On March 3rd 2009 we checked out of the San Blas as it was time to be thinking of our sail north to Honduras. After a wait for weather we hauled anchors for San Andres on the 14th of March 2009. Now the long slog north with Scrammin' and First Light alongside. After two days and long nights of beam to close reaching, we secured our anchors in San Andres, Columbia. Panama Canal traffic in this region is a force to be reckoned with and respected. It was an extra challenge as our radar wasn't working. All went very smoothly until 0030 hours the second night. A freighter appeared on the horizon. It was difficult to discern if it would cross our bow or stern. After much deliberation, scrutinizing, and watching it in the binoculars, we maneuvered the closest miss we've ever experienced. At the last minute Brian did a full gibe. As the container ship went across our bow we looked straight up at a tower of white stern lights on one of the biggest ships I've ever seen. It roared down on us like a thundering locomotive! Don't ever think they will answer your radio calls either. They appear to be on auto helm and `hell bent for leather'. It was really scary!

St Andres is a friendly tourist island. All was available - groceries, laundry, entertainment and more. Motor bikes abound and are the most popular mode of transport. Cars and buses take a close second. Checking in was straight forward. Call Rene of Serrana Agency on channel 16 and for $106.00US he does all your official papers. Be sure to get a tourist visa if one is planning on a stop in Providencia. It is good for 90 days and applies to both islands. This all transpires in the tiny marina of Nene's. For $1.00 they are most accommodating and dinghies are secure while you're off touring or shopping. Maria at Lavanderia St Andres laundered our clothes sparkling clean. Clean dry sheets out here are a wonder! She will pick up and deliver clothes to Nene's. Rey's Minimarket had numerous deli items such as feta and cheddar cheese. Banking was most successful at Banco Columbia with our debit card. It doled out pesos-almost 2 to 1 US dollar. With Scrammin we rode the buses. First day we caught the St Luis bus down the east side of the island to Manzanillo just to see the sights; then next day, we bussed over to Westview at Rada Cove on the west side for lunch. Great fun.

 Our Dell computer apparently didn't like the humidity and heat of the San Blas. The screen decided to blank out. Maria at the Sunrise Hotel, a short walk north of Nene's was most helpful. She phoned to find the one and only monitor for sale on the island, then walked us over to pick it up. While in St Andres we paid for use of computer time at the hotel. It has a most welcoming staff and air conditioned lobby in which to relax for an hour or so. One can't believe how great it is to relax in a comfortable chair at this point!

On the 21st of March 2009, Allie Cat, arrived from the San Blas. It took only an afternoon to visit and pass on the essentials before Scrammin, First Light and Tundra moved over to Johnny Cay at the end of the channel. Here we regrouped and studied up the charts for our next leg to Providencia. At 0230, Tundra and First Light hauled anchors and poked our way through the reefs and out into open water. Only one cruise ship presented itself in the night. We radioed Scrammin about 0400 and they followed along. It took us 18 hours of lumpy close hauled into the wind before our land fall at Providencia. Arriving in the dark was challenging, but with a lit sea buoy and entrance buoys, it was a case of `all's well that ends well'. Yes we were tired puppies! One checks into customs and immigration with Mr Bush on channel 16. Being another Columbian island, the fee was $40.00 and he met us at the expansive, very accommodating dinghy dock at the head of the harbour. Touring the island is a lark here. One evening the group went to Roland's at Manzanillo beach for a delicious mangrove snapper dinner.

Lighton drove us in his truck-all sitting on side benches in the back viewing the island. Safety rules and regulations are cast to the wind! For a pittance, he took us up the west side, home down the east side, and joined in the merriment while waiting for us. Roland's Bar is an insight into Garifuna island culture. All ages play and visit all day long. Tree swings, beach volley ball, boat shaped tables and lots of noseums round out the action. It was an island holiday on Sunday, so off we went to the Baptist church fiesta on Old Town Beach.

Horse races on the beach, lunch of fried chicken and crab soup, sack races, dominoes, and more rounded out the day. What lovely hosts!

Talking to the residents uncovered a British history of which they are very proud. Since Columbia has taken over, some are not so happy with improvements. It was mentioned that sand beaches are far and few between as a result of using all the sand to construct first class walkways on the islands. Undercurrents run deep. The melding of cultures is challenging to be sure. If you like loud music be sure to stay for the weekend-Fri, Sat, and Sun-from 1800 to 0600 next morning! A wooden pontoon bridge joins tiny Isla Katalina to Providencia. Strolling along its colourful waterfront boardwalk is most relaxing. Motorcycles have never been my passion, but Brian suggested we might try a tour, so off we went. It took us a couple of hours to drive around the island, visit several viewpoints, chat with the locals, and giggle our way along. I loved it.

On March 26th 2009 we visited Mr Bush again to obtain our check out Zarpe. En route back to Tundra I took a chill and hit my bunk.Scrammin and First Light headed on next a. m. I had contacted dysentery and didn't surface for four days. Fortunately we had ciproflaxin on board which knocked out the nasty bug. While I was recuperating, Allie Cat caught up again. I managed a walk ashore on Monday so we hauled anchor in tandem with Allie Cat, and headed north on Tuesday morning,

 March 31st. Weather was favourable and we had good waypoints for the Edinborough shoals and Cox rocks, so we pushed on through the night. Sailing up the Nicaragua Bank next day, a U S drug surveillance plane escorted Rio Dolce" us into the offshore Vivorillos Islands in late afternoon of April 1st 2009. (As one could smell the reefs alongside in the night, I reminisced our power squadron days and remembered thankfully just how exacting Peter Cochrane was in teaching us our navigating skills!) Upon arrival an exhausted swallow landed on my outstretched hand. This little fellow was gasping help me and had no fear. We just looked at each other and, to my delight, he perched. He rested on board for several hours before resuming flight again. We sat comfortably at anchor blowing in 20 to 30 knots of wind for 5 days. I slept most of the time away but we did make one trip ashore to explore the two small southernmost cays. There were lots of birds and fishing debris ashore plus ruins of a very substantial cement block structure and dock. I experienced ghosts of yore. Ask me sometime! All was deserted as the fishermen were on the mainland for Easter.

