TIJAX MARINA, RIO LIFE, QUIRIGUA June 15-30, 2012

JUNE 15-30, 2012

 Sea Star docked at Tijax, mid June 2012, we immediately saw some of the same staff we had known from our 2010 stay; Nineth at the reception desk, Oscar the driver and Oscar Abelle the dockmaster, and Oscar the waiter, Nidia a waitress and I'm sure there were others. 

Also taking our lines and helping us to tie up were Barb and Terry from Wind Whisperer, IPY 440-18, our sistership! We had not seen them since we parted ways, them to the Eastern Caribbean, we to the Western Caribbean- from George Town in the Bahamas in 2010.  And here they were in the Rio and berthed at Tijax-knowing we were coming in, through radio communication I suppose. 

We chose to berth Sea Star at Tijax for many reasons and the caring staff is one. The multiple acres of Tijax Reserve property for quiet walks, and wildlife- specifically for us, birds is another.  Foremost is the Hacienda owner, Eugenio Gobatto, who lives at the Haicenda with his family and who cares enough about security for guests to the river that he, as do most properties on the Rio, hires his own guardia (security guards)- but was instrumental in acquiring a nightly Naval Patrol of the marina areas from the Guatemalan military.  Rumor has it that all the marinas and local homes do not pay their fair share readily. 

Tijax Hotel and Restaurant are managed in an environmentally conscious manner and lead in local activities such as the Regatta, open to sailors from all over Guatemala and that welcomed cruiser participation. All of these things are important to us as visitors who love the Rio and want it to remain the magic place we recall, as it grows and changes rapidly, adding services like internet and better electrical systems which cruisers do demand.

Dan and I got right into the swing of Rio life:

   Do you see the three Mottled owls?  Well, there are four owls in those branches.  They seem to have moved  from the hotel part of Tijax a few days after we saw them in the tree above one of the small A-frame individual huts that the guests rent.

Dinghies leaving Mario's Marina for our River trip

Our fearless leader- Jimmy from Blue Water Cat

Some more of our closest friends.  We are all expecting to see birds and Howler monkeys. Can you figure out why we didn't?

Another day we went for a hike at Tijax, where across this suspension bridge 70ft above the jungle, are paths.

                          We were lucky enough to spot this Trogan and maybe six more that morning.

Another shot of the bridge

Isn't he impressive?  He doesn't seem to like us, but hasn't done anything yet.

Donna and Kathy at the end of our walk.......

heading down by the pool and the restaurant to order breakfast after the walk.

The old dog who runs the show

Walkway down to pool and restaurant

Jungle path

                                                          Small but informative museum

View of the bridge through Fronteras from our bow.  I looked up there once to see bungy jumpers.

Most nights we hear the truck air brakes but it isn't too bad, really.  There is another marina in the background.

A few of the boats at three marinas

Stone path to observation tower

Just a little wetlands

Fabulous tree sculptures by nature 

 They can kinda look like snakes but we haven't seen any real snakes..  Our neighbor boat did see a coral snake right by the restaurant.  Vines are abundant as are strangler figs.

For the rest of the month of June we began to integrate into river life. Dinner and a movie, Around Cape Horn, were shared with Terry and Barb.  We had to find out which boats were where on the river, to see who we knew or had heard on the radio or knew from other friends. Dan and I attended a Karaoke evening at Mar Marine where our friends on Cabaret were hosting a fun night of being silly.  I sang These Boots are Made for Walking by Nancy Sinatra (not very well!)  

We walked at Tijax and enjoyed the pool,  met the toad and lizard on our dock, took a jungle river dinghy trip, and visited one of the Mayan ruins about a two hour ride from the Rio, Quiriqua, a fascinating place that contains the tallest and best preserved stellae in the Mayan ruins of Guatemala.  It's a small place, but displays a great deal of history if only someone could read it accurately. Some glyphs have been deciphered but most only partially.   

Quirigua stellae

                                                          These round ones are called Zoomorphs
                                                           

Our group "being" a stella

Toad is as big as a mans fist.  He comes onto our dock at night.

Excellent shape for a stella.  These are covered to delay erosion.

                                                      The restaurant on the way back to the Rio.

Eugenio had a barbecue area made for the cruisers.  We opened it with hordorves and jamaica (hyacynth) juice

                                           
JULY 2012 ON THE RIVER next entry. 

