And they certainly have gone well for the last week. In fact, I have enjoyed myself tremendously, beginning on Saturday and continuing through today with no end in sight.
On Saturday, there was a name change ceremony for our friend and landlord, Santos. He has a sailboat he bought as pretty much of a wreck after that big microburst storm we had last April. He decided to change its name to "Phoenix", which describes it after all it went through and all that has been done to it since.
Now, you cannot just change the name of a boat without going through the proper ceremony, or it is an offense to Neptune, the god of the oceans. And if you irritate or offend Neptune,you will live to regret it. Sailors are a very superstitious lot. When we chose to change Magda Jean' name from the name she came with we also chose to blow off the ceremony. I believe we paid the price in Cabo San Lucas when Mike lost his wallet (with all his ID, credit cards, and $500.00 worth of pesos) out of his pocket and into the water while riding in our dinghy past a famous rock formation known as "Neptune's Finger." So needless to say, we did not want anything similar to happen to our good friend.
The ceremony involves drinking and toasting with champagne, as well as a recitation of an invocation to Neptune. You also have to pour champagne into the water, and you aren't supposed to use cheap stuff, either. Everything has to be done in a particular manner, with no deviation. I handled the entire ceremony and it went very well if I do say so myself.
(I just took a loaf of bread out of the oven. It looks really good. I made it from dough I had frozen after my last extremely successful bread session. All I did was to take out the frozen solid dough, put it in the greased pan, cover it, and let it thaw and rise. This one seems a bit crustier and I am afraid I may have baked it a bit too long. But I think the only fallout will be a bit more of a crust.)
There were plenty of other cruisers, as well as Santos's friends. After the ceremony was compete and Neptune paid his dues, we all settled in for a great party. I am so glad I got to do this, and not only because I got to help out a friend. (I even did parts in Spanish). In a way I think it helps to make up for me and Mike being Sailing Superstition Scofflaws.
Next day, we went with Santos and his family to one of the estuary restaurants. It is about 30 minutes away by dinghy. We had fish and shrimp, drank beer, and ate green mangoes sliced and doused with salt and lime. Again, it was a wonderful time. There was enough breeze to keep things comfortable, the sky was a brilliant blue, and we watched ospreys hunt from the restaurant. It seemed like we were sharing a meal with them - and, after all, everyone was eating fish. Later, after we turned we sat out in our cockpit and watched the sun go down, enjoying our beer as darkness fell all around us.
Monday, Tuesday. Wednesday and today things got busy as we began serious work towards getting underway. We built the permanent framework for the new solar panels. I say "we" because I definitely was an active participant for a change, more than just a gofer. We also installed our newly tooled winches. Additionally, we cleaned out both lazarettes in the cockpit. ("Lazarette" is a fancy word for a storage locker located in the cockpit.) Now even though we have gone through all these lockers numerous times since we bought the boat, taking everything out, getting rid of things and reorganizing, it is always surprising just how much crap remains in there and how much better the remaining things can be arranged. The lazarettes look great and are in excellent order.
Tonight we are having friends over for dinner. Mike is cooking chicken on the grill and I am making a bean and rice side dish, as well sliced tomatoes and cucumbers in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
We are not certain whether the geckos are making a difference or not. Sometimes it seems like they are as there are less roaches visible. Then at other times it seems like maybe there are still just as many. Now we may have a new problem - we fear we may have inadvertently killed them yesterday. The reason we fear this is twofold. One, we did not hear them chirping last night and this morning. Two, yesterday we used this stuff called "wood restorer" on the teak in the companionway. We thought it was just wood oil, but as it turns out, it has a strong chemical smell when it is applied. We are afraid it might have been too strong for them. We feel badly that we might have done this, because after all the geckos did not ask to be brought aboard, and because we did so, we are responsible for keeping them well and healthy, as much as is reasonably possible.
There could, however, be something else going on. While I was researching geckos, I read that the chirping sound is the female calling for a mate. Perhaps they are no longer chirping because they are pregnant and no longer in need of a mate. (A side note: I am not sure if egg laying creatures [as opposed to mammals] are supposed to be described as "pregnant" when carrying fertilized eggs in their bodies prior to laying the eggs. I used it for lack of a better way to describe it.)
