Guanaja

. The town of French Harbor is quaint and has many shops with a good supermarket that is well stocked. The island has a lot of condominiums and higher end vacation homes. The locals have a wide variety of people with different backgrounds. English and Spanish is spoken extensively through out the island. If you go west from French Harbor you will come to the large town of Coxen Hole, there is a very large supermarket and plenty of shops that have all kinds of things if you need them. One Saturday night Gil and I went into Coxen Hole to a nightclub with a local taxi. The fellow brought us through a very seedy part of town on very narrow streets and we almost decided to go back. Until we saw the place, it was a large establishment with lots of security guards (armed at the door with shotguns). They frisked Gil and made him pay to go in and I was allowed in free with no search, pretty cool. Just like in Cuba, the people here never get off the dance floor. Many of the people came over and introduced themselves to us wanting to know where we came from and shared a drink with us. Before we left I ordered a meal to go from the bars’ restaurant to go         (standard thing we do when we are inebriated). We hailed a taxi, which already had three other people in it. One of our fellow travelers was a young man who upon smelling our chicken dinners told us he had not eaten in a couple of days.  Gil and I proceeded to share our meal with him, the other couple, and the cab driver. I think we are officially on a diet. The next day was a little rough on us and we hung around the boat all day. During the afternoon a small motor boat with some young people where knee boarding around us. Herbert Woods and his cousin Joshua Woods came over and spoke to us. Herbert offered to come the next day so Gil could try out the sport. Gil is not so good at it but he did have fun trying. A couple of days later Herbert took Gil out deep seas fishing for the day. All he caught was a small barracuda and the day I went with them we ended up at a small key near the East end of Roatan that was so idyllic, postcard perfect, with one palm tree hanging over the water. There is one other person I need to mention, Mr. Sherman Arch, he runs a small wildlife habitat at French Harbor. For a few dollars, you can tour his establishment and see iguanas, parrots, rabbits, monkeys, turtles, sharks and other fish. He lets the yachters tie up there dinghies to his dock and like almost everyone on the island will offer you a ride somewhere if he is driving by.    Herbert WoodsGil after he was dumped off the kneeboard.  Joshua Woods.  Day trip with Herbert going through a mangrove canal on Roatan.   

  Gil in the stream on the north side of Guanaja.Gil, Kylie, Mike at Christmas party at Manatee in Guanaja   a small Key we visited on the east end of Roatan.  Our favorite Person HO HO HO.Me and Gil still hung over from Christmas Eve. Manatee Restaurant.                               

 Sunday December 13 2008. We hosted anchor at 7am and headed to Guanaja. The wind was from the northeast a light 5-8 knots; we motored with our sails up. We at least tried to look like we were sailing, good old fake-o-sail it will fool a lot of people but not real sailors. We dropped our anchor at 2pm behind Dunbar rock. Meeting everyone in the harbor was our first priority. Kylie and Mike on Meggie, Joe and Helen on Déjà Vu, Eric an Carol on Driftwood, Benita and Bill on Elinringre. Then all of the wonderful people who live on the Island itself. One couple who live there are Kathy and Jim, they have a nice place on the south side of Guanaja in front of Dunbar Rock. They moved there about 15 years ago when Jim retired from a demolition company he ran. Their property has many tropical fruit trees and numerous flowering shrubs and plants, a horticultural dream. Near the top of their property is a swimming pond that used to be a fresh water source. The Island has approximately 25 natural springs fed from the mountains and the municipality uses them as their water source. Some of these streams from the mountains have waterfalls on them. The island has a man made canal cut through it so you can easily get from the south side to the north side in a small boat. As you go through it, you notice the devastation hurricane Mitch did to the island. Some of the mountains are starting to get a good growth of trees on them. Gil and I were shown pictures of after the hurricane, every leaf was gone and many old growth trees were destroyed. The island has recovered but it needs more time, the animal life needs to repopulate. We spent Christmas Day at the Manatee Restaurant with fellow sailors, locals and expatriates from Germany and the US. You can celebrate the holidays without snow and it still feels like Christmas. The meal was lovely, everyone brought a dish and Kathy and Jim provided the Turkey. Graham at his Island resort at Joshes Key will host New Year. Graham has decorated his island with 60,000 lights.                                     