BEAUTIFUL BAY ISLANDS OF HONDURAS, June 2012

First half of JUNE 2012-

Dan and I on Sea Star and the sailboat and crew of Kamaloha left the Hobbies, (Cayos Cajones) on May 28, 2012 toward Guanaja, a 24 hr. sail away, and looked forward to visiting in Guanaja and Roatan- two of the Bay Islands of Honduras. Our plan was to check-out of the country in Utila, and stop to snorkel at Cayos Cochinos, a reserve, on the way.  We (both boats) were stepping on the gas, so to speak and wanted to be in the Rio Dulce before some expected bad weather arrived.  We both agreed that spending much time in the islands would have to wait.  Kamaloha would return to the Bay Islands after leaving the Rio Dulce and Dan and I do not know when or if we will return after hurricane season.


Our boats started off from the Hobbies at 2:45 pm. After some squalls showed up on our radar and although the wind did not read above 20knots.

click for a short clip of afternoon conditions:
                                                
                                                

travel clip Honduras 2012

                                                     

At 1:30 am "Krackle" went our VFH and someone announced, "this is for all you sailboats out there,"  and some great music was soon playing on channel 16.  Now, for those of you who boat, you know that 16 is used for distress and emergency.  Since we could hear so clearly, we also knew we had to be quite close to the music sender.  Our boats were still off Honduras and we questioned our own common sense in answering! We did though, we chatted with the music maker and for perhaps an hour and a half we were entertained with local music, country western music and the stage presence displayed by a fisherman, who did this to entertain all in the middle of the night.  When he signed off it was with the promise to watch for us to ensure we arrived in Guanaja safely, we gotta watch for each other out there. He then mentioned having been helped out there by the sailboat Ithica with Bernadette Bernan on board. He hoped we would get to his place on the island.  

I wish to thank Captain Cody aboard the fishing vessel "Snappy" for his offered friendship and concert.  Dan and I are sorry we did not look you up- but the night will be remembered and Thanks! 
   

                                         Island of Guanaja in the background as we arrived at Binaca Town
                                         with Kamaloha, May 29, 2012

BINACA TOWN

Go around the last houses and into the harbor

Significant shrimp fleet

                                                                             

We check-in to Honduras near this market at the Port Captains office.  I think our time in Honduras cost $6 or both of us.  There was no check-in in Cayos Cajones Reef

Homes on stilts

EL BIGHT ANCHORAGE

We move out of town to the El Bight anchorage.  This is Dunbar Rock Hotel.

Where we again found the Manatee Restaurant, a place known for excellent German cooking; a welcoming place. Snitzel with spetzal was on the menu and delicious.

GRAHAM'S CAY

Next day, on to Graham's Cay after Dan replaced the clutch cylindar on our Raymarine auto pilot, that had failed again somewhere in route.  We were thinking we might have to hand steer the boat all the way through Honduras and to the Rio Dulce. Would not have been fun. "Auto" was working again.

 Graham's Place Restaurant and Bar where Graham keeps pets like..

Parrots and a macaw 

A whole natural aquarium for fish and turtles.  Hawksbill, and one Green turtle (rescued) Graham buys them from fishermen who might have caught them mistakenly in nets, and returns them to the sea. In his Seaquarium we also saw lobsters walking in a line, big 'cudas, tarpin, permit and nurse sharks.  Grahams is a bone fishing resort.  He had a picture on his wall of President Jimmy Carter and Roseland visiting his place. (fishing)  

We snorkeled off the point

  No pictures but we stopped for a night at Mango Creek Resort, 30 miles on the island of ROATAN to see Patrice andTerry. We had met them in 2010 when our friends on Queen Mary and Footloose performed . They took us snorkeling near their place.  I should have had my Go Pro! Colorful and especially interesting, but I made no specific notes.

Then a few miles more to FRENCH HARBOR.

Sailed on to French Harbor.  This is at an iguana preserve near the new marina, Brooksy Point.

                                                                               Very handsome

We sailed on to the Jonesville anchorage and  MacRae's Restaurant

                                         Mac Rae's place, the monkey is a pet. We got there on rib day-yumm.

Around the harbor

We decided to skip West End, Roatan because there was controversy about the moorings having been removed versus anchoring which we heard was no longer allowed, and anyway the weather was speeding us along to Cayo Cochinos.  After a rolicking sail and somewhat exciting entry to the Cochinos reserve mooring field, we enjoyed two days there with Kamaloha, snorkeling the 60 ft, deep clear and fabulous reef and dinner at...  

