FRONTERAS, GUATEMALA 5/23 - 5/30/2018

During the week of  5/23 - 5/30 I really got into boat work, went zip-lining for the first time, enjoyed happy hours in the pool and went to another marina for movie night. 

Other stuff:

1. Tomorrow I fly to France to see Delana. She's been living there for the past 10 years. Delana spent a lot of time on Starship this season and will be moving aboard in the fall. In the mean time, we'll be in France until near the end of July, spend time in Wisconsin/Minnesota, go on a road trip through the western/northwestern US, as well as parts of Canada; and then fly back to Guatemala in early October. Maybe with two of us, we'll be able to do a better of job with the blogs.

2. It appears that the rainy season has begun, which the locals refer to as winter. With rain the temperatures have moderated, with highs in the mid-80's and lows in the low-70's.

3. I was wondering why I always saw sandals/flip-flops laying on the docks upside down. The other day I found out. I had set mine right side up on the dock before stepping aboard a very clean Starship. I was on-board for a couple hours. When I got ready to leave, I slid my feet into my black flip-flops. They were boiling hot. And because they're kind of tight, and in order to get one off, you have to put more weight on the other, I ended up sitting down on the dock as fast I could, which was also hot, so I could pull them off with my hands. And then my hands got burnt as I put them on the dock to get up. The bottom of my feet are still sore. Lesson learned, I hope.

4. Almost anytime you wake up in the middle of the night you can hear holler monkeys from across the river. Pretty eerie, but pretty cool.

5. Guatemala does not have mail service.

6. Between the water,  salt, dust and falls, I'm really surprised my electronics, especially my camera and laptop, have held up as well as they have. Once back in the States, I'll have them cleaned good. Plus, there are a few functions on my camera that need to be fixed.

7. Of the Spanish speaking countries we've been to so far, this is the one that speaks the least amount of English. Though you can get by, it would be so much easier and you'd get so  much more out of the experience if you could speak the language. Later this week we're going to begin taking an online Spanish course.

This was taken on the way to go zip-lining. The launch picked us up at the marina and took us 10 miles to Tenimet Maya Resort, which has the zip-line. We cruised at nearly 40 knots, which was pretty fun, versus less than 10 sailing.

This is one of the cooler looking places along the river.

This is one of three large palapas at this two year old resort. Plus, they have some rental cottages scattered around the jungle. Rumor has it, that the property was purchased and the resort was built by Columbian and Mexican "businessmen" and that it's just used for money laundering. It seems possible, based on the investment, it just doesn't seem like a good business model.

The inside of another palapa with very cool furniture and carvings.

It really is a pretty property.

You'd never guess this was my first time.

You can see the river in the distance.

I had always assumed that zip-lining was a matter of effortlessly sliding along a cable from point A to point B, unhooking, walking a few steps, hooking up to the next cable, then sliding from point C to point D and so on. Much to my disappointment there is entirely too much uphill walking between lines. Plus, this one included a fairly difficult obstacle course, all 50' above the ground.

See what I mean?

Another one.

This is work.

That's more like it.

We all enjoyed a well deserved lunch and drinks at the resort afterwards.

This critter sat just above where we were having lunch. No one, not even the locals, knew what it was. It was over 18" tall and very strange looking. We found out later it was some type of porcupine.

More proof I'm not in Wisconsin. This thing was 3-4" long.

One night I went to a French restaurant in Fronteras with two couples I had met in Mexico. Despite the menu being in Spanish and the waitress speaking it, the crepes seemed pretty genuine.

They tasted good too.

I never order dessert, but I figured when in Guatemala, why not eat like the French, This is a sweet crepe. It was really too sweet.

Sunrise from where Starship is docked at the marina.

This is the crew that has been working on the boat. They stripped all the old varnish from the teak toe rail, sanded and put teak oil on; they cleaned all the stainless steel; repaired some serious scratches on the sides of the hulls; and cleaned/waxed/polished all the fiberglass. They have really done a great job. I couldn't afford to hire all that done in the States. Labor is really inexpensive here, at $15-20/day, and overhead is minimal too.

You saw how nice the outside looked. Well the inside is my responsibility and it isn't doing as well. I'm not through yet though.

 I had these tarps made to shade the boat, on the hot days I bet it's 10 degrees cooler inside. It also protects the deck, sail bag and tramp from the sun, birds and volcanic ash.. Another thing I probably couldn't afford to have done in the States. 

One the guys working on the boat comes here everyday in this dugout.. They've also been standing in it as they work on the hulls.

Happy hour begins at 4:00 every afternoon.

The dinghy had developed some air and water leaks, so I'm having it pretty much taken apart and refurbished. In the States it would have been cheaper to buy a new dinghy. 

This guy comes by once a week selling lobster. I don't cook, so I haven't bought any. Plus, I think they're technically out of season. He sells them for 30Q each, which is $4.00.

I've seen this a number of times. Instead of using oars, the paddler paddles the boat backwards while sitting in the bow, where the boat is closer to the width of a canoe.

Boats come by the marina quite often to net bait fish. This one has Dad dong the casting, while his young son did the paddling. The boy looked around 8 years old.

This is Chico. He belongs to the a boat from Bermuda, which is across the dock from me. Chico weighs nearly 20 lbs. He's huge. It's a good thing he's friendly.