On April 5th 2009 we hauled anchor and finally `turned the corner'. Following the Honduran coastline to Guanaja took us in a westerly direction with wind on the stern. At 16 degrees north latitude we are noticing the air and water temperatures cooling down. Plus, lo and behold, our computer screen has decided to work again. Perhaps cooler temperatures are good for it. This overnight roller coaster ride put us into Guanaja, Honduras, mid morning on the 6th. Fortunately, Brian had rigged our spinnaker pole to hold out the jib. We hit 7 and 8 knots all night with a reefed jib alone. Allie Cat was hand steering on our navigation lights. What a chore! Our auto helm tried to act up once, so we reefed the jib to a handkerchief. It made no difference to speed, but kept everyone happy. Happy 70th Birthday, Johnny Coates. What a milestone!

Checking into customs and immigration at Bonacca was straightforward and quick. It cost a total of $6.00US and they couldn't have been nicer. One US dollar is the equivalent of 19 Honduran lempira. Tired we were again, so hauled anchor for El Bight. The immigration said they would come and do a boat inspection, but never arrived. Easter holiday took precedence we suspect. Rested once more, we toured Bonacca with Allie Cat in search of fruits and veggies, and then enjoyed immensely an evening dining at the Manatee Bar restaurant with Ivory Moon, Seabird, and local residents, Jim and Kathy. This will definitely be a repeat for next year. Be sure to use your bug spray. Brian is suffering terribly from the little devils.

April 9th 2009 we said goodbye to Allie Cat and enjoyed an ideal beam reach to Fantasy Island and old French Harbour on Roatan. Winds of 20 to 30 knots encouraged another restful couple of days at anchor with time to once more compare notes with First Light. They had limped in with engine troubles and found a wonderful welcome from dock masters, Peter and Debbie, of Sea Ya Manana, at Parrothead Marina in Second Bight. A short walk from Old French Harbour Yacht Club we found Eldon's Grocery very well stocked. Fantasy Island Resort complex appears as if it would make a lovely holiday setting for all our landlubber friends. This anchorage is a radio hole-very poor reception on vhf or single sideband. Cruisers on Roatan monitor channel 72.

April 10th 2009 is our granddaughter's 4th birthday. Happy birthday, Madison.

With winds quiet, First Light and Tundra had a lovely Easter sail to West End. Powering through the entrance reefs we saw 8 feet at the least and settled nicely on a mooring ball next to Live Sea Lee and Scrammin. Snorkeling is fabulous. Gusty winds are a concern as some of the moorings have been slipping. It's so nice to meet old friends again. Live Sea Lee, David and Leanne, graciously gave us a tour of the West End community and guided us to the immigration and customs in Coxen Hole. Our dinghies were secure at the Barefoot Bar dock. Bus travel was again adequate and interesting. Check out fee in Coxen Hole was a sum total of $2.00US. The Honduran government is encouraging tourism. It's quite a different picture from Panama where one is required to be out of the country every 90 days. We feel very welcome.

On April 15th 2009, we had a gentle sail to Utila in company with Scrammin and Live Sea Lee. Upon anchoring, Bob and Linda of Caravella, invited us for a lunch visit plus a tour of the charming village of Utila. It was nice to catch up as we hadn't seen them since Cartagena. The youthful population cater to the dive industry mainly. Live Sea Lee rounded off the day with cocktails on their lovely offshore Tartan.

At sun up the flotilla set off for Puerto Escondido on the mainland of Honduras-some 40 miles of motor sailing. The anchorage was a real treat. Tall hills ashore were draped in jungle fashion. Silk trees, poui trees in bloom, palm trees and much heavy undergrowth crowded the landscape. Troupes of howler monkeys barked their songs night and day. A gentle roll rocked us to sleep.

Next day we are off to Omoa on the mainland of Honduras and will have have only 40 more miles to go to Livingston at the mouth of the Rio Dulce in Guatemala. Omoa is a pleasant small town situated in a relatively open bay inhabited by mainly Honduran upper class on the weekends. Next day was a pleasant sail to a harbour just seven miles off mouth of the Rio Dolce. The tides looked good for a first light departure to the shallow soft entrance to the Rio. Even after dodging a couple of freighters we arrived at the sea buoy by seven am.

April 17th 2009 TUNDRA and Crew arrive at Livingston Guatemala 

THE DURATION OF THIS PAGE PUTS US IN GUATEMALA AND SURROUNDING ISLANDS FOR THE YEARS 2009 TO 2012

TO GO DIRECTLY TO OUR TIME ABOARD TUNDRA IN THE YEAR 2010 GO TO GUATEMALA BELIZE 2010  

WE WERE NOT LONG IN THE RIO DULCE on our return in 2010 UNTIL WE TOOK A LAND TRIP TO OUR FIRST MAYAN RUINS COPAN 

TO GO DIRECTLY TO OUR TIME ABOARD TUNDRA IN YEAR 2011 and 2012 GO TO GUATEMALA BELIZE 2011 TO 2012
 
As we entered the RIO Dulce Tundra scrubbed her bottom in the soft mud as we slowly transited toward Livingston. Fortunately a local encouraged us into deeper water as we were definitely not in the unmarked channel. After an uneventual check in by noon we departed for Texas Bay. 

Traveling along the river was a real treat. Part of it is canyon surrounded by limestone cliffs covered with vines and rain forest, then it opens up into El Golfete, a 5 mile long gulf. The cruise through the Gorge reminded us of the North Channel as did the pleasant anchorage we encountered at Texas Bay. Anchored in the security of Texas bay, we dined last night with Live Sea Lee and Scrammin and met the marina owner Mike.

 With Marios only a few short miles away the next a.m. we powered the last few miles. We arrived on April 21 2009 at Marios Marina greeted with open arms. We are tied to the dock at Marios Marina in clear fresh water. Apparently we are told that late in the dry season the bottom becomes slightly brackish even 35 miles up river. All went smoothly docking and checking in with the help of Marco and Fito. Owner, Jim, gave us a tour of the grounds and restaurant. Tundra has a side dock in front of the restaurant. All our caframo fans are in action. We have a lovely resident egret, Edgar, strutting the docks. Also a pet whistling duck.

Our Sarnia bound flights are booked for May 6th 2009 arriving in the wee hours to Detroit via Guatemala City. . We are all arrived at different marinas with different agendas from here.

With Sarnia bound flights booked for May 6th 2009 arriving in the wee hours to Detroit via Guatemala City, the semi annual major clean and scrub all took place.Tundra is resting comfortably on a mooring buoy at Marios and we get emails now and then re her state of affairs. All is well.With help from friendly fellow cruisers and Jim at the marina, we made the necessary arrangements via bus, taxi and plane for the trip home. For all interested in the area a website detailing activities and information on the river is posted at riodulcechisme.com. We took Guatemala Buslines at www.litegua.com and phone 502 2220 8840 from the Rio Dulce ie Fronteras to Guatemala City.

