Creature of the day:  Caribbean Reef Squid


We were following a mixed school of fish, and I went to see them closer up - something about their fins looked weird.  Then I recognized- SQUID!  Though they were with other fishes, they were swimming together in a line- typical for them.

So on Christmas, in between showers, we took the dinghy over to the iguana farm- right here on the anchorage.  At midday, there are hundreds of iguanas sleeping and sunning themselves in piles.  It's quite a sight.  Their benefactor is Sherman, who owns the surrounding land.  His website informs iguanas it's a good place not to be eaten.  He very sweetly asked us to lunch with his family, quite a treat.  We look forward to seeing the iguanas have their lunch- it's supposed to be a real feeding frenzy.  

 

may you get everything you ever wanted for Christmas!

We took the dinghy over to Fantasy Island yesterday- for $5, you can sit by their pool and listen to endless reggae muzak.  There are some lovely iguanas idling about.  This one hung with us for a while, after we fed him some cantaloupe

The other day we noticed a collection of fishing boats anchored right in the middle of the harbor, apparently all part of the same fishing fleet.  Another cruiser told us they'd been seized by the authorities for trafficking drugs.  They want to send a message: No drugs here!  

He asked the police what the Hondurans planned to do with all these boats.  The guy seemed puzzled.  "Do?"

We got all the way to the other end of the island today, and found the road was missing.  This is the spot where all the divers and trekkers stay.  It's a little muddy, since it's been raining steadily all week, but has all the attractions:  diving and food, yes- and also:  parasailing, snuba, canopying (??) and power snorkeling (!!!)  We may re-anchor to check out the reef on this side.


photo courtesy of SV Sound Effect, as my camera is not working.

Here's the Caribbean weather- three days of nonstop rain, and we're not even in the giant wet spot off Panama.  Northerlies, the sailors tell us.  That's what you get in December.  It's lucky we came right to the south side of the island, and boats were streaming in here yesterday from the more exposed West End.  Things will be fine till we run out of fruit and vegetables, at which point we'll all contract scurvy.  Or brave a trip to the supermarket.

Fish I.D.

yesterday we swam with a school of these-

and there's always plenty of these-

one of these is usually hovering around

-and sometimes a couple of these!

It's still so rainy and cool here we're actually wearing pants and- last night- jackets.  We went to a new restaurant across the anchorage- very ambitious for here, with a dining room on the water, a larger restaurant up on the road, and a separate island for after hours.  The owner is an Iranian guy from Laguna Beach, and he's into fabulousity.  He brought a chandelier from an LA theater, all yellow and green mirrored glass, and built a Spanish-themed room around it.  He's got the local kids trained to wait tables, no mean feat.  And he's raising his own lamb.  This is clearly the most interesting game in town, and well worth $27 for dinner.  

a more typical restaurant for Roatan would be-

eagle rays in the anchorage- jumping out of the water.
sorry, no pic.  you just have to be here.


snorkeling on this reef is different:  it's deep, so we're not looking at coral in lovely colors (plus it's been sort of gray out)- but the fish!  we were swimming with schools and schools of who knows who.

We arrived in Roatan a few hours ago.  Found a nice CALM anchorage on the south side of the island, off Fantasy Island Marina.  Expected a more honkytonk place- after all, it's a Carnival Cruise port- but except for the odd tour boat peering at us, it seems very laid back.  So far, the water's murky, with lots of seagrass and conch.


This is what we're using as a navigational chart- 

Cold front moves in on Honduras with steady 25 mph winds from the North, needless to say, we are hunkered down with 200 ft of chain out in the middle of Utila harbor. We did a bunch of diving the last couple of days which was fun and when the weather settles a bit we will head East some 25 miles to Roatan. Supposedly some good stores and restaurants there.

Captain Joyce takes the helm. Joyce moved the boat singlehanded from the lagoon to Utila, raising the anchor by herself, steering out of the lagoon and into Utila harbor to a perfect spot, and set the anchor. And she did it very well. Now I can have my heart attack in peace.

