exit documents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He presented his passport to the official and he said he didn’t need it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What he failed to say was that Tony needed to take the passports to immigration about 4 miles up the road in Mango Creek to get them stamped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So Tony went back to his boat and sailed off to Guatemala.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A friend traveling with them went back to Belize to return to the states and was arrested for leaving Belize illegally and put in jail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He got a call off to Tony and it took Tony over a week to get it straightened out with the officials in Belize.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally the officials in Belize agreed that Tony could bring the passports back to Belize and get the exit stamp without going to jail and paying $1,500.00 USD each fine for illegally leaving the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tomorrow going to Fronteras and looking around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mia isn’t going to like it but she is going to spend the morning on the boat by herself, I don’t like taking her to Fronteras as there no sidewalks and no place for her to run.</span> <br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"></div>My Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16363560994515892361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690672007622172023.post-56659531700695825972011-08-22T14:23:00.001-06:002011-08-22T15:22:54.392-06:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbmHSQN5-kqX6Yi2OPh4IKhL-zlD289YCRY5m_28sy63VSkAqBzG7ESSk8G5A4ixEDJZWZ_OgHK1zecYMsFtKAcV6ZBc6utVjlkF49JGZnkOifbcyLBHENkMSCS0wbVwXkRnL5y-dltKJ/s1600/16+Aug+2011+Dinghy+dock+Placencia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbmHSQN5-kqX6Yi2OPh4IKhL-zlD289YCRY5m_28sy63VSkAqBzG7ESSk8G5A4ixEDJZWZ_OgHK1zecYMsFtKAcV6ZBc6utVjlkF49JGZnkOifbcyLBHENkMSCS0wbVwXkRnL5y-dltKJ/s320/16+Aug+2011+Dinghy+dock+Placencia.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Dinghy dock Placencia</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0fgVOiS7C8pAFiiXluB1sLOAohGAy6wfOkBw18-F-7pnzrGjiJ6w561O1UphqEhl50dcqdOKQTrkOdlqED2SnBhxjokuB9IFw5BB00GyeHg0Tqw2khWIHHu8lKgnEsXOQ0K8sQozv5-o/s1600/Brenda+16+Aug+2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0fgVOiS7C8pAFiiXluB1sLOAohGAy6wfOkBw18-F-7pnzrGjiJ6w561O1UphqEhl50dcqdOKQTrkOdlqED2SnBhxjokuB9IFw5BB00GyeHg0Tqw2khWIHHu8lKgnEsXOQ0K8sQozv5-o/s320/Brenda+16+Aug+2011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"> <strong>Brenda (good food)</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">16 August 2011</b> – woke up took care of our regular chores then went to shore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Saw Brenda, Brenda’s Caribbean Cooking, and found out she was having jerk chicken and lobster for lunch, $10.00 BZD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ordered jerk chicken to get a break from lobster and headed over to Above Ground Coffee House to use the WIFI.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Updated the blog and saw it was lunch time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Walked back to the dinghy dock where Brenda had our lunch ready.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sat down to eat and met Clifford who works for the Social Security Office for Belize. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A very nice man, we discussed the politics of the world, laws in Belize and the problems he thinks his country has.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Funny how no matter where we are the nation’s problems are the same Mexico, Belize, and the U.S., governments that really aren’t doing what the people think is in their best interest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was surprised to hear about the welfare system in the U.S, food stamps, WIC, EIC .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He found it hard to believe all the government handouts in the U.S. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Went back to the boat and still full from lunch just had a few snacks and watched Indiana Jones “Raiders of the Lost Ark”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Settled down for the night which was short lived, had to clean the seawater strainer 4 times during the night to keep the generator running, kept plugging up with “Turtle Grass”.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDUT2TZho906Gb4eSTJcvlTIgYt3yLvobPLxgVJ_Y8_tNCmqRfIC4y0nzVDscE7CQoXVuqG1Wvm2UOIY3cKWqJ73izr9LgpARppLsLgptRGFf0sn10m5KvFp7srd-GOJam1UUuzxQUfCu/s1600/17+Aug+2011+Go+Spurs+Go.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDUT2TZho906Gb4eSTJcvlTIgYt3yLvobPLxgVJ_Y8_tNCmqRfIC4y0nzVDscE7CQoXVuqG1Wvm2UOIY3cKWqJ73izr9LgpARppLsLgptRGFf0sn10m5KvFp7srd-GOJam1UUuzxQUfCu/s320/17+Aug+2011+Go+Spurs+Go.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Spurs fans everywhere</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifLQbZWKTAQ-bPODvsWJT98L1ClK3Nc1UfHgYNgB29hHN0fMy3ToxrpBaJW2GR_9Qqi3TvKWq7VtmorRcsjZQAJPMwy8EQLhx-CuXe6zfQIy97fNKTREnGM6cOWOwSey9iFRln32m0VhJS/s1600/17+Aug+2011+No+cruise+ships.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifLQbZWKTAQ-bPODvsWJT98L1ClK3Nc1UfHgYNgB29hHN0fMy3ToxrpBaJW2GR_9Qqi3TvKWq7VtmorRcsjZQAJPMwy8EQLhx-CuXe6zfQIy97fNKTREnGM6cOWOwSey9iFRln32m0VhJS/s320/17+Aug+2011+No+cruise+ships.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>We noh wna no cruise ship</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">17 August 2011 – </b>W</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">oke late after a basically sleepless night had coffee and Matt came over to see what the day’s plans were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went to the Above Ground Coffee House for WIFI, walked around town, stopped at “J” Byrd’s to say Hi to Tracy, picked up veggies for dinner and headed back to the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I fixed lobster stir fried rice for dinner, good way to get rid of 4 tails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turned out great, I’m learning a whole new way to cook since I’ve been in the Caribbean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rose has expanded her world so much, she is so compassionate toward the people we meet, and always has a smile on her face saying good morning to everyone she meets on the street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The beauty of it all the people here are the same way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You walk down the street and you meet someone and they always say, my name is (whatever their names is) welcome to my island or sometimes they say Belize, they always want to know how you like their country and the people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are always helpful when you are looking for advice or information.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdr5wkn9PQqu-5jJ_P1wye_6aOiKtHbPz6FjPYvqiCj5AY_pNX_1vwuoP_R5dBzNiO0d9qsLNhlx8QHgUOZk6z_B0zag08Vg5bWx9wM-yG1AmvKSQu79-xO_0LnTavgi_yeQVkim-rgT98/s1600/18+Aug+2011+Rose+%2526+Carla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdr5wkn9PQqu-5jJ_P1wye_6aOiKtHbPz6FjPYvqiCj5AY_pNX_1vwuoP_R5dBzNiO0d9qsLNhlx8QHgUOZk6z_B0zag08Vg5bWx9wM-yG1AmvKSQu79-xO_0LnTavgi_yeQVkim-rgT98/s320/18+Aug+2011+Rose+%2526+Carla.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Carla & Rose</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqLdc8Ogt3_W_Zgd1k9hZHsLRaN0hoRXd3Se8yjyHUkxzm_OnYDv-DosKPi2RP_j63yQxT9XyxDAXqvBo4LmpMscp_DotgDPWiwDSEzDozViEk-XifYgKjfs6uiIo3uwFB2j4bEsJWjRh/s1600/18+Aug+2011+palapa+bar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqLdc8Ogt3_W_Zgd1k9hZHsLRaN0hoRXd3Se8yjyHUkxzm_OnYDv-DosKPi2RP_j63yQxT9XyxDAXqvBo4LmpMscp_DotgDPWiwDSEzDozViEk-XifYgKjfs6uiIo3uwFB2j4bEsJWjRh/s320/18+Aug+2011+palapa+bar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span>Palapa bar </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">18 August 2011 –</b> Woke up and headed to the fuel dock on the other side of the peninsula, which was a dicey trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a channel marker but no one could tell me which side to pass it on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Saw a “landing craft” and asked the captain how much water his craft drew, he said 6 feet, so I followed him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>MY BAD!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I either misunderstood or he lied about his draft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hard aground the depth sounder said 2 feet and we need 4 1/2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After about 20 minutes of wriggling around I got My Peace backed out of the mud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Saw the channel to the fuel dock and was able to get through it with no problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Filled up on diesel and topped off the 2 water tanks not connected to the water maker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The young man who took care of us was embarrassed when he had to charge me $0.10 BZD for the water after paying over $800.00 BZD for fuel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No big thing he only charged me for 100 gallons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Made it back into the anchorage area and dropped the anchor and took Rose and Mia to shore, saw Brenda and she said our Key Lime pie would be ready tomorrow morning; the lady that supplied here limes didn’t bring any yesterday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rose told her about my back, she looked at it and made me an herbal poultice to cure the sun allergy or heal the sunburn I got form snorkeling at Carrie Bow Caye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Checked on the storm, nobody can agree on what it is going to do or how powerful it will be, guess we’ll find out Saturday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stopped by and saw Tracy and watched the “Tropical Update” on the weather channel, didn’t learn anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you ever come to Placencia you have stop in the “J” Byrd and meet Tracy, this is the lady in the know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She sponsors the annual Easter Egg Hunt, 1,000 eggs on the beach for the kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She founded the toy drive for the children at Christmas, she helps the parents obtain scholarships for the kids schooling, I think she has her fingers in almost everything here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If she doesn’t have the answer she knows who does.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On schooling, after what we call elementary school here to go to Jr. High or higher the student must pay tuition of around $1,000.00 a year, plus books and school uniforms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently free public education stops around 5<sup>th</sup> grade. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjym6GiOZCSYzebsz1q-KCDua56ZstwtbHBaYgMLIk9ts6fRSzabNheWKU8W0si1JL91mVevOSJV-Z31cfbQP1zEgkz2uMwJLto9ixZaig1KOqtLCPdytIZAt_vWdiA-Kaqj2N6JXb1NokN/s1600/19+Aug+2011+Ritches+Bus+Service.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjym6GiOZCSYzebsz1q-KCDua56ZstwtbHBaYgMLIk9ts6fRSzabNheWKU8W0si1JL91mVevOSJV-Z31cfbQP1zEgkz2uMwJLto9ixZaig1KOqtLCPdytIZAt_vWdiA-Kaqj2N6JXb1NokN/s320/19+Aug+2011+Ritches+Bus+Service.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Bus to Dangriga</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVayugUGTZKfGUjenRomXRlkUUQx3QrC5zyiGVI01eC0wLvBe8zod_qs0VVcpbnma5sWlfe_yK0Jam2YnC0L7kNKObQhBbbmhuTNUTaVaR73Vi1MyJQQwJz_L4f-jMe8l-BY3Y32xDGyTX/s1600/19+Aug+2011+Roberts+Grove+Marina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVayugUGTZKfGUjenRomXRlkUUQx3QrC5zyiGVI01eC0wLvBe8zod_qs0VVcpbnma5sWlfe_yK0Jam2YnC0L7kNKObQhBbbmhuTNUTaVaR73Vi1MyJQQwJz_L4f-jMe8l-BY3Y32xDGyTX/s320/19+Aug+2011+Roberts+Grove+Marina.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Robert's Grove Marina - NOT!</strong></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">19 August 2011 –</b> The tropical depression to the southeast of us has been upgraded to tropical storm Harvey with winds up to 60 knots and it looks like we’ll take a direct hit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are checking with the locals to find the best place to hide from the storm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The general agreement is that we should go to Placencia Lagoon which is between the Caribbean and the peninsula which Placencia is located.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will up anchor at 0630 hours tomorrow morning and head that direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The storm shouldn’t arrive until late afternoon tomorrow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Took the bus to Robert’s Grove to check on a transit slip for Escondida while Matt and Carla head into the mountains for a week, these folks are crazy, $3.75 BZD per foot plus $7.00 BZD per day for electricity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were told that the return bus would pass at 1600 hours; we got to the road at 1555 hrs and waited until 1630 hours no bus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We started walking, we got to the airport, my knees were about to give out so we caught a taxi the rest of the way back to town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we got to town we found out the bus got there at 1630 hours which meant that it must have pass Robert’s Grove around 1550 hours, moral of this story. Belizean buses don’t have a real schedule.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYeAhnB7H-nM-nm3rMVLozp2eZ_xO3Tb-CglNrMlrV0yG02FaMZk5tx_fV4F_5H58_Hiy6TehzS6B_6BSHZLbrQM3Fq1n80eMIfcqEvO8AMdih-n8C-QZ2BUf0iF6mBMkEVfD01riD3I9/s1600/20+Aug+2011+My+Peace+storm+ready.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYeAhnB7H-nM-nm3rMVLozp2eZ_xO3Tb-CglNrMlrV0yG02FaMZk5tx_fV4F_5H58_Hiy6TehzS6B_6BSHZLbrQM3Fq1n80eMIfcqEvO8AMdih-n8C-QZ2BUf0iF6mBMkEVfD01riD3I9/s320/20+Aug+2011+My+Peace+storm+ready.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>My Peace storm wraped</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE5B5XJcBwwb3wCCMNLqCbvN8CdpXLb_-CLbl45xeEZrK8jbHyQsR-BdGh61_PvRUoI6OQd-tBMDynJuCOooAM0mnfEr8mtl-VIGAkaOkT-F8EfVWc5pIaDrMPPxF2OUm45kfk1P2SCyAj/s1600/20+Aug+2011+Rose+on+storm+watch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE5B5XJcBwwb3wCCMNLqCbvN8CdpXLb_-CLbl45xeEZrK8jbHyQsR-BdGh61_PvRUoI6OQd-tBMDynJuCOooAM0mnfEr8mtl-VIGAkaOkT-F8EfVWc5pIaDrMPPxF2OUm45kfk1P2SCyAj/s320/20+Aug+2011+Rose+on+storm+watch.jpg" width="320" /></strong></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Rose on storm watch</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">20 August 2011 –</b> Up anchor 0630 hours heading to hide in Placencia Lagoon about 5 miles away on the way a panga came along side and said to go to Mango Creek which would provide better protection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made two attempts but the water was too shallow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Escondida went hard aground in the attempt but was able to wiggle loose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Headed back to the deeper water of Placencia Lagoon and then heading north to the most sheltered part of the lagoon we can get into without going aground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Set the first anchor about 1030 hours, placed a second anchor by dinghy at 90 degrees to the south of the main anchor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will be on the southern side of the storm so most of the wind we will take will be from the west.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Listening to the local radio and they are saying the storm will make landfall about 10 miles north of Dangriea or about 30 miles north of our location.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have removed everything from the deck, storm wrapped the sails, removed the curtains around the cockpit to reduce wind resistance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have decided to leave the dinghy in the water drawn up close to the boat, it is too late to remove the outboard from the dinghy and place it on deck so it had to ride out the storm on the dinghy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The storm hit 2 hours earlier than projected, but the good thing it is not as powerful as advertised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We heard on the radio a village to the north of us got hit by a tornado which took out 2 houses, fruit trees and cashew trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The local concern now is flooding from all the rain that is falling in the mountains, people along the many rivers and creeks are being warned to seek higher ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is now 1502 hours, for the most part we are in the clear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The winds have dropped down to around 10 knots and the heavy rain has stopped just a little drizzle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the storm Rose read a book and I fell asleep watching Indiana Jones "The temple of Doom".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will stay in Placencia Lagoon until morning then move back to between Placencia Village and Placencia Caye in the morning.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd04uHNcdRzkwEp4UtDcQFWnP6whDzCQKbCFTqXY5w3A6bDDHZrluZ_JrZDuwkoNaUpaBNxKSem2HRdIdFC-pAhBdbL4CMT59eDfW1CYwVthxiVVFS6bmmEk7gHlt8rzOpA3Jjn5zCY4eN/s1600/21+Aug+2011+I+ordered+a+water+on+the+rocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd04uHNcdRzkwEp4UtDcQFWnP6whDzCQKbCFTqXY5w3A6bDDHZrluZ_JrZDuwkoNaUpaBNxKSem2HRdIdFC-pAhBdbL4CMT59eDfW1CYwVthxiVVFS6bmmEk7gHlt8rzOpA3Jjn5zCY4eN/s320/21+Aug+2011+I+ordered+a+water+on+the+rocks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>I ordered a water on the rocks!</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnHQocLej079-E4qFzV4NK5YiWir3FaSrXWhx91L5W3u5AnBI8vj0K7feakLnsGqLe5V26101lfo3T8yfUVf57g6PEgGcWxx6laR_f7OWyDcmrudSthAToWCODkvsColGjiKF30okCwXIS/s1600/21+Aug+2011+that%2527s+better.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnHQocLej079-E4qFzV4NK5YiWir3FaSrXWhx91L5W3u5AnBI8vj0K7feakLnsGqLe5V26101lfo3T8yfUVf57g6PEgGcWxx6laR_f7OWyDcmrudSthAToWCODkvsColGjiKF30okCwXIS/s320/21+Aug+2011+that%2527s+better.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;">That's better!</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZ8ADmgJW7q4Cpkm0vrr0W1PU9Yc0aSZO2MBl13miNmtzGkI6DyviXU85QPGmFEtG7QdzDienRqRFmpIVslUoRjpMxDU8s0KPyGxVA5b4T3ukxpyfKxxr4V_FV2V3WUhyphenhyphenlo9Aqd1B1bbj/s1600/21+Aug+2011+Belizean+fishermen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZ8ADmgJW7q4Cpkm0vrr0W1PU9Yc0aSZO2MBl13miNmtzGkI6DyviXU85QPGmFEtG7QdzDienRqRFmpIVslUoRjpMxDU8s0KPyGxVA5b4T3ukxpyfKxxr4V_FV2V3WUhyphenhyphenlo9Aqd1B1bbj/s320/21+Aug+2011+Belizean+fishermen.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Bleziean fishermen</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDiL2mfNVyGRDuDvhe9NXTsJkvmWr2JQFyQEYO2Jat7pMmN8yX_J_S4MwxphfRsVa4vv3dhT_4ZOVviqOC9PiQG2zeiuh4g5rLIzAWyu7ZLINzeObghv2Mjmw3pmS9mWEW4pV_Jdt3kt5/s1600/21+Aug+2011+mountains+of+Belize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDiL2mfNVyGRDuDvhe9NXTsJkvmWr2JQFyQEYO2Jat7pMmN8yX_J_S4MwxphfRsVa4vv3dhT_4ZOVviqOC9PiQG2zeiuh4g5rLIzAWyu7ZLINzeObghv2Mjmw3pmS9mWEW4pV_Jdt3kt5/s320/21+Aug+2011+mountains+of+Belize.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mountains of Belize</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">21 August 2011 –</b> Up early to start putting My Peace back into sailing condition, taking the storm wrap off the sails, pulling up the secondary anchor, replacing the curtains around the bimini, drying out the cockpit cushions, and making coffee. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The storm had cleared the haze from the mountains to the west and we got a real good look at them for the first time since we have been in Belize, they were absolutely majestic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was surprised how easy the secondary anchor came up; we were Blessed by a wind shift during the night making the wind out of the north.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we anchored prior to the storm, the wind was from the west as it was expected being on the southern side of the storm, so I took the anchor in the dinghy 200 feet out and placed the secondary anchor 90 degrees to the south.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the overnight wind shift to where the wind was now coming from the north it placed My Peace almost over the secondary anchor which made it a straight lift.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was nice because there is no windless for the secondary anchor and I was afraid that I would have to take the dinghy and follow the anchor line to where it was placed and pull it up from the dinghy which would have been a real pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rose spent most of the day drying things out, the boat didn’t leak but with the curtains taken down going up and down to and from the cockpit I got things real wet down below.