In Guatemala City a great cab driver who speaks perfect English is Roderico Lopez, Taxi 927 at phone 5703 0606. Roderico drove us up to Antigua for a day filled with lore and history. It is at an Elivation of over six thousnd feet as is Guatemala City. The temperature is several degrees cooler than one would expect this far south.

Next day he drove us to the airport from zone 10 and promised to show us more upon return. We have just scratched the surface of this delightful country.

February 2010
After an action packed time in Sarnia and BC, we will return to Tundra shortly. We've been busy visiting grandchildren, family and all. One big celebration in B.C.as my Dad's 100th birthday in October! As well, the winter Olympics in B.C. are exciting to watch from our front row seats in the family room.

March 2010 we returned to Tundra located now in the Rio Dulce Guatemala

On March 8th as signs of spring were appearing, we finally got all packed into John and Betty Smith’s van for our first leg from Sarnia to Detroit. Next morning Spirit Airline flew us to Lauderdale, then on to Central America. Arrival in Guatemala City went smoothly except that our bags were in wild condition with wheels off and straps parting ways.Fortunately all contents were still intact. On arrival Roderico was patiently waiting for us. Roderico is very kind English speaking taxi driver. We have found him to be most informative and reliable. His phone no is 927 5703 0606 and he is great for tours and airport pick up. We find Las Torres Hotel the perfect place to acclimatize and enjoy the city. Las Torres Hotel is in Zone 10 which is the recommended area of the city for us gringos. Phone No is 502 2334 2747 and email is apartamentoslastorres@yahoo.com Lots of backpackers and sailing folk can be met here.Be sure to tell them you are from the Rio and you will get a discount since the owner has a boat there.
There are several bus lines that service the Rio Dulce area. Litegua and El Dorado are 2 reliable lines and normally it takes a good 5 hours to travel to the river. There is a very active website for cruisers and visitors to this area of the river. It is <www.Riodulcechisme.com>.

Arrival back to Tundra on March 10th 2010 was a little later than expected, but just as happy an experience as always. Mario’s Marina on the Rio Dulce had Tundra sitting on the dock welcoming us. Marcos picked us up in the launch with a telephone call. It took us all of 2 weeks to commission her for our cruise. She had been in the mooring field for 9 months. Fresh water was kind to her. It was the first time Tundra had seen fresh water under her keel in 13 years! She grew a good mat of green grass instead of the barnacles to which she had previously been exposed.

Inside, mildew was having a ball. Fortunately I had washed and bagged the cushions and they were in great condition.Thankfully fronts are still bringing lovely cool north winds for us to accomplish our tasks. We welcome overcast skies and even had to put a blanket on the bed one night. It took a good few days of vinegar and water to right the situation. This year we have resorted to hanging sun-pacs inside to combat mildew. They are a type of formaldehyde treatment recommended to us by others stowing on the river. All the tarps needed scrubbing to rid them of various forms of mildew and mold. Again, vinegar and scrubbing champed the cause. It took a good month to shoo all the spiders and ants out. They finally got sea sick when we reached the salt water! Last year the dinghy hung off the stern. This year she is stowed on the foredeck. It is covered to protect from UV. Brian had to work wonders with the outboard. His new Canadian Tire wrench was invaluable! Also he took apart the carburetor after getting a goodly dose of water in the gas! Every day we learn something new! The pumps all needed overhauling and in the end run we used the kiss principle. Hand pumps are a blessing. There always are a certain number of items that need mending or redesigning. Threads in the canvas etc.don’t last very long in the tropic heat. Rust came off with rubbing compound. The teak looked the best of any year so we touched it up with cetol and hope for another kindly season. Maybe the fresh water is good for it. John, at Monkey Bay Marina, suggested Terro for the ants and loaned us some until we could get our own. Nice guy! One quiet morning it was perfect for dressing her up with main and jib sail-not too hot and not raining. The stack pack fit again. Great! Frank, the marina carpenter, built us a new bilge board and center hatch screen. He did a fine job and spun a few good stories to entertain us.

Above and to the right photos show Yachtie Artist Theresa Green decorating the bar at Marios Marina

OFF TO THE MAYAN RUINS "COPAN"  LOCATED IN HONDURAS JUST INSIDE THE GUATEMALA BORDER.

By the 25th of March  2010 we were ready for a breakaway. With newfound friends from Victoria, Salma, Richard and son, Arin on SV Calisto, we took a shuttle bus to Copan, Honduras. Otilheo was our capable driver. Phone 57 748188. He picked us up at Brunos and dropped us off in the center square of Copan with a stop at the Noni Stand for its wonderful cream. It soothes the Taberneau fly bites. For northerners, they are like deer flies, only the bite is worse!

In Copan there are many hotels available and one didn’t need a reservation at that time. Las Brisas de Copan was our choice. It was reasonably priced ($20 US per night) and close to the square and only a short one Km walk to the Copan Mayan Ruins. With our friends we enjoyed licuadoes and pupusas several times. My pupusas were made with flower fillings. After saturating our brains at the awesome ruins of 600-700 AD, we all enjoyed the Mac Caw Bird Sanctuary in the afternoon. The next morning we did a tour of the onsite Copan Museumcalled the Les Sepulturas Museum. It represents the site beautifully and includes several original pieceswhich again held us truely in awe. It was wonderfully cool and relaxing. In company of Canadians on Calisto we enjoyed local foods, pupusas and licuados. With semana santa (easter)upon us local customs were interesting to observe. The following photos will give you a brief glimpse of our experience.

Macaw's in love above

                                                Above Kathy poses in front of a replica that is displayed inside the Copan Museum

Boat preparation had Brian putting finishing touches on our MaxSea navigational program and then we're off to provision in earnest. We're finding lots of fruits and vegetables including kale and spinach. One of the tiendes (stores) in town delivered frozen chicken as well. Mid week we will be changing hats from maintenance to sailing,

On the 31st of March 2010 we cast off lines and powered down river across El Golfete to Texan Bay Marina. Nestling into their back harbour we sunk the anchor into wonderful mud holding and had a fun Easter reunion with Marcel and Celine of Allie Cat and Jock’s Lodge. Playing dominoes and exploring the dinghy channels kept us busy. Morning and evening we sighted Jacanas. These birds live near the marshes (no pun intended) and nest on lily pads. In flight they have a gold angel like cast to their wings. Mike and Cheri are host and hostess of the Marina and kindly made us dinner while we enjoyed camaraderie of all. Fernando took us by launch to Livingston to check out the next day. That way we were able to catch the highest tide early the following morning to cross the bar. Timing is of the essence with our six foot draught.and With only one firm royal bump we were free. Estero Legero under the headland of Tres Puntas was our next anchorage. Here we addressed the grass on the keel with several hours of scrubbing before dusk.