So that is it for today. I am hopeful we may be able to get underway the weekend after next, if no problems arise and there is a good weather window. Although there are no real issues with storms this time of year, there are some local winds called the "papagallos" that cross Costa Rica from the Caribbean to the Pacific making things quite unpleasant at sea in that area, with strong winds (not that bad by themselves) that whip up big, choppy, and confused seas (very unpleasant and uncomfortable to sail in). I hate to jinx our progress by making predictions, so I will say only that I am optimistic that we are soon to be on our way again.
"Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day." (A.A. Milne)
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Friday, January 25, 2013
Captain! I haven't got the power!
Actually, now I do. Yesterday Mike installed two new solar panels. We originally had 3 300 watt panels. Then one of them got broken in one of our wind storms this summer, so for quite awhile now we have be living with only 200 watts. So now Mike installs two more panels with 130 watts each. So now we have 460 watts! And that does not even count what is generated by our windmill. This puts us in fabulous shape. Yesterday after the installation was complete, and even with the fridge running, two fans blowing AND the computer being used, we were still over 15 amp hours ahead. This means we had more power coming in than we did going out. The fridge is our single biggest power draw. It also means we won't need to use gas or diesel - we won't have to run the generator or the engine to charge the batteries. Less reliance on fossil fuels. More off the grid freedom.
Last night we saw one of our geckos. I am pretty sure it was Doc. We have not seen any of them since they arrived, which is to be expected according to my gecko research. We hear some chirping (I like to think of it as gentle barking) at night and I like to hear it. Doc looked quite robust and didn't appear to have missed any meals. I can't really tell yet if they are serving their purpose or not. It would be just my luck to have a boat infested with both roaches and lizards. I would rather have lizards.
Today we are heading into Zactecaluca to get cash and some groceries. We take the local bus - those converted school buses. Hopefully we will have a seat the whole way. The buses do get crowded at times, and they really crowd people on. In Guatemala we took what is called a colectivo -a minivan designed to seat around 15 that acts like a bus, with specific routes either within a city or between cities. We took one from Flores to Coban - about 150 miles or so. They must have had over 30 people crammed into that van - we had people literally with butts in our faces, people sitting on top of the van and hanging off the doors. it was amazing how many people they could cram in there. Every time we stopped I could see the people riding with us thinking just what I was thinking- "There is no way they can fit any one else on here." But then they would. After that experience,we paid a bit extra for the private shuttle services. But Zacatecaluca is close enough that we just deal with the crowding.
Well, I have to get gong now. It is about 8:30 am and we want to get going before it gets too hot out. Even though it is winter (at least on the calendar) the only difference between the weather now and the weather in the summer is that it rains in the summer and does not in the winter. At least this trip to Zacatecaluca will not include the long uphill walk to the post office. Just the store and the ATM. As usual, all is well here in El Salvador.
"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use." (Søren Kierkegaard)
Last night we saw one of our geckos. I am pretty sure it was Doc. We have not seen any of them since they arrived, which is to be expected according to my gecko research. We hear some chirping (I like to think of it as gentle barking) at night and I like to hear it. Doc looked quite robust and didn't appear to have missed any meals. I can't really tell yet if they are serving their purpose or not. It would be just my luck to have a boat infested with both roaches and lizards. I would rather have lizards.
Today we are heading into Zactecaluca to get cash and some groceries. We take the local bus - those converted school buses. Hopefully we will have a seat the whole way. The buses do get crowded at times, and they really crowd people on. In Guatemala we took what is called a colectivo -a minivan designed to seat around 15 that acts like a bus, with specific routes either within a city or between cities. We took one from Flores to Coban - about 150 miles or so. They must have had over 30 people crammed into that van - we had people literally with butts in our faces, people sitting on top of the van and hanging off the doors. it was amazing how many people they could cram in there. Every time we stopped I could see the people riding with us thinking just what I was thinking- "There is no way they can fit any one else on here." But then they would. After that experience,we paid a bit extra for the private shuttle services. But Zacatecaluca is close enough that we just deal with the crowding.
