Antigua and Volcan Pacaya

So, yes, I did actually get Paul to take an inland trip...abeit a short one...and after a long bus ride to Guatemala City...The shuttle bus (van) dropped us off here in Antigua...this was our first view of Antigua...We wandered a few blocks here and a few blocks there...having an address but not really being able to make heads or tails of the maps and the streets....So I hailed a three wheeled cab also called a Tuk Tuk...gave him the card the cruisers we met had given us and he wandered the many one way streets to our Hostel... As you can see...Paul was ready for a rest so I went out and booked a trip for the next morning to go to the active volcano Pacaya...first of course I had to go buy a pair of shoes suitable for the hike...
I had to walk about 5 blocks or so...didn't get lost...but these were the only ones I could find that would fit...the nice part they were only $18 u.s..The next morning the van picked me up outside the Hostel at 6:00am. I was the second person picked up...the first was a young lady from Canada...so I sat down next to her and began a conversation! I will point out here that I did not pay a bit of attention to where the van was going!A total of 6 more people were picked up...all much younger than I...and off the van went to the Volcano...and then up...and up....and UP we hiked. At first through the woods...jungle...whatever....The views of course were tremendous...Volcano Acatenango (affectionately called Volcan Aqua as it is "nute"...at least that is what Raul says...I just don't know exactly what that means or how to spell it) is the largest and the closest in this picture. The hike up to the top of that one would have been over 7 hours. The views incredible I hear...all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The most active one in the picture is Volcan Fuego.This is the view of Guatemala City...fondly called Guat City around here.....This is the very active Pacaya as we came out of the woods...jungle and got a good look at it...This is the lava flow from Pacaya volcan...the town is still inhabited....Volcan Fuego venting.....Another view of volcan Fuego...Then it was time to climb Pacaya...yes, that is only part of the path we hiked...Unbelievable the shapes that the lava makes as it flows and pushes out and cools...Then our guide calls us to the lava flow......We all scampered over... it was HOT clear up here! We watched it flow... and flow closer until it got sooooo HOT...our guide told us to "vamos"!!!

In fact I thought I had melted my shoes for a little while!! Amazing lava flows............

You can tell where the lava is flowing by the steam running down the side.....

See I really made it!!! Of course I was VERY tired!......We moved down a little and took a water break....then walked all the way back down!!! The van then took us back to Antigua...but to the location below...Yeah...right...I knew where this was to where the Hostel was as much as you do!!! I was told two blocks one way three block over another...So...to make a much longer story shorter...I got lost!!! It took over 1/2 hour of walking around town for me to finally walk into an official office type place and show them the pictures of the streets around the Hostel...you see nobody knew the location of the Hostel just by the name and I hadn't taken a card showing the name and address anyway. I only had the travel agency name and nobody knew where THAT was...so thank heaven I take LOTS and LOTS of pictures...even of stuff that may not be of interest to anybody else!!

It's COOL up here.

Wed Oct 21st 8:23 am Antiguia Guatemala.
After a 7 1/2 hr marathon bus ride from the Rio we arrived in the quaint town of Antiguia, high up in the mountains about an hour from ugly Guatemala City. Joyce and I met some fellow cruisers who gave us the local knowlede needed. We found this small hostel, new clean and CHEAP. $25 bucks for a private room...a great dinner ($10) and free wifi. Joyce was off at 5:30 to go climb a volcano...I slept in....came down about 7:45 for a free breakfast...leftwing CNN International news ...great local coffee...and the free not bad wifi. We had to sleep with a blanket.....low 60's dry....very nice. We have decided that long periods of sitting sets off my back....meds still working but needed some added medicinal rum last night. We have a busy 3 days planned here befroe the long ride back on Sat. We are having some major electrical issues back on the boat. Due to the elec problems on our return, we have 1 inverter down, the other sick, the genset needs a new board($$$$) and the batteries have serious isswues. What the hell...just money.Getting parts is the problem...the board is on the way,hoping customs is asleep whe it gets here.. The pace of repairs and refit go into high gear when we get back. Fridge guy comes Monday to replace the freezer and check the A/C. We get hauled on Thur....and the upholstry guy has started on the bimbini...We have adjusted our cruising plans...not going to do Cuba....but will head south to Panama...especially if we have to replace the batteries again...Will need to go charge the computer...shower...find the $$$machine...walk around a bit before Joyce gets back from the volcano with all the pics you guys are waiting for. Later

Short update....

Have I told you that there are hills on our walk? There are now six ladies that are walking in the morning. Anne and I usually lead the pack AND we did see the crazy guy one day! Of course that day I didn't bring my camera! And more important he didn't do anything to upset any of us!

