USA TO FRONTERAS, GUATEMALA 10/2 - 10/9/2018

I see it was way back in June when I sent the last blog, which included the 30 hour trip that took me from the marina in Guatemala to Aix en Provence, France. I was in France for six plus weeks. Delana has promised to write a blog about that time, though I will say it was great meeting Delana's many friends, seeing how she has lived for the past ten years, exploring Aix/the surrounding area, as well as taking short trips to England and Spain.

On July 19th I flew from France to Chicago, spent a couple days with Chip and Vicki there; rented a car; saw Grace and her boyfriend Zach in Milwaukee for a couple days; spent a couple days in La Crosse with Chance and Katie; and then both Delana and I were in the Twin Cities seeing Delana's family (i.e., mom Sally, sister Jenny, brother-in-law DJ, son Ryan, Ryan's girlfriend Lauren, son Colin, daughter-in-law Lindsey, and most importantly, new grand daughter Ella), as well as more friends than I can list. We stayed with DJ and Jennie. Then on August 19th we began a month long road trip that included visiting Al in Vermillion, SD; Jessica and family in Denver; Brent and Cindy in Denver and Frisco; Ann and Jim in Steamboat Springs; Dinosaur National Monument; Yosemite National Park; Lassen Volcanic National Monument; the tremendous fire damage near Redding, CA; Redwood National Park; the Pacific Coasts of both Northern California and Oregon; Jane and Victor in Cannon Beach, OR; Ted in St Helena, OR; Hope in Portland; Ann, Bruce and Todd in Longview, WA; Mt St Helen's National Monument; Courtney and Tahlia and their families in Seattle; Rog and Pam and Lisa and her family in Seattle/Tacoma; Olympic National Park; Victoria, British Columbia; Jasper National Park, Alberta; Lake Louise, Alberta; Glacier National Park; and Terri and Tony in Lewiston, MT. We arrived back back at DJ and Jennie's in the Twin Cities on September 21st. We then spent the next week seeing family and friends; opening Amazon packages; and packing for the trip back to the boat. Hopefully Delana and/or I will put together a blog regarding the two months in the States. It was great seeing everyone and what an amazing road trip. By the way, the Senior National Park Pass is a heck of a deal.

On September 29th Delana and I drove to Milwaukee where we spent a couple days with Grace and Zach. We then dropped the rental car off in Chicago. Seeing how we put over 8,000 miles on it, I wouldn't be surprised if Avis re-thinks their "mini-lease" program. Even though Chip and Vicki weren't home they were nice enough to let us spend a night at their house. While there, I helped Chip out by eating a bunch of his Oreo cookies. That's when we discovered that even though we were both flying Delta to Atlanta to catch the flight to Honduras, 
Delana's flight was out of Midway and mine was out of O'Hare. So that meant being picked up by two Ubers to take us in opposite directions at 2:30 AM. Plus, with only 45 minutes between flights in Atlanta, it doubled the chances of one of us, and/or some of our luggage, not making it on the flight to Ramon Villeda Morales International Airport. Fortunately we both made it to the right plane in Atlanta on time, the flights well, and to our amazement, all of our bags made it to San Pedro Sula.

Immigration and customs also went well, and Otto, the same van driver who took me to the airport four months earlier, was there waiting to take us back to the Rio Dulce. Once out of San Pedro Sulas and through some of the port areas, the drive is really pretty with cattle and horse pastures, as well as banana, rubber tree and palm oil plantations between many steep, abrupt, jungle covered hills. Even with going through customs at the Guatemalan border and an inexplicable traffic jam, we made it back to Fronteras in a little less than four hours. Otto dropped us, and our 275 lbs of luggage at Hugo's, who gave us a ride to the boat.

Other Stuff:

 1. Our first week back was mostly about getting settled in the boat; having dinners/drinks with friends and finding out where to buy what.

2. During the first week we also received a lot of rain, which was caused by Hurricane Michael as it formed off the coast of Nicaragua.