Oooooh, fish heads fish heads. The cats are soooo happy!
We're anchored out here alone at the West end of Utila, in a big lagoon surrounded by reefs and deep in the middle.  We swim and snorkel and try to stay out of the blazing sun midday, and chase down a local fisherman to buy fresh albacore tuna, dine on the fillets and let the cats go wild.  They instinctively know how to pick out the bones and leave them.
We are out of veggies, so today we're heading back to Utila to stock up, and maybe dive some more.

Octopus lairs!

Yesterday we were snorkeling on the quiet side of the island, finding nothing but seagrass beds.  We did see a few conch, and then Lorenzo noticed there were lobsters all around the edge of the grass, where it changed elevation.  The lower area was sandy, and as we were cruising around we started to see holes about a foot in diameter, widely separated from each other.  Around them were piles of empty shells, and some tiny fish.  


Inside each hole was a strange creature- an octopus!

Common octopuses, like other octopus species, discard the remains of their bivalve and crustacean prey just outside their lairs into piles called middens . These piles have proven useful to scientists to study the feeding habits of the common octopus. The piles also make it easier to spot an octopus lair and therefore perhaps an octopus.

Selling Dorado to the dive boat

We're still lolling about Utila, going on a dive every few days.  Yesterday, Lorenzo experienced the dreaded mask squeeze, which sometimes happens- it comes from the pressure descending exerts on your face mask.  He was already persona non grata under water for surfacing without a safety stop from 70 feet- not a good thing.  So today he's sitting here eating pineapple while he recovers from the trauma.  We might toddle over to another snorkel spot later on. 

Back in Utila and in salt water again, took a dip and saw an Eagle Ray right in front of me.
First day out of Guate was a mess, anchor all tangled up, Joyce jumping in to retrieve the boat hook twice, me wrestling to tie down the dinghys in a pitching sea as they slid all over the roof.  Seas not really bad, but coming from the wrong direction and we were just plain sloppy after hanging on a river for four months.  Second day was calmer and we put out the paravanes which made the boat feel like a big fat Caddy with soft tires, nice.

Here's the lovely small town of Livingston, where we just checked out of Guatemala.  Got to spend some extra time because the ATM's weren't working- it really is a lovely place, after a few months of shopping in Fronteras, whose one street is packed with food vendors and cattle trucks.  But Livingston is unreachable except by water.  Now we're waiting for the tide to come up so we can get across the shallow bar and back into the ocean.

Oops,

Here comes Rina with another right behind it.

We're good where we are, but Roatan might not be such a good idea this week.

The party is slowly winding down, one last potluck tonight before we all move on. The hurricane season passed with no real storms and none in view. Most of the folks that hang here do so at the insistence of their insurance companies, and that ends Nov 15.


We will stay until the end of the month and then head back out to Utila and the rest of the Bay Islands of Honduras. We picked up a fiberglass lancha locally made and a new 15 hp Yamaha 2 stroke and are stocking the larder with cat food and filling the freezer. I must say that the Rio Dulce is a lovely place to pass some time, the Guats are delightful and the gringoes are crazy as loons, the water is sweet and easy on the boat and fun to swim in, and the local markets pretty much have what you need.


The general plan is to slowly head south through the islands toward Panama. The coast of Nicaragua and Costa Rica are mostly isolated mangrove swamps with very few attractions so most just pass them by.

Just got back from Guatemala City after a few days of shopping amid torrential downpours.  Luis, who owns the marina here, has a place in the city, so we drove with him and hauled back all our stuff in his truck.  Cat litter.  Battery charger.  Chinese mushrooms!  Stores are either open air venues like this auto parts place, where you provide your own security- or like WalMart, the absolute peak of luxury shopping, which provides a gated parking lot and armed guards.  Restaurants were unexpectedly good; we stayed in the 10th, considered the civilized zone.

