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.