Just Enough Chaos to Keep it Interesting

Insulted Nachos & Lost Cell Phone

On the 15 October we finally made it to Guatemala City, utterly exhausted and running on fumes, We decided to hang out in a city hotel for a few days in order to deal with our jet lag before returning to Intle Breeze,  as the moment we get back to the boat we will have 6 suitcases to unpack……No it is not clothes and shoes it is a bunch of well-travelled boat spares, this of course is besides the endless amount of boat work that will be required after being left alone for so long.

After a couple nights of basic dinners and almost no alcohol, we seriously needed to deflate after our trip, I made the bold decision to go seriously unhealthy just one more time and ordered Nachos to share, it is never too bad if you share right?  It turned out to be a total insult to the Mexicans. Fake cheese like the kind that you squeeze out of a tube, fake guacamole and definitely fake sour cream WTAF, after just one painful bite we decided that we were not going to allow this concoction to enter our bodies, even though we have been over indulging just a tad lately, it was never on bad food……..Yes I am a food snob, that is just how it is. Totally put off all types of food for the night we headed to bed at a real jet lag hour of 18:00 only to look forward to a 03:00am internal alarm clock.

New day, same jet lag challenges. Since we are in the city we decided to head off to a wine shop/bar Eric had found, as our wine stock on Intle Breeze is dangerously low, and the choices in Rio Dulce are not great. OFCOURSE drama had to make an appearance……we jump out of the uber a little earlier than we should have, due to excessive traffic and impatience, we concluded that walking the last stretch would be much faster. As we arrive at the wine store, I have the stark realization that I do not have my phone ……PANIC PANIC…. report to Uber, they only answer within 24 hours………stress levels out of control…..try to contact uber drive of course he does not answer……..We call my cell phone and with great relief he answers my phone, only to tell me in the most casual way ever that he is going to the movies now and will see me in 2 hours at the wine bar.  Now we have the unimaginable trauma of sitting in a wine bar for 2 hours, oh well, there could certainly be worse places to hang out for a couple of hours. Let’s not forget I cannot pay for anything as all my cards are on my phone. Thankfully, Eric was there, with his cards. He even bought me a swim suite to distract me from the stress. Thanks Babes, your patience and your credit card are truly appreciated.

Closer to 3 hours later, the uber driver showed up with my phone in hand. Crisis averted.

In a place like Guatemala City, where hardship and crime, often a shadow of daily life, moments like this rekindle my faith in humanity, proof that honesty, integrity, and a genuine goodness still shine through the darkness.

Settling Back into Sailor Life

After a seven-hour road trip that gets us back to sailor life, I am so ready for my own bed and my own food that does not involve any insults to Mexicans.

We finally rolled back into Rio Dulce early evening, and our trusty buddy boat Dilly Dally was on board, as his boat is on the hard. (the dry dock) so  Jens and our favourite sea dog Miço are living on Intle Breeze for now,  by the time we arrived back on the boat some element of order was already in place, water was on, some outside cushions were ready for chilling, doors had been opened and the boat nicely aired, believe it or not these small things make a difference after a long trip. It was decided that unpacking could wait for another day, and we headed out for a welcome home glass of wine with Jens and Miço. The next few days were a blur of sorting suitcases, washing winter woollies that actually have no place in the tropics and of course arranging boat parts, a couple of dips in the pool with a cocktail were required strictly for hydration purposes of course!

Waterfall Hike

It goes without saying that we slotted right back into Rio Dulce life, margarita Mondays, BBQ Fridays, and social events. I am also very happy to report that the weather is way more pleasant than when we left here in July, believe me it is still sweltering, but more bearable and less bugs, as the humidity is not as high. With this in mind we were feeling adventurous and joined a group of sailors for a day out, got collected by a local water taxi called a  launcher and headed to Siete Altares a beautiful series of jungle waterfalls and natural pools, as always you do not just stumble into paradise it usually requires a bit of a hike and possibly a death march through uneven ground and slippery rocks crossings waterfalls holding onto a little rope kept things interesting.  A welcome swim in cool mountain water was the reward. The hike itself did not have too much elevation however the walking was tough due to the ground composition and crossing the waterfall gave it an element of challenge. However certainly worth the reward.