 

French Harbor Roatan

November 22 2008. I waited toll 7 am and hialed Tom on the VHF and found out he had lost his dinghy during the night. A short ride in our dink around the bay and we found his dinghy. Some locals had brought it to shore and waved us in when they saw us looking around. We got under way and arrived at the Ilsand of Roatan inthe early afternoon. During our stay there we hung around with Tom and fellow sailors in the anchorage. Karen and Mike on Beau Soleil. And Mike and Gloria on Winfree. Mike and Karen have went around twice and once on a sailboat that had no motor. Mike was very helpful showing us how to use our new SSB radio for weather reports and communicating with other sailors. On Thanksgiving day Mike and Gloria Invited us to share thier meal with them Turkey and all of the timmings. What a wonderful life we lead. The town of French harbor has a great supermarket with plenty of supplies from everywhere. The island has plenty of higher end vacation homes and condos. Gil Myself and Tom and a girl named Debra went for a dive off the Fantasy Island resort . The site we went to has a sunken tug and a plane there is a large reef with plenty of spectaular corals and marine life. There is a miriade of tube, fan, brain coral. The resort here lets the sailors use the wifi and they have peacocks and this funny looking animal that looks like a giant guinepig. You can get great videos of your dive to watch at the bar tv. On one of our Trips to the island we went into the town of Coxen Hole it is a larger town than French Harbor with more amenities. We will be leaving here as soon as the cold fronts pass and get on to Guanaja.

Utilla

Bad weather set in for a few days so we sat around the boat and read alot. During the the day we started to drag our anchor so we pulled it up and moved to a better area of the harbor with a lee shore for protection. We have bumped into Dicky a few more times in town. A new sail boat anchored next to us today. The vessels name is Rock and Roll owned by Tom from California. We decided to buddy boat with Tom to Roatan. Hopefully the sail will be okay because another front is coming in on Sunday and Roatan has good protection.

Bay Island Honduras

November 14 2008. Once we were out of the bay and headed around the point we past numerous bays that resembled large Kathy's Coves at Aubry. The mist was stating to burn off and the sun streaked through it with shots of gold. A pod of dolphins joined us this morning and did their usuall dance in front of the bow. We arrived in the Island of Utilla on flat blue seas. Beautiful!Seventeen miles away to the south the mounians of the mainland jut up into the air . They are so massive you can see them on a hazy day from the island. Entering into the East Bay was relativily easy. It is wide open with 50 ft of water under us in the entrance. The harbor is a halfmoon shape with fairly new and colorful buildings dive shop and resturaunts. After setting the hook we went into the town for dinner. While strolling along we met up with a couple we met in the Dulce. Richard and Gerra are on a catamaran from Holland. The island is a scuba divers playground with over 60 dive sites from shallow to deep dives with massive coral walls,shipwrecks and whale sharks. Gil and i walked the town edge for about 3 hours. The primary busness here is tourism. All the supplies come from the mainland. English is spoken here and meals and beverages are relatively cheap. The money is the Lemperes, 1 dollar gives you 18 Lemps.During our lunch on a balcony restuarnt we met Dicky. A nice fellow from Texas, his parents immigrated from Honduras before he was born. He came here to the island to dive and meet relatives he had never met.