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We upped the primary anchor around 1130 hours and headed back to our old anchorage off the tip of Placencia Village.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dropped anchor at almost the exact spot we had left yesterday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rose chased Mia and me off the boat when I got my work done so we wouldn’t be underfoot while she was finishing up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mia and I walked the beach for about an hour before Rose called us on the portable radio to come pick her up for some time on shore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped by “J” Byrd to say hi to Tracy and have a coke; Mia even had a drink at the bar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back to My Peace to get our paperwork together to check out of Belize tomorrow, we will take the “Hokey Pokey” (the local panga ferryboat) that runs from Placencia Village to Independence and Big Creek where the Customs, Immigration, and Harbor Master are located.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once we checkout we have 48 hours to leave Belize, our plan is to get up around 0400 hours Tuesday morning and sail southwest<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>into the Gulf of Honduras then turn more westerly down to Livingston, Guatemala.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This leg of our journey should take about 9 to 10 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will anchor in Livingston harbor overnight under the “Q” flag go ashore in the morning process in and head up Rio Dulce to Mario’s marine where we will stay until mid November, the end of hurricane season.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>22 August 2011 -</strong> Took the Hooky Poky to Mango Creek and processed out of Belize, will leave in the morning for New haven, Belize, spent the night at anchor then on to Livingston, Guatemala and up the Rio Dulce to Masrio's Marina. Should arrive at Mario's no later than Friday. This will be the last posting until we get setteled in at Mario's. did get an e-mail from our daughter jessi, the one that lives in Maui, Hawaii, she is planning on coming to visit us at Mario's for a week or so once we are setteled in. We are really looking forward to her visit.</span></div>My Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16363560994515892361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690672007622172023.post-26757549353752026602011-08-16T11:30:00.000-06:002011-08-16T15:28:10.463-06:003 Aug through 14 Aug 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxW3_Nc3vFJMRLFWbOB9yy4OtDYtR5EtblRNEJKofcH9pbj9LdCQLS-iTdmDAOwGfDTOU9nr89s3czoXKEpDGl3CEaGk5ifioSDq0YydF09x3evndARVQ2ix0owtZ2aKmZ_rS7RY5QrUVQ/s1600/My+Peace+-+Escondida+at+anchor+Caye+Caulker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxW3_Nc3vFJMRLFWbOB9yy4OtDYtR5EtblRNEJKofcH9pbj9LdCQLS-iTdmDAOwGfDTOU9nr89s3czoXKEpDGl3CEaGk5ifioSDq0YydF09x3evndARVQ2ix0owtZ2aKmZ_rS7RY5QrUVQ/s320/My+Peace+-+Escondida+at+anchor+Caye+Caulker.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Excondida & My Peace in sunset Caye Caluker</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">3 August 2011</b> – At Caye Caulker, Belize for the last day, finished getting provisions as we will be “island hopping” for the next few weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Updated the blog and was able to talk to our son David this evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While we had a WIFI connection I checked the NOAA weather site and saw tropical storm Emily was building up in the eastern Caribbean over the Dominican Republic heading due west at 14 knots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are hoping that it will take a turn to the north and spare us the bad weather.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Will be leaving Caye Caulker in the morning for either Long Caye or St. Georges Caye, Matt hasn’t made up his mind yet, but will by 0900 hours in the morning when we are to up anchor, doesn’t much matter as we will finally be heading south.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97CU66u91vTGA1quKheUbW7kMtFclFU4J6vj99MsDuvuzGycjPin_9ivjyKYgQYqCUWvYD-4p6TSZm9c_scV7qxi0PFJ3K5QiY2PHrZETFcEgXf0KIQod23Y_d4etI6zcEB8Ghs3P7Yih/s1600/Sunset+at+Long+Caye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97CU66u91vTGA1quKheUbW7kMtFclFU4J6vj99MsDuvuzGycjPin_9ivjyKYgQYqCUWvYD-4p6TSZm9c_scV7qxi0PFJ3K5QiY2PHrZETFcEgXf0KIQod23Y_d4etI6zcEB8Ghs3P7Yih/s320/Sunset+at+Long+Caye.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Sunset at Long Caye</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">4 August 2011</b> – Departed Caye Caulker 0900 hrs without incident wind 2 – 5 knots from the east northeast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sailed without engine to Long Caye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arrived Long Caye 1215 hours and dropped anchor on the west side of the caye just south of the lagoon at the north end of the caye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Took the dinghy to shore than went through the lagoon to the west side of the caye and walked the beach for a while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the return to the boat we went around the north end of the caye back to the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Matt came over and we tried to figure out why the solar panels aren’t putting out like the should.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We changed the dip switches and it made no difference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The problem is that the panels are only putting out around 13.5 volts and 3 to 8 amps, not enough to keep the batteries up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We checked each individual panel and they were putting out 20 volts as they should, but when wired in a series the loss occurs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leaving Long Caye at 0900 hrs heading to St. Georges Caye to the south about 10 miles.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHwefhEMsTB3cX7hf9A5mcA8WCsOSATlvXLT1hFcsI57F3RFk_fi336XUcEIQr16mY-Sam8TTRwI_oW3We4ZXEgwUOc1f51bX76UIwzj2BPPuZzztJEyPR12-AYhsHNqQFeuilAFT4VgmQ/s1600/Carl+our+tour+Guide+St+George+Caye+Aquarium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHwefhEMsTB3cX7hf9A5mcA8WCsOSATlvXLT1hFcsI57F3RFk_fi336XUcEIQr16mY-Sam8TTRwI_oW3We4ZXEgwUOc1f51bX76UIwzj2BPPuZzztJEyPR12-AYhsHNqQFeuilAFT4VgmQ/s320/Carl+our+tour+Guide+St+George+Caye+Aquarium.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Carl our tour guide</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">5 August 2011 </b>– Up anchor 09920 hrs heading for ST Georges Caye, totally uneventful ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arrived St George’s Caye at 1100 hours dropped anchor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Went ashore and walked around the island, very nice no form of motorized transportation, isn’t needed anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Found the local aquarium and was guided through it by the 10 year old son of the owner, very knowledgeable young man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When going ashore we went through a cut through the middle of the caye made by hurricane Hattie, leaving we went around the north end of the caye and across to the caye next to it which is a very nice resort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was no place to purchase a coke or water on St George Caye, the caye next to it which doesn’t have a name has a resort which did have Coke and water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We then returned to the boat and read a little and took a nap before joining Matt and Carla for dinner on Escondida.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Carla fixed the tastiest beef stew I have ever eaten, Mia actually behaved herself at dinner and just laid around with Beef.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Early day tomorrow, heading to English Caye about 20 miles south.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing there but a lighthouse and a lighthouse keeper who has been there forever and loves to tell stories to the cruisers that stop in.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCHaFNqpXWPLsg_nR7NmprKB-dy3BCvovY-Hoqr_JwkZ5lMbzsLdlDgSznG4qVIUAnqmUpBmkEDqTXSlPXuGCeUuDttI3-oqItbhceu7sbIVaxbA5_G3neqEbgO6O0HA5OLYrW8Hz4vXwP/s1600/English+Caye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCHaFNqpXWPLsg_nR7NmprKB-dy3BCvovY-Hoqr_JwkZ5lMbzsLdlDgSznG4qVIUAnqmUpBmkEDqTXSlPXuGCeUuDttI3-oqItbhceu7sbIVaxbA5_G3neqEbgO6O0HA5OLYrW8Hz4vXwP/s320/English+Caye.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Engilsh Caye</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">6 August 2011</b> - Departed St George’s Caye 0800 hrs heading to English Caye pretty much uneventful trip, trolled most of the way, something kept stealing my baits. Had to motor most of the way as the wind was dead on the nose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arrived English Caye 1215 hrs, Escondida was unable to get their anchor to hold, so we moved back north to Water Caye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Water Caye is mostly a mangrove swamp with a privately owned beach on the eastern shore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rose and I took the dinghy out to Goff’s Caye located on the reef and walked around and swam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a Christian group from Lajay Georgia there that we visited with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then back to the boat for a nap and to fix dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Heading to Colson Caye in the morning about 0800 hrs.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIpKWMtXIvGAUaHC6GkrCqaT6HlBgaMZkm2ypSWxaPJKbEzXscHQPzhQYMKlteqz5WoyriEmetUGYCfJXl5IeZGFMO92N6CnjoXB-QNGlIH96sgN-bmgGlTCRQ5ZHOxDszN_xnBaBuV3d/s1600/Francisco%2527s+house+Colson+Caye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIpKWMtXIvGAUaHC6GkrCqaT6HlBgaMZkm2ypSWxaPJKbEzXscHQPzhQYMKlteqz5WoyriEmetUGYCfJXl5IeZGFMO92N6CnjoXB-QNGlIH96sgN-bmgGlTCRQ5ZHOxDszN_xnBaBuV3d/s320/Francisco%2527s+house+Colson+Caye.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Fransico's house</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Gj0v7LqtjgWeeCBSc2rGHT0CABLrsPRGP7jlGkDbouoa-1jFdW9Aui9BGRjVjS38qGkCoeCDlf-qVpuZXdxLaK0s8RPwQdpUY2x1QXHraZh10QsEeBBbCpXHd-eHekXR3TDdjsDWjWFO/s1600/Moutains+of+Belize+from+Colson+Caye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Gj0v7LqtjgWeeCBSc2rGHT0CABLrsPRGP7jlGkDbouoa-1jFdW9Aui9BGRjVjS38qGkCoeCDlf-qVpuZXdxLaK0s8RPwQdpUY2x1QXHraZh10QsEeBBbCpXHd-eHekXR3TDdjsDWjWFO/s320/Moutains+of+Belize+from+Colson+Caye.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXc8QNigFhRPvReD9TijR6sOseq2wAe9OxROPcUYGHroWpLoY8KKnS6bIotrV8bj4NAA-tDOkcArklRgROe-wBn3rrm12d2ypW9gejZQZ89mtj6jRML62OZse2GeOh23pMpb663BpTa6Rf/s1600/The+Stowaway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mountains of Belize from Colson Caye</span></strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">7 August 2011</b> – Wind out of the northeast this morning, should make good time down to Colson Caye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Upped anchor 0745 hrs, arrived Colson Caye 1145 hrs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Topped off the diesel tank for the generator, fixed the cowling on the outboard and took a nap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Went to shore with Matt, visited the north end of the island there are two stilt houses, upon close investigation the stilt houses have water under them at high tide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Talking to Francisco, who has lived there for 30 years, Hurricane Ricardo, washed out all the sand in 2002, he is slowly building up a new beach under his house with conch shells and sand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the wind doesn’t lie down it will be off to Tobacco Caye in the morning’.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXc8QNigFhRPvReD9TijR6sOseq2wAe9OxROPcUYGHroWpLoY8KKnS6bIotrV8bj4NAA-tDOkcArklRgROe-wBn3rrm12d2ypW9gejZQZ89mtj6jRML62OZse2GeOh23pMpb663BpTa6Rf/s1600/The+Stowaway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXc8QNigFhRPvReD9TijR6sOseq2wAe9OxROPcUYGHroWpLoY8KKnS6bIotrV8bj4NAA-tDOkcArklRgROe-wBn3rrm12d2ypW9gejZQZ89mtj6jRML62OZse2GeOh23pMpb663BpTa6Rf/s320/The+Stowaway.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Stowaway</b></span></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmGZi4DAKZKY31ldSQbXP-seBB6XXb_Q2E2u7TCda6yFXNDfcewWVYUdYFiElClRyUUwOIriLYHXn8o4qylhyphenhyphenaPMmYk6PQmb4vu_JbnzyQk396p19PNE0kcL6uI5Ecf6NnXtRxHZjcoDr5/s1600/Carman%252C+Geff%252C+Suzi+Q.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmGZi4DAKZKY31ldSQbXP-seBB6XXb_Q2E2u7TCda6yFXNDfcewWVYUdYFiElClRyUUwOIriLYHXn8o4qylhyphenhyphenaPMmYk6PQmb4vu_JbnzyQk396p19PNE0kcL6uI5Ecf6NnXtRxHZjcoDr5/s320/Carman%252C+Geff%252C+Suzi+Q.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Carman, Geff, & Suzi Q</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">8 August 2011</b> – Awake 0700 hrs, no movement on Escondida, don’t know if we’re heading to Tobacco Caye this morning or not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>SIRIS weather reporting that it will continue to blow until late afternoon, skies are hazy with the wind out of the east is at 14 -15 knots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last night there was a Belizean fishing boat anchored 150 yards to the north of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amazing life, there are 9 men living on this boat, 8 fishermen and the Captain, there are 8 dugout canoes about 10 feet long, in the morning each man gets in his canoe and paddles to where he is going to fish and dive for lobster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the evening they all come back to the “Mother ship” to clean and ice down their catch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The “Mother ship” is only 20 to 25 feet long, it kind of looks like a “Skipjack” like they use in the northeast around the Chesapeake Bay area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My understanding is that the Captain charges the fishermen to come on his boat and provide them with a place to spend the night while they are out fishing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Captain also provides the ice to keep the catch cold until it is taken to market.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Departed Colson Caye for Tobacco Caye 0920, received a strange call from Escondida at 1030 hrs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seems a 2 foot Boa Constrictor had stowed away on their boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we arrived at Tobacco Caye I took the dinghy over to Escondida and caught the snake which had made their bar-b-que pit it’s temporary home, and placed it in a pillow case to take it to shore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we got to shore on Tobacco Caye, they said there were no snakes on this Caye take it to the mangrove caye to the west about a mile and a half by dinghy, which we did. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tobacco Caye is fantastic, a small Caye about the size of maybe 3 football fields, several cottages, two bars, a gift shop/convenience store and three restaurants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The people are very friendly and helpful as we have discovered are most of the people we have met in Belize.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We started out just enjoying swimming at the dock, then had a few drinks found the restaurant we wanted to have dinner at.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here it isn’t a case of walk in sit down, ask for a menu and pick out what you want.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a case of walk in and ask, what dinner is going to be?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you don’t like the meal served go elsewhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tonight it was bar-b-qued chicken, beans, coleslaw and Kool-Aid, all for $15.00 BZD, not bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After dinner we went to the bar at the south end of the island and listened to local music and watched them dance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is without a doubt the best evening of the trip so far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will spend the day here tomorrow and leave for South Water Caye Wednesday morning.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRs1YLYtXSOpHBF6k_N-ajBM873CgQLQTK_uo8Y5G-gUvZ4RNSgEvb9SswHKa7QgEXz5i2tj4o9l0R0u-cJ1HYBnxlLCVBuk6Lt7tyo4Z8zyDDezaRNDoH69R4RlH1Aa5Ss0KdNU81WkUS/s1600/Eric%252C+Suzi+Q%252C+Geff%252C+Alex%252C+and+Royya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRs1YLYtXSOpHBF6k_N-ajBM873CgQLQTK_uo8Y5G-gUvZ4RNSgEvb9SswHKa7QgEXz5i2tj4o9l0R0u-cJ1HYBnxlLCVBuk6Lt7tyo4Z8zyDDezaRNDoH69R4RlH1Aa5Ss0KdNU81WkUS/s320/Eric%252C+Suzi+Q%252C+Geff%252C+Alex%252C+and+Royya.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Eric, Suzi Q, Geff, Alex, & Riyya</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfWxFkYYPrQDwWm-_XFnjnejFSiREjW8DuLI0wFXDnIJXfbQGOAnskBh3YV4_lqUM45U0XaTFYam13wIOvm0ATC_1GTnyrIgpz2hJztHJ8OWhhX8hZgvnQRsxdLW1H2owQlK1CMsgF0Tn2/s1600/Tobacco+Caye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfWxFkYYPrQDwWm-_XFnjnejFSiREjW8DuLI0wFXDnIJXfbQGOAnskBh3YV4_lqUM45U0XaTFYam13wIOvm0ATC_1GTnyrIgpz2hJztHJ8OWhhX8hZgvnQRsxdLW1H2owQlK1CMsgF0Tn2/s320/Tobacco+Caye.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Tobacco Caye</strong></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">9 August 2011</b> – Still at Tobacco Caye, woke up around 0700 had some coffee and headed to shore, one of the local captains is taking mu empty 5 gallon water bottle and the gas tank for the dinghy to the mainland to get them both filled, none of that out here, it’s about 20 miles to the mainland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being we are without dinghy today we spent the day snorkeling and visiting with the locals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eric a local dive master was a lot of fun, learned a great deal about Belize and Tobacco Caye from him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We met Suzi Q, Alex and Royya.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all snorkeled together around the island, the visibility was about 35 feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Saw a few rays, barracuda, and lots of colorful reef fish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the evening we had them all out to the boat so they could get a glimpse of our life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was Alex’s 40<sup>th</sup> birthday, didn’t have any cake so we put candles is a slice of bread and sang happy birthday to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suzi Q is from Hawaii, Alex ad Royya are from Los Angeles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Uncertain if we are heading south tomorrow or not, ask Matt this evening, “are we leaving tomorrow or are we staying another day?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His reply was yes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh well guess we’ll find out in the morning. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCl9rxvG-E8dZNwPhCAwrPcKdZXtl15rN02_Vb13Lx8VBA0ls00uNvxpBTj8IYehx9OauZYMjk42TUeOnWTTPbmFixjUxj3KPeLKNk-9Y1rNp3kgUycbSnCLLqriZ8Ii3PmV757cQI9Xdg/s1600/Belizian+fisherman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCl9rxvG-E8dZNwPhCAwrPcKdZXtl15rN02_Vb13Lx8VBA0ls00uNvxpBTj8IYehx9OauZYMjk42TUeOnWTTPbmFixjUxj3KPeLKNk-9Y1rNp3kgUycbSnCLLqriZ8Ii3PmV757cQI9Xdg/s320/Belizian+fisherman.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Belizian fisherman</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl_8p3ffct9dhfgsiw2MGJg5UADQgg-yTuwxORD_kBujyJvra4bDRd3JNBMjQg6p2v2EreUo2sOsgPjWdDr0hARRlBBo7uS6ynSlTq8QDkaB2Z7n0r4c97Qg709ennqxuo5eqoQcZV24sl/s1600/Rose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl_8p3ffct9dhfgsiw2MGJg5UADQgg-yTuwxORD_kBujyJvra4bDRd3JNBMjQg6p2v2EreUo2sOsgPjWdDr0hARRlBBo7uS6ynSlTq8QDkaB2Z7n0r4c97Qg709ennqxuo5eqoQcZV24sl/s320/Rose.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Rose snorkeling</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">10 August 2011 </b>– Went to shore to say goodbye had lunch at Gavitos with Suzi Q, my favorite fried chicken & French fries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Saw Melissa and George and told them we were going to South Water Caye, they both said we wouldn’t like it there, the people were stuffy and everything was very expensive..