Well, I have to get gong now. It is about 8:30 am and we want to get going before it gets too hot out. Even though it is winter (at least on the calendar) the only difference between the weather now and the weather in the summer is that it rains in the summer and does not in the winter. At least this trip to Zacatecaluca will not include the long uphill walk to the post office. Just the store and the ATM. As usual, all is well here in El Salvador.
"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use." (Søren Kierkegaard)
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Enjoying Being Alive Today
Today is one of those really perfect days. It is bright and sunny, with just a few nice looking clouds drifting discreetly across the sky. There is some,but not alot of activity out here on the estuary - just enough. I don't mind it when a dinghy or panga speeds through the mooring field and makes the boat rock back and forth. After all, it is a boat, right? On the water? It would be like living in a glass house and complaining about the light coming in. were I to complain about a rocking boat. And I also like to see people's regular lives going on along this estuary - the fishing pangas, the wooden canoes,all of it. Yesterday I spent ten bucks for two pounds of jumbo shrimp when a couple in one of those wooden canoes (cayucos) pulled along side offering shrimp for sale.
Mike has gone into San Salvador with our friend and landlord Santos to buy more solar panels and take care of some other hardware-related errands. I am enjoying having the boat to myself - it does not happen often. Actually, I am not alone. The geckos are here. Although we have not seen them since they were released, we have heard them. Geckos, alone among all lizards, call out to each other. It sounds like a bird chirp or a tiny little bark. Unfortunately, my reading and gecko research makes me think it might be a mating call. But this means at the very least some of them are alive, and maybe even thriving. Mike thinks he has noticed a reduction in the roach population since they came aboard. I would like to think so, but am afraid to jinx it by declaring early victory. We both agree it will take several weeks to really notice a difference. I am starting to hate roaches worse than I hate mosquitoes, ticks, or even those hideously annoying circling flys.
Now that it is getting close to being the time we have set to leave El Salvador, I am consciously enjoying all the things about it that I liked in the first place. Mike and I have spent a lot of time recently just sitting in the cockpit, watching the sun set and waving greetings to all the locals who pass by on their daily routines.
This past weekend we noticed that the boats here in our mooring field seemed to have been added as a "sight" on the estuary sight seeing tour boats. On weekends, especially now that it is the dry season, there are lots of local, Salvadoran tourists that come to the hotel we are near as well as other nearby hotels for a weekend at the beach. There are tour boats taking people around the estuary all day, and we noticed that this time, they were carefully picking their way through the field, calling out the names of the boats as they passed each one. I could not understand what else the tour directors were saying, but the passengers were waving and smiling and taking pictures. I liked it - we used to have the same thing happen when we were sailing on San Diego Bay. Tour boats would come by. When the passengers on board were mostly Japanese (a common occurrence) they would yell and wave until they got our attention, then snapped pictures like crazy when we waved back and made "thumbs up" gestures at them. I often wonder how many people in Sapporo or Tokyo have seen pictures of us, grinning like idiots.
Mike has decided that except for a short stop at a bay just over the Costa Rican border, he wants to go straight from here to Panama. That, I think, would be our longest sail to date, but I still have to check the mileage to be sure. I like the idea of a long sail like that,but I have every intention of spending time in both Nicaragua and Costa Rica before I am through with Central America, but I have no problem doing it overland while leaving the boat in Panama. I have started looking at the charts and planning a route for us. (We use GPS underway,but back it up with plots on paper charts as well. We still need to learn celestial navigation - something we plan to do on this trip.) There are charts and cruising guides spread out everywhere in the salon, with lists of this and that being made and revised every day. I enjoy this process, especially when Mike does not get needlessly hyper and bossy.