Our inflatable dinghy was stolen last weekend, which made us both very sad.  It was tied up in its usual spot next to our boat, tied on both sides so we could push it over to the dock:  not well secured.  We were having dinner with the other denizens a few hundred feet away.  And right at dusk- the most opportune moment for dinghy-stealing.


Dave on the boat next to us wants to sell his fiberglass lancha, so we're going to buy it from him.  At least the bottom won't get torn up by the reefs.  And it will be sporting an incredible number of locks and chains.

Sometimes we have breakfast at this little stand in town.  Eggs, of course, and maybe beef or ham - but also fried plantains, beans, and tortillas.  Today it was $3 (25Q) for us both.

This place, Vista Rio, has one of those great hand-painted signs.  We come here for their steaks- pretty good, of the grass-fed local type.  So last night they were having their Monday night special- ribs!  A bunch of us decided to come over for an early dinner.  The drinks were great- fresh pineapple, papaya, or watermelon, with or without rum.  The side dishes were lovely- roasted vegetables and two great salads.


The ribs were cooked exactly the way they do their steaks, 10 minutes on the fire.  Good thing nobody ordered them rare.

Somebody sat in my hammock with a wet bathing suit
Whaaaaaaaaaaaa

Saturday there was a big band 'La Sonora Dinamita' in town for Guatemalan Independence Day.  It was very entertaining- a huge crowd showed up, even in the rain.  It was a chance to see all the locals, the cruisers, and the backpacker volunteers together in one place.

I switched hammocks

We've been without internet for about week- though at times it reappears for a few minutes, just as a come-on.  But now it's up- yay!  In the interim, we've lazed through some very hot weather, and watched some impressive yachts dusted off for Labor Day weekend (some towing their kids behind in plastic watercraft.)  The marina denizens put together a Labor Day feast, with lots of lavish eating.  And now we're sitting around the palapa trading info on hurricane season.  Most of us need to renew passports or cruising permits to stay here another month- so an excursion may be in store.

This is the view from my hammock, where I have spent the last six weeks. Pot goes for $12 a lid and everyone here at the marina is a hard core stoner. Makes for some very lazy days. We consume hours figuring out which pineapple to cut up next, when to go for our swim, what to have for dinner, and watching the thunderstorms blow by. In a few weeks we will head back out to the Bay Islands for more snorkeling and diving and then maybe on to Columbia, or not. Some of the best reef is right here off Belize, but almost everyone says the people are real dickheads. When you're on a boat it's tricky because they can always throw a chain on it and demand a $5000 fine for wearing the wrong color shorts, or whatever excuse they want to come up with. Not a problem in Guatemala and Honduras, the folks here are very pleasant, a regular lovefest.

We had a big rainstorm on the river Wednesday night, with some minor damage to the docks here and at the marina next door.  The boats were all fine.

Yesterday we were back at Casa Guatemala to volunteer.  As usual we spent most of the time standing around chatting.  Local people manage the place, augmented by young volunteer teachers from other parts of the world.  

Lorenzo's been able to help out by doing little construction projects- patching up plumbing and carpentry.  But most of the buildings are threatening to fall on their heads, so he's always uneasy.

The kids are pretty undisciplined, so it's hard for me to just walk in there and do art with them.  Whatever you're saying to them, they'd rather be playing ball! 

Back in Rio Dolce yesterday, an easy trip.  The ride from Guatemala City is lovely.  Customs wasn't too hard on me- even though I looked like I was about to open a marine parts store, they only charged me $15 duty.  Another woman here sailed through last week with all sorts of pricey electronics for her boat in her carryon, which she explained as GPS.  Theoretically you aren't supposed to pay duty at all, since your boat is in transit- but it's pretty painless.


I miss New England- never realized we live in such luxury!  Picture yourself in the sixteenth century, just as a fun exercise.


more pix!

A rainy day in R.I.