<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eric and Doggy had said the same thing the evening before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back on the boat 1300 hrs Matt and Carla were already onboard Escondida, up anchor at 1330 hrs on the way south to South Water Caye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sailed all the way, nice 8 to 12 knot breeze from the north east drove us at about 5 knots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arrived South Water Caye 1510 hrs and dropped anchor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The folks back at Tobacco Caye were correct, we went ashore to the dock at IZA , they didn’t have a cold soft drinks, and the beer was warm and $6.00 BZD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took the dinghy out to the reef and looked at all the trash from around the Caribbean that had washed up on the reef.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Went over to Escondida to visit with Matt & Carla, a few after our friend<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>JJ from the Belize fisheries Department came over in his boat just to say hello.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are 6 boats anchored here, it is a good anchorage and great snorkeling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our plans for tomorrow are to go Carrie Bow Caye about a mile south to do some snorkeling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Carrie Bow Caye was donated to the Smithsonian Institute in 1972 by the Bowman family (the folks that control the beer, soft drink industries, and many other aspects of the Belizean consumer products) to conduct extensive research within the barriers of the barrier reef systems and the offshore atolls. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWvTWOrtQAST8gkLLgdL9fRGg46f9KxeSgznOurXvvDrZTFvY7kB7Q_IY9CCatJYps5WdDnFGriAK3PQeOeWbzo-aBuspJYQ4aVwm-Kc0StN6cZvN3bUfxgmnJVXarfBmi3_h1smP3ZP2x/s1600/Yellow+Ray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWvTWOrtQAST8gkLLgdL9fRGg46f9KxeSgznOurXvvDrZTFvY7kB7Q_IY9CCatJYps5WdDnFGriAK3PQeOeWbzo-aBuspJYQ4aVwm-Kc0StN6cZvN3bUfxgmnJVXarfBmi3_h1smP3ZP2x/s320/Yellow+Ray.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Yellow Ray Carrie Bow Caye</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">11 August 2011</b> – took the dinghy a mile south and went snorkeling at Carrie Bow Caye today it was fantastic, visibility was about 40 feet, coral heads and the fish were magnificent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Went back to the boat at<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>took a nap and fixed dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just went up on deck ant the moon is so bright that you can see the sand patches on the bottom 8 feet below surrounded by the turtle grass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are going back to Tobacco Caye in the morning, a much more relaxed atmosphere and Mia can run around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the land on South Water Caye is privately owned and the resorts are real snobbish about you walking around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has been a nice visit and I’m glad we came for the snorkeling, but rose and I like Tobacco Caye much better, and the locals on Tobacco Caye told us that we would.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So back to Tobacco Caye tomorrow and eat some crow and stay a few more days there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do need to get to an ATM and purchase some diesel as we are running low on both. </span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkMD7gMe1UhNyJS0J1NeIZgdk-Jxy6aIqCAWVrs8FYYYkkhllejZj_Jb5mcsUeA2qA8efvxU4lwxBDjTyVHKAoxBqminLeTJibs9zeO_nPqeRIEyGNfOy6fkndK5bfSd5-_j5JL_QJ6QMf/s1600/Reef+at+Tobacco+Caye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkMD7gMe1UhNyJS0J1NeIZgdk-Jxy6aIqCAWVrs8FYYYkkhllejZj_Jb5mcsUeA2qA8efvxU4lwxBDjTyVHKAoxBqminLeTJibs9zeO_nPqeRIEyGNfOy6fkndK5bfSd5-_j5JL_QJ6QMf/s320/Reef+at+Tobacco+Caye.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Reef at Tobacco Caye</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">12 August 2011</b> – Departed South Water Caye 1115 hours heading back to Tobacco Caye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arrived Tobacco Caye 1220 hours, we were greeted by the young boys we met on our prior visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the anchor was set they came up calling Mia, Mia wanting to play with her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did a real dumb dumb, I was trolling for a fish while we were going to Tobacco Caye and forgot to pull in the fishing line, so when I went into reverse to check the anchor, the line wrapped around the propeller shaft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got a knife, mask, and snorkel and spent the next 15 minutes cutting it off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went ashore for a swim and saw George, Eric, Doggy and Curt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They welcomed us back to the island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I walked over to Margret’s to see if she would have fresh bread in the morning and reserved 4 loaves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>George had 3 lobster he wanted to sell for $20.00 BZD and Rose and I wanted lobster for dinner so I brought them to grill later that evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Four charter cats showed up with some kind of Italian tour group on board, 42 people, all of a sudden the island paradise was crowded, so we went back to the boat for the evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic371hA-SQuNhB4A-7FCh6WLRwJPS0W54a1drzGPAOuE5rTcIj9XJi500XylWWE-iHKjEB6ITD3rJO88p7m17tNQ0gIpBnAz9SbtI7VKkxxXm9QVcpBC7VE4OQ2JIByuyCWO-yzbANRXxu/s1600/Michael+and+Donavan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic371hA-SQuNhB4A-7FCh6WLRwJPS0W54a1drzGPAOuE5rTcIj9XJi500XylWWE-iHKjEB6ITD3rJO88p7m17tNQ0gIpBnAz9SbtI7VKkxxXm9QVcpBC7VE4OQ2JIByuyCWO-yzbANRXxu/s320/Michael+and+Donavan.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Michael & Donavan</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2kj8CfCVnPR3i4FKiyErGj0LH5rfbffG1zQI1AE9CK5FeTamGPGDQJfnJRZx-qewdnG_ljv3lzUw9cePVsWtGk84ep5jzn1gmpazass4Bofo4JKpmo1uwchwWl1Bcxjf4JjTGX8R-Cwf/s1600/Lobster+dinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2kj8CfCVnPR3i4FKiyErGj0LH5rfbffG1zQI1AE9CK5FeTamGPGDQJfnJRZx-qewdnG_ljv3lzUw9cePVsWtGk84ep5jzn1gmpazass4Bofo4JKpmo1uwchwWl1Bcxjf4JjTGX8R-Cwf/s320/Lobster+dinner.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Oh no, lobster again!</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">13 August 2011</b> – During the night the anchor alarm went off, I got up and checked and everything was OK, so I went back to sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An hour later the generator shut down, the seawater strainer had filled up in record time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cleaned out the seawater strainer re-started the generator it was 0500 hrs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went back to sleep with Mia and Rose stayed up and watched the sunrise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Got up at 0900 hrs went up on deck and the boys were next to the boat telling me the bread was ready.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I launched the dinghy and went to shore to get our bread.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got to Margret’s to get the bread, when I got there she said the charter boats came by and purchased all she had except the 4 loaves she saved for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They offered her double the price but she told them it was for her regular customer and saved them for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will spend the day here at Tobacco Caye then head south tomorrow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe we are going to Blue Ground Range<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and from there to Placencia where we will spend a few days before checking out with customs to head south down to Livingston, Guatemala.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Had Eric, Suzi Q, Royya, and Alex over to the boat for a look. It was Alex's birrthdaySuzi Q suggested we have a birthday cake for Alex, the only thing we had was a slice of stale bread and some candles. He was totally surprised and couldn't have been happier.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Dw7f1CU6loksD9PgyrA2kMPtw3f5Sds6ubCYLoZlnnMuxJIKbaIeDAfTRHgbKIezPH-C6DHcFIqWcFI7BYocfs_EsVJVI9LJb1-X9-L06XpO1oj1eTzvg5FQ_-5ayi84gV0acf9ljT4E/s1600/Alex%2527s+Birthday+cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Dw7f1CU6loksD9PgyrA2kMPtw3f5Sds6ubCYLoZlnnMuxJIKbaIeDAfTRHgbKIezPH-C6DHcFIqWcFI7BYocfs_EsVJVI9LJb1-X9-L06XpO1oj1eTzvg5FQ_-5ayi84gV0acf9ljT4E/s320/Alex%2527s+Birthday+cake.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Alex's birthday cake</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Went to shore and Melisa told me her boyfriend, Nigel, was going to Dangriea about 25 miles across the inner channel to the west and he would take me with him so I could go to the bank, get some Diet Coke for Rose and some purified water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We left tobacco Caye at 1430 hours heading west to Dangriea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The water was 2 foot chop we were in a 23 foot panga with twin 40 hp Yamaha outboards, talk about a dumpy ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trip took about an hour, we let off the passengers that went ashore to catch a bus to wherever ,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>then to the gas station to get fuel for the return trip, the bank, the water place and the store where I purchased the Diet coke for Rose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We picked up a lady Isabel and her two sons, Mike and Donavan who were going out to Tobacco for the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The younger Mike age 4 was sitting between his mom and I, Donavan was sitting on a seat by himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Within minutes Mike fell asleep in his Mom’s lap and Donavan was dosing off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I put Donavan next to me, he laid his head in my lap and he was gone.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When we arrived back at tobacco Caye, George had more lobster and made me a deal on them I couldn’t pass up, about 4 pounds of tails for $20.00 USD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made a deal with Melisa to cook them and Rose and I suffered through another lobster dinner.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The thought of leaving the islands of Belize is almost depressing, the water and people are so wonderful, but it was a similar feeling when we left Mexican waters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know we will enjoy Guatemala, it is a different type of beauty, it won’t have the pristine waters of the Belize reef system, but it will offer hot steamy tropical rain forest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will just have to wait and see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will be nice to have unlimited fresh water, a real shower at the marina, not bouncing around all night at anchor, sleep without the noise of the generator, walk on land without having to launch the dinghy, but is all that worth the loss of the crystal clear waters of the barrier reefs of Belize.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXKN-KTDcu42NGtgATihesJgYoDwJYLO5qb3IxnkAs7CffFMRmvstjRSUndoS_JMPE0YIBLY7P2xC5R_Srx0YUy8bwkJACVrx3m_0rj_XY3WgW1HiaaE18ial7ZNACgF8_VJjzUXy-DlOV/s1600/Herman+and+Aloma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXKN-KTDcu42NGtgATihesJgYoDwJYLO5qb3IxnkAs7CffFMRmvstjRSUndoS_JMPE0YIBLY7P2xC5R_Srx0YUy8bwkJACVrx3m_0rj_XY3WgW1HiaaE18ial7ZNACgF8_VJjzUXy-DlOV/s320/Herman+and+Aloma.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Herman and Aloma</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdaQNXHRaYiKfw0TLKDLrf4UURc9xZGP5W_PIhqJdUVLHDYykPuFFLDocziq93Wbl138zCWMzMhhavjUR9iCS5iGebXQjQYRDqe8kzAnQJ5zAW7mCypAUmOSfTVYuIySRhtx7uO6ZrCB_1/s1600/Herman+and+Geff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdaQNXHRaYiKfw0TLKDLrf4UURc9xZGP5W_PIhqJdUVLHDYykPuFFLDocziq93Wbl138zCWMzMhhavjUR9iCS5iGebXQjQYRDqe8kzAnQJ5zAW7mCypAUmOSfTVYuIySRhtx7uO6ZrCB_1/s320/Herman+and+Geff.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Geff & Herman</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">14 August 2011</b>- We woke up and went to shore on Tobacco Caye this morning to say goodbye again to our friend on Tobacco Caye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Herman found a 5 gallon bottle of purified water to replace the one I lost on the Panga yesterday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Went back to the boat, up anchor at 1000 hours and headed west to the inner channel, then south to Blue Ground Range about 10 miles to the south.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arrived in the middle of Blue Ground Range at 1230 hours and set the anchor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got into the dinghy and headed into the mangrove cayes for a look around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Found a caye that had been developed and looked like a nice place to let Mia run around for a while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pulled up on the beach and was greeted by Herman the caretaker of this little 3 acre island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Herman invited us to the island to walk around and showed us what a wonderful little island it was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Matt, Carla, and Beef were there as well and we all walked around this private island owned by an attorney from Los Angeles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How much is a 3 acre island selling for these days, 1.8 million USD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the conversation, Herman said that his Panga wasn’t working and asked if we had some extra food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went back to our boat and got a pack of frozen chicken thighs, peanut cheese crackers, and a few bottles of ginger ale and brought it back to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aloma gave us some bread she had just taken out of the oven and some onion chili relish she had made the day before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They invited us to stay for dinner, we politely declined as we had already defrosted meat for this evening’s meal. We visited for a while, Rose, Carla, Herman, and his wife Aloma played dominos until it was time to go back to the boats and fix dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anchors up 0800 hours in the morning heading to Placencia.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGI84m9lz7KB-_2FdyLj5ah1NoMYLpdLEBDDNil9ZJ9DUmMQFkZRohWFc_pgct4wpfuIgnyblEutQKS96V2fncQGTu4HgyrJHG6o7E_U0fEnf7dqY4mGxCWMdjuJ2lX7X9ROpUz-G8zdPI/s1600/Rose+at+the+helm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGI84m9lz7KB-_2FdyLj5ah1NoMYLpdLEBDDNil9ZJ9DUmMQFkZRohWFc_pgct4wpfuIgnyblEutQKS96V2fncQGTu4HgyrJHG6o7E_U0fEnf7dqY4mGxCWMdjuJ2lX7X9ROpUz-G8zdPI/s320/Rose+at+the+helm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><strong>Rose at the helm</strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKkM7hGrQrYtsLEMXmFEussRijmnGAB74wzn7QAnVqefzxGccYgeDRGplqqrxAcBmb54cMt08STcg-2LAgkZBBMeftVRYQWMfG_FcKH_bqiatAg7ADXyFVwvNurF-v1mxzoCEXfxFyMnaM/s1600/Placencia+-+Placencia+Caye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKkM7hGrQrYtsLEMXmFEussRijmnGAB74wzn7QAnVqefzxGccYgeDRGplqqrxAcBmb54cMt08STcg-2LAgkZBBMeftVRYQWMfG_FcKH_bqiatAg7ADXyFVwvNurF-v1mxzoCEXfxFyMnaM/s320/Placencia+-+Placencia+Caye.jpg" width="320" /></a></strong></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>The pass between Placecnia Settlement and Placecnia Caye</strong></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>15 August 2011</strong> – Departed Blue Ground Range 0800 hrs heading to Place</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">ncia, kind of sad as Matt & Carla are renting a car and exploring the back country and mountains of Belize and Rose and I are heading to Rio Dulce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rose took the helm most of the way on this leg, about 4 hours south.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went to sleep when we had our course set and she woke me up as we were entering the cut between Placencia and Placencia Caye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We dropped anchor and took the dinghy to shore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Walked down the “1 mile sidewalk” which took nearly 30 years to complete according to the locals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped at a little restaurant for lunch on the beach I ordered the Creole lobster and pasta the special of the day, Rose ordered the same, the waitress failed to hear Rose’s order and when our meal came, I got mine, Matt got his BLT, ad Carla got her fish sandwich, and Rose got nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We asked about Rose’s meal, the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>waitress said she didn’t order anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again Rose ordered the Creole lobster and pasta, the waitress came back and said they were out of the special.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being the nice guy I am I gave her mine, cried a little and ordered a fish sandwich.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Walking back to the dinghy stopped by Placencia Sailboat Charters and saw Rob, whom we had met at south Water Caye a few days ago, picked up some bananas, apples, Belizean Rum, had an ice cream cone, and back to the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finished our daily chores, like cleaning the sea water filters and putting away the dinghy, then just sat on the deck and watched the sun set over the mountains to the west.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the morning we plan on going to shore and having coffee with Rob and using the WIFI at the Above Ground Coffee Shop to publish this part of the blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will stay here a few days and then continue our journey south.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are only about 40 miles north of Livingston, Guatemala the entrance to the Rio Dulce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is only 18 miles up the Rio Dulce to Mario’s Marina where we will spend the next 2 ½ months until the official end of hurricane season.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rose and I talked on deck this evening and discussed what we were planning to do after 15 November and it looks like we will continue south down as far as Panama.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We want to visit our friend Kirk in Rotan, Honduras as well as Jules and John in Panama if they haven’t moved through the ditch by then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Returning to south Texas isn’t high on the priority list at this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We discussed where we would go upon our return home, Island Moorings Marina in Port Aransas, Bahia Marina in Ingleside, Port Isabel, or Rockport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have become very used to being on the hook (riding the anchor) and staying at a marina in the states isn’t very attractive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also discussed going back to Isla Mujeres on the tip of the Yucatan or Yucalpeten in Progreso both of which rate higher than any of the other ideas.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>My Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16363560994515892361noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690672007622172023.post-25157504091476913422011-08-03T13:12:00.000-06:002011-08-03T13:30:16.198-06:00Belize<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">29 July 2011 – Departed Caye Caulker, Belize heading north to San Pedro, Belize.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was pretty much an uneventful ride 20 mile sail except the last half hour when we got hit by a squall which is pretty much a daily occurrence this time of year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The problem really isn’t the squall it is the 15 to 20 knot winds that precede the squall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The squall is a welcome event as you can stand on deck and get an extra shower without worrying about using precious water from the boat’s tanks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Water at the dock at Cucumber Marina in Belize city was $0.05 per gallon USD, in San Pedro it is $0.30 USD per gallon, so we make our own with our water maker now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our water maker can produce 8 gallons per hour, the down side is it uses 18 amps of electricity to run the pump, so we usually make water when the engine is running as to not run down the batteries.