                        Above right photo is taken in downtown Livingston and a caged sleepy Caiman. They are found at wild in the area.

Several days of blustery weather and gusty winds encouraged us to discover the protection of Bahia Graciosa to the east on the mainland. It is a large cove surrounded by mangroves. The entrance was a little shallow, but we are honing our navigating skills again, so that's OK. We spent the day installing our side curtains, planning our route to Belize, and watching the fishing families ply back and forth.

WE ARRIVE IN BELIZE APRIL 2010

With a good forecast the sail up to the Sapodillo Cays soon turned into a motor boat ride in brilliant sunshine. It was a perfect day to spot the shoals and reefs inherent to this southern most point of the second greatest barrier reef in the world. Lawrence Rock was illusive. We wonder if it's a shelf. Dolphins are our delightful welcoming committee. Planning to anchor at Lime Cay was all well and good until we found ourselves in 8 feet of water over coral. Too shallow for Tundra to sit comfortably overnight and not damage coral. Consequently we moved up one cay and anchored just off Hunting Cay. This is a park area so we were invited ashore by the coastguard to pay a park fee of $20 to the marine police. No problem. Residents are friendly and the snorkeling is grand. This is why we are here! The cays are wonderful in settled weather but a windshift wouldn't be friendly as there is no protection from the west and little from the north. Changing anchorage in the dark of night isn't an option as eyeball navigation is essential. Friends on Caravella were just north of us so we rendezvoused at deserted Northeast Cay and snorkeled and explored Frank's Cay with Linda and Bob. This afforded us a little more leeway with the dinghy. At least we could keep an eye on each other. Sea lice became a problem for Brian and I. We think they are more voracious on an incoming tide. Mercilously they leave big welts which take a good week to subside. Noni cream is soothing on these, too. We were surprised to find mangroves on most of the cays while beaches supported a teaming population of noseums.

Moving north in the chain Tom Owens Cay was delightful. Ashore it is an artist's paradise. The owners have increased the size of the tiny cay by building coral and cement breakwalls and decorating in harmony with the natural freedom of the environment.

 The surrounding reefs are enticing with good holding in shallow water in light to moderate weather.Placentia was our choice of ports to check into Belize so we had a nice sail to the mainland again and found our way into the commercial port of Big Creek. They ship out Dole bananas, pineapple and oil. With the controlling depth of the creek at 18 feet, we marvelled at the size of ships arriving! Thankfully Brian insisted that we set our anchor out of the turning basin. Ships sporting the "fiffes" logo will forever have special signifigance for us. Apparently it is derived from fifty times better bananas!

It took us all morning and afternoon to check in but was very entertaining. Tying our dinghy to an iron rod and hauling it up on some broken down spilings was a start to the proceedure. Next we checked in with the port guard, then walked clear through all the arrivals and departures area as if we owned it. Walking was difficult on rough stone. Finally we found the customs shack outside the main gate.(guarded) But one must check in with immigration first. Conveniently the taxi driver was waiting for us with other cruisers aboard. Immigration was a straight forward $15 US. Make sure they stamp your passport PLUS immigration papers. Friends had to do it twice to get papers stamped! Then we went back to customs. Of course there wasn't anyone there at 1130am! The Port Captain came riding down the road on his bicycle and told us to come back at 1300. OK. Back to Tundra in the harbour for lunch.

Entertainment was watching one of the biggest FIFFIES freighters we'd ever seen being tugged around the inner turn to the basin. Now we had 2 ships alongside the dock, a Honduran runabout unloading alot of something, plus people in the tug area,plus a couple of tugs standing by, plus another sailboat with us. Great excitement. Time to try again. We reversed our procedures and found ourselves waiting in blistering midday heat for our customs man. Eventually we took shelter in the one existent patch of shade on the porch of horticulture ministry. About an hour later the custom man showed up in his battered truck. He proceeded to check in an extended family (little children and grandfolk) and they ambled on down to board the Honduran boat. It looked promising so we moved over to the door to customs. Another delay seemed likely so we took shelter in the 2 feet of shade behind a brinks looking truck in the parking lot. We felt confident that he knew we were there. After another lapse of time he re-entered his shack and locked the door. So---I politely knocked on the door and, lo and behold, it was our turn. The customs man severely reprimanded us for not checking in within 24 hours of entering the country. We apologized profusely thinking our check-in with the police was good. He forgave us. We pinned him with a Canada pin and were finally on our way. Our ships inspection cost another $25 US. The inspection involved the question "Do you have your yellow flag up" and our answer was "yes" then the reply was "Inspection complete, you can now take down your yellow flag."

With a smile on our faces we were off to Placencia Harbour and a peaceful evening amongst several other cruisers.Caravella showed us around Placencia-about 500 population wise. It is a delightful stopover with lots of restaurants and provisions available. ATM machines, delicious ice cream and more friendly folk abound. Paradise Resort ashore welcomed cruisers with a lovely dock and restaurant service. A 4 foot wide cement boardwalk along the beach posted with signposts was most helpful as we searched out various items of interest.The Pickled Parrot, owned by a Canadian, and De Tatch proved to be our favourite restaurants.

Upon return to Tundra late one afternoon we found a welcoming committee. I had climbed up over the stern, received groceries and all, when Brian noticed a `weed'on the solar panels. Upon closer inspection the 'weed` had a head! It was the prettiest lime green snake one could imagine. I got pretty excited, so not too many pics were taken before Brian encouraged it to take back to the water. It must have climbed up our stern ladder in our absence and liked its new home! It swam back to the mangroves in short order and up came our ladder.

At left Mayor Harry of Blue Ground greets us.

Through the radio nets we had contact with Scrammin and Livesealea, so moved north to meet them. As we approached the entrance to Blue Ground, a motor boat with a sputtering engine approached. It was Harry, the self professed mayor of the area. He guided us in the shallow entrance with `keep in the green man'. Harry is a very enthusiastic garifuna and wanted to make sure all was well for us. With our anchor set in great mud, we felt comfortable to withstand the ensuing blow. And, blow it did! We were awakened to Tundra standing on her ear in shrieking wind, lightening and rain. A well set anchor is something to be thankful for.