Ann and the girls came down fom Maine for the weekend, and did some fun things. We toured the historic sites of Providence: 30 Benefit, the Indian grocery, LORRAINE MILL. Saturday night was a sleepover with Bridget, Pippa and Kate. All girls- girl cats, girl mosquitos (yuh, Jas). Lots of cooking, too. Not sure how I'm going to get all these ingredients back to the boat.

Must post something before Lorenzo gets waterlogged!


I'm in Rhode Island visiting my people. Saw Marty and Nancy in Boston, Luke and Kris picked me up at the airport with their mom. Added bonus: Jessica and Charlie visiting. We took Charlie to the beach- the Irish Riviera, as it is known. Water is COLD. Came to Portsmouth afterwards by bus- had pizza with Elle Chris Gallia Bridge Jas Kate Meg Pippa. Hung out with Muz yesterday, some driving involved. We're in her office now. Swam at island Park, water warmer. Weather is lovely, not too hot.

Here's the little pool at Mango Marina.  Most of these marinas are inexpensive places to tie up.  They all have nice grounds, restaurants- or at least a barbeque- and plenty of spots to lounge about.  One has a store, another its own rubber plantation.  Some of them have guest cottages, mostly for Guatemalan weekenders.  They're all within a 15 minute boat ride of the town of Rio Dulce, that chaotic marketplace for all necessities.

Hanging out on Rio Dulce at Mango's Marina, named after the tree shown, a lovely spot with the usual local amenities- tiny pool, library, showers, home cooking on request.  The ladies are teaching us to make tortillas, but it's practice practice practice.  We're a 10 minute dinghy ride from town with our 4 hp motor- less with someone else's.  There's a chaotic shopping street with phone cards, fried chicken vendors, banks, shoes, and everything else you could possibly want.  Also pizza (ok), Chinese food (alleged), and a great bakery (sells out of bread in the first hour).  But the shopping comes to us:  a farm nearby sends a boat full of coolers to every marina on Tuesday and Saturday- with meats, dairy stuff, fresh bread, fruit, vegetables.  Nice!

Yesterday we went to the little town of El Estor- 'The Store', named by the British in colonial days.  It was so hot when we got there, we were lounging around waiting for it to cool off so we could go ashore and get some groceries.  A boat appeared alongside us- filled with military and port officials.  They were charming, did a cursory check of our papers, admired the boat and the cats.  And warned us not to leave the boat untended!  larceny is a local failing, and seems to keep cruisers out of the area.  A shame- it seemed like a prosperous town, with a market (what we'd call a farmer's market), a bakery, and two butchers.  I got the shopping scoop from a Canadian girl walking with her little girl- she married into a local family who leads trips up into the mountains nearby.

We're spending a few day at Lago de Izabal, a huge lake at the top of the Rio Dulce.  It's sparsely populated and absolutely gorgeous.  Yesterday we hiked to the thermal pools nearby- one cool pool has a hot waterfall cascading into it, onto your head if strategically placed.  Met some sailors who came down from Texas through the reefs in Mexico and Belize.  That was lots of fun, as we're usually by ourselves.  They left this morning to return to Rio Dulce, but we thought we'd spend a few more days here.  There's a small town nearby, and lots of small rivers to check out.

We moved up into Lago Izabel, a large lake some 30 miles up the Rio Dulce, and anchored out off a little resort. Took a walk this morning along a footpath through the villages along the lake, very nice. Guatemala is magical. 


Joyce uploaded Skype and talked to Alice for awhile.  Third world countries seem to have the most advanced wireless service- otherwise, no phone calls to the US.   And it's cheap- or if you're both on the computer, free.

Rio Dulce, Guatemala

We just arrived at Fronteras-  that's the American wild west part of Guatemala, where cruisers store their boats for the summer.  We're just puttering around trying to figure out where things are.  There's a beautiful deserted gulf, and then there's the part with goods and services.   Guess which has more appeal...