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Anthony working</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadlwIzAzhx913-9qN5Rz9zkxmt7Rejw6emGzmLaOc4lowY_FtpCY3mIVy7K68tmKARL6Ev1zoC9Q3MxxMPCUzzSSfiExWr_BzVGQPBJtnQekA_qEduyxeoJZoEWjkzechYR1f1a6UoA3M/s1600/Anthony+hard+at+work.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadlwIzAzhx913-9qN5Rz9zkxmt7Rejw6emGzmLaOc4lowY_FtpCY3mIVy7K68tmKARL6Ev1zoC9Q3MxxMPCUzzSSfiExWr_BzVGQPBJtnQekA_qEduyxeoJZoEWjkzechYR1f1a6UoA3M/s320/Anthony+hard+at+work.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Walking around San Pedro today we met Anthony, a wood carver, very nice man as well as being very intelligent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In talking with him, most of the souvenirs sold on the street in San Pedro come from Guatemala, there are very few like himself that actually make the souvenirs in Belize.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We discussed Belize politics, economy, foreigners in Belize and how they are taking control of his country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The local people welcome the tourist as they are a very large part of the Belize economy, the problem is the wealthy foreigners that come to Belize and buy the country and doing nothing to improve it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no form of welfare in Belize and poverty is high.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only the wealthy have medical insurance and there is no form socialized medical care.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One thing that has really stood out is the friendliness of the people; you make a purchase, or just greet someone on the street and they all say “Welcome to Belize” and mean it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like most of the beaches in the U.S. there is a public easement from the high water line, but when we bring the dinghy to shore and beach it in front of an establishment we always ask the business if it is alright to beach our dinghy there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one has ever told us “no”, and most say “Yea man, your dink is OK there, and I’ll be here all day and watch it for you.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So you eat lunch or dinner in their establishment and you have great dinghy parking anytime you want.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Jeff & Geff</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-nSe-oRD1oWaFunw4H7nMnU4rCt5JgqKfaZghEC15MCGy4ShouD_gAkKIZ0jRfBHwhs1LhgrkLWOimdyJgK17v1vatVnoWLZfU3aDP_2Sj8_wQ-SnLV46UFiBKcch6k5aXM_D2hhkJKq/s1600/Jeff+%2526+Geff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-nSe-oRD1oWaFunw4H7nMnU4rCt5JgqKfaZghEC15MCGy4ShouD_gAkKIZ0jRfBHwhs1LhgrkLWOimdyJgK17v1vatVnoWLZfU3aDP_2Sj8_wQ-SnLV46UFiBKcch6k5aXM_D2hhkJKq/s320/Jeff+%2526+Geff.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We enjoy eating from the locals rather than the tourist restaurants owned by the foreigners, the prices are considerably less and the food is the local flavor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One must change their thoughts concerning health standards that we follow in the U.S., if you can’t handle a few flies buzzing around better not come down here for dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last night Rose and I ate in the park in the center of the beach, there were several vendors set up, we chose one that had pork chops and stewed chicken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had the pork chop Rose had the chicken, the meal came with rice and beans, plenty of meat and both meals only cost $17.00 BZD (Belize Dollars) or $8.50 USD.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Escondida dropping anchor</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-IjdGNhYNUJj4yALtvP39H0fklbwTD4-RoSN7WYRFqxxDqe4whsb0M1MYylEsyTux1BD5MC1Klv83A8c9kT7w7ElshOoajLrUFG11pAGla_4eeQ2bnRJervK1o-2cUwMpqby3qVnbkFc/s1600/Escondida+setting+anchor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-IjdGNhYNUJj4yALtvP39H0fklbwTD4-RoSN7WYRFqxxDqe4whsb0M1MYylEsyTux1BD5MC1Klv83A8c9kT7w7ElshOoajLrUFG11pAGla_4eeQ2bnRJervK1o-2cUwMpqby3qVnbkFc/s320/Escondida+setting+anchor.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Geff Fishing</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHsTWAX4ga3gsUexXICeWkeqznnOaqCznNffV4DUJ7m3u_nFIp45HVtS-yXdD2-Q8QhbYBkWHWosqyHGjuASQy07nkdnS_rmtjWOup9xWobmukwSEOWrNW7HyG7W8P-k0v0hW01bW-yy4/s1600/fishing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHsTWAX4ga3gsUexXICeWkeqznnOaqCznNffV4DUJ7m3u_nFIp45HVtS-yXdD2-Q8QhbYBkWHWosqyHGjuASQy07nkdnS_rmtjWOup9xWobmukwSEOWrNW7HyG7W8P-k0v0hW01bW-yy4/s320/fishing.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are anchored between the reef and the shore in about 5 ½ feet of water, it is about a mile from the shore to the reef and the water inside the reef is very shallow, we are so glad we have a shallow draft boat, My Peace only draws 4 ½ feet, if she needed any more we would miss so much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right after we dropped anchor yesterday, I waited about 10 minutes then put on a mask and snorkel to check how well the anchor set.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked under the boat and the biggest barracuda I have ever seen just stared right back at me, he must have been 5 feet long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was curious and swam straight at me, he got about 3 feet away and figured I was too big to eat and went back under the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I followed the anchor line 175 feet away from the boat, the anchor was in 6 feet of water and a 4 foot barracuda had already claimed the area behind the anchor as his home.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Boys on the dink</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjH_qQMc483n1fH54kco0Y4ZLVCwcok7IBb0hJ1hiA-gn47MGHmAqF3xiwQDSKi6_hQ6rqF5NRqQram4lkgetsWvil1Z6MqlIu7H4EsQbVlGYdbWXzcJYzxvJRr-IEK_nEK7DLGJZHOiR/s1600/boys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjH_qQMc483n1fH54kco0Y4ZLVCwcok7IBb0hJ1hiA-gn47MGHmAqF3xiwQDSKi6_hQ6rqF5NRqQram4lkgetsWvil1Z6MqlIu7H4EsQbVlGYdbWXzcJYzxvJRr-IEK_nEK7DLGJZHOiR/s320/boys.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">BC’s</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ay4SfwVZZ4KoaryQ5DWOgKA9aeFLnDSebIXmRzmu_hK9DZYB6OyZmpuGdHKxm5Bw6g4KFZzjhHYdjts61xxNuLIoMTMn77wEgKArWj3oLespGaJ0zUIgjp6yFd367kVCMjLDIYrgovzs/s1600/BC%2527s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ay4SfwVZZ4KoaryQ5DWOgKA9aeFLnDSebIXmRzmu_hK9DZYB6OyZmpuGdHKxm5Bw6g4KFZzjhHYdjts61xxNuLIoMTMn77wEgKArWj3oLespGaJ0zUIgjp6yFd367kVCMjLDIYrgovzs/s320/BC%2527s.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We went to shore and pulled the dink onto the beach at BC’s, a local watering hole, great place, had a beer, ate dinner; whole evening cost $25.00 BZD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two little boys walked up to the dink and used to front as a bouncing platform to jump into the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really didn’t see anything wrong with it until I walked over and looked inside. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They would jump into the water then run to the back of the dink, climb in walk to the front and bounce back into the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The end result was about 30 pounds of sand tracked into the dink. Yes David the sign over the TV says Luckenbach, Texas and the lower one center bottom of the beer box says "I love Texas".</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fishing boat</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAiNMm16Z1VoTnheQkuqUCbMtGpKAXF2ojCoS804XldIyCYag4czyoEXOlIDDQ12nAMOSKtJNjLuTxL4hhOg29j3S5E1KE5WgA59hH42y3Albzp1nlf_K7nuvEygid2yjyINQa8tWs12p/s1600/fishing+boats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAiNMm16Z1VoTnheQkuqUCbMtGpKAXF2ojCoS804XldIyCYag4czyoEXOlIDDQ12nAMOSKtJNjLuTxL4hhOg29j3S5E1KE5WgA59hH42y3Albzp1nlf_K7nuvEygid2yjyINQa8tWs12p/s320/fishing+boats.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many of the local fishermen here use a boat that kind of resembles the “Skipjack” used by the fishermen in the Chesapeake Bay area in Maryland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the reef cayes other than tourism fishing is the industry, most of the larger cayes have a local “Fishermen’s Co-Op”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>where they bring their fish and lobster to sell to the co-op.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In turn the local restaurants go to the co-op to purchase fresh fish for their menus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The way to come out ahead is to catch the fisherman between his boat and the co-op.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s when you get a real good buy on dinner, you purchase at a little above what the co-op pays but a whole lot less than what the retail stores sell it for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(about half) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Police Station Sign</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm9iEdxpd_VtrCu_0pf7XGOAqAUkb4LfLkcX2UaOS418tuIDkWR0n3hm1-jC6TaVEi918E9FcfhGQZt5JGBnbOwQjrSN9_ZzxlvXph0EsWm2UAhjRipVINZ14MeIWPCSyduRrKttvA6_Oa/s1600/Police+station+sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm9iEdxpd_VtrCu_0pf7XGOAqAUkb4LfLkcX2UaOS418tuIDkWR0n3hm1-jC6TaVEi918E9FcfhGQZt5JGBnbOwQjrSN9_ZzxlvXph0EsWm2UAhjRipVINZ14MeIWPCSyduRrKttvA6_Oa/s320/Police+station+sign.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As we were walking down the street the other day in Caye Caulker, Rose saw this sign on the wall of the police station and I just had to post it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Billie, Don, and Mia at BC’s</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh390dsdIjwkb5tSkJ-OYW2KsLyUiJNGeFKhcY_zEkv3fdRGBCCPZeSUuYUM9t-C_WdifAcnDrXvetQL_X4J-GD5TdWSyDHKsG7p2qXzMBcheOoGT3etghH_GcaBjCilnWGk8GRgSXMfa_p/s1600/Mia%2527s+adopted+parents.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh390dsdIjwkb5tSkJ-OYW2KsLyUiJNGeFKhcY_zEkv3fdRGBCCPZeSUuYUM9t-C_WdifAcnDrXvetQL_X4J-GD5TdWSyDHKsG7p2qXzMBcheOoGT3etghH_GcaBjCilnWGk8GRgSXMfa_p/s320/Mia%2527s+adopted+parents.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">31 July 2011 – Went ashore for a while, had to make 2 trips to the fuel dock, can’t get the boat to the dock so had to take the Gerry cans and fill them bring them back to the boat fill the tanks, then back to the dock and refill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the work was done Rose, Mia and I went to shore had bar-b-que at BC’s, it was great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ran into our new friends Don and Billie, while we ate Billie held Mia so we could eat in peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Billie has claimed “grandparent rights” on Mia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don and Billie retired to San Pedro, the Belize government has a program for foreigners to retire here, they can bring in an airplane, boat and a car duty free, the catch is you can’t work.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 August 2011 – Time to head back to Caye Caulker, did our last minute provisioning and headed back to the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pulled the anchor up and just as I was about to lock the chain, the swivel that connects the chain to the anchor broke and down it went.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The wind was blowing about 15 knots and by the time we were able to drop the backup anchor we had moved quit a distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I put on mask and snorkel and went to where I thought it was, the water was only 6 ½ feet deep and crystal clear, about 40 foot visibility, but was unable to locate it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A storm was coming in from the east and we needed to get underway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With no windless on the backup anchor I had to pull it up by hand all the time thinking I had just lost my main anchor and a replacement down here if I could find one would be around $500.00 USD.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Finally underway at 1430 hours and arrived at Key Caulker at 1630 just before the squall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the way from San Pedro to Caye Caulker I got the spare anchor out of the back storage of the boat and hooked it up to the chain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The replacement is a 35 pound 20 pounds lighter that the one I lost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All we could think was, thank God it broke while we were pulling it up and not overnight during the 25 to 30 knot winds we had the prior night.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Matt and Carla gave me hope when we stopped to think that when I set my anchor I always record the lat & lon of the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later in the evening Rose and I went over to Corina IV, a 52 foot sloop belonging to Al who we me at Cucumber Marina in Belize City and told him what happened the earlier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Al told me he was going to San Pedro Tuesday morning and he would tow my dink behind his boat and his captain, Max, would help me find my anchor. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Corina IV</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2yTmRcNGSrnSIh3ydzEKaF6WsIsYB8FB50xivBRfFBq2xg80qJiGaMqnbOEoEGYzXh9sEG9GvBkNTppzalxGpgiTit2QFMDL3q2ZE6hFxZXZrFwj4fsz6WdBzGaQRTT8RsQhDORmVGLa/s1600/Corina+IV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2yTmRcNGSrnSIh3ydzEKaF6WsIsYB8FB50xivBRfFBq2xg80qJiGaMqnbOEoEGYzXh9sEG9GvBkNTppzalxGpgiTit2QFMDL3q2ZE6hFxZXZrFwj4fsz6WdBzGaQRTT8RsQhDORmVGLa/s320/Corina+IV.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2 August 2011 – 0830 hours I took my dink over to Corina IV we had a cup of coffee and up anchor for San Pedro 11 miles to the north.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We arrived at the approximate location where we had anchored last Friday afternoon and dropped anchor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We checked the GPS coordinates and we were about 300 feet south of where I had previously anchored.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Al and I got in the dink and Max put on fins and mask <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and the search began.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Due to the wave action Al and I could see very little even though the water was crystal clear and only 5 ½ to 6 ½ feet deep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We tried this for about an hour and no success, so we went back to Corina IV so Max could rest for a moment and we could plan a new strategy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We took my hand held GPS and went to the exact coordinates that I had recorded when we were anchored in San Pedro.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We dropped the dink anchor and swam 150 feet north east, and yes right where it was supposed was my anchor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We put it in the dink and went back to Al’s boat to pick up Al and Kat.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We then went to BC’s on shore to celebrate with a few Bilkins, the national beer as well as the only beer in Belize.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From BC’s we went to the fuel dock, filled up my 3 gallon gas tank, took Al, Max, and Kat back to Corina IV.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Al gave me an old towel to put under the anchor to protect the bottom of the dink, tied the anchor down and off I went across 11 miles of the Caribbean in the 11 ½ foot dinghy powered by a 9.9 hp Mercury outboard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It only took me 40 minutes to get back to Caye Caulker, but it was kind of rough bouncing along for 40 minutes.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Geff returning from San Pedro</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2c-Bg-GbvuPZ2WCbZpS3_bx4LfzdGd5Shw0sSG9Ivfk5LDF6Hd_1zSTmfj2ODcdX-F9cWLhzSQKeXBBDFWyPW2oyVDpLt0FdKi0p7tc_VeWeipQBtEJ1YcwXQn72EKpG2heZ2EZZX02P/s1600/Geff+Returning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2c-Bg-GbvuPZ2WCbZpS3_bx4LfzdGd5Shw0sSG9Ivfk5LDF6Hd_1zSTmfj2ODcdX-F9cWLhzSQKeXBBDFWyPW2oyVDpLt0FdKi0p7tc_VeWeipQBtEJ1YcwXQn72EKpG2heZ2EZZX02P/s320/Geff+Returning.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Got the anchor onboard My Peace attached it with a new shackle and re-anchored My Peace for a more restful night having the heaver anchor holding us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still shiver to think that if the old shackle had snapped during the high winds last Sunday night our adventure would have come to a very abrupt end on the sandy beaches of San Pedro.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><u>My thoughts, hope I don't offend anyone.</u></strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Just came down below into the cabin after being on deck looking at the stars, you can see the Milk Way looking up and the stars are like nowhere else I have ever been.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The new moon is just above the horizon to the west, the lights of Belize City can be seen reflecting off the clouds to the south, and the lights of San Pedro can be seen to the north.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just think less than 2 years ago I was content with sailing Canyon Lake, 8 miles long and 4 miles wide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked at the GPS and since 16 October 2009, we have traveled 5,797 nautical miles on My Peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Down the Chesapeake Bay from Chester MD to Norfolk, Virginia, to Morehead, North Carolina, off shore in the Atlantic to Charleston, NC, back in the Intercostal waterway to Savanna, GA, across the Atlantic to Cape Canaveral, FL, down the east coast of Florida to Key West, across the Gulf of Mexico<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to Port Aransas, TX, down to Port Isabel, TX, across the Gulf of Mexico to Progreso, Mexico, around the tip of the Yucatan to Isla Mujeres, Mexico, back across the Gulf of Mexico to Port Aransas, TX, then back down to Port Isabel, across the Gulf of Mexico to Progreso, Mexico, back around the tip of the Yucatan to Isla Mujeres, Mexico, down the east coast of the Yucatan in the Caribbean to Belize and we’re just getting started.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The sights we have seen, the Mayans celebrating the Summer Solstice, the Mayan ruins near Progreso, Mexico, the Mayan ruins in Tulum, Mexico, the second longest barrier reef in the world, the sunset from the north western tip of Isla Mujeres, a ship wreck on the reef outside Xcalak, Mexico, life on the various Cayes of Belize, the various cultures of the various peoples in the different countries we visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can truthfully say that the people we have met along the way for the most part have been wonderful, Americans, Canadians, French, Dutch, Mayan, Mexican, and the people of Belize. The nationals of the countries we have visited have been sincere and welcomed us into their countries with open arms and are more than willing to share their country and culture with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They separate the cruisers (yachties) from regular tourists and treat us differently, what I have seen of many tourists we have met they come to these countries flashing money, wanting to be waited on hand and foot, show little or no respect for the culture, people or the countries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is of little wonder that Americans are not respected around the world any more as a great many of them don’t deserve any respect by the way they act when they are away from their own country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I think about it they act the same way in America, maybe we the “Greatest Nation In the World” should learn from the so called third world countries on how to behave at home and aboard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think about it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">By no stretch of the imagination has it been easy, there have been storms encountered, anchor lost and recovered, continual maintenance to be performed, entering ports and breaks in the reefs that have scared us to death, and we have worked harder than either one of us have in our entire lives, but it is the greatest experience one could experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of our friends have said we are living the life and I guess we are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The thing we both miss the most is being able to take a “recreational shower” just to stand there and let the water pour over your body without having to worry about how long it is going to take the water maker to make the 80 gallons you can waste in a 15 minute shower.