So that is about it for this entry. Just prep, prep, prep for getting underway, which is a good thing (all the prepping), because I do subscribe to at least one military thing that Mike taught me - The Seven Ps. "Proper prior planning prevents piss poor performance." While you cannot be totally prepared for every single thing that might happen or go wrong, you can get ready for the most likely things (like making sure the reefing lines are ready to deploy if the winds get strong) and the really bad things (like having a life boat ready in case the boat sinks). However, the most important thing in an emergency or any scary situation is to remain as calm as possible, which helps to keep clear head. I am almost hoping for bad weather or something to test myself on this trip and see how I measure up. I really want to improve my sailing skills and I want us to use our wind vane self steering apparatus as much as possible. I want to continue to improve my helming skills. I feel like this trip could be a real leap for me as far as being a sailor is concerned. I am not sure why I feel this so strongly right now, but I feel it nonetheless. I want to make 2013 one of those proverbial "banner years" for me and the people I care about. Mazel Tov!
"The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking." (Albert Einstein)
Mike has gone into San Salvador with our friend and landlord Santos to buy more solar panels and take care of some other hardware-related errands. I am enjoying having the boat to myself - it does not happen often. Actually, I am not alone. The geckos are here. Although we have not seen them since they were released, we have heard them. Geckos, alone among all lizards, call out to each other. It sounds like a bird chirp or a tiny little bark. Unfortunately, my reading and gecko research makes me think it might be a mating call. But this means at the very least some of them are alive, and maybe even thriving. Mike thinks he has noticed a reduction in the roach population since they came aboard. I would like to think so, but am afraid to jinx it by declaring early victory. We both agree it will take several weeks to really notice a difference. I am starting to hate roaches worse than I hate mosquitoes, ticks, or even those hideously annoying circling flys.
Now that it is getting close to being the time we have set to leave El Salvador, I am consciously enjoying all the things about it that I liked in the first place. Mike and I have spent a lot of time recently just sitting in the cockpit, watching the sun set and waving greetings to all the locals who pass by on their daily routines.
This past weekend we noticed that the boats here in our mooring field seemed to have been added as a "sight" on the estuary sight seeing tour boats. On weekends, especially now that it is the dry season, there are lots of local, Salvadoran tourists that come to the hotel we are near as well as other nearby hotels for a weekend at the beach. There are tour boats taking people around the estuary all day, and we noticed that this time, they were carefully picking their way through the field, calling out the names of the boats as they passed each one. I could not understand what else the tour directors were saying, but the passengers were waving and smiling and taking pictures. I liked it - we used to have the same thing happen when we were sailing on San Diego Bay. Tour boats would come by. When the passengers on board were mostly Japanese (a common occurrence) they would yell and wave until they got our attention, then snapped pictures like crazy when we waved back and made "thumbs up" gestures at them. I often wonder how many people in Sapporo or Tokyo have seen pictures of us, grinning like idiots.
Mike has decided that except for a short stop at a bay just over the Costa Rican border, he wants to go straight from here to Panama. That, I think, would be our longest sail to date, but I still have to check the mileage to be sure. I like the idea of a long sail like that,but I have every intention of spending time in both Nicaragua and Costa Rica before I am through with Central America, but I have no problem doing it overland while leaving the boat in Panama. I have started looking at the charts and planning a route for us. (We use GPS underway,but back it up with plots on paper charts as well. We still need to learn celestial navigation - something we plan to do on this trip.) There are charts and cruising guides spread out everywhere in the salon, with lists of this and that being made and revised every day. I enjoy this process, especially when Mike does not get needlessly hyper and bossy.
So that is about it for this entry. Just prep, prep, prep for getting underway, which is a good thing (all the prepping), because I do subscribe to at least one military thing that Mike taught me - The Seven Ps. "Proper prior planning prevents piss poor performance." While you cannot be totally prepared for every single thing that might happen or go wrong, you can get ready for the most likely things (like making sure the reefing lines are ready to deploy if the winds get strong) and the really bad things (like having a life boat ready in case the boat sinks). However, the most important thing in an emergency or any scary situation is to remain as calm as possible, which helps to keep clear head. I am almost hoping for bad weather or something to test myself on this trip and see how I measure up. I really want to improve my sailing skills and I want us to use our wind vane self steering apparatus as much as possible. I want to continue to improve my helming skills. I feel like this trip could be a real leap for me as far as being a sailor is concerned. I am not sure why I feel this so strongly right now, but I feel it nonetheless. I want to make 2013 one of those proverbial "banner years" for me and the people I care about. Mazel Tov!