Next day Caravella, Scrammin and Livesealea arrived. Harry invited us all in to the huge resident palapa for dinner and dominoes with he and friends.Next day, he took us all for a great snorkel. All had a grand time. Harry appreciated some remuneration and a few gallons of gas. Dangriga on the mainland was a distance for his little boat.Our northenmost anchorage was Colson Cay, only 15 miles from Belize City. At night we could see the loom of lights of the city. Snorkeling was OK, but not excellent as toughted on the charts. We thought we heard Manatee in the lagoon but the noise turned out to be a chain saw. Men were building a new abode for the lobster camp ashore. Brian dusted off his guitar and played a few tunes. We were truly relaxing. With a full moon approaching and the coinciding high tide we began to think of retracing our steps to Livingston.

En route we sailed east over the 10 foot bank to Tobacco Cay on the reef. It was well populated for a tiny cay sporting a dive school and several restaurants. Charter fleets plied these waters too. Some were bareboat and some were captained featuring dives on the reef. We had our supreme snorkel of the season here. There was a sentinel barracuda my size guarding all and every fish in the sea present, plus a good assortment of rays. The coral was magnificent. With more wind and weather promised, we hauled the main and sailed down the deep Inner Channel to Placencia.

Checking out went smoothly. The ferry "HOKEY POKEY" and taxi ride was a very efficient procedure with our helpful driver, John. Checking out with immigration was at the police station. It cost $15Belize. Port Captain, John charged us $45Belize. Note that $1 US=$2 Belize. Ask for a receipt. Customs was no charge but took their sweet time to open the door. Should we have been surprized! With officialdom attended to, we sailed for New Haven on the mainland of Belize. It is a hurricane hole and Brian wanted waypoints for next time around. A full moon rose over the horizon as the Taberneau flies retired. It was heavenly and quiet with the wind picking up on the outside. It's nice to have an anchorage all to oneself.

Next morning with an early departure and good waypoints and visibilty we tracked under the Snake Cays finding some wonderful snorkeling patches that we marked in our GPS for future use. Low and behold enroute we had a welcomed visitor and as you can see immediate friends were made.

Another day. Tres Punta was a quiet anchorage and good staging for a 0700 `bar'crossing on the 29th of April.Brian dinghyed in to clear into Guatemala again for 3 months, plus a year extension. This new provision gives us a little more lee way for return visits. A stopover at Texas Bay was restful. We're enjoying reading again. Locals sold us shrimp.

/

May 1st 2010 we powered our way back to Marios Marina after a stop at Ram Marine to top off the diesel.
Once more in the lap of luxury decomissioning wasn't quite the chore of arriving back after 9 months. Of course the sails are all bagged. All the coverings washed and bagged. All bagged below. Sunpacs in place and off loading more and more. In company with Scrammin and Livesealea we bussed back to Guatemala City, spent a couple of days visiting and unwinding, then flew via Spirit home to Detroit in mid May. Betty and John kindly picked us up at Metro in Detroit and transported us back to Sarnia.It is wonderful to be in a temperate climate again,playing in the garden and looking forward to visits with family and friends.

 
THE YEARS 2011 AND 2012 WERE SPENT AT MORE MAYAN RUINS, A CRUISE AROUND LAKE ISABAL LOCATED IN THE RIO DULCE  AS WELL AS A RETURN TO BELIZE

TO GO DIRECTLY TO YEAR 2012 CLICK ON THE LINK  Year 2012

APRIL 8 2011 CREW RETURNS TO TUNDRA AT MARIOS

2011 TOOK US TO THE NEARBY RUINS OF QUIRIGUA, A CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF LAKE ISABAL AND A LAND TRIP VIA ANTIGUA TO LAKE ATITLAN.

To go directly to the ruins of Quirigua click here QUIRIGUA

        To view our circumnavigation of Lake Isabal click here  LAKE ISABAL

        For the city of Antigua and onto Lake Atitlan click here   LAKE ATITLAN

Below the sunsets over Southern Lake Huron on the night before departure

May 7^{th 2011}

We hauled anchor in the river and powered a short 15 miles to the nickel mining town of El Estor. Canadians had been mining it until recently. Rumour has it that the Chinese have bought it out. Regardless, along with mining rights came the stipulation that infrastructure was promised to the villages around. El Estor was quite modern looking, sporting cement streets and a busy community. Fruits and veggies seemed to be scarce. In late afternoon we moved the boats around the corner out of sight of town to anchor in front of an expansive plantation. It was peaceful and the water clearest yet. Brian checked the zincs and we scrubbed the bottom in wonderful fresh water. Tundra is shedding storage grunge and looking sweet as ever again. It is lovely to do some fresh water lake sailing again. Lake Isabal sits amidst two tall sierra madre mountain ranges, to the north are the Santa Cruz range and to the south, the Sierra Minos range, so we get relative calm in the morning with wind building out of the east in the afternoon. There is a good fetch which can build an afternoon chop. The north side of the lake seems to be quieter.

Winding down again we topped up the diesel and headed back to the Marina to prepare for departure. This procedure includes cleaning and bagging cushions and all, finishing off teak detail, installing sunpacs to prevent mildew and discourage insects and more. The night before departure we moved off the boat and stayed in the comfortable cabin provided to us by Mario's Marina.

This year before returning to Canada we decided to do a mini land tour from Guatemala City . This was a trip with an overnight stay in the picturesque city of Antigua and then we bused onto Lake Atitlan a very popular tourist destination in Guatemala.

Below a view from the terrace from our room where we stayed over night in the city of Antigua

A five hour bus ride took us through jungle and desert terrain and then we went up high into the mountains at Guat City where we stayed overnight before busing to the tourist city of Antigua. Since we had been there before we could find ourselves around easily.

After another overnight stay we headed again by bus towards Lake Atitlan where we planed a two night stay. On route we stopped for a few hours at Chichicastenago. Here we had lunch and toured the largest out door Market held in

Guatemala.

Our stay Caja Del Mundo our hotel at Lake Atitalan was a feast of relaxation,food and scenery as depicted below by these photos.

Below are views from our hotel Casa del Mundo

 Volcanoes in the distance

A lady hauls cement down a steep grade to be hand mixed for a retaining wall

Then it was an easy bus ride back to Guat City for another stay at our hotel "Las Torres". Next day after a last minute shop we were homeward bound.