3. I would guess there are 150 - 200 sailboats here for hurricane season  (June 1st through November 30th). Three quarters are in of them are in a dozen small marinas, while the rest are at anchor. We've met cruisers from the USA, Canada, England, France, Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, Belgium, Italy, Bermuda, South Africa, Australia, etc. The reason the Rio Dulce (river) attracts so many cruisers, is because it runs through a "mountain" range where it enters the Golf of Honduras. This "mountain" range disrupts Hurricanes. As a matter of fact, it is the only insurance recognized hurricane hole in the northwest Caribbean. Plus, it is an inexpensive place to have boat work done, as well as stay, eat and drink. And it's also a good place to be based out of when visiting Antiqua, Lake Antitlan, Tikal, Copan, etc. 

Hugo taking us and 275 lbs of luggage to the boat, which was way too much for the dinghy.

275 lbs. of luggage in the front of Hugo's boat.

Starship, just as I left her. Fortunately a couple we had met in Belize are tied up just across the dock, so they kept an eye on her all summer (i.e., checked the bilges for water, checked the batteries regarding charge and fluid, started the engines monthly, made sure the dehumidifier was working, etc.). Plus, we were REALLY glad not to find any mold on-board. I was very worried about that, because with the heat, humidity and rain, this is definitely a place where mold can thrive. The dehumidifier, and/or wiping down everything with vinegar, must have worked, 

The inside of the boat upon arrival, which was unfortunately just as I left her.

She was looking pretty ship-shape after a couple days.

The cockpit after we moved a lot of what was moved inside, to the outside.

Looking much better.

We have used the marina pool almost every day. Since this is prior to high season, and the boaters are just starting to come back, there are only 15-20 people staying at the marina/hotel, so we often have the pool to ourselves.

This is one of the three restaurants/bars at the marina/hotel. This one is used the most (i.e., best wifi connection, movie nights, NFL, etc.).

Since the boat was such a mess, the first night we stayed in one of these little cabins. There are 34 of them here, almost all are empty.

This is one of a half dozen fruit/vegetable stands on the main street in Fronteras. 

This, as well as the next two photos, are of the supermarket. It seems like at least a third of the shelves are full of personal hygiene and/or various cleaning products There are also other smaller stores around town, and every shopping trip involves going to several of them, which could include meats at the hardware store, at a hotel and/or behind a marina. 

                  

Not exactly like shopping in France. This alley off the main street probably has 20 or so various types of shops. 

Main street Fronteras.

Example of street food, which I haven't had the guts to try yet.

There really isn't room for both two way tractor/trailer traffic, as well as pedestrians, on Fronteras' main street, but some how it seems to work. Fronteras is located at the foot of the only bridge that crosses the Rio Dulce. It's a very busy place.

Fronteras is on the north shore of the Rio Dulce, which is where cattle ranching begins, so there are feed stores, veterinary supplies for sale, tack (see the above saddles), etc. 

There is a little river that runs a block off and parallel to main street. You can access some stores from this river, as well as park your boat/dinghy.

This is the water taxi terminal, which is a block off the main street. Besides the road that goes over the bridge, there really aren't many others. So,boats are how people and supplies get around.

This is a sweet fruit in a weird looking husk, called lychee. Mostly Mayans, and/or kids, walk up and down the street, as well as in and out of bars/restaurants, selling them, as well as other fruits, nuts, vegetables, etc.

Almost as soon as we arrived here, Delana's Apple laptop died. We took it to Dimitri, the local computer wiz. He said just because he's Russian doesn't mean he has some special gene when it comes to computers. Dimitri also said that his abilities are limited to what a guy in the jungle with a screw driver and multi-meter can do. He wasn't able to fix it.

There are a half dozen riverside bars/restaurants where we can keep the dinghy tied up while we go shopping and/or use wifi. 

This grocery boat comes to the marina every Tuesday and Saturday. It often has stuff you can't buy in town. However, if your stop happens to be near the end of one of their rotating routes, things might be pretty picked over.