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(For those keeping track our water maker makes an average of 6 gallons of water per hour so that kind of shower would take the water maker 13.20 minutes to recover and it would process 8,000 gallons of sea water to make that 80 gallons of fresh water.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>My Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16363560994515892361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690672007622172023.post-84752286872435581242011-07-28T14:56:00.000-06:002011-07-28T15:38:08.966-06:00Isla Mujeres, Mexico to Caye Calker, Belize<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Before I get started a quick Mia note, anyone who knows us and Mia knows that Mia is a south Texas dog, likes beef, chicken and pork. Fish or any sea food product was never to her liking. After spending the past several months in the Yucatan and Caribbean she has come to realize that Rose and I are eating mostly sea food products, fish, shrimp, lobster, conch, octopus, squid, and the like and if she is to get table scraps she had better learn to like the same and she has. The reasonable priced meats are sea food and chicken, beef and pork are premium priced. In Belize, the Coke for a rum and coke is more expensive than the rum.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well this one is going to cover a lot of water, literally, from the northern tip of the Yucatan down to Belize. We departed Isla Mujeres, Mexico at 0715 hours Tuesday, 12 July. It was hard getting up in time to make the 0630 (as you see we didn’t) departure as the marina employees threw us a going away party. They cooked a 20 kilo red fish, rice, potatoes, salad, and tortillas, and yes unlimited quantities of cervesa Sol. Matt and Carla called it a night early around 2000 hrs and returned to their boat. Just as Rose and I were getting ready to go to the boat some new cruisers we had met earlier showed up and we visited for a few hours more. John and Beth are from Georgia and J & J are from Louisiana. We kind of let them know a little about Isla Mujeres and what was in store for them further down the coast, their destination is also Rio Dulce, Guatemala.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Surfer Beef</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBzLjdmdMQnQYcOF4I2z7GrASrA0wUtdVGEeuiOeXIw72TgFtXYrg8K99e8DbkA-KLhESEaLi8NHoG0TbaddSaJ9iLJx8SMbO7D6DdEGm5Wd0GCpKnBdKVPB9xdRnFZW4IMvgnll0HCkio/s1600/Surfer+Beef.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBzLjdmdMQnQYcOF4I2z7GrASrA0wUtdVGEeuiOeXIw72TgFtXYrg8K99e8DbkA-KLhESEaLi8NHoG0TbaddSaJ9iLJx8SMbO7D6DdEGm5Wd0GCpKnBdKVPB9xdRnFZW4IMvgnll0HCkio/s320/Surfer+Beef.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">That Beef dog is one crazy surfer</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIl1yiTVs3WTSw8-z0zWylNisitD26AvdP7ntZBmwSrReFjFfjg-A3DO7CAH_DLngPyU5A19GHX68W_wYTAKPYICgTzNjaWJgPT9J0gXDpV8BO5LE-iTkHpdoJUK7RwVBh1_ITIr7Efl0H/s1600/Beef+is+crazy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIl1yiTVs3WTSw8-z0zWylNisitD26AvdP7ntZBmwSrReFjFfjg-A3DO7CAH_DLngPyU5A19GHX68W_wYTAKPYICgTzNjaWJgPT9J0gXDpV8BO5LE-iTkHpdoJUK7RwVBh1_ITIr7Efl0H/s320/Beef+is+crazy.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our first stop was just a short run south to Puerto Morelos, Mexico. We are making it easy as no one is in a real hurry. We figured we would be there around 1300 hours and arrived at 1330 hours, a nice easy day sail. We entered the reef and proceeded to the area on the charts in the cruising guide to drop anchor. Just as we were ready to drop anchor a boat from the Mexican National Park Service pulled up and informed us that we could not anchor, we must use the mooring buoys furnished by the National Park Service. Matt wasn’t too sure about this as we didn’t know how well the buoys were maintained. We tied off onto the buoy and said a Prayer. Carla’s speaks beautiful Spanish so she checked us in with the port captain on the radio, he spoke a little English and it was a simple process, just told him we would be there over night. They held all night, but there again we didn’t have any high wind.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Potty run for Mia & Beef</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfY2UZfmRUSrWkVzLqfplIe2-MZwTOxE8KqY7b0_33TNtjrFiPGNewD21ycZB12iBN-HBkH2rXSTTog3ng8iiwRlB9SvvTzVpQ8cGolP1E6_0xLKfYOs9VP1wPFJTv7kepHp4_s4yAqq-s/s1600/Geff+%2526+Matt+return+from+potty+run+for+dogs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfY2UZfmRUSrWkVzLqfplIe2-MZwTOxE8KqY7b0_33TNtjrFiPGNewD21ycZB12iBN-HBkH2rXSTTog3ng8iiwRlB9SvvTzVpQ8cGolP1E6_0xLKfYOs9VP1wPFJTv7kepHp4_s4yAqq-s/s320/Geff+%2526+Matt+return+from+potty+run+for+dogs.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We launched my dinghy and rowed over to Matt & Carla’s boat and mounted his outboard on my dink, his is easier and lighter than mine, loaded both dogs and headed to shore. We walked around town let the dogs do their business, found a little store, purchased a few Sols, Rose found ice cream, and then headed back to the boats.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Escondida at anchor</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMjRi0YXLrYD-oxDTHW_jNbLx405Eb7eyY7pOxJNBY0OpL-Mc4W4Y68HE8LdNLK0bMyrToY1NgYBrWH_DU0k8UB0l5B4zmzT93O-_cykmoRmRwTEjuH9EqpRsPPkjb1SafzZIuxGUCrAfq/s1600/Escondida+at+anchor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMjRi0YXLrYD-oxDTHW_jNbLx405Eb7eyY7pOxJNBY0OpL-Mc4W4Y68HE8LdNLK0bMyrToY1NgYBrWH_DU0k8UB0l5B4zmzT93O-_cykmoRmRwTEjuH9EqpRsPPkjb1SafzZIuxGUCrAfq/s320/Escondida+at+anchor.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">13 July – Raised the sails while tied to the mooring buoy and headed out through the reef, planned arrival at Puerto Aventuras 1300 hours, another easy day sail. Due to there being no form of breakwater at the marina entry we wanted to get there with plenty of daylight and hopefully light seas. Our route took us between Cozumel and the Yucatan Peninsula with a 2 to 3 knot northerly current, not as good thing when you are trying to go south.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Entrance to Puerto Aventuraa</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6TbhOBC27sI12u6pOUCSJGYAWNtpIrsH63kT5XJ-F6le7rIHWwkGyrr101_6mGiPIDbncAiY8QSmi7hVo1BRkcIEh5hQGOGhg6MSA-K6qRgILbc1Sg2Be0SngMPDlfdu430qZviZbmNR/s1600/Entrance+to+Puerto+Aveturas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6TbhOBC27sI12u6pOUCSJGYAWNtpIrsH63kT5XJ-F6le7rIHWwkGyrr101_6mGiPIDbncAiY8QSmi7hVo1BRkcIEh5hQGOGhg6MSA-K6qRgILbc1Sg2Be0SngMPDlfdu430qZviZbmNR/s320/Entrance+to+Puerto+Aveturas.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Arrived Puerto Aventuras 1340 hours, Carla called the harbor master who by the way spoke perfect English thank God as he walked out to the entry point to the marina and explained to us how to line up on the range finder and time our entry based on the swells as they came in. I screwed up and instead of coming in on the valley of the swell I surfed this 17 ton 41 foot sailboat in on top of a 4 foot swell almost ending up on the rocks on the south side of the entry. Later when we went to the office to check in we were showed pictures of various boats that didn’t make it and ended up on the rocks.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mayan ruins Tulum</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFM3bzm_gtugjF900yt3EheEPULyDcdtRLnR0wMrj7tVvmSQpQGlhmNLUjoI33i8rocgMtUnUYPrAaUB0qqVK7uUi5rCX1VNU5DQTiX1wYpdp29AXAm7qVP8F7IUzejkt_LnzpcdYM1dW/s1600/Mayan+ruins+Tulum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFM3bzm_gtugjF900yt3EheEPULyDcdtRLnR0wMrj7tVvmSQpQGlhmNLUjoI33i8rocgMtUnUYPrAaUB0qqVK7uUi5rCX1VNU5DQTiX1wYpdp29AXAm7qVP8F7IUzejkt_LnzpcdYM1dW/s320/Mayan+ruins+Tulum.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWPgfRSY-ifbLZiEmVjrCu03JJdjdamxmhcNaLGZNy-MZoAM50v2xAjqlFzGsK0wRtTvJ8SC_jbSYuKZzeGc1UVbTuWBdOCfwUUgafv5nvXth-Hu16MWEiJTZ05al-2Cs_yTOasVCMAav/s1600/Mayan+ruins+Tulum+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWPgfRSY-ifbLZiEmVjrCu03JJdjdamxmhcNaLGZNy-MZoAM50v2xAjqlFzGsK0wRtTvJ8SC_jbSYuKZzeGc1UVbTuWBdOCfwUUgafv5nvXth-Hu16MWEiJTZ05al-2Cs_yTOasVCMAav/s320/Mayan+ruins+Tulum+2.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The purpose of our stop in Puerto Aventures was for Matt and Carla to visit an old friend who lived not far away. Rose and I took advantage of the stop to visit the Mayan ruins in Tulum. The Tulum ruins were more restored then the ones we had seen last year north of Progreso, but they were more commercialized. Puerto Aventures is an exclusive resort area, with guards at the main entrance on the highway. In the resort there was a golf course, many shops, restaurants, a museum about ship wrecks in the area, and several 4 star hotels. There is a fuel dock, but due to its location it was easier to load the Gerry cans on a golf cart and go to the Pemex station outside the gate. Spent 5 days in Puerto Aventures relaxing, sightseeing, performing minor repair, and catching up on the laundry. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Baracuda for dinner tonight </div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4iLedEt_lOtlX9om37Fr6c5J2I7lZyMGgZ9-LynjDOYAEezCYfNK4TAET2hTmLzRvpzNUg-auWHDoerc-B96WDR0O6Z6bqyVZUOTDvd43UU7P_aMRZEeclbGcL9WcL6fKeUVYRudCI4h/s1600/Baracuda+Dinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4iLedEt_lOtlX9om37Fr6c5J2I7lZyMGgZ9-LynjDOYAEezCYfNK4TAET2hTmLzRvpzNUg-auWHDoerc-B96WDR0O6Z6bqyVZUOTDvd43UU7P_aMRZEeclbGcL9WcL6fKeUVYRudCI4h/s320/Baracuda+Dinner.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">17 July – Departed Puerto Aventures 0600 hours for Punta Allen, encountered 4 squalls on this run, not bad the highest winds were around 25 knots, the boats did well. Encountered the last squall as we were about to enter the reef at Punta Allen, so we waited for the squall to pass before going through the reef. Arrived Punta Allen 1530 hours, dropped anchor, launched the dink and took Mia to shore to do her thing. We walked around the town found the only bar/grill there and had a Sol and went back to the boat. We grilled the barracuda that I had caught that day for dinner, we had a pitch in dinner with Matt & Carla, Carla is a fantastic chef. I grilled the fish and she did the rest.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Xcalak pier</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8TY4veqFpTFke8fSx3s4WVjb5UHe0j9bshaenKddL8Jwg6GjcEoQqpjUylqAQRVqGo9usBtWxLNAMMX_V_GhXDDRqbZ_rdIVhGzWN2LuCudvU3ssF7nGsAwtb50zixGgwlW7-rbeUelT/s1600/At+Anchor+oin+Puerto+Morelos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8TY4veqFpTFke8fSx3s4WVjb5UHe0j9bshaenKddL8Jwg6GjcEoQqpjUylqAQRVqGo9usBtWxLNAMMX_V_GhXDDRqbZ_rdIVhGzWN2LuCudvU3ssF7nGsAwtb50zixGgwlW7-rbeUelT/s320/At+Anchor+oin+Puerto+Morelos.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></span></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">18 July - Late start out of Punta Allen as this leg is an over-nighter to Xcalak where we were told we could checkout of Mexico, WRONG! Arrived Xcalak 0830 19 July, when we checked in with the port captain we were informed that one could no longer checkout of Xcalak, that we had to go to Chetumal, by boat about a 2 day sail, south into Belize waters then into Chetumal Bay, then back north to Chetumal. The other option was a 1,500 peso taxi ride to Chetumal, 2 hours each way. We chose the taxi and went to Chetumal to out process. Xcalak is a nice little village, spent a great deal of time at Toby’s as they had good food, cold Sol, and WIFI. Spent 5 days snorkeling and exploring Xcalak, when we weren’t in a taxi going to Chetumal. Matt & Carla had received a response from Belize that they had received the entry form for their dog Beef, bet we hadn’t received any word, so we sent it again with no response. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Escondida Under sail</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNQGoDuZGjeTngCqUaxH1BdmD2ZAqyzehq6FMEiMUaUIdeUg5mV6jAh0n6jlFTI1XLvWvvhM0pvSHZKXMZZ3dv7bn6TSsGL5zZThnEtSETrmo7zveqYATUOmtD0ekY8miAymbVFHc1bKX/s1600/Escondida+under+sail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNQGoDuZGjeTngCqUaxH1BdmD2ZAqyzehq6FMEiMUaUIdeUg5mV6jAh0n6jlFTI1XLvWvvhM0pvSHZKXMZZ3dv7bn6TSsGL5zZThnEtSETrmo7zveqYATUOmtD0ekY8miAymbVFHc1bKX/s320/Escondida+under+sail.jpg" t$="true" width="214" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ll never forget the sight as we entered the reef at Xcalak, there was a 50 foot trawler on the south point of the reef as we entered, talking to the locals, it had been there for about 3 weeks and they were just starting to tear it apart with chainsaws when we arrived. By the time we left they had cut their way down into the engine room and removed both diesel engines, all by hand except for the chainsaw.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Oops missed the cut</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jyYUyAdFTqvlYnL7gY8wgFs0lzcfTVqOAqjAeegnVhtSy-e_kWFI5JxyJ2r1Ve7YAa3cGojQhiJP4iX6mMrXP_W6mfd57Mv_1tZzxIjFNrJkFZY1ScdDXVdLi6wAzDHXLoJFniFJGQKE/s1600/Oops+missed+the+cut+Xcalak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jyYUyAdFTqvlYnL7gY8wgFs0lzcfTVqOAqjAeegnVhtSy-e_kWFI5JxyJ2r1Ve7YAa3cGojQhiJP4iX6mMrXP_W6mfd57Mv_1tZzxIjFNrJkFZY1ScdDXVdLi6wAzDHXLoJFniFJGQKE/s320/Oops+missed+the+cut+Xcalak.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Chillin'</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDfiAEEperV6qvKH-1UOjOB_SXp2OevfV5A5GilgS9qAG4Wkn0jtfze1QOxZiJtlhcgnxNIHcLnh0HN3LzPuz6nsTAhBGKuzwPDP440k33nwRWtO6SnD9e_yyrixMwOaToAAry3YdQFFTd/s1600/Unwinding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDfiAEEperV6qvKH-1UOjOB_SXp2OevfV5A5GilgS9qAG4Wkn0jtfze1QOxZiJtlhcgnxNIHcLnh0HN3LzPuz6nsTAhBGKuzwPDP440k33nwRWtO6SnD9e_yyrixMwOaToAAry3YdQFFTd/s320/Unwinding.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mexican Navy Xcalak </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh73RHZ0thEyebAoFFsiTd7q4DG1s9XiJZimz_6RwCTv5f5lY1zywc5s2uIDXxWrYYY_zT76ZIJzvLpPULk3MQUP7tCCEzB3xCCekJ28TAsrIr4h5UsoX9CBiV7FWe10QPq2v7RlUjRbDFO/s1600/Mexican+Navy+Xcalak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh73RHZ0thEyebAoFFsiTd7q4DG1s9XiJZimz_6RwCTv5f5lY1zywc5s2uIDXxWrYYY_zT76ZIJzvLpPULk3MQUP7tCCEzB3xCCekJ28TAsrIr4h5UsoX9CBiV7FWe10QPq2v7RlUjRbDFO/s320/Mexican+Navy+Xcalak.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">No wonder he missed</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoyqhPvfW7yiT4Gj6FKUJz_fihyphenhyphenBnNMMByysRu9TYIaZRaBLUOSKhBQLubasJJkm7dKbZktXs_arTpMCJYDeNjRkk5Erdjh_bCmi57KuYRVo7uVRDGRHzp8zfGL6K0nneqFJ5myyl98HiQ/s1600/No+wonder+he+missed+the+cut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoyqhPvfW7yiT4Gj6FKUJz_fihyphenhyphenBnNMMByysRu9TYIaZRaBLUOSKhBQLubasJJkm7dKbZktXs_arTpMCJYDeNjRkk5Erdjh_bCmi57KuYRVo7uVRDGRHzp8zfGL6K0nneqFJ5myyl98HiQ/s320/No+wonder+he+missed+the+cut.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The local bakery in Xcalak had fantastic bread and sweetbread, you could make a meal out of it. Unlike Punta Allen where the lights all went out at 2200 hours when they shut down the generator which produced the town’s electricity, Xcalak had power all night. Xcalak also has a Mexican navy station, and once had a ferry service which has been closed for a while now</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Xcalak Fishernam</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhym7mL2ChyphenhyphenByNmT0dZJiDGeujfSjTsWpx1lit83v93HW387AbCskDaSfsychDk1DVDRMRBCz9uyjYlkZWBXGQpOfDykqpxetdgLKo07syzYXEbgVzGso1xGbLSapOVsNhDPF0np2yM4cK6/s1600/Fisherman+Xcalak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhym7mL2ChyphenhyphenByNmT0dZJiDGeujfSjTsWpx1lit83v93HW387AbCskDaSfsychDk1DVDRMRBCz9uyjYlkZWBXGQpOfDykqpxetdgLKo07syzYXEbgVzGso1xGbLSapOVsNhDPF0np2yM4cK6/s320/Fisherman+Xcalak.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We encountered a storm the 2<sup>nd</sup> night we were in Xcalak and the boats moved closer to shore, 5 ½ under us so we re-anchored in deeper water and apparently they held better. The snorkeling was great, Conch were everywhere along with many colorful fish and giant Caribbean starfish. Even though it wasn’t Conch season there was plenty of Conch to be eaten prepared any way you wanted. Our favorite was shrimp and conch ceviche with chips.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We have been e-mailing the 2 new boats we met in Isla just before we left providing them with information we have learned along the way. The strongest piece of advice I would give anyone is “DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS RUN WITHOUT CAPT FREYA RAUSCHER’S CRUISING GUIDE”. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">24 July – Left Xcalak heading to Long Caye, Belize, 0545 hours, my son tells me we are on an extended vacation, my reply is if this was a vacation, I wouldn’t be getting up at 0400 hours to get ready to set sail for before 0600! It would be hard to make it to Belize City in a single day and by stopping at Long Caye, we will be able to make it in to Belize city before 1100 hours and avoid paying overtime rate to the officials. It was a great sail, making 5 ½ to 6 knots all the way. We covered 43 miles in 9 hours, not too bad! We arrived on the west side of Long Caye around 1515 hours,. Dropped anchor, fired up the generator, made ice, fixed dinner, kicked back made Rose a limeade and a margarita for myself. Ran out of margarita mix a long time ago, new secret recipe squeeze 15 limes, dissolve ½ pound sugar in 1 liter water, best margarita mix every consumed, just add Tequila. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">25 July – Set sail early so as to get to Belize City on time, around 0600 as I remember it. Shallow water all the way, especially in the cut between Hicks Caye and Montejo Caye, right at 4 ½ feet, the channel is marked with wooden sticks and the GPS reads about 30 feet to the east, DUH? Arrived at Cucumber Marina at 1130 hours, the officials were there to greet us and the people are very friendly. As it turns out there was no problem bringing Mia into Belize as we had all our paperwork in order. The lady from Agriculture looked at her for a minute, looked at her paperwork from our vet in the U.S. looked at the paperwork from the vet in Isla Mujeres, then made a joke that she had finished Mia’s paperwork and Mia ate it. All the officials were extremely friendly and very helpful. The total cost of checking into Belize was $340.00 USD, there was no charges for Mia as we had suspected that there would be. The cost involved was the transportation cost of the officials to drive out to the marina, 5 of them at $30.00 USD each. Then we had to go to the Port Authority and pay another fee of $190.00 USD for port fees and City of Belize fees. I guess it would have cost less if we had checked in at San Pedro, but couldn’t as Belize City is the only port of entry to check in with a dog. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Entrance to Cucumber Marina</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmNEErOvLPohwRFY0bGssEG8Maxl0IrKv7GVN_XvPCzdUlNcBntM3iefEwXqFBtfGGEImk32mZG4VYMBnRyXEktQUEQZkqX1WqR6pp_XI35q7TefIas6b_lsjYUWBXsxsC6Y7-27DkjchI/s1600/Entering+Cucumber+marina+Belize+City.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmNEErOvLPohwRFY0bGssEG8Maxl0IrKv7GVN_XvPCzdUlNcBntM3iefEwXqFBtfGGEImk32mZG4VYMBnRyXEktQUEQZkqX1WqR6pp_XI35q7TefIas6b_lsjYUWBXsxsC6Y7-27DkjchI/s320/Entering+Cucumber+marina+Belize+City.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Store Cucumber Marina</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNUQBuv1XTxTEnSA-4KnsydXBdLsNdK8brUqwRP6Ur9xTZxrUwx2LzAqMnRhQibt8ZR6CZXfvELb46g9-Sj5x3nW9vahyV2mpy1NeJ7WOQiW9qg03VCMH7cTKp1QOCvwKQzTQv2Y9W5Nm6/s1600/Local+store+Cucumber+Marina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNUQBuv1XTxTEnSA-4KnsydXBdLsNdK8brUqwRP6Ur9xTZxrUwx2LzAqMnRhQibt8ZR6CZXfvELb46g9-Sj5x3nW9vahyV2mpy1NeJ7WOQiW9qg03VCMH7cTKp1QOCvwKQzTQv2Y9W5Nm6/s320/Local+store+Cucumber+Marina.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Unfortunately even though we had reservations for 2 boats, there was only 1 slip, so My Peace took the dockside tie up and Matt & Carla on Escondida tied off on My Peace, yes they got a 50% discount. Water was $0.05 per gallon USD and electricity was $0.30 per KW, slip rent was $30.00 USD. The up side was they did have armed guards on duty all night, 2 of them walking around with riot guns, yes in Belize City it is needed. YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE ON THE STREETS IN BELIZE CITY AFTER DARK! You do not want to stay in the marina that is in the heart of Belize City! Cucumber Marina had a coin op laundry, but save your time and money do your laundry at Caye Caulker, Ruby’s Laundry at Caye Caulker will do 3 loads wash, dry, and fold for $30.00 BZD ($15.00 USD). Rose spent over 4 hours trying to get 2 loads done until 2100 hours being bitten to death by sand fleas and mosquitoes. (Still suffering from the bites 2 days later) Be sure to check the electricity and water meter they assign to you and record the numbers, it can be costly if you don’t.