"The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking." (Albert Einstein)
Friday, January 18, 2013
Mascotas
"Mascotas" is Spanish for "pets." We now have a total of five geckos on board - Doc, Wyatt, Morgan, Virgil, and Bat Masterson. They all disappeared immediately upon being released from their capture containers and have not been seen since. According to the gecko websites, that is to be expected. So now we wait and see if the roach population decreases. We are a bit concerned that with five geckos, we will end up with at least one breeding pair. Then we could have the opposite problem - too many geckos and not enough bugs. I will then find out how to feed them until we can catch and get them safely ashore. This is an experiment, so who knows?
Yesterday and the day before Mike messed with the electrical system and fixed things so that almost everything reads out nicely on our energy displays, so we have a real good idea ofwhat is going in and what is coming out, energy-wise. In other words, we can see what we are using and what we are producing at any given time. And, the fridge is working perfectly.
To top things off, I made a perfect loaf of bread yesterday. I feel a sense of the sublime.
"If you can't do great things, do small things in a great way." (Napoleon Hill)
Yesterday and the day before Mike messed with the electrical system and fixed things so that almost everything reads out nicely on our energy displays, so we have a real good idea ofwhat is going in and what is coming out, energy-wise. In other words, we can see what we are using and what we are producing at any given time. And, the fridge is working perfectly.
To top things off, I made a perfect loaf of bread yesterday. I feel a sense of the sublime.
"If you can't do great things, do small things in a great way." (Napoleon Hill)
Thursday, January 17, 2013
New Look
So now we have a new look, a new year, and soon,a new location. Yes, I know I have said it before but this time I am serious. Because the fridge is fixed (applause here) I can start really counting down to getting under way again.
Lately, even before the fridge was fixed, I was feeling really fortunate about things in general. It has been really nice here in El Salvador. There is really no change in temperature here regardless of the time of year. The difference is whether it is hot and dry,or hot and humid or rainy. Right now it is hot and dry. Although most of the people we spent this summer in are gone, there is a new crop and we have made some new friends. The staff at the hotel was happy to have us back. The reports we are getting from people we know who have already headed south are positive. Mike and I are getting along well. I am feeling a nice sense of contentment with my current situation. My loved ones are in good shape for the most part.
We have two geckos on board (both have vanished, we hope they are eating busily as we speak). I have named them Wyatt and Doc. I can tell them apart because one is bigger than the other. I am really hoping this takes care of the problem, or we are talking heavy chemicals. Since I literally sanitized all the food lockers, as well as thoroughly cleaning all the cupboards and all around the stove, it does seem as though there are less of the horrid little creatures. Hopefully that is not wishful thinking,but even Mike thinks so and he is way less inclined to experience groundless optimism than I am.
Otherwise, except for getting things slowly but surely organized for leaving the country, things are just calm and quiet. The stars have been incredible the last week or so, millions of them, more than we usually see. sometimes when I wake up especially early, I just sit in the companionway, look at the boats resting quietly their moorings, and listen for the roosters. You can't really be anywhere in Central America without hearing morning roosters.
Anyway, this will have to do for today.
"Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much." (Oscar Wilde)
Lately, even before the fridge was fixed, I was feeling really fortunate about things in general. It has been really nice here in El Salvador. There is really no change in temperature here regardless of the time of year. The difference is whether it is hot and dry,or hot and humid or rainy. Right now it is hot and dry. Although most of the people we spent this summer in are gone, there is a new crop and we have made some new friends. The staff at the hotel was happy to have us back. The reports we are getting from people we know who have already headed south are positive. Mike and I are getting along well. I am feeling a nice sense of contentment with my current situation. My loved ones are in good shape for the most part.