We are back in our beloved Guatemala, in the town of Livingston at the mouth of the Rio Dulce. We will head upriver and hang for awhile, mosquitos permitting.  


This has been an interesting trip, especially the check-out and check-in you go through in every country.  Leave Honduras:  Customs, Immigration, Port Captain.  Enter Guatemala:  same process.  None of these buildings are near each other- or the place shown on your map.  And they are bureaucracies that could put the SF Building Department to shame.  But we're getting used to the drill- and you meet quite a few people in the process.


It is absolutely beautiful, and starting to rain.

Solstice action at Stonehenge

Yesterday we did a night dive- we were both looking forward to seeing what the fish get up to after dark.  But not many were visible, in our sea of flashlights.


The experience was sort of like leaving Fenway after a night game- dark, with lots of jostling.


But if you turned off your light and looked away from the group, there were other lights visible on the reef.  There are some strange luminescent creatures out there.  And we will find them!

Been hanging with a large family of squid, just watching them change color as they move about. Once they get used to you, you can get really close. Today we hung over a flounder on the grassy bottom and watched him changing colors. They are so confident in their camouflage you can swim right up to them. Tonight we go night diving. This reef is just full of goofy stuff.

Anchored in Utila harbor.
We eat, we swim, snorkel, dive, play cards, and lie about.
Cats just lie about.
Honduras is wonderful.

We went for a wall dive yesterday- to a great spot on the north side of Utila.  All the corals were growing sideways, with the attendant creatures clinging on.     Mostly small thing- cleaner shrimp, worms, brittle stars.  Every few feet is a new picture.  If you could stop gazing at the wall for a moment and look out into open water, fish were swimming by at odd angles.  Someone here may have pictures- hard to do justice to the scene, though.


When I asked our dive instructor for pics of underwater creatures, he sent this:

We've been in Utila for 3 weeks it's just very easy to stay here -anchoring is free, diving is cheap, the food is doable, if not exciting (really, it's the pineapple that keeps us here.)

Yesterday we watched on the pier as a fisherman cut three 4' fish into filets- a female dolphinfish and two wahoo.  People gathered to watch -torn, I'm sure, between saying 'great catch!' and 'wtf were you thinking??"  Overfishing is a big issue here.  Well, you didn't have to ask- his son was looking on entranced, and his wife brought out containers from the restaurant next door.  It was an event you don't see every day. 

We're in Utila, waiting to dive- the heavens just opened up, so we'll see how intrepid the other divers feel. Yes, I know it's wet down there. The snorkeling's also excellent- coral and small creatures will cling to any random rock or piece of debris, and set about building a terrarium- uh, aquarium.  Anyway, very cool.

Greetings from the divers' college (so called) on Utila.  We actually got the day wrong- we need a tuneup so we're going out tomorrow morning.  Today will just be another day of lying around, sitting in various drawing spots, and jumping in and out of the water.  All who like that agenda are welcome to join us. 

Our first anchoring spot was next to absolutely dazzling reef.  The colors have been bumped up a notch from Florida waters.  Now we're closer to the town, so it's just sea grass. 

We've been sitting here in a very nice marina at the lagoon at La Ceiba acclimating to the third world; it really is a different style of living that takes some getting used to. In a few days we will head out to the reefs off Honduras and do a whole bunch of snorkeling and swimming and hanging out in island towns, and we may be out of touch for awhile. Not to worry, life is good.

Finally got a picture to load- very exciting!


We've been in La Ceiba for almost two weeks, so are about ready to see some other parts of Honduras. We're just getting used to the idea of being in another country.  I went to Spanish classes for a week, while Lorenzo changed out the stabilizing fish on the boat- to smaller ones- and made some repairs to the manifold.  It's very quiet here out of season, and sort of mosquitoey along this canal. 


Yesterday was the Carnival de San Ysidro-  huge parade followed by a raucous fiesta.  Crowded, hot, and very loud.  it's supposed to be very fun after dark, but we didn't last that long.