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Belize City Belize</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bYtdxXtUJ5hsYgTfir8iIec0ettyo_sZuTvpwHffFLtySk-eylvEA6A6u6LSwoCliNgaP8b3ZXZccdeST05A-D6oPP8Kktvqts07cdV4S8W_QvPwk3M8x24uRaIVwId4ZpPE6ZIkoPho/s1600/Belize+City.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bYtdxXtUJ5hsYgTfir8iIec0ettyo_sZuTvpwHffFLtySk-eylvEA6A6u6LSwoCliNgaP8b3ZXZccdeST05A-D6oPP8Kktvqts07cdV4S8W_QvPwk3M8x24uRaIVwId4ZpPE6ZIkoPho/s320/Belize+City.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">26 July – Weren’t able to get underway until around 1030 hours because of problems with the meter readings, they had calculated that I had used 134 KW electricity and over 600 gallons of water in less than 24 hours. Got it straightened out and was underway. Followed my track on the chart plotter back north as far as Long Caye, then made way to Caye Caulker. Arrived Caye Caulker 1530 hours and dropped anchor.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">South end of </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">caye Caulker</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA-zk2hpCJx4ZLxfvOcFopE23beI-OxplcUFTbNILOzYKXH49viy2H3raNhSgE1FFCe-TB3TOkuXP-v2vnj1iycuaFiNegM9pPYXcGCn3LFAmEmajmSFsFf6FeCVzvkCLrmIhTQQRLJj2p/s1600/South+end+Caye+Caulker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA-zk2hpCJx4ZLxfvOcFopE23beI-OxplcUFTbNILOzYKXH49viy2H3raNhSgE1FFCe-TB3TOkuXP-v2vnj1iycuaFiNegM9pPYXcGCn3LFAmEmajmSFsFf6FeCVzvkCLrmIhTQQRLJj2p/s320/South+end+Caye+Caulker.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Launched the dink and headed to shore, Mia has been great on waiting to go to shore and if it is a long day she uses the foredeck. Walked around town, nice little island, you can walk from one end to the other in about 15 minutes, all the way across the middle in 5. The people are friendly and very helpful, we tied up the dink at the “Fishermen’s Co-Op” and they watched over them while we were away. Had dinner at the Sand Box Restaurant, I had Jerk Chicken and Rose had Stewed Chicken and we shared an order of Lobster Fritters, a meal to die for and under $20.00 USD. Seems the further south you go the less expensive the food as long as it is local food. Other items like Coke, canned goods, and stuff imported, which almost everything in Belize is imported, are expensive. So eat native food, it is healthier for you anyway and you will save money.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">We are Here</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1WKlevcJ62DXun-vVRmetGWUz9zioszWoL9UY5NmM158L-fRjgHOG8CCpfUwvz1zFdmEXJucsyjnrvcRmWKqjWeW6-Qn-8eV_ETEeR1mrDQZj11c8V6oH4vF9sj6YWMlf88pio0lp_MY/s1600/We+are+here.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1WKlevcJ62DXun-vVRmetGWUz9zioszWoL9UY5NmM158L-fRjgHOG8CCpfUwvz1zFdmEXJucsyjnrvcRmWKqjWeW6-Qn-8eV_ETEeR1mrDQZj11c8V6oH4vF9sj6YWMlf88pio0lp_MY/s320/We+are+here.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">Anchor Holding</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0KF5IJoCVpe_CY32Tc3xE_vk77UmxJsOyHHx9it9VLK6wv1bTzG7Kj82FzAcErASnNrEK8vcHzkpzGd-ys5SxjW-ui1Zw-kVZh6KynGMCnrJiGmK-ahkqzX_yBcPqMPGDEnzZIlA5DHs/s1600/Anchor+holding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0KF5IJoCVpe_CY32Tc3xE_vk77UmxJsOyHHx9it9VLK6wv1bTzG7Kj82FzAcErASnNrEK8vcHzkpzGd-ys5SxjW-ui1Zw-kVZh6KynGMCnrJiGmK-ahkqzX_yBcPqMPGDEnzZIlA5DHs/s320/Anchor+holding.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">27 July – Went to shore and had the laundry done, found an internet café, purchased some lobster tails for dinner, around 4 lbs for $20.00 BZD from the Fisherman’s Co-Op, had some fried chicken, took the dink around the island to the only fuel source, came back to the boat and caught up on this e-mail. Still have to go through 2 weeks of pictures and pick out the ones we want to share with all of you, this will be accomplished in the morning. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My kind of palce</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5inNcbJ5csqcQS08JEtIohoyxj4mJ0JWH00b_apy28eDXvq0AVUpP-KIkKOTz37FYpXkrXO_J0BbTR0ay0_ASpXFz4c0cYrBng92WHhy2VObpDZ5buhT4EdBPWjftp6tu0TgL7drbHaeD/s1600/My+Kind+of+Place.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5inNcbJ5csqcQS08JEtIohoyxj4mJ0JWH00b_apy28eDXvq0AVUpP-KIkKOTz37FYpXkrXO_J0BbTR0ay0_ASpXFz4c0cYrBng92WHhy2VObpDZ5buhT4EdBPWjftp6tu0TgL7drbHaeD/s320/My+Kind+of+Place.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">Sand Crab Caye Culker</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYwAwh-rLQRzEAq_eiqaJGezmoRCxpZ6D8IwocJ4g_9L0PCfkT45oXIJhSGeoCqNiVj96sV0yQ1gN6XHoBWf-zq1TnqRkAbCKvgMsoJkwjZAAPU11qWpEvyf7u4o2PwGkJz5glfT2NlnFd/s1600/Sand+crab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYwAwh-rLQRzEAq_eiqaJGezmoRCxpZ6D8IwocJ4g_9L0PCfkT45oXIJhSGeoCqNiVj96sV0yQ1gN6XHoBWf-zq1TnqRkAbCKvgMsoJkwjZAAPU11qWpEvyf7u4o2PwGkJz5glfT2NlnFd/s320/Sand+crab.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">Lazy Lizard Swiming Hole Caye Culker</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhukxJFSGN0RG7vaulX0m7FaozlnLPK0fRKqMFJtVw3D7qcQeX4f3LGrNs4YwpVv_3b8j9nV0oU8-NJkJlZviiAB2S7iwXv8Aa6Kf6X1gNvm0iVNPPGIopT21J1pKBX3hprwdmdH2hHc0gR/s1600/Lazy+Lizard+swimming+hole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhukxJFSGN0RG7vaulX0m7FaozlnLPK0fRKqMFJtVw3D7qcQeX4f3LGrNs4YwpVv_3b8j9nV0oU8-NJkJlZviiAB2S7iwXv8Aa6Kf6X1gNvm0iVNPPGIopT21J1pKBX3hprwdmdH2hHc0gR/s320/Lazy+Lizard+swimming+hole.jpg" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div></span>My Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16363560994515892361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690672007622172023.post-79181683839107095782011-07-27T14:18:00.000-06:002011-07-27T14:18:15.811-06:00Adventures of My Peace<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCv2LUgP4TkxH3H6-SpPN5p6tbRH5cjCpWipecTIdeeo86gEId2YZVECj2AQUSScCSh7tRWrWYeUurBnK7Sx7noBDJqRBE5BU8DxCWuRmYBEEzxW-xbDyVUAY9mh8Y9fk3-Vhp_9XtRANk/s1600/My+Peace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCv2LUgP4TkxH3H6-SpPN5p6tbRH5cjCpWipecTIdeeo86gEId2YZVECj2AQUSScCSh7tRWrWYeUurBnK7Sx7noBDJqRBE5BU8DxCWuRmYBEEzxW-xbDyVUAY9mh8Y9fk3-Vhp_9XtRANk/s320/My+Peace.jpg" t$="true" width="256" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt;">18 May 2011 -</span></u></b> Many of you are new to the “My Peace” travel log so we are sending this out to bring everyone up to speed. My Peace is a 1984 41 foot Irwin center cockpit cutter rigged ketch with a displacement of 16 tons, so let’s get started with the basic boat design. Center cockpit, instead of the helm being located in the stern (back) of the boat it is in the center of the boat giving us better visibility and more comfort than a stern cockpit. The cockpit has the ability of being fully enclosed with “Izon Glass (heavy duty clear plastic) curtains making it comfortable in all weather conditions. (The length of 41 feet is length of deck; add to that 4 feet of bow sprit and 6 feet of solar panels on the stern giving 51 feet overall length)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A ketch is a sailboat with two masts. The difference between a ketch and a yawl is the mizzen mast,(the one mounted at the stern of the boat) on a ketch is located forward of the rudder post, a yawl the mizzen is located aft or behind the rudder post.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Cutter rigged, there is an extra jib sail, the stay sail, located aft of the main stay on the front of the boat where the Genoa sail is located and traditionally the Genoa is cut higher from the deck.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This design spreads the sail area over 4 sails instead of two, allowing us to carry more sail area than a traditional sloop (a boat with two sails) but provides easier handling as the sail area is spread across four sails.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My Peace has a 62 hp Perkins 4 cylinder diesel engine for auxiliary power used for docking as well as in conditions when it is not particle to sail. The Perkins has a 110 amp alternator that can be used for charging the “house batteries” when required.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The house batteries are the batteries that stores the electricity for powering the electronics such as the VHF radio, SSB radio, cabin lights, radar, GPS, chart plotter, refrigerator, freezer, water maker, fresh water pump, bilge pump, 400 watt power inverter for the laptop PC, navigation lights, and the list goes on. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is a 6KW Northern Lights generator powered by a Lugar 3 cylinder diesel engine, the purpose of which is because we are spoiled. The generator creates 6KW of electricity at 1,800 rpm using less than ½ gallon of diesel per hour. The electricity from the generator is used when we need to charge batteries, run the air conditioners, microwave, George Foreman, ice maker, the 32” LCD TV and DVD player in the main salon, or the 22” LCD TV and DVD player in the Capitan’s cabin when away from shore, or any other electrical device that isn’t 12 volt DC. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Part of our communication system is “SPOT” we run this device all the time when we are away from shore. About every 20 minutes SPOT transmits our GPS location to a database somewhere in the US and it is stored there and can be accessed by anyone that has the URL and password for access which is at the bottom of this paragraph. You must be patient with me, there is one wrinkle in SPOT, I must manually reset it every 24 hours, which I forgot to do on our way from Port Aransas to Port Isabel, I promise to do better Danny. Normally the SPOT website will display our travel on Google Maps, and is fairly accurate, but I noticed on our trip from Port Aransas to Port Isabel it was pretty screwed up. Go check it out.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I suggest that you cut and paste this URL into your browser: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=1tnzsXhSMMaxyxQqzX0BGc7osH87cpb1a"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">https://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=1tnzsXhSMMaxyxQqzX0BGc7osH87cpb1a</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The password is sailing</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To improve the quality of life onboard we have two 1,600 BTU reversible air conditioners, they work at AC, heat, or just dehumidifiers. I remember a day last year in the Yucatan we actually got the cabin temperature down to 68 degrees when it was 120 degrees outside.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are 4 solar panels mounted on the stern which have the capability of producing 32 amps or 530 watts of solar energy.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We have a 11.5 foot hard bottom inflatable dinghy with a 9.9hp Mercury outboard motor we use for transportation when at anchor or just for running around looking for a place to SCUBA dive. We used the dinghy considerably last trip to Isla Mujeres in the Yucatan for going to El Centro and to the reefs around the island.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is a 6 man off-shore life raft mounted on deck with water and supplies to support life for 7 days, if required. Packed in the life raft are a hand held VHF radio and an EPIRB (locating beacon).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Communications equipment includes a VHF (short range) radio, a Single Side Band (SSB) radio capable of communicating anywhere in the world. The SSB is also used to connect to the laptop computer using Weather Fax 2000 software for weather information. The laptop receives the digital SSB signal through a USB connection and converts it to weather Fax. We also have SIRIS SR 50 satellite weather system attached to the Ray Marine C80 display unit located at the helm which provides us with real-time weather information.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For navigation we use Coastal Explorer software loaded on the laptop which is attached to a GPS antenna via a USB connection as well as a chart plotter which displays on the Ray Marine C80 display unit mounted at the helm. Also displaying on the C80 is Ray Marine 24 NM radar.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The 8 gallon per hour water maker using reverse osmosis will produce 8 gal of fresh from sea water every hour. The down side of the water maker is it uses 18 amps of electricity every hour to produce the water, therefore it is only used during daylight hours or when running the generator or the Perkins. The water maker was added after our last trip to the Yucatan, and as far as rose is concerned other than the air conditioners the water maker was one of the nicest additions. The water maker provides the ability to take a “recreational shower” any time she wants anywhere we happen to be, even 300 miles off shore, every few hours if she so desires. When it is 125 degrees at anchor of the coast of the Yucatan this is very important to Rose. Another advantage to the water maker is at some of the Caribbean islands water can cost as much as $0.50 per gallon, now we can make our own. It takes about 100 gallons of sea water to make 1 gallon of fresh water. The quality of the water it makes is actually better than the water in most cities. The acceptable measurement for fresh water established by the World Health Organization (WHO) is less than 500 ppm of suspended particulates. Most city water measures around 350 ppm, the water maker output is between 300 ppm down to 150 ppm. Ozarka bottled water is around 60 ppm. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the galley Rose has an ice maker, George Foremen Grill, Mr. Coffee, Micro wave, 3 burner propane stove and oven, refrigerator, freezer, double stainless steel sink, Both the freezer and refrigerator use 12 volt DC electricity and only around 2 amps each. The George foremen, ice maker, Mr. Coffee, micro wave run on 110 volt AC current, so to use them either we must be attached to shore power at a marina or have the generator running.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">That about covers My Peace except for below deck below deck there two “heads” (restrooms) each with its own shower, a forward “V” berth, main salon, galley, nav station, and aft “Captain’s Cabin”. There are two 80 gallon fresh water storage tanks, one 60 gal fresh water tank, two 40 gallon diesel tanks for the Perkins, one 21 gallon diesel tank for the generator, and two 30 gallon sewage tanks. (We also have eight 5 gallon Gerry cans of diesel above deck for reserve).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One could consider that My Peace is almost totally self contained.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">While we are out of country we love to receive e-mail, but data transfers can be very expensive, so we request that e-mail sent to us be less than 1 MB in size. If sending pictures, please use some kind of graphics editor to reduce the size down to 800X600 or less. Please do not send large video files, we love to see them, but they are very expensive to receive. We will let you know when we are at a marina that has free WIFI, when we are at one of those we can receive anything.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Attached are a few pictures of the interior of My Peace so you can see for yourself how rough we have it. Sorry the picture quality is so poor, these were taken with my cell phone.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt;">18 May 2011 - </span></u></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looks like we’re stuck in Port Isabel for a while, just checked Passage Weather and we have it dead on the bow for another week. Link to Passage Weather: </span><a href="http://www.passageweather.com/"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">http://www.passageweather.com/</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When the site opens click in the RED box over the Gulf of Mexico, then click in the TEAL BLUE box on the Gulf of Mexico. “Surface Winds” is the first display, you can click on “Animate” which will provide a 180 hour forecast. The long end of the wind flag denotes the wind direction, the short lines denote the wind speed in knots, each short line represents 10 knots, a half line represents 5 knots.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The third display in the page represents the wave height and direction which can also be automated.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This site does provide a 180 hour forecast, but remember only the first 72 hours are “maybe” accurate.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt;">20 May 2011 - </span></u></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not my day, I was repositioning My Peace and screwed up resulting in “ramming” a concrete piling in reverse smashing the starboard stern solar rack. Damage is minor, 1 panel, and straightening the rack. Guess it isn’t my time to head out, will be delayed another week or so accomplishing repairs and awaiting parts. Surprising enough the solar power system is still generating power, can’t disconnect it until after dark to start repairs.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt;">27 May 2011 - </span></u></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a pretty good ride from Port Aransas to Port Isabel, took about 27 hours dock to dock. Our friends here were waiting for our arrival helped us tie up than took us to lunch. Now I’m ready for a nap. Mia did well, a little anxious a lot of the way, but all in all she did well. The last 6 hours were a little dicey there was a major wind shift about 0400 hours and the waves couldn’t make up their minds which way they wanted to go so it was just one big wash machine with 6 foot chop, not fun but have been in worse.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Nappy time for us, more later. Sorry about not resting “Spot” after 24 hours, been awhile, I promise to do better next time Danny, thanx for the reminder.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt;">1 June <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2011 - </span></u></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally we are underway across the gulf to Isla Mujeres, the trip is 714 nautical miles, should take us 6 to 10 days. During this time our only communication will be via “Spot” </span><a href="https://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=1tnzsXhSMMaxyxQqzX0BGc7osH87cpb1a"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">https://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=1tnzsXhSMMaxyxQqzX0BGc7osH87cpb1a</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> password sailing</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We love to receive e-mail<b>, but please do not send large files</b>, nothing over 1 MB, e-mail is expansive for us to receive unless we are at a location with wifi. We will send out another log with pictures of our crossing when we reach Isla Mujeres, Yucatan, Mexico.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">God Bless all of you and keep you safe, you are all in our Prayers.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt;">8 June <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2011 - </span></u></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally arrived Progreso, Yucatan, Mexico, the wind wasn’t kind to us on this trip, left wrong time of year and had the easterlies dead on the nose most of the way. Never a day with the wind less than 10 knots which keep us cool, but used a lot of diesel. The seas were 4 to 6 feet for the most part sometimes 8 to 10 and higher, but seldom less than 4 foot..</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It took about 7 ½ days to cross to Progreso, and yes I lived up to my word and no tobacco products made the trip. After smoking Marlboro “Reds” for over 50 years I quit cold turkey. What else can you do there are no convenience stores in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. (Yes I’m still married, Mia is still alive, and Rose is still speaking to me)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mia took a few days to get used to being at sea, her big problem was accepting the fact she could do her “business” on the deck and not get in trouble. She also had to learn she could not be on deck without a life jacket and a tether. Now she goes to the edge of the edge of the cockpit and barks to have her life jacket and a tether put on so she can “go outside”. When I caught my big fish she just sat in the cockpit and watched as Rose took pictures and I brought in the fish. This was a catch and release, no place to store that much fresh fish for 4 or 5 days so why kill it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Processing into Mexico gets easier every time we do it. We tied up at 2 this morning, put up the “Q” flag. Met with the marina manager at 8 this morning, filled up with diesel, moved to our slip, by 10 six government agents were at the boat and with our broken Spanish and their broken English we got through the process without an agent. (saved $100.00) </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are planning to stay in Progreso until Saturday then head to Isla Mujeres for a few days to visit friends then to Rio Dulce. Promised Rose dinner at El Flamingo on Ocean Drive in great downtown Progreso tonight her favorite restaurant here, she likes the flaming banana desert.