We have two geckos on board (both have vanished, we hope they are eating busily as we speak). I have named them Wyatt and Doc. I can tell them apart because one is bigger than the other. I am really hoping this takes care of the problem, or we are talking heavy chemicals. Since I literally sanitized all the food lockers, as well as thoroughly cleaning all the cupboards and all around the stove, it does seem as though there are less of the horrid little creatures. Hopefully that is not wishful thinking,but even Mike thinks so and he is way less inclined to experience groundless optimism than I am.
Otherwise, except for getting things slowly but surely organized for leaving the country, things are just calm and quiet. The stars have been incredible the last week or so, millions of them, more than we usually see. sometimes when I wake up especially early, I just sit in the companionway, look at the boats resting quietly their moorings, and listen for the roosters. You can't really be anywhere in Central America without hearing morning roosters.
Anyway, this will have to do for today.
"Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much." (Oscar Wilde)
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Back in the Estuary
We have been back aboard for about two weeks now - I think - and it was good to be back. We were both nervous as to how MJ held up in our absence, and overall things were just fine. The only true bummer is that there is some kind of problem with our refrigerator. I am going to refer to it as a "frig" until it is fixed, and at that point it will become a "fridge" again. Right now it is not worth the extra letters. It was especially sad because since this was not in the list of what-might-go-wrong, we stopped at the grocery store in San Salvador and bought groceries - including meat. But as far only one batch of pork chops went bad, and I don't think they really were, I thought Mike was overly fussy. We are using the frig as an icebox at this point, just like last spring in Huatulco. That was easier because I could go to the store every day for fresh stuff. Whine, whine, whine, I know. But it still sucks. Mike thought it was probably a need for more freon, that somehow while being off for three months the freon leaked out. He checked all the wiring and stuff like that, and finally sent an email to the guy who sold it to us. He confirmed that it was most likely a leak, and now the only problem is that we lack the tools to do the repair ourselves, and we have not yet located a technician to do it for us. The other alternative is to buy the tools necessary to do it ourselves, and that is what I vote for. We will likely need them again someday.
Otherwise, the only problem is the on-going battle with the cockroaches. Having tried every remedy and spray and whatnot short of having the place tented with only minimal and temporary success, we decided to try the natural method - the gecko. In preparation for the addition of the geckos, we decided the boat needed to be detoxified so the old bug killing products (such as they are) won't kill the geckos. What we did not take into consideration was the fact the roaches multiplied exponentially while we were gone. It was horrible. Absolutely horrible. We have gone through every single locker and cleaned out all traces of roach detritus, and are now ready for the geckos. I have done my research - the gecko as a method of roach control appears to be a true option. The only downside to this plan is a grim warning from another cruiser who told me she has never known this to work on a boat, that geckos do not usually survive on boats. I promised her that I was going to start with three, and if they die or disappear with no results, I will give up and head back to chemical control methods. The only problem so far is that they are really hard to catch. I think I will offer a bounty to the hotel staff - $10 for each gecko until I have three of them.
Our good friend and landlord, Santos, is also trying to get some for us. He told us his side of the story about the boat break ins, and it does make sense, as much as any of this crazy shit makes senses. Santos said he is in the clear because he had an alibi - he was provably somewhere else at the time the burglars said he was meeting with them arranging the payoff. And the owners of the other mooring field are selling out anyway, and changes are afoot for our little central American paradise.
We are eager to be on our way and at sea again. The plan so far is to meander south all the way to Ecuador, and then decide whether to keep going to Peru and Chile or to head across the Pacific in spring 2014. I have wanted to go to Chile since I was a little girl. I liked the way it looked on the map. It has been fun here, and a good experience, but there are a lot of places yet to see.
So that will do it for now - I await Mike's decision/action regarding the frig . . .
