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March 23, 2007
Fronteras, Rio Dulce
Izabal, Guatemala
(Check out
http://www.mayaparadise.com/)
Once we decided to go, we left
yesterday morning about 6:15 a.m. with a “buddy boat” called
Chickcharnie, with Don and Rosie from Montana aboard, to
attempt to cruise to Punta Gorda, check out of Belize,
cruise to Livingston, check into Guatemala, and find a quiet
anchorage for the night.
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Cruising in open waters now has Jan wary, so we thoroughly
secured for sea, only to find ourselves in flat calm, almost
glassy seas across the Gulf of Honduras. FINE with me!! We
were in Punta Gorda in less than three hours, and the
formalities went fairly efficiently, so off we went
immediately toward Livingston, arriving there just after
noon. We figured we’d have to wait for the officials to
finish their lunch before coming out to our boat to clear us
in – apparently lunch lasts until about 3:30. |
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When they arrived, the party consisted of Customs,
Immigration, Health, and the Port Captain – all were very
courteous and pleasant – especially Raul of Customs, who
spoke fairly good English. They were charmed by the cats –
and their only concern about them seemed to be their names. |
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We thought that once the party had been aboard that would be
the end of it – but apparently now that they had seen us, we
had to dinghy ashore to dance with them at: 1) the bank, to
change dollars into Quetzales; 2) Immigration, where we had
to pay out some of those Quetzales to get our passports
stamped; 3) Customs, where Raul gave us a 90-day permit in
exchange for still more Quetzales, that 4) the Port Captain,
in exchange for even more Quetzales, stamped for us. FYI –
there are 7.5 Quetzales to the dollar, and we figured it was
just about $75 to clear in. |
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We could probably have managed this on our own, but at the
town dock, there was a gaggle of 12-to-13-year old boys who
argued for the privilege of watching our boat and guiding us
through the rounds. Our tour guide, a charming local boy of
13, boldly took charge and led us around to each place,
chatting with Jan in Spanish to explain each step of the
“cha-cha.”
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Livingston is a typically gritty
third-world seaport town, built on the north shore of the
Rio Dulce, with narrow streets, and a long uphill walk to
the Port Captain’s office, high on a cliff with a
magnificent view of the entire river mouth, and guarded by a
young man with a well-practiced scowl who didn’t look old
enough for the AK47 he was holding. While we waited in the
Port Captain’s office for the Port Captain to arrive (about
half an hour), the tour guide broached the subject of “el
tip” very delicately, explaining that this is his job, and
he would like to earn enough money to get something to eat –
the same for the boy who was watching the dinghy. It seemed
a fair exchange – the boy had a smile that would melt
chocolate, and Jan was happy to practice the Spanish.
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We were finished at about 5:30, hoisted anchor, and traveled
about ¾ mile upriver to find a spot not heavily zoomed by
the fishing fleet, just south of an old dock that used to
service oil barges supplying a defunct nickel mine. As
advised, because of the “loose” application of maritime
custom and the fact that the fishing fleet goes out at
night, we turned on our deck lights in addition to the
anchor light, to avoid being bonked in the dark by some
industrious fisherman with more horsepower than nav lights. |
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Friday morning we started the 20-mile cruise upriver through
the Rio Dulce gorge. We are definitely not in Kansas
anymore, Toto. The shoreline rises up several hundred feet
from the river, sometimes straight up, and is covered by
jungle vegetation including palms, mahogany, strangler figs,
philodendra, and the like. Once through the gorge, the
shoreline gentles a bit, and we were charmed by some of the
homes we saw. |
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The river widens to an area called “El Golfete,” where we
encountered families fishing from canoes – usually with the
wife manning the motor, and the husband throwing the net;
and we found we had to change course from time to time to
avoid running through arrays of nets and floats. |
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And just past El Golfete, the settlement of Fronteras
appeared, just under the highway bridge that connects this
area to Guatemala City inland and Puerto Barrios, the town
on the south shore of the river mouth. |
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Catamaran Island, where we had originally intended to stay,
was fully booked. We aimed instead at Hacienda Tijax (TEE-hosh),
on the same side of the river and a bit closer to town. As
we approached, we were not impressed – until the owner
himself came out in a lancha, consulted with Ole, and found
us a perfect side-tie that catches a bit of the afternoon
breeze. By paying in advance for three months, the monthly
moorage is $243, which includes water, armed security, use
of the pool, grounds, and trails, and free wireless
internet. We’ll pay about 30 cents per kilowatt hour for
power (less than we paid at Riverview in Ft. Lauderdale!),
and have signing privileges at the hotel, restaurant and
bar. We haven’t fully explored the place yet, so have
included just a couple of pictures. Until we have more
pictures to add, you might want to explore their website:
www.tijax.com . |
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So, settled in, we get cell phone service and e-mail. For
snail mail, the address is as follows: El Yate Emma Jo, %
Eugenio Gobbato, Hacienda Tijax,
Fronteras, Rio Dulce, Izabal 18022, Guatemala, Central
America. |
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So we’re settled for at least
three months. Ole will be going back to the ship next week,
and Jan will be staying here for the duration. The cruise
log will be updated at least weekly, but will focus more on
life on the Rio than cruising per se. |
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Jan the Webmeister
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