 FEBRUARY 2012 FINDS US BACK IN THE RIO DULCE GUATEMALA

2012 WAS SPENT IN GUATEMALA THEN ON TO BELIZE AND LIGHT HOUSE REEF

We arrived to Guatemala City with no hitches Jan 30^th. We did our usual shopping and enjoyed the City as we re acclimatized to the tropics. Feb 1^st we bused our way for five hours to the Rio Dulce. Tundra was waiting for us in good spirits and the work begins. We hope to be in the Caribbean in a few weeks.

Wiring, cleaning of mildew, caulking of chain plates etc, and repair sewing were our main efforts for this year. Our storage tarp that we spent many hours fabricating last season completely disintegrated. It seems the wonderful sun resistant fabric we purchased did not live up to its claim of endurance. From now on it’s only name brand fabric such as sumbrella. Our wonderful Tent Maker sewing machine as shown in the photo with Kathy hit the dust as well. So much for bargains ! But in spite of our hours of labour much time was spent cooling off around the pool at Marios.

Tuesday February 28^th we unhooked from the dock at Marios and we headed down the river towards Livingston and the sea. On route we calibrated our newly installed auto helm near the piling in El Golfite. We planned a layover in Texan Bay for a few days to install our new depth sounder and relax as we waited for a higher tide to exit the Rio Dolce.

Scrammin arrived on Thursday March 1^st along with Titchkazy Maru. Ashore for dinner together we met Martin from Gringo Bay along with many other locals and yachties. The next day we all departed for Livingston and travelled through the beautiful River Gorge enroute.

On the left you view Scrammin as she follows Tundra down the River on her way to Livingston

Below is a look at one of the beautiful rock formations that you see along the way as we move down the River Gorge.

On arrival we anchored and did our checkout before crossing the bar to Tres Punta to anchor for the night. Nice to have the ssb on line again and able to receive the radio nets. Next day March 3^rd we said our goodbyes to T Maru who was heading to Honduras. Scrammin and Tundra lifted anchor and sailed towards Belize.

That afternoon we anchored in No Name Harbour for the night. Next day we decided it would be a good time to do a tour of the popular Monkey River. So we did with Ralph as our guide. We were accompanied with Peter and Francine on Rendezvous who were largely responsible for organizing the tour. A good time was had by all as seen in the following photos we saw many birds and wildlife in this nature protected area. The tour ended with lunch at the mouth of the river.

Yachtie Tourists above pose with their very pleasant guide Ralph

Below to the right night time bats are having a daytime snooze on the side of a tree in the Monkey river.

Left a mahogany tree is engulfed by a Bamboo Stand

Next day. Monday we were off to Big Creek at Placentia to do our check in. Dredging here was in progress causing much confusion to our navigating and resulting in giving Tundra’s keel a mud bath. Check in went smoothly but as the weather was deteriorating we elected to stay in the well protected anchorage of big Creek rather than to move to the rolly one at Placentia Harbour.

Next day , we caught Maxwell’s Taxi to the Hoki Poki and were ferried to Placentia to meet up with friends Todd and Susan who were in Placentia visiting Belize from Vancouver. Todd and Susan were good friends of our daughters.

Wednesday March 7^th we moved to Placentia Harbour. Happy 96^th Birthday to Mother Aleta on her 96^th Birthday!

Wednesday March 14^th along with Scrammin we departed for Wippari Cay but here we found the anchorage untenable so we moved onto Sapodilla Laguna and its bullet proof anchorage. Here we anchored next to Stone Age a 50 ft. ferro cement boat from Vancouver Canada. Much construction activity was happening on shore of this large lagoon. We were to soon meet up with John & Lucy the crew on Stone Age who are involved in the marina operation that was being constructed onshore. Later on in our cruise when we returned to Sapodilla Lagoon we were given the royal tour of the construction site before us.

On Friday we departed for Colson cays and on arrival we anchored west of Garbutt Cay. An old local friend showed up the next day who we know as Mayor Harry.

Later the same day we headed for Colson Cay. We anchored in 24 feet in Colson Cut. Rocky Berde a Mexican fisherman sold us fish with a promise of more the next day. We were joined here by a local fishing boat from Haulover Creek in Belize City. These 24 ft. boats have a crew of eight and apparently depart from Belize City with a hold full of ice and fish usually for days before returning with their catch. Rocky was one of the crew members. It was a mystery to us how they all survived on this tiny boat together. Later we encountered several of them on our travels. They seemed a happy friendly bunch and provided us with much amusement.

Local fishermen on the left anchored for the night at Colson's Cut. They provided us with our evening meal of fish.

We dinghied with Scrammin crew, Chuck (Yvonne’s brother who joined us in Placentia) out to the Barrier Reef for a snorkel. It turned out to be a fabulous event as we witnessed many wildlife sightings but most of all it was a pleasure to witness Chuck who was a retired US Naval seal, so gracefully snorkel and free dive the reef. Sadly we heard of a violent boarding of a charter yacht anchored the previous night at nearby Pelican Cays.

Tundra ties up at Cucumber Beach Marina located just south of Belize City

Snack Bar and Office just off Tundra's Bow

The entrance to Old Belize City which is a tourist attraction for the Cruise Ships that visit Belize City

The main attraction is a large man made water park including a manmade beach. Great for people watching and the marina is far enough away as not to be a nuisance. Here we met a new friend, Don who is a local and a Canadian from Sask. He kindly took us into the City and gave us the grand tour. Things have sure improved since our last visit here in the 80’s. We took the opportunity to reprovision at the large farmers market near Haulover Creek and super market at the San Cas Plasa.

The sun sets over the Barrier Reef off of Belize

March 22^nd we topped up our fuel and dinghy gas and departed Cumber Beach the next day heading for the off shore atolls of Belize. Scrammin stayed at the marina for another day to do laundry etc.

March 23^rd we bypass Water Cay and cross the barrier reef to anchor at the south west end of the Turneffe Atoll between the fish camp and the lighthouse. After a gentle roll overnight we did a dinghy exploration the next day inside the atoll. The wind as fresh and we found it quite choppy inside that would have made snorkeling uncomfortable so we sounded the entrance to Blue Creek and viewed the lodge inside. Later we did snorkel off the light house near the ruins that were in more protected water. Some of the coral was damaged but in deeper water were some pretty heads inhabited by some very plump Grouper. Only one turtle sighting in all this turtle grass! We were joined by a large British yacht that did a dive and left after a few hours. At 1800 we had a mosquito attack that drove us below for a short time. Later the star gazing was superb.

