20 Days in Río Dulce, But Who's Counting? We All Know Who Is!

Since the last post, life has crawled on, with Peter diligently working and watching the stock market and with me languishing in tropical torpor. There have been more monkeys to watch and more birds to see (including the lovely Montezuma oropendola and striking green heron). Butterflies flutter in the foliage near the ground, including many types of heliconius such as the bold red postman (Heliconius erato). Its ebony wings have a creamy white stripe across the top of each hindwing; each forewing is brightly highlighted with a wide crimson bar paralleling the black body, halfway between the tip  and the base of the wing. The loud, hollow rapping sound of the toads has returned in the early part of the night. There are manatees in the river, but we had no luck finding any on a dinghy expedition on Sunday.

Unable to dislodge the hydraulic autopilot system, even with the aid of a blowtorch and a pulley puller borrowed from a fellow cruiser, Peter used Plan B and by-passed one of the two pumps so that we have one system that works. After shopping around the limited supply of outboard motors, Peter finally settled on a 15HP Yamaha Enduro, which we purchased a few days ago. It will now be possible for me to venture out with the dinghy on my own. The motor starts reliably and easily so even a mechanically unskilled person (me!) can manage. Also, with the additional horsepower, our trips into town for errands are now much shorter in duration.

We have made a number of frustrating and fruitless visits to marine supply stores and boatyards in search of pipes or stainless steel elbows or any part that might be used to jerryrig an engine exhaust hose and have finally resigned ourselves to waiting for the part ordered from the US to arrive. It is supposed to be here in two days, meaning we should leave (fingers crossed) be able to leave the last day of February! We still have to stop for a couple of days downstream to pick up repaired sails and have the rigging checked and then at the mouth of the river in Livingston to clear out of Guatemala, but with luck we may be on the reefs of Belize by the middle of next week.

The monotony was broken yesterday by a trip to some lovely natural wonders with four other travelers--young guests at the hotel--and an expat guide, Bruce. Our first stop was Finca Paraíso's Cascada Caliente. We hiked along a well-maintained trail to reach a place where steaming water from a hot springs at the top of a cliff streamed down across roots and rocks to fall into a pool in a clear, cool stream through the forest. Stalactites slowly grow along the hanging roots and rock faces. Behind the falling water is a small cave reached by diving under a row of short stalactites like scraggly, rotten, pointed teeth in the mouth of a large monster to a greenish interior. A guide brought us clay mud which we rubbed all over our bodies for exfoliation, letting it dry in the sun before washing it off. Little fish pecked at our feet and ankles if we stood still, biting off tiny dead pieces of epidermis. The seven of us stayed and enjoyed this little piece of paradise until other people started to arrive.

Finca Paraíso's Cascada Caliente

Sherri and Peter

Peter and the others in our small group

Looking downstream from the hot waterfall

Rainbow in the droplets of the cascade

Hibiscus in bloom

Half meter wide spider web

Our next stop was the Cañon del Boquerón, where we loaded ourselves into a large cayuko and were paddled upstream into the narrow canyon from the open plane bordering Lake Izabal, where the river empties about a kilometer downstream. The vertical limestone faces soared above us, up to 600 feet high. Vegetation secures itself in any way it can. Roots of trees worm their way into crevices in the rock. Ciebas and other tropical trees perch precariously on stony protuberances above, dangling their their roots hundreds of feet toward the flowing clear water at the bottom of the canyon. Ferns, bromeliads, orchids and other epiphytes attach themselves to the roots, to the rocks, to the crooks of tree branches, creating a much greater abundance of foliage than the trees themselves. Butterflies and hummingbirds flit among the plants, and ghostlike flowers passed their prime floated down from above, plopping on the surface of the water in quiet whispers. In some places, the roots are the base for slender calcium deposits formed by constantly dripping water, and the rock faces sometimes have stalactites and drapery. Geological evidence of uplifting and sedimentary layering and inclusions are abundant.

Cañon del Boquerón

Cañon del Boquerón

Stalactites form on the canyon wall

Stalactites dripping from the rock and roots

Algae color the rock

Balanced rock from upstream

Balanced rock from downstream

When we reached a place where the boat could go no farther without portaging, we climbed out and walked up the river, over rocks and coarse sandy patches, where we could. We swam against the current, eddy hopping when we were able, until we reached a place where a large rock with large trees growing on top balances on the rocks below, almost suspended in space between the canyon walls. This is where our guide Bruce had sent us, but our curiosity led us farther upstream to a small cascade and steps leading up to a path that, had we followed it to its end, would have led us to a mountain voyage and a put-in spot for intrepid kayakers in the wet season. But Bruce and lunch on the lakefront were waiting for us.

Our driver, Marie Cruz, picked us up in her big gray double cab truck after our trip into Cañon del Boquerón and took us to a lovely restaurant on the shores of Lake Izabal, the largest lake in Guatemala. Marie Cruz is one of the owners of Finca Paraíso along with her extensive, multi-generational family, who has owned the ranch for centuries. With fantastic views, cold beers in iced mugs, delicious food for both carnivores and vegetarians and pleasant conversation, lunch was idyllic.

Lunch at Finca Paraíso

From this wide-open space with its fresh air and well-maintained facilities we went back to the town of Fronteras (usually just called Río Dulce). Splitting up, we set out to get funds from ATMs, wine at the supermaket, and vegetables from the vendors along the street, who are packed into close quarters on the main street as well as gritty alleys. One of our group, a young Swiss woman, was looking for souvenirs, particularly textiles, but, despite the fact that the town attracts thousands of cruisers and adventurers with backpacks, none are available.

After drinks at the usual gathering place, Sundog's, we came back to Boatique. A dip in the pool was just what was needed after the hot and humid town.