Bay Island Honduras

November 12 2008. Wayed anchor at 5 am It looked like it would rain. By 10 am the water was alost flat and a beautiful azure blue. Guatemala had been left behind and we were in Hondurian water Our course was parrelall with the shipping lane. Kuring the morning we spotted 4 frieghters and a US Coast Guard cutter. Looking at the coastline in the distance you can see Honduras has a rugged mountianous terrian similar to Guatemala.At 2 pm Gil decided he didn't like the noise coming from the prop shaft. So we stopped and he dove in to see if anything was loose. 10 minutes later we were under way agian with only about 10 miles to go to our next anchorage. The anchor was set in the Bay of Honduras in a large harbor called Puerto Es Con Dido. There were craggy mountians in the entrance with a few outcroppings of rock to go through, but once we were inside it opened up to this idylic bay that was protected on all sides. Our anchor was dropped in fifteen feet of crystal clear water. About 20 minutes later three young boys who were fishing outside of the bay came in to visit us. My sanish is poor but we communicated well enough. After the boys left Gil and I went for a small dinghy tour around the harbor. Sunset was pleasant with a couple sundowners while we listended to the howler monkeys in the tree canopy until the went ot sleep.

Livingston Guatemala

November 12 2008. After the fisherman came into the anchorage Gil went over and got us some fresh shrimp for the freezer. Once they were cleaned we headed into Livingston to clear out. We were a little bit worried because we lost or misplaced or entry papers. With thoughts of steep fines and extra paper work we entered the Port Captians office and found out everything was cocumented on their computer. Whew! From there it was top immigration and then to Customes. Wxcept they had gone to lunch a little bit early so we spent 1 and half hours chatting with a fellow by the name of Gerry. Gerry was originly from Australia and about 21 years ago was visiting Livingston when he met the love of his life at a resturant there and never left. He and his wife operate a tour business now. Once we got our clearance papers we pulled up our hook and went about 10 miles to Punta Manabique int the shelter of the Peninsula. We doupp our anchor around 6pm. The moon was full with a star filled sky and it was wonderful to have the open water around us.

Good by to Guatemala

We said our goodbyes to the good people at Mar Marina. Scarlet the spanish and english speaking manager talked Gilbert into buying suction cups so I can clean the bottom of the boat easier. The day was sunny and hot as we motored through the Golfete towards Livingston. Gil had a few minor ajustments to do on the new propeller shaft he installed and we were on our way. As we left the Golfete and entered the Rio Dulce you could feel the rythem of the river. Poeple in their pangas fishing with nothing more than a hook and line some for sustanance and some for income. It is a simple way of life and the people we saw looked happy. Coming into Livingston my heart was filled with well being when I saw the expanse of open water in the Caribean. I missed this alot in the Rio where we were closed in by the mountians and the water was a dirty green color. Out in the open waters there is a nice breeze even when it is hot.

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Underway our first pictures under sail. Beach in Utilla.                  

Lighthouse Hotel. Our new friend Dickie.  Plaque in front of the local church. Entrance of the town park. Downtown on the main street.            

Harbor off the North coast of Honduras

Trees on the side of the cliff in the harbor we stayed at over night. Lots of Howler monkeys in them.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Golfete with the mountians of Guatamala in the background.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Guatamalans' fishing on the river.                     

Tikal Guatemalla

Gil at the top of temple five,is he knocked up or just fat?

Kathy Just needs to diet more and climb more ruins. Entrance to a chamber in a ruin. Is it a death chamber or Just a bedroom?

Jill climbing the stairway to heaven!!!


The central hall in our hotel open to the sky and it gets wet when it rains.

Tikal Guatemalla

Birds nests called aerail pendulas, and a round stella, veiw from temple number five,kurt Myself and Jill ,and Main square plaza.

Gil holding the way open.

Top of temple number five.

Mayan ceremony.

Temple in the main square.

Downtown Flores island.

Breakfast at hotel Peten, Flores.