A family of dolphins romp along off Tundra's bow as we head for the Reef

Sunday March 25^th we rounded South Turneffe heading for the Light House Atoll. At the bottom of the reef N lat 17deg 09 06, W long 87deg 54 67 we headed a course of 115deg T then 90deg T for Lighthouse destination Long Cay.

On arrival after an on the nose power ride we anchored in 9.5ft at N 17deg 12 89, W 87deg 36 02. We enjoyed a blissful afternoon relaxing and enjoyed watching the cow jump over the moon in the evening. Next morn we talked on ssb to Bodacious Bill on the turkey net. They were in Florida

.

On the left above is a baby nurse shark swimming at the entrance to the lagoon on Long Cay and above right we spotted numerous different size dive boats exploring Light House Reef.

The day involved a snorkel in the reef NW of our anchorage and an interesting explore of the entrance of the lagoon on Long Island. Baby nurse sharks, crabs and a rare sighting of newly born crocodiles left us in awe. Water clarity was impeccable as you can see in the photos. Here we met up with yacht LAPIS a Prout 36 catamaran, crewed by Canadians Woody and Judy. They introduced us to John and Betty on Eco Adventurer. They have an abode that they constructed on the point here and is for sale. Very interesting as shown in photos that follow that were taken on our return to Long Island.

March 27^th saw us moving inside the reef to Half Moon Cay in company with Lapis. Woody and Judy had made the trip before so their guidance was much appreciated and relieved us of a lot of navigation stress as we dodged numerous coral heads on route. Half Moon Cay was a major high light of our 2012 cruise as you will see, we anchored in 9.5 ft. N 17 13 11, W 87 52 59 .5 miles N of the Cay.

0630 the next morning we were off with Woody and Judy to explore Half Moon Cay. What a treat was in store for us. The main spectacle was a bird sanctuary that housed Frigate Birds and Red Footed Boobies. Our timing was perfect as we witnessed the mating of the two bird types that inhabited the same real estate but in the wild they compete with each other. The Frigates gave us a display of their mating bloom (bright red bulbs on the males neck). The blue beaked Boobies were in abundance. Gumbo Limbo Trees were abundant onshore (the bark is used by locals for sunburn) and many little critters skittering about kept us entertained as well. View the photos below.

An Iguana above left crosses our path on the short early morning hike to the Bird Sanctuary. We also as shown above , share the path with a Hermit Crab on the way there.

Above Frigate Birds and Blue Footed Boobie Birds circle their nesting ground as a Blue Footed Boobie watches us unafraid with curiousity.

On return to Tundra we reanchored closer to shore. Next day we repeated our early morning visit to the Aviary and met a friendly tour guide who gave us a lot of good information. A trip to the blue hole would cost us $50 each even on our own boat! We elected to bypass the experience. He informed us of a smaller blue hole off the light house that we could visit no charge. Light House Reef is largely a National Park so a daily fee is collected by park wardens. At our time of visit it was a well worth $10 (20B) per day. Long Cay is out of the park so no fee applies.

Above a young Blue Footed Boobie Chick looks is unafraid of us and not 15 feet away a Male Frigate inflates his red balloon that has attracted a female Frigate to mate with him.

We returned to Long Cay the same day and had our tour of John and Betty’s Casila in the palms.

Next day March 30^th we made an early departure for Tobacco Cay Cut. After a nice broad reach the wind died in the lee of Glover’s Reef And we had a rolly motor ride for the rest of the passage. Under full power we navigated the cut and anchored in 8 ft. behind the cay N 16 53 89, W 88 04 10. Lapis continued on to South Water Cay. A snorkel of the reef at the entrance proved to be an excellent choice as we viewed many species of marine life.

Next stop was South Water Cay. Needing to renew our emigration papers for another 30 days we had to move on so we passed through Blue Ground and crossed over to Sapodilla Lagoon to reunite John and Lucy on STONE AGE. They offered to drive us into Dandriga for our renewal. We anchored in front of STONE AGE in 11.9 ft. at N 16 46 61, W 88 18 067. Next day we were off to Dandriga and the day turned out to be a real treat provided by the generosity of our friends.

Above we are show the most popular watering hole in nearby town Hopkins that is a popular Drumming Bar. To the right is a down main street view over the bridge at Dandriga

We had a full day tour of the mainland as well as the mammoth construction of a virtual city (Sanctuary Estates) in front of our eyes. John Usher of Sittee River is managing Sanctuary Estates and Marina. Usher is a well known name in Belize. We also made stops at the town of Hopkins and Sittee River. Our extension renewal went smoothly and grocery shopping proved successful along with a visit to the Garifuna Market.

Above as you can see Sanctuary Estates is under construction

Our goal of visiting the three offshore reefs was close to accomplishment as two were down and one remaining, Glovers Reef to go. April 3^rd we lifted anchor, after our final good byes to Sapodilla Lagoon for this year, and headed back to South Water Cay from where we would cross the barrier reef on route to Glovers.

Here at South Water Cay we anchored in 9.3 feet while losing our fishing lure to the prop. (N 16 49 00,

W 88 06 07). After unwinding our line from the prop we went for Cocktails on Lapis with Kathie and Kevin on Mijo and Kathy and Ric on Sea Dragon. That night provided us with a strong squall from the west and Sea Dragon broke loose but very skillfully maneuvered around all boats with no damage. Lunch on shore with Woody and Judy at the Research Center proved a treat. Apr 5^th Lapis departed for Placentia.

With way points from Capraea we headed out South Water Pass over the reef bound for Glovers Reef. Light wind forced a power ride but we were not disappointed as this short passage can prove to be treacherous. A Whale Shark was sighted as well as many birds. The Whale Sharks were in the area having their annual mating session. Arrival at South West Cay Glover’s Reef was uneventful and we anchored in 17 ft. west of South West Cay. (N 16 43 04, W 87 51 14) We were truly in snorkel paradise and many days in the water proved the point.

Above is a panoramic view of South West Cay as we approach our first anchorage at Glovers Reef 

A Spotted Eagle Ray gives us a greeting swim by as we anchor

Later we contacted Casey and Jamie on Magdelina who were in NE Cays in Glovers Reef. A reunion was in store for us. Belizean fishing vessels were abundant in the area and could be seen in the distance during the day but returned for the night to the various Cays in Glovers. Being Easter weekend local powerboats invaded the anchorage rafting together and just generally having a good time. You would never know we are in a third world country?