"Once in a while you find yourself in an odd situation. You can get into it by degrees and in the most natural way but,when you are right in the midst of it, you are suddenly astonished and ask yourself how in the world it all came about." (Thor Heyerdahl)
Otherwise, the only problem is the on-going battle with the cockroaches. Having tried every remedy and spray and whatnot short of having the place tented with only minimal and temporary success, we decided to try the natural method - the gecko. In preparation for the addition of the geckos, we decided the boat needed to be detoxified so the old bug killing products (such as they are) won't kill the geckos. What we did not take into consideration was the fact the roaches multiplied exponentially while we were gone. It was horrible. Absolutely horrible. We have gone through every single locker and cleaned out all traces of roach detritus, and are now ready for the geckos. I have done my research - the gecko as a method of roach control appears to be a true option. The only downside to this plan is a grim warning from another cruiser who told me she has never known this to work on a boat, that geckos do not usually survive on boats. I promised her that I was going to start with three, and if they die or disappear with no results, I will give up and head back to chemical control methods. The only problem so far is that they are really hard to catch. I think I will offer a bounty to the hotel staff - $10 for each gecko until I have three of them.
Our good friend and landlord, Santos, is also trying to get some for us. He told us his side of the story about the boat break ins, and it does make sense, as much as any of this crazy shit makes senses. Santos said he is in the clear because he had an alibi - he was provably somewhere else at the time the burglars said he was meeting with them arranging the payoff. And the owners of the other mooring field are selling out anyway, and changes are afoot for our little central American paradise.
We are eager to be on our way and at sea again. The plan so far is to meander south all the way to Ecuador, and then decide whether to keep going to Peru and Chile or to head across the Pacific in spring 2014. I have wanted to go to Chile since I was a little girl. I liked the way it looked on the map. It has been fun here, and a good experience, but there are a lot of places yet to see.
So that will do it for now - I await Mike's decision/action regarding the frig . . .
"Once in a while you find yourself in an odd situation. You can get into it by degrees and in the most natural way but,when you are right in the midst of it, you are suddenly astonished and ask yourself how in the world it all came about." (Thor Heyerdahl)
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Back in El Salvador
We arrived back in El Salvador today, after a truly pleasant bus ride from Guatemala City. The buses here are not to be believed. We got breakfast, coffee, and sodas served by the bus equivalent of flight attendants. And this wasn't even first class!
So it has been awhile. Mot of the delay in posting was due to the crappy keyboard I have here - each time I type a sentence I have to go back and fix a ton of typos. And there were times I did not have internet access. But I am back. We will be in San Salvador today and tomorrow, to take care of some errands and to get some groceries as there is pretty much nothing on the boat. I finally broke down and called the shop with our winches (I say "broke down" because I hate to use the phone down here. It is hard for me to understand Spanish over the telephone.) and discovered all was well and hopefully they will be ready for us to pick up tomorrow. You never know until you get there. We also heard through the grapevine that our landlord is not going to be in any trouble. Nobody has the straight story yet. I can hardly wait to hear Santos's side of the story. It should be good.
Guatemala was absolutely wonderful. We went across the middle, from Tikal in the north to Guatemala City in the south. The ruins at Tikal were incredible. We stayed at a place called El Remate that was just outside of the Tikal area itself, in a hostel-type place. The place was full of Native Americans on a caravan from Alaska to help ring in the new Baktun. They were having all sorts of ceremonies on the grounds, and it was all very interesting. Tikal itself is huge may be even bigger than Chichen Itza or Palenque. (Truthfully, I have seen so many ruins now that they are all starting to run together in my head. I am no longer sure which ruin had what.) It is also a game preserve, and we saw monkeys, oscillated turkeys, toucans, parrots, coatimundis, and another large rat like creature who was very cute but whose name I have forgotten. It rained on us, which was nice because otherwise it would have been hot.
Since this keyboard is SUCH a hassle, I am going to tell about my trip in dribs and drabs in upcoming posts. I must tell you that at one of the hotels we visited, there was a resident parrot named Paco. For some reason, Paco fixated on Mike. He followed us to our room, and barricaded Mike in. At one point, he actually ran across the patio (I had no idea parrots could run fast but trust me, they can) and bit Mike on the ankle, actually drawing blood. Mike later befriended Paco (not that Paco deserved it) by buying and feeding him his favorite treat, cashews. This happened in Panjachel, on the shores of Lago Atitlan.