Tikal Guatemalla

Tikal Guatemalla

After checking out of the hotel Peten we set off for Tikal. The highway winds through the mountians with panoramic views of the country side that are spectaular. It is verdent and lush with small villages dotting the road side. All of the villages have roadside vendors that are prepared to sell crafts , vegtables and local foods that are simple but good. Once you arrive at the gates of the park you recieve a ticket and then you proceed up the highway and it is dotted with wildlife crossing signs jaguar, deer, monkey, peacock, and snake. The park was bustling with local people of Maya dissent. There was some kind of religious ceramony going on in the main square of the temples. A large fire had been built and there some kind of preists giving offerings and annointing people by spraying them will an alcoholic beverage. Once that was preformed the person would toss an offering of their own into the flames,grain corn , or tobacco seemed to be the preferred offering. The pyramids were spaced apart from each other at considerable distances, with alot of walking through the jungle with paths that meander to the next temple. All of the temples were unique in someway. Some were very high with steep inclines and others were flattened out at their summits with platforms, and large vistas of the surrounding areas . Gil and I with Kurt and Jill limbed the last temple to the top via a stairway that zigzaged back and forth to the top. There were plenty of rest stops made because of the heat and the humidity. But the view from the top was worth every step. Once we descended it was time for a beverage break at the little tiendo they had at the base of the pyramid the beer was ie cold and wonderful. The rest of the day was spent walking through the shaded paths with monkeys swinging in the tree tops as we passed through. All of the temlpes were moss covered with ferns and creeping vines growing on them. They were quite different from the ruins in Mexico and yet alot of the carvings on the stone tablets had similar hyrogliphics depicted on them. One of our last stops on the tour was their museum. As you go down the path to it you see areo pendula, which are a birds nest tha hang from the tree branches. And the path to the museum has orchids growing from the wooden handrails on them. Inside there were artifacts of jade jewellery, obsidan arrowheads and pottery with intricate designs on them. There were the remains of one of the kings who had ruled at the time on his body there was approximitly 16 ppounds of jade jewellery. It was a wonderful day of exploring and the ride back to Flores had ingredable veiw of the lake as we were coming down the mountian. It looked like the view from Montreal river hill. Absolutely breath taking. If you are down this way it is a must see place.

Tikal Guatemalla

Gil and I met a really nice couple ,who had drove across Guatemalla from the Pacific side. They were staying at the marina hotel for a night And then the two of them were heading to Tikal and then to Belize. Jill and Kurt Strecker turned out to be a very interesting couple,they have bought their first boat and learned how to sail it and then went through the Panama Canal. We invited to travel along with Jill and Kurt to Tikal .They would continue on their way and we would come back to the Rio by bus. Anyway we all piled into a small rental car and drove up into the mountains to a town called Flores. The attraction was to stay at a hotel on a man made island. It is hard to believe now that tis quaint town was once"Tayasal"-the ceremonial and political center of the powerful Maya Itsa confederation. In 1542 Hernan Cortes arrived . In 1697 Martin de Urzua y Arismendi conquered the last independent Maya stat and captured Itza king Canek. The Spanish built a fort on the Island because it was easier to defend and fewer biting bugs than on the mainland. Flores was named after Cirilo Flores who was a political leader and was lynched in Quetzaltenango. But before that it was called Nuestra senora de los Remedios y San Pablo de Itza and then it was called Devil's Island when it had a prison built on it. All in all it is quaint with its gaily colored buildings and cobblestone streets.The hotel was called Hotel Peten and it was very large with three large beds and a small balcony looking out on the water. We ate fairly good food at reasonable priceses. As soon as we found out that they turned the electricity off in the hotels at Tikal we returned to Flores and the hotel Peten for our second night.

Children's Day at the park

today they had a celebration to honor the children here. There were games and a pinada for the kids It was very simple but the children had a blast all they do id smile all of the time. I spent a little time taking some photos and if they catch you takeing their pic they stop smiling and pose very seriously. It's rather hard to get a natural pose. Bye for now.

Back home in Guatemalla

Spent the majority of the day on airplanes getting back here and tomorrow we shall be travelling by bus down the mountians to the Rio Dulce. Our first thing to do is tour the Mayan ruin Tikal. After that we will be preparing the boat for our Journey to the Panama canal.

Had a good summer in Canada

We had a wonderful time back home in Canada but it is time go go home to the Endorfin. The hurricane season is almost over and we have most of our parts for the boat. Our flights are on the 24th of sept. When we get back the first thing we do is go to the Mayan ruin TikKal. And then we shall get to the business of leaving for the Panama Canal.