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Cell phone calls are $0.99 per minute, to send a text message is $0.50, to receive a text message is $0.05. Skype is free, almost all marinas have WIFI so we are going to use Skype for our primary form of communication. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt;">14 June <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2011 - </span></u></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Left Progreso around 0900 hrs Sunday, 12 June heading for Isla Mujeres, to no surprise once again the wind was on our nose, having to motor most of the way. Every now and then we would get a good storm which would cause the winds to clock in our favor and we did take full advantage of it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was about midnight Sunday night and a Ponga, a small Mexican fishing boat pulled up to us in the middle of a storm and wanted to know which way shore was. Due to the storm they couldn’t see any starts or moon for direction and they say our lights. They were only about 15 miles off shore, but in that boat and that storm, no way would you catch me out in it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Roberto is the manager of Marina Yucalpeten and we have become good friends during our past two visits to Progreso. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mia has begun to sense when we are coming into port, she sees the land and just stands watch waiting for us to get there. She has turned into a real great sailing dog. This morning we had to go to anchor before we came into the marina so I could come ashore and make a deal on the slip. The one I had at El Milagro last year had an 85 foot ketch in it so I had to take the one next to it. Mia jumped into the dinghy and we motored in to the marina picked our slip went back to the boat and brought her in.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once tied up we got in the dinghy and motored across the harbor to Los Brizas for some Sopa Limon, ten back to the boat for a quick swim and some much needed rest.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Taking the ferry to Cancun in the morning to go to Wal Mart for a few provisions, Thursday we will snorkel the north reef, and Friday head south to Guatemala. Time is running short the season has already started and the Caribbean water are getting warmer every day. We need to get close to protected waters soon.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt;">16 June <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2011 - </span></u></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yesterday we took the “Jet Ferry” to Cancun to go to Wal-Mart to pick up some supplies, Rose had entered “shopping withdrawal”, (she says not true, not true) so the trip was totally necessary. I don’t see how the locals can afford it, all the prices were stateside, and in many cases more expansive, a kilo of bananas was $111.00 pesos, around 45 cents a pound, a 6 pack of cans of Coke were $367.00 pesos, we purchased a 12 pack in Port Aransas for $3.00 dollars before we left. One can shop the market place, but you have to swat the flies off the food to see what it looks like.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This morning we had 4 young ladies at the marina who were from Russia and had never seen the inside of a sailboat so Rose, Mia and I invited them onboard, they couldn’t believe how spacious My Peace was below decks, let alone two TVs. Very nice ladies and we really enjoyed the culture exchange, Yes Rose was aware, she took the picture.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The dog is Foster, the “marina dog” he has become Mia’s guardian, we were having coffee in the common area this morning and another dog wandered into the marina area and was giving Mia a hard time, all 130 pounds of Foster got up and chased the other dog away because it was giving Mia a hard time, everyone thought it was real funny because Foster very seldom moves, let alone show any kind of aggression toward anything or anyone. If a stranger comes in, he lets out one woof and that’s it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Most likely staying in Isla Mujeres another few days, then heading to Cozumel. We will out process Mexico in Cozumel and head to Guatemala.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt;">17 June <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2011 - </span></u></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today we went snorkeling with the whale sharks. The rules are very strict, you must either wear a life jacket or a wetsuit for floatation, you can’t hitch a ride on a shark, and stay away from the tail, other than that anything goes. It was about an hour ride out to where they were schooling, the seas were about 1 to 2 feet, not bad at all. There were 8 of us on the boat plus the dive master and the boat captain. We had a short briefing at the dock got on the boat and off we went.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When we arrived the whale sharks were everywhere, must have been between 50 and 70 of them mostly between 30 and 40 feet, except for one that was easily 55 feet in length. They were feeding on the surface eating brine shrimp, the water was about 200 feet deep where we were. They just lazily swam around, not bothered by the 15 or so Pongas, (a ponga is a Mexican fishing boat about 25 feet long with a high bow) that had the snorkelers onboard.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The captain would position the boat near a feeding shark and the dive master and two snorkelers would drop over the side of the ponga and swim up to the shark and swim with him and watch him as he was feeding. The most dangerous part of the whale shark was the tail and we were warned to stay away from that end of the fish.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The whale shark is a fish unlike a whale which is a mammal, we were told the only predators of the whale shark is the Japanese and Orcas. Yes like everything else in the sea the Japanese hunt the whale sharks and harpoon them for food. I did Google the whale shark last night and found that very little is known about them or their migratory habits, if interested it was good reading.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When we got back to Isla Mujeres we stopped at the north reef for some snorkeling for a little while then back to the marina.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt;">18 June <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2011 - </span></u></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Earlier I e-mailed and referred to a Mexican fishing boat as a “Ponga”, the true name is Panga, my bad. I looked it up and here is what I found. (Thanx Luis)</span></div><span style="font-size: 11pt;">“The <b>Panga</b> is a type of modest-sized, open, outboard-powered, fishing boat common throughout much of the developing world, including Central America, the Caribbean, parts of Africa, the Middle East, and much of Asia. The original panga design was developed by Yamaha as part of a World Bank project circa 1970. Pangas are commonly operated directly off of beaches. The name derives from a type of fish that many of the fisherman using them caught. In addition to being used by fishermen, pangas are also popular with Somali pirates.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Key features of the panga design are a high bow, narrow waterline beam, and a flotation bulge along the gunwale, or top edge of the hull. The high bow provides buoyancy for retrieving heavy nets, and minimizes spray coming over the bow. The narrow beam allows the hull to be propelled by a modest-sized outboard motor. The flotation bulge along the gunwale provides increased stability at high angles of roll. These features link the panga design to traditional Japanese wasen fishing boats.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The original Yamaha panga design had a length of 22 feet, and a waterline beam of approximately 5 feet 6 inches. The flotation bulge at the gunwale increased the overall beam to approximately 6 feet 6 inches.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Pangas are usually between 19 and 28 feet (5.79 and 8.53 m) in length, with capacities ranging from 1 to 5 short tons (0.89 to 4.46 long tons; 0.91 to 4.54 </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonne" title="Tonne"><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt;">t</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt;">) and powered by outboard motors of between<br />
45 and 200 hp (34 and 150 kW). Their planing hulls are capable of speeds in excess of 35 knots (40 mph; 65 km/h).</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The hulls are made of Fiberglass or </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibre-reinforced_plastic" title="Fibre-reinforced plastic"><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt;">FRP</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt;">, heavily reinforced by numerous </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulkhead" title="Bulkhead"><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 11pt;">bulkheads</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> and usually have bow and stern enclosed flotation compartments.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">In the hands of an experienced operator they are considered extremely seaworthy. Most pangas are expected to have a working life of between 5 to 10 years if properly maintained.”</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt;">20 June <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2011 - </span></u></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a very wet Father’s Day (Feliz dia de Papa) we woke up to nice sunshine this morning. Spent the day walking around the island today, mostly on the north end. Stopped by our friends restaurant Sunset Grill in Playa Norte. They invited us to the celebration of the “summer solstice”. A special Mayan day with a celebration at the Mayan ruins in Punto Sur, the southernmost tip of the island. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Punto Sur is also the easternmost point of the island as well as of all Mexico. It is said that if you are there when the sun rises you are the first person in Mexico to see the sun that day.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To my ex-boss, (thinking of you Scott) this is “Magic Donkey Day” roughly translated “</span><a href="http://www.spanishdict.com/translate/día" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">día</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><a href="http://www.spanishdict.com/translate/de" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">de</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><a href="http://www.spanishdict.com/translate/burro" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">burro</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><a href="http://www.spanishdict.com/translate/mágico" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">mágico</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">”. According to Scott, any boy, girl, or adult that didn’t receive a Christmas gift that is sports related will receive the unwrapped gift the morning of “Magic Donkey Day”. I tried to convince him while I was working that a six pack of beer and potato chips were sports related when I was sitting in front of the TV watching a sports program. He didn’t buy off on that one.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We will be leaving the marina around 8 in the morning and will take pictures and forward them tomorrow evening. This is apparently a serious celebration as all women attending are requested to wear a long white dress and the men a white shirt. (No my Spanish isn’t getting that much better, I found the Spanish translator on my computer.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rose doesn’t have a long white dress on the boat so this gave her an excuse to go shopping with Felipe’s wife Margareta, broke Rose’s heart having to go shopping. I do have a white shirt, but do I get a new one because mine is dirty, NO, I get to wash it out by hand this evening and dry it over night. Where’s the equality in this one? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt;">21 June <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2011 - </span></u></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Got up early this morning to go to Punta Sur for the Mayan celebration of the summer solstice. It was totally awesome. The chanting was mostly in Spanish but some Mayan dialect was mixed in, as well as it was translated into English. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The “Charmin” gave thanks to the gods east, west, north and south, the one thing that stood out to me is his statement “we do not own the earth, were are from the earth”. All in attendance were purified with incense and offerings of fruit and flowers were left for “Mother Earth”, as well as prayers and thoughts. The Mayans were not into living sacrifices, they were farmers, scientist, and mathematicians. The Aztecs from central Mexico were into living sacrifices, usually the sacrifices were slaves and captives from raids on other tribes especially the Mayan people. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">That’s it for today, not sure what is in store for tomorrow, but sure we’ll find something.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt;">25 June <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2011 - </span></u></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since I wrote what is below, the winds have picked up and it is raining buckets. They really need the rain here, the Yucatan is a desert and it really greens up when it gets wet. We could do without the wind though, puts a new meaning to “Old time rock and roll”.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are totally on our own water now, making fresh out of sea water. 100 gallons of sea water to make 1 gallon of fresh using reverse osmosis, sure am glad we have plenty of sea water. We can make about 7 -8 gallons per hour, but the system draws 18 amps so we only make water in the day time when we have good sunshine on the solar panels. This will make life nice when we get to the eastern Caribbean where the fresh water cost between $0.05 and $0.25 per gallon. We have storage capacity for 260 gallons of fresh water, so we have plenty for showers.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is a 32’ sailboat at anchor across from us and their water maker only produces 2 gallons per hour so they have to be very careful with their water. They do have the advantage of a wind generator which produces electricity as long as the wind is above 6 knots. We take so much for granted when we are snug in our homes on the mainland, it’s a whole different world out here you must rely on yourself and your friends. “Yachties” or cruisers whichever way you want to call us are a very tight community even though we are nomads we continually are dumping into each other in the various ports and anchorages around the Caribbean. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are 3 boats that are heading down to Rio Dulce in a week or so and as it stands for now we will be traveling together which will make it nice when we arrive in Guatemala for safety’s sake. The joke in Rio Dulce is, a “Yachtie” saw another rowing his dinghy to shore in Livingston, Guatemala and hollered at him that it would be easier if he had an outboard. The man in the dinghy replied “he once had one”. The highest theft item in the Rio is outboards. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Geff </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We had a tropical depression move in today, the winds haven’t cranked up yet but they are supposed to get up to over 35 knots tomorrow, just rain. So we all set around up in the commons area at the marina and had dinner. Went to the Mayan bar-b-que place, Kash-Keken-Chuc, and brought 4 chickens and had dinner with the whole marina staff. I learned a very important lesson. Jaime brought out the dice and we all played dice, 3 dice in the cup, 1 peso to play and the high number wins. When you get 8 or 9 people playing, that is 8 to 9 pesos a throw. Watch out for Rose, she was the second highest winner of the night. (After 3 hours, she came out about 20 pesos ahead, about $1.80 USD) Never saw Rose gamble before, but she got into it. (Cleaned me out) </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Listening to the radio just now I heard several of the restaurants on the island were closing tomorrow due to the weather. No tourist business from Cancun. The weather is supposed to be nasty for the next few days, high winds, high seas, and thunderstorms, but still the worst day in Isla Mujeres beats the best day, anywhere else. (Actually the storms are dropping the highs to 85 and below a welcome break from the 100+ we have been experiencing.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A normal day is to get the chores done in the cool of the morning then have a little lunch, take the dinghy to Playa Norte, get a bucket of Sol for 60 pesos and kick back and soak in the cool Caribbean until around 7 then head back to the marina, get a shower and eat dinner. (Tuff life but somebody has to do it.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Every morning Rose gets up around 7 and takes Mia for a walk to El Centro, visits her friend Tiffany, maybe has a cup of ice coffee at Tiffany’s Bakery Barloito, then walks back to the marina and catches up on “house cleaning”. I do whatever chores I need to accomplish for the day, like clean the filters in the water maker, polish the diesel fuel, clean the salt off the boat, scrape the barnacles off the bottom of the boat, and watch the world go by.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt;">26 June <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2011 - </span></u></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do you say tornado in Spanish? Yes we got hit this morning about 8:30, no damage to our boat, the marina lost some trees, the marina next to us lost a lot of trees and two buildings. It is quite a shock to be setting on your boat drinking your morning coffee and it heels 40 degrees while tied to the dock. Surprisingly enough we lost nothing in the rigging. One fuel can that wasn’t strapped down almost went over the side. The guys on shore said it picked up just as it went over our boat. A friend who is on the hook, (at anchor) out in the harbor said it spun his boat is circles.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt;">27 June <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2011 - </span></u></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As promised here are the storm pictures. During the height of the storm you couldn’t see the boats from the shore due to the rain. No serious damage to any boats thank God. When I was bailing out my dinghy I found a child’s toy in it that the tornado left me for a souvenir.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now that the worst is over we are having a pitch in lunch of Mayan bar-b-que chicken, (my favorite) with the marina employees and some of our friends. Matt and Carla were out on the hook and Matt radioed me that his boat was spinning so fast when he got hit that he was making 5 knots going in circles, Bill and Anna also on the hook slept through it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The marina crew spent most of the afternoon cutting up the fallen trees between thunder showers, really made surprising progress considering the weather. El Milagro has a great bunch of folks working for them, just as soon as the tornado cleared out Jaime and Julio were at our boat checking to be sure we were alright. They said they saw it hit our boat and was afraid we would be de-masted.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt;">28 June <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2011 - </span></u></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yesterday we took the “Jet Ferry” to Cancun to go to Wal-Mart to pick up some supplies, Rose had entered “shopping withdrawal”, (she says not true, not true) so the trip was totally necessary. I don’t see how the locals can afford it, all the prices were stateside, and in many cases more expansive, a kilo of bananas was $111.00 pesos, around 45 cents a pound, a 6 pack of cans of Coke were $367.00 pesos, we purchased a 12 pack in Port Aransas for $3.00 dollars before we left. One can shop the market place, but you have to swat the flies off the food to see what it looks like.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This morning we had 4 young ladies at the marina who were from Russia and had never seen the inside of a sailboat so Rose, Mia and I invited them onboard, they couldn’t believe how spacious My Peace was below decks, let alone two TVs. Very nice ladies and we really enjoyed the culture exchange, Yes Rose was aware, she took the picture.