A Belizian Local fishing boat departs early morning  for a day of fishing, making a sharp contrast to the local power boats here for an Easter Weekend celebration as they pass. 

After many snorkels we had a visit with Casey and Jamie who joined us at South Water before their departure. They provided us with hints on the tricky navigation to the North east Cays as well as a description of their circumnavigation of South America.

April 7^th 2012 we dodged the Coral Heads and anchored NW of Long Cay in the NE Cays of Glovers in 14ft. (N 16 45 64, W 87 46 97). We were in a virtual Coral Garden. A very fast power boat swooshed by us in our lone anchorage coming close by us and then going to a mooring at a dock on a nearby Cay. We immediately recognized them as the Belizean Drug Patrol. During our stay at Glovers we felt very secure as they were always not far away.

Above left Tundra is anchored in her Coal Garden adjacent to the cay with the Canadians on shore as shown above right.

Above Brian stands above beside one of the buildings at Off the Wall Dive Resort as

Guests go for a swim off the beach.

Off the Wall Resort provides all levels of relatively inexpensive accommodation including camping. They will even rent guests camping equipment including tents so your own aren't required . We found the resorts here very accommodating and friendly. Only access is from the mainland on their launches and it  involves in over an hour passage.

Over the next few days here we enjoyed daily swims and snorkels on the hundreds of Coral heads nearby. Being a park and thanks to local tourist establishments many heads were equipped with dinghy moorings making access very comfortable as well as protecting the coral. One day we ventured ot on the outer reek to the drop off and tied to a dive boat mooring. Here we peered into the clear water that dropped off into a thousand feet. Large grouper stared up at us with their mouths open as they enjoyed a cleaning of their bodies by little fish that actually entered their mouth to do a teeth cleaning. We witnessed no fatalities to these miniature dental hygienists. We also discovered the Permit Fish at Glovers. These large fish followed us curiously around as we snorkeled many of the heads as often do the Barracuda. Belizean fishing boats were entertaining us with their colourful sails and broad smiles and huge waves of friendship.

APRIL 10 2012

We again lifted anchor and dodged the coral infested waters the five mile passage back to anchor off a dock at South Southwest Cay. The Easter Holiday was over so the anchorage was a lot more peaceful as most of the visiting boats had departed. In the evening MACAL the BDF08 Belizean Defense Force Patrol Boat arrived at the dock only two hundred feet away from us. We will have no security issues tonight!

April 11^th  2012 an early departure had us on the way back to South Water Cay Cut. Weather was building on the horizon and before our arrival we experienced a very good fresh water wash that lasted about an hour in gusty winds. We tied securely to a mooring ball at South Water in 7.5 ft. of water and enjoyed the sunset. Next day we snorkeled the outer entrance reef where we encountered a large Logger Head Turtle who graciously allowed us to swim alongside him for a short distance as we were unable to keep up to his slow pace. It’s awesome swimming beside an animal only slightly smaller than a Volkswagen. The time had come when we had to move on as it was getting near hide tide to cross the bar back into the Rio.

Once more Dolphins entertain us on our way to South Water Cay and as well more Belizian Fishermen skillfully sail past us. They truly can sail these crude boats well! 

April 13^th 2012 we were anchored in 23 feet at Placentia. Here we did some provisioning and touring. We rented bikes for a day and cycled out to see the Moorings Charter Location as well as nearby Roberts Grove Marina.

                                                                                                                                    In Placentia we rent Bikes for a ride up the highway

Kathy above stands with her bike at the Moorings and Sunsail harbour

Just another Iguana that poses for us in Placentia

April 16^{th 2012} we checked out at Big Creek and headed for No Name Harbour. Next day it was off to Tres Punta in preparation for our next day early morning crossing of the bar. About 0200 a strong squall had us circling our anchor so we awakened a little earlier than we anticipated for our crossing. As usual our AIS came in handy here as we crossed the busy shipping lanes into the busy commercial harbour of Puerto Barrio.

Above Tundra arrives for check in with Customs and Immigration at Livingston on the mouth of the Rio Dulce. Brian poses on the main street of Livingston with our very accommodating Dock Attendant. In the background you can see the River where Tundra is anchored. 

After an easy check in with Raul at Livingston we continued onto La Laguna and anchored off the Texan Bay Marina. Here we began to decommission Tundra for haul out at Ram Marine. Here we enjoyed meeting up with Cameron and Analise aboard Dutch Treat a Manta 40 Cat. Also had a great meeting with Chris and Kelly aboard Hona Lee who are building docks on the other side of the bay. They hope to have boat storage for 6 boats starting soon. Tom who does sail repair etc. had a look at our main and gave an estimate for rigging replacement for Tundra. He sold us his used Sailrite sewing machine which is a dream compared to our discarded Tent Maker.

Above Dutch Treat and Tundra are peacefully anchored in La Laguna just off of Texan Bay Marina. Above to the right are the regular Sunday afternoon water volleyball players who are locals and yachties that take advantage of a back packers hostel a few miles down the river. You may recognize one of the players in the middle of it all.

Our favourite La Laguna Bird plying the Lilly Pads.

Mon April 22 2012 we hauled anchor and made our way to Ram Marine for Tundra’s haul out. April 23^rd saw us hauled out perfectly at Ram by Victor and crew. We had meetings with Francisco as he was to look after Tundra during our absence. We felt real good about his services and understood in detail our wishes. Tundra would be in good hands. Sunday the 28^th we moved off the boat and had a pleasant stay in Fronterra at a hotel within an easy walk to the bus the next day.

Tundra on the hard at Ram Marina and is being prepared for storage. Behind is the building housing the laundermat. To the left of it (not visible) is a well appointed 3 bedroom house that is rented out for a reasonable cost.

After a comfortable 5 hour bus ride to Guat City we checked into Las Torres for a couple of days of RR before departure north for the summer. Above you can see the Girls could not resist trying on a few hats at the mall  in Guat City.

Go to page entitled “CURRENT EVENTS” 2012 section for a continuation of the year. We do not plan a return to the Rio until early 2013.

TO GO BACK TO OUR ARRIVAL AT GUATEMALA GO TO 2010 Our arrival at Guatemala

FOR OUR ARRIVAL TO THE  RIO DULCE 2013 PLEASE GO TO THE  NEXT WEB PAGE ENTITLED  W Carib Recent or

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Last update Feb 19 2018