This home is on the "other side" of the road going through the town...

Pigs...dogs...chickens...all are free range...and I did take today off from walking...I have a blister on one of my small toes and hope that with a day of rest...I will be back off and walking!!

So this is Guatemala from a car window...it is a beautiful country!Pam, Karlene and I (girls day out) went to Puerto Barrios for a day at the mall (thank you Pam for your safe driving) and we were hoping for a little bit of time on a beach, too. Our constraint was to be back to Pam's boat during the daylight so that I could dingy back to the marina that Paul's boat is in safely. The Rio is not to be on at night!I was suprised at the size of the mall...about 1/2 the size of Sea-Tac Mall in the Federal Way area...but larger than I had thought...and a lot of stuff available. Very nice grocery store...electronics store...shoe stores...clothes stores...ice cream stores (and I didn't even have any)! Then we began driving around the town looking for the road to the beach...

These homes were not that far from the mall....

And we never did find the beach...Free range everything...all around the town...horses were everywhere. There was actually a small group of kids playing soccer on this middle of the town soccer field. We were talking about taking a few of the horses back with us...we could not see any brands or other way of knowing who they really belong to!We all had our picture taken with this American gentleman...And, sorry ladies...I'm a goose/gander type of gal...but there were no male models at the open air market where I bought my new (to me) shirt for 2 Q's or 25 cents U.S. I'll keep an eye out! And, again, thank you Pam...for your excellent swift driving...we got back to her boat as the sun was going down...and I was back to Paul's boat before dark!

1 step forward, 3 steps back

Oct 10th 7:45 am Rio Dulce
I write this while Joyce and the girls are on their AM walk. Yesterday the Fridge guy came by. He had been down on Jeff's boat ... the other Amel here at Mario's. Jeff also had an A/C unit go down. Manfred (very efficient and competent German) quickly diagnosed the freezer as KAPUT. I guess I would be tired too if I had been running almost constantly for 6 years. Guess I'm going to face reality....more stuff is going to be breaking as components start to come to the end of their useful life. Well this one is going to cost $1435 USD. Not that bad out in the middle of Central America. Good news on the aft A/C...compressor ok, but there is an electrical problem...which Manfred referred to Marcus (another knowledgable German who works on the River) We will suffer a little longer with no A/C till he comes by. I did manage to replace the muffler on the main engine that melted last June. The can of beans I had used to splice the exhaust hose was still fuctional ....I ran the engine for 1/2 hr...all was well for once. Well, ... back to our long list of boat chores.....

Walking the trail again and looking up!

Yes, Anne, Phyllis and I are back to walking the trail...It was laundry day for this house along the trail too...It is a LONG walk...up and down the hills...we leave at 7:00am while it is still only in the mid 80's...humidity was high this morning though...and we do walk fast...Then Paul and I went into town again...we needed bread, ice and bug stuff...yes, we have bugs!! Well, everybody down here has bugs on their boat...especially after being gone for awhile. One guy even has a few gecko's...he has less bugs than most! I want a gecko!

On our dingy rides now, Paul wants to see if by me being the designated driver his back will take the dingy rides better...he did pretty well with me driving...only once did he ask where I was going....
And, that was when I turned sharply and went into the middle of the river because Mike was rowing his dingy with one oar. He stopped rowing long enough to wave me down! His engine wasn't working and he was trying to paddle against the current in the HOT HOT sun! So we gave him a tow to his boat! Just another day on the river! Reminded me though of the times (thankfully not many times...but they did make an impression on me so I remember them well) when I was towing cars and trucks around Enumclaw streets, many, many years ago! I think I did better towing the dingy than I ever did the truck!
And, these little guys work hard!!! They are leaf cutter ants. And, boy do they live up to their name! We watched these guys from the pool area strip a bush of all of it's leaves in less than 24 hours!!! I guess the heat doesn't bother them! And thankfully they stay OUT of the pool!

And to get away from bugs...well...I like these guys... Can't get under the water right now...so the pictures you get are what I can find around here...And, when I get tired of it all...and my feet are a bit tired like this afternnon...there is always the hammock, and looking up!

Yes…let the Drug companies make big profits off their drugs.