Playa Blanca & Livingston

After conquering the jungle, we continued to Playa Blanca, (White Beach) which is one of very few white sand beaches with warm sea water, where we all just lazed around and enjoyed a couple of Cuba libras, a drink we have become rather fond of might I tell you.

Next stop with our launcher driver is the town of Livingston this is where we entered when we first arrived in Rio Dulce in July. (Click here if you want to read about it) Livingston can only be reached by sea and by river there are no roads leading into it, even though it is not an island and is attached to the mainland, however there is only hardcore jungle and no roads making this connection. There are also no cars here, all forms of transport are either tuk-tuks or motor bikes.

There is not a whole lot to do here and apparently a fair amount of crime, we found a strong police presence which makes one feel both sceptical and safe overall a very pleasant experience however not so sure I would want to hang out here at night.

In-between Awkward Boat Jobs We are Proudly South African

Between all the socialising and sundowners, we do work on the boat. Hard to believe I know. Boat projects this time included a permanent repair on the awful leak we had before we departed in July (click here if you want to read about it), because apparently on boats even the lights can leak. Hopefully now our watery nightmare is over.

Then came the generator battery replacement. Sounds simple right. Of course not……this is a boat nothing is really simple, whoever designed the Leopard 50 had a wicked sense of humour, they tucked that battery away in the tinniest space that there was zero chance of a flexible yoga specialist, or a 6,4 foot man getting it in and out alone, so he had to call in the 5,3 foot re-enforcement specialist for assistance. There really is an advantage to being small and short after all.

Also, the water primer pump to the generator needed some repairs and many other painful jobs. Boat jobs really are painful, and test our patience, but they need to be done.

Romance on the River

What could possibly go wrong?

After Jens ( Dilly Dally ) recommended a slightly more upmarket restaurant than the usual Rio Dulce casual vibe we decided to venture off in the dark of night up the river to Dream Catcher Restaurant for a real date night……. Yes yes yes, weird things happen to us. One would think by now we would have mastered the art of the dingy right……. apparently not. Halfway there, the outboard starts to cough and splutter and then silence. We’d run out of fuel! No problem, we’re seasoned sailors! We carry spare fuel, except when we lent our container to Jens from Dilly Dally, he'd returned it full , bless him – Just without the funnel, because I mean why would we need it grrrrrrr

So there we are in the pitch black dark on the river bouncing around, with launchers (water taxi) flying past us making big waves, while Eric is trying to keep his hand surgeon steady while filling the tank with petrol from one tiny hole into another tiny hole……Actually this was not going so well as petrol was flowing everywhere and replacing the smell of romance and my eau de perfume with eau de unleaded. Thank heavens I brought a torch along so that we could be visible to other boats, Oh and I was also told NOT to light a smoke. “Wonder why?”

He managed to get just enough fuel in to get us to Dream Catcher and back.

Dream catcher really was an absolute treat, run by a wonderful Guatemalan woman who has owned restaurants all over Guatemala City and The Bay Islands of Honduras and now she is in Rio Dulce as part of a calmer life for her retirement. If you are ever lucky enough to find yourself in this area, Dream Catcher is a must do, she also has gorgeous eco-friendly accommodation, and most meals are prepared and plated by her, and we all know Owner run is best.

Fast forward a couple of mornings, feeling fancy again we headed off to Dream Catcher for a Sunday morning breakfast. Surely this trip would be smooth cruising! Well not really, we ran out of fuel again…. Because apparently, we never learn and actually forgot. The silver lining though, this time we had the funnel, there is hope for us after all, any progress is good right.

That dear friends, sums up our last two weeks, a little bit of adventure, a lot of laughter and just enough chaos to keep things interesting. Until next time, may your tanks be full, your torches charged and your date nights slightly less flammable than ours.