I am really glad to be back, however. I miss the boat and am really eager to get underway again. Most of our friends have left and are sending us updates on the anchorages they are encountering in Costa Rica and Panama. I am hoping that nothing went wrong on the boat while we were gone. If everything is okay, it should only be a couple of weeks before we can leave. There is a bit of mechanical work to be done,and Mike is hoping to get a new solar panel before we go. One of ours was damaged in one of the storms we had this summer - it still works but not as efficiently as before. If we have to order one, we could be here longer than we want. I want to take off as soon as we can - I miss my night watches.
Our brand new camera (one of them anyway, and the one I liked the best) is already broken. The lens cracked while we were swimming through a cave, holding candles to light our way as we swam. Mike figures he must have bumped a rock and not realized it (the camera is an underwater camera and was in his pocket). I am pissed because this kind of camera is supposed to survive a six foot drop. Our other camera has this weird wide lens and doesn't take regular pictures. Oh well - I guess I can get a new one.
Anyway, I am exhausted from fixing typos. The next time you hear from me, I will be writing from
the boat!
"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one." (C.S. Lewis)
So it has been awhile. Mot of the delay in posting was due to the crappy keyboard I have here - each time I type a sentence I have to go back and fix a ton of typos. And there were times I did not have internet access. But I am back. We will be in San Salvador today and tomorrow, to take care of some errands and to get some groceries as there is pretty much nothing on the boat. I finally broke down and called the shop with our winches (I say "broke down" because I hate to use the phone down here. It is hard for me to understand Spanish over the telephone.) and discovered all was well and hopefully they will be ready for us to pick up tomorrow. You never know until you get there. We also heard through the grapevine that our landlord is not going to be in any trouble. Nobody has the straight story yet. I can hardly wait to hear Santos's side of the story. It should be good.
Guatemala was absolutely wonderful. We went across the middle, from Tikal in the north to Guatemala City in the south. The ruins at Tikal were incredible. We stayed at a place called El Remate that was just outside of the Tikal area itself, in a hostel-type place. The place was full of Native Americans on a caravan from Alaska to help ring in the new Baktun. They were having all sorts of ceremonies on the grounds, and it was all very interesting. Tikal itself is huge may be even bigger than Chichen Itza or Palenque. (Truthfully, I have seen so many ruins now that they are all starting to run together in my head. I am no longer sure which ruin had what.) It is also a game preserve, and we saw monkeys, oscillated turkeys, toucans, parrots, coatimundis, and another large rat like creature who was very cute but whose name I have forgotten. It rained on us, which was nice because otherwise it would have been hot.
Since this keyboard is SUCH a hassle, I am going to tell about my trip in dribs and drabs in upcoming posts. I must tell you that at one of the hotels we visited, there was a resident parrot named Paco. For some reason, Paco fixated on Mike. He followed us to our room, and barricaded Mike in. At one point, he actually ran across the patio (I had no idea parrots could run fast but trust me, they can) and bit Mike on the ankle, actually drawing blood. Mike later befriended Paco (not that Paco deserved it) by buying and feeding him his favorite treat, cashews. This happened in Panjachel, on the shores of Lago Atitlan.
I am really glad to be back, however. I miss the boat and am really eager to get underway again. Most of our friends have left and are sending us updates on the anchorages they are encountering in Costa Rica and Panama. I am hoping that nothing went wrong on the boat while we were gone. If everything is okay, it should only be a couple of weeks before we can leave. There is a bit of mechanical work to be done,and Mike is hoping to get a new solar panel before we go. One of ours was damaged in one of the storms we had this summer - it still works but not as efficiently as before. If we have to order one, we could be here longer than we want. I want to take off as soon as we can - I miss my night watches.
Our brand new camera (one of them anyway, and the one I liked the best) is already broken. The lens cracked while we were swimming through a cave, holding candles to light our way as we swam. Mike figures he must have bumped a rock and not realized it (the camera is an underwater camera and was in his pocket). I am pissed because this kind of camera is supposed to survive a six foot drop. Our other camera has this weird wide lens and doesn't take regular pictures. Oh well - I guess I can get a new one.
Anyway, I am exhausted from fixing typos. The next time you hear from me, I will be writing from
the boat!
"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one." (C.S. Lewis)
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