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The dog is Foster, the “marina dog” he has become Mia’s guardian, we were having coffee in the common area this morning and another dog wandered into the marina area and was giving Mia a hard time, all 130 pounds of Foster got up and chased the other dog away because it was giving Mia a hard time, everyone thought it was real funny because Foster very seldom moves, let alone show any kind of aggression toward anything or anyone. If a stranger comes in, he lets out one woof and that’s it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Most likely staying in Isla Mujeres another few days, then heading to Cozumel. We will out process Mexico in Cozumel and head to Guatemala.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt;">29 June <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2011 - </span></u></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Zuemy’s daughter, Mayreli Gissel, came by the marina this morning for a little while, Rose had a ball swinging and playing with her. It has been almost 2 months since Rose has been with our granddaughter, Sofi and Rose was starting to go into “granddaughter withdrawal”. Rose really enjoyed the time she had with Mayreli Gissel.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The security guard apparently got bored and made a lasso out of fish line and roped a three foot iguana. I picked the iguana up and rolled it on its back and stroked it’s stomach and put it to sleep, then laid it in the grass where it laid until I rolled it over and it took off. Wish I would had the camera for that one, maybe tomorrow. These people had never seen an iguana put to sleep before, they thought I had killed it until I woke it up.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The east reef is a national park which is protected by the government. When the snorkel cruises go out to the reef, there is always a federal boat present to insure all the snorkelers have live jackets on. The idea behind the lifejacket is with one on, the terrorist, I mean tourist, can’t go down and touch or break the coral keeping the reef pristine. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Had dinner at Broaster Chicken had a six piece, two large sides (coleslaw and mashed potatoes) and two biscuits, cost $95.00 pesos, and it was GREAT. The mashed potatoes were interesting, instead of gravy on top it was bar-b-que sauce, we took them back to the boat with us and scooped the bar-b-que sauce off, warmed them in the microwave and ate them with butter. Besides the bar-b-que sauce they were served cold. (Interesting) BUT THE CHICKEN WAS GOOD!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tropical storm Arlene 150 miles of the gulf coast of Tuxpan, Mexico is made up of the storm system that kicked our tails last weekend. The Caribbean is warming up real fast this summer and as soon as we can get a weather window after the 4<sup>th</sup> of July we’re heading to safer water in Rio Dulce, Guatemala.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt;">1 July <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2011 - Comienza la temporada de langosta (lobster season began today) </span></u></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Hoy comienza la temporada de langosta, (lobster season began today). The first boats came in and it looks like they will have a good season. I saw a few they caught today that would go over 12 pounds, not bad for a Caribbean lobster, but kind of small for Texas crawfish. Being the first day the prices are a little high $200.00 pesos a kilo or about $9.50 USD per pound, head on. The Caribbean lobster doesn’t have any claws, but you had better have on steel mesh gloves if you try to pick one up, they are also called Spinney Lobster and if you try to pick one up without a glove, the spines on their back will do some real damage to your hand. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our friends Matt and Carla had to pick up some friends at the airport in Cancun this evening so Mia has an overnight guest, Beef, a 2 year old Schnauzer. Beef has done well other than missing his mommy and daddy, but Mia and Beef get along well and play nicely together. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was listening to a Larry Joe Taylor CD this afternoon and one of his songs is about a boat, the melody is “my house doesn’t have a front yard, but has a starboard, and rocks and rolls”, boy does that sound familiar. Larry Joe will actually be here in Isla Mujeres the 22<sup>nd</sup> July through 1 August, playing at a club in El Centro called Jax. We want to stay and see him as we know him from Bahia Marina in Ingleside, Texas and Back Porch in Port Aransas, Texas where he plays regularly. We are just going to have to wait and see what the weather is going to do.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt;">1 July<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2011 - Great Day at Playa Norte </span></u></b>Got all our chores done and jumped in the dink and headed to Playa Norte to meet up with Matt & Carla and their friends that just flew in from Houston at Playa Norte. Shannon and Laura brought Matt and Carla an new dinghy. Their old one was splitting at the seams and had to be pumped up every few hours.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">While at Playa Norte we met Marcos and Maria from Argentina, a very nice couple. We exchanged e-mail addresses and visited for a while. Marcos said if we get as far south as Argentina to give them a call and we’ll have a bar-b-que. We have met the most wonderful people from all over the world this trip and it has been great.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt;">4 July<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2011 - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Viva Los Etados Unidos Viva Mexico Libertad Para Todos (Long Live the United States Long Live Mexico Liberty for All) </span></u></b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Viva Los Etados Unidos Viva Mexico Libertad Para Todos.” That was the toast tonight at out 4<sup>th</sup> of July party this evening. (over and over again) Jaime and Julio prepared a fantastic bar-b-que for everyone. Pollo y cerdo, (chicken and pork), salad, rice, garlic toast made from Bollios (sp) (a Mexican roll), cucumber, Jamaica (kind of like a turnip) cerveza, and Carla fixed the best margaritas. Our local hosts put together the best 4th of July party that I have ever had the pleasure of attending.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">No fireworks, they are illegal in Mexico, but all the fun and culture exchange they were never missed. It appears cerveza Sol was the drink of choice this evening, along with Coke and Coke Light. Carmen from the little store just outside the marina stopped by for a minute to help us celebrate as well as a few others. The Soggy Peso, an American owned bar/restaurant next door to the marina had a paid party planed, but I don’t think it ever came to pass.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our host country, Mexico, accepted our 4<sup>th</sup> of July with respect and all the emotion as if they had been Americans. Carla explained in Spanish about the celebration that was going on in Philadelphia and they were able to relate when she said it was the same as Dieciséis de Septiembre, the Mexican Independence Day.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mexican bar-b-que is very different than what we do in Texas, they don’t kill the taste of the meat with tomato sauce that has brown sugar, honey, onion, garlic, and all the other stuff we put in bar-b-que sauce, they use simple spices that allow you to taste what you are eating. What really surprised me is that they boil the meat for a short period of time before putting it on the grill, Julio told me by doing this it takes the fat out of the meat so you don’t get the grill flare ups that chars the meat. The end product is to die for!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">During the dinner preparation I was pealing a cucumber with a perfectly safe potato peeler and sliced my finger. Being I’m on blood thinners it looked like the axe murders took place. Jaime looked at me and said “tranquil, sentarse” (relax, sit down). I wasn’t allowed near the kitchen area the rest of the evening.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Even though Mia barks at everyone she doesn’t know she has become the “sweetheart” of the marina. The security guards love her because she hears things they don’t and they know they need to investigate why she is barking. Sometimes it is a false alarm; it is just an iguana sunning itself on the wall or sidewalk. Mia loves her Caribbean life; she is welcome in every restaurant on the island. This morning at breakfast at the Sunset Grill, they fixed her two scrambled eggs for breakfast while we had our huevos ranchero. They even make sure her water bowl is always full when we are visiting. She is living a better life than Rose and I.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Mayan and local people here in Isla Mujeres are the friendliest people we have ever met, all they expect is that you treat their country and customs with respect, which we have no problem with as they are such a wonderful people. Where we as Americans give from our leftovers, the Mayan/Mexican people give of their best. This evening one of the security guards we had invited to our “fiesta” wanted to give Matt his sunglasses, Matt was at a loss on how to respond, but “Carlos/Charlie” didn’t expect anything in return except Matt’s respect and friendship, and it was Carlos’ way of saying “Gracias”.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">During the evening we were told many times that we were liked because they feel we treat them with respect, which we do. They told us many foreigners that visit the island look down on them and talk down at them, which we have witnessed many times. We have seen many foreign tourists actually insult the locals, thinking that they don’t understand the language. I would venture to say over 50% of the people on this island do understand and speak other languages. No wonder foreigners are so hated outside their own countries around the world. We visit a foreign country we insult the people we disrespect their culture and customs and think spreading money around fixes everything. We were told over and over all evening that they loved and respected us because we treat them and their culture with respect. I’ll get off my soapbox and move on to the lighter side.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">All in all it was a great party, and everyone is alive this morning. We are really going to hate to leave Isla Mujeres and El Milagro Marina. The owner Eric, (who does come by on occasion, lives in San Diego, CA) is a very gracious and if something at the marina isn’t right, let him know and it will be fixed, but Jaime and Julio are so on top of everything, that never happens. “Med Tie” takes a little getting used to, having to enter either off the bow or stern of the boat, but Rose and Mia adapted to it quickly.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I like to get up in the morning and take my coffee and walk down the dock, the water is anywhere from 10 to 5 feet deep, looking at the bottom and watching a crab chase a sting ray, or a 3 to 4 foot barracuda chase through a school of minnows. If you are working on your boat you don’t have to worry about the barracuda, they stay a respectable distance and watch you while you work. When the small fish come in to eat what you are scrapping off the boat bottom, it’s feeding time for the barracuda.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Enough for now, have to start getting ready to head south, a little maintenance to do on the dinghy and check all electronics to insure they are working properly. I got an e-mail from my friend John in Baltimore telling me that we should rename the boat “Perpetual Vacation” which surprises me coming from John, I think if “My Peace” should be renamed, it should be “<span class="wordtotrans">Corrección</span> <span class="wordtotrans">de</span> <span class="wordtotrans">Perpetua”</span> (Perpetual Fix Up). It’s not really that bad, but it does take continual looking after.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thanx to my good friend Roberto Wilkerson, in Progreso, “You must say VIVAN LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS, etados means you start the party to early,”. I knew better but anyone who knows me, my spelling in English is poor at best, so my Spanish is worse. I forgot the “s” in Estados.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt;">9 July<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2011 - What to do on a rainy day in Isla Mujeres </span></u></b>Today was a very rainy day in Isla Mujeres, so the crew from Escondida (Matt & Carla), Rose and I decided to go to La Tortugranja (the turtle farm). This was a fantastic adventure, without a doubt the nicest turtle farm I have ever had the pleasure of visiting as you can see from the pictures. Also included are some pictures I took yesterday as I walked down the dock.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt;">10 July<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2011 – View of Isla Mujeres from the top of the mast (54’)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></u></b>I had some work to do at the top of the mast this morning so I took a camera with me to give all a better idea of Isla Mujeres. The island is basically 5 miles long and about an average of ¾ miles wide. The pictures were taken from 54 feet above the water line. I was so relaxed up there I didn’t want to come down, the view in all directions was so beautiful.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt;">11 July<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2011 – Leaving Isla Mujeres</span></u></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>Well all, a sad time has come for us as we are leaving Isla Mujeres at first light in the morning, heading to Guatemala. Our first stop on the way will be an overnight at Puerto Morelos, then on to Puerto Aventuras for a 2 day stay while Matt and Carla visit a friend in Playa del Carmen. We are going to be traveling with our friends Matt and Carla and “shore hopping” the way down to Rio Dulce sailing no more than 12 to 36 hours at a stretch.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Marina El Milagro is throwing a good bye party this evening, we have a 20 kilo red fish, half of which we will bar-b-que Mexican style, the other half will be cut into filets and shared between My Peace, Escondida, and the marina employees.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We have added many new folks to this e-mail log while we were in Isla Mujeres, so I am including the “SPOT tracking” information. Go to the following link, the password is sailing. It may ask if you want it to be a secure connection, it doesn’t matter, I usually select NO. The site loads slow so just be patient. Nothing will show until we get underway in the morning.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=1tnzsXhSMMaxyxQqzX0BGc7osH87cpb1a"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">https://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=1tnzsXhSMMaxyxQqzX0BGc7osH87cpb1a</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I took a few pictures this morning of a roofing job going on next door making repairs from the tornado we had a few weeks ago. Mostly I took the pictures for my son David back home as he is doing a roofing job for a contractor he works for so he could see how the Mayans do it. Also included is a picture of a 3 foot needle fish.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt;">12 July<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2011 – S/V Memory Maker overdue</span></u></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>This e-mail is directed to the cruisers that are in our mailing group. Our friends Bill & Anne Smith sailing S/V Memory Maker, which is a white hull 37 foot ketch, are overdue in Rockport, Texas. They departed Isla Mujeres, Mexico, Sunday, 3 July 2011. Our last contact with them was 0900 hrs Sunday, 3 July 2011. They were on a course of 305 degrees, a straight line course to Port Aransas, Texas from the tip of the Yucatan. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As per my agreement with Bill, we were to report him overdue in port, Sunday, 10 July 2011, if I haven’t heard from them. I have notified the U.S. Coast Guard in Port Aransas, Texas this afternoon Monday, 11 July 2011 at 1500 hrs, who in turn checked the marinas in the Port Aransas, Corpus Christi, and Rockport area. U.S. Coast Guard in Port Aransas has forwarded the information to District 8 Command Center, U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Coordination Center New Orleans. The New Orleans station contacted me this evening and notified me that they have put out an alert on S/V Memory Maker.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If anyone has contact with Bill or Anne Smith of S/V Memory Maker please have them contact:</span></div><div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Consolas;">The District 8 Command Center, U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Coordination Center New Orleans which has started an active Search and Rescue case on the S/V Memory Maker. They can be reached at 504-589-6225. Thanks in advance.</span></div>My Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16363560994515892361noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690672007622172023.post-35028484091704145892010-12-15T23:08:00.001-06:002010-12-15T23:08:29.565-06:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our daughter Jessi graduates from the University of Hawaii Dec 19, so Rose and I are off to Honolulu in the morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will be in Honolulu until the 19<sup>th</sup>, then off to Maui where Jessi lives with her husband until the 28<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No we’re not sailing, we are getting there via American airlines.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When we get back, Dr. Palmer is going to perform some of his fantastic handiwork and once again repair my left knee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time I’m not going to screw it up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Getting tired of surgery, even though Dr. Palmer is a great person as well as being an outstanding surgeon.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Current plans are to be in Port Isabel, TX for the Laguna Madre Yacht Club Commodore’s Ball on Jan 15, then back to the boat to finish up installing our water maker, our new Mack Pack sail system, and some other minor stuff.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The quarter moon rising is 12 Feb and weather permitting we will depart from Port Aransas, TX heading for Key West, FL on our way to the Bahamas and points south in the eastern Caribbean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rose has decided instead of running back to Port Aransas every hurricane season we are going to stay out for 2 or 3 years, flying home on occasion to visit the kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have also decided that we will take Chica and Mia with us this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Should be a very interesting 2 or 3 years.</span></div>My Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16363560994515892361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8690672007622172023.post-44381779305215543212010-12-09T21:18:00.000-06:002010-12-09T21:18:14.670-06:00A New Adventure Is Begining<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvhLEvSFSHQCbYPObZMdfUJVL5byHkl2PTqan_obDLB-outOBpaLOzAj97BcQ4_IIUWzGwMDRKs3Qd9vNlK5e0mT2ENZ3RSEywcZWAHLuiWdty8u9NzAhGEiEBJu2An8C1_efWPRVKadP5/s1600/My+Peace+Lights-sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvhLEvSFSHQCbYPObZMdfUJVL5byHkl2PTqan_obDLB-outOBpaLOzAj97BcQ4_IIUWzGwMDRKs3Qd9vNlK5e0mT2ENZ3RSEywcZWAHLuiWdty8u9NzAhGEiEBJu2An8C1_efWPRVKadP5/s320/My+Peace+Lights-sm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>My Peace and crew are offically in the Christmas spirt having participated in the Port Aransas boat parade last Saturday night. We had several friends onboard for the ride, Rose was the "hostess with the mostest" She laid out a spread of snacks that far exceeded expectations. The night was comfortabley warm, jackets were not required. We went around the harbor twice then back to PA city docks for refreshments. When we headed back to Island Moorings we left the lights on which confused a large tanker heading out to the gulf not to mention the poor ferryboat captians.<br />
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We are off to Hawaii on the 16th, flying, to return on the 28th. After Christmas with the Kids, back to Port Aransas for final preperations for our journey south to Rotan, hopefully to depart mid Jan. We will be sending out a detailed e-mail in the next few days, explaining My Peace and how she is equiped and a tenative "float plan" of our trip.<br />
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G & R & C & MMy Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16363560994515892361noreply@blogger.com1