Plantation Beach Dive Resort

                                               
  I have no new pictures from Utila the Island furthest west and closest to the Honduran mainland where Kamaloha and Sea Star anchored next, arriving on a very windy day and checking out the next afternoon to head to the Rio. Check-out was easy and free and by 4:00pm June 11, 2012 we were ready to leave Honduras.
                                                 
LEAVING FOR THE RIO DULCE When Kamaloha and Sea Star left the Hobbies and arrived in Guanaja we had internet again.  We were Rio Dulce bound, so when we heard there had been a problem with a cruiser near Punta Sol, Honduras as they traveled to the Rio Dulce; the boat had been boarded and a grand larceny had taken place, we were of course concerned. The reported boarding of this moving sailboat and robbery could embolden other ladrones. (robbers) Leaving Utila, we decided that we must sail straight through to the Rio and not stop in some places we had in previous years- the beautiful anchorages at Bahia Diamonte, or Escondido or the tourist town at Bahia Omoa where Sea Star had spent two fun-filled days in 2010.  We would sail well outside Punta Sol and use no lights in passage for our security.   

All went well and after a night of quiet sailing without lights, we arrived at the sandy, shallow bar one must pass over into the Guatemalan entry town of Livingston and Sea Star continued right in. At a draft of 5ft the bar was little hazard for us, unlike deeper keeled boats, who sometimes need to be pulled in by a tug. We had reported into Navimar by VHF so shortly after our arrival the immigration and agricultural inspectors arrived to board, with Raul, the agent who welcomed us and left to complete the paperwork.

Livingston, Guatemala main street

The prolific greens of the 300 ft deep canyon, six miles or so to the Gulfete.

A school for young Mayans

                                                 
LIVINGSTON TO LA LAGUNA  We called friends to let them know we had arrived safely, went ashore to an ATM for quetzales 19.37 = $1 and had lunch while Raul prepared our papers.  After the check-in was complete we brought up the anchor and quickly began our meander through the steep, green canyons of the "Sweet River" which is the translation of Rio Dulce.  SWEET indeed!  We were now in fresh water!  

A few hours later we motored into the anchorage near La Laguna Marina, (formerly Texan Bay) and took a well deserved nap before dinner-Chicken-fried steak which was our favorite under the previous management, pleased the marina still served Mike's specialty.

The next morning Kamaloha arrived. We knew the children would love putting their kayaks in the lagoon.  Sea Star took a dinghy explore through the beautiful, peaceful laguna to see what birds we could find; looking for the purple gallinule which we didn't see this time, but we did find the Northern jacana walking on the lily pads.  We then dinghied over to Bahia Quimega to talk to Tom, the sail maker, about repairing Sea Star's genoa and staysail.  Upon inspection we needed to replace our exterior protective sun-shield canvas. 

 Dan and I felt lucky to have the expertise and services of Tom at his well equipped and convenient sail loft available  We dropped the sails down and off the boat at Tom's, then after a lunch visit with Texas Mike at his new place, headed up the river, across the Golfete, past a few marinas; Marios, Moco Point, Monkey Bay to our slip at Tijax Marina.  After the fire drill of tie-up with bow anchor deployed, we accepted our Welcome jaimaca drink, and began to relax. Weather would probably not be an issue for the months we would be staying to wait out the hurricane season.

Near La Laguna.  Artistic use of old cayuco

We met the nice people just about to purchase this river property

                                           The lagoon at Bahia Quemado

                                               
       Crossing through El Gulfete in route to the marina section 

Dan and I felt like Tijax was the end of our trip, but of course we will move on after hurricane season unlike multiple expats who have settled in homes, hostels, hotels and marinas along the Rio Dulce, in Fronteras and other places in Guatemala. Changes to the Rio?  Sure!  On the way from Laguna we noticed more and larger motor boats with storage boat-ports and fewer cayucos.  More cayucos were under outboard power, with only a few being paddled by the fishermen of the river.  Some fishermen we saw were fisherwomen. As time has gone on we also see that we need less Spanish to get by, and pan (bread) is replacing the tortillas in some restaurants-(I'd say that the lack of tortillas is my biggest complaint about progress.)

 AT HOME AT HACIENDA TIJAX - next post