Oct 5 12
9:34 PM Rio Dulce Guatemala ..Sorry..no pics
Well we have been back almost a week and I have been successful in fixing 1 of 30 or more jobs. Boats do not like sitting…they want to be used daily and when not they get pissed and break by themselves. Other than the batteries being flat, the propane had all leaked out of the system, the bilge pump did not pump….the shore power transfer switch is screwed up, the large battery charger is on its last leg, generator has a serious problem, the aft A/C where we sleep has gone kaput, the freezer that had all the meat is down….. and full of rotten meat...for the last 5 days I have only repaired the propane…and that is not really right…can’t get the right parts down here. All this broken and it does not include the stuff that is broken that we brought parts down to fix. But Joyce did have her tea this AM. Saturday I attempted to reinstall the bilge pump only to break a fitting….nope…did not have a spare…into the dink we went…oh yea…the electric start does not work on the outboard…so I have to take off the cover and jump across the solenoid with a wrench to start it. Off we go to town to find a fitting. Walked 2/3 a mile to find that they close at noon… on Sat…. Damn….so no bilge pump till Monday, meaning we have to pump by hand… Same goes with the propane, in fact yesterday on her birthday Joyce had to go to the restaurant so they could heat up a pot of water for her. Tea….Needless to say I have spent hrs down in the engine room and back in the garage ( our aft storage)attempting to fix something….anything…This AM. we dinked down to RAM marina to check on our shipment from Seattle, not before I tested the water temp of the river…missed a step getting into the dink and into the river I went …Joyce screamed thinking I hit my head….as usual my fellow cruisers were on hand to help…no harm…no foul…just my pride. .Our box with another 250 lbs of 60 yds of upholstery, bimmini top and curtain material along with 150 bucks worth tools from Harbor Ft…(all china stuff) had arrived by container….yes duty free… tools all rust on a boat weather they are $100 or $5 bucks…..after a yr or so you pitch them cause of the rust. Joyce did her usual heavy lifting….I got the light stuff…(Hey I can go up steps now without holding on)….2 trips in Hugo and all was aboard. Joyce went up river to go to a Salsa dancing thingy after lunch…me back in the engine room to finally fix the bilge pump…not a great position for my back….even with the new drugs….Joyce returned about 1 ½ hrs later as I finished the pump…..we headed for the pool and the afternoon get together.. The pool is almost cold….great to bring the body temp down after time in the 96 deg engine room.
Back to the subject of this entry. I have now been on this Cymbalta stuff for almost 3 weeks….read this AM on line, that most people do not see an effect for 2 weeks and complete effects for 4 weeks…..as I sit here finishing this at 12:50 AM Oct 8th my pain is down 70-80%. I still need a percocet now and then….but this is a life style changer…I have not seen pain levels this low in 10 yrs…SO as I sit here with one of the suckie side effects…insomnia…..life for me is better thanks to one of those evil drug companies that make obscene profits making life bearable for someone in severe chronic pain. Joyce still forbids me lifting anything more than a 6 pack, but the positions needed to make some of our repairs in the last week would have had me into the percocet big time. I did in fact call my MD just to thank him…and another thanks to the evil drug companies….. So get off the backs of the drug companies….In the US . this drug would cost almost $300 hundred bucks a month…and your insurance would pay for most, if not all of it…..but since I’m on the government option now..(Medicare,) I can’t afford the damn stuff so I will be ordering it online from India for about 1/3 the cost while you all back in Obamaland let the government screw with your healthcare. One last question, Name me 1 government run program that is efficient and not over budget, corrupt and/or bankrupt? If these clowns get control of healthcare…there will be no wonder drugs….why would a company spend billions without some expectation of profit??? Opps . that is capitalism…an evil word in this political environment.
It’s now pushing 1:30AM…yes I type slow…I look forward to a wonderful cruising year with Joyce here on the Lady H,,,,we are going to slow down this year and enjoy ourselves…diving, sailing and…me drinking some rum…nite nite

Back in his element...

And, feeling pretty good! He will have more on that story later....

He looks pretty happy?? Well, Herbie does start, and runs GREAT with the new prop. You just have to make sure you keep a wrench or screwdriver in the dingy...I can't explain what two bolts you have to touch together to get Herbie started...but I can tell you that after Paul showed me how...I CAN get him running too!

Ah...to be on the river again! We needed to run into town to buy groceries since we were totally out (the freezer was not working when we got back)! Paul was so excited to get in the dingy this morning he went first...and missed...feet first into the river...I thought he was changing the zincs he took so long to surface (I actually thought he had hit his head)!!! I started yelling for help and bless his heart (and thank you), John (one of our neighbors...Anne and John...on Living the Dream) was just about ready to jump in after him from the dock when up his head pops!! I climbed down into the dingy and got the dingy diving ladder out from the bow...and up he climbed! Dry shirt and off we went! Just another day on the river!

This is the bridge that brings you to the town of Fronteras from Guatemala City. We go under it to go to Reed's to pick up the BEST homemade bread in town!

This view is from town down the river...the marina where Paul's boat is...is way off in the distance...we try to make sure the river is calm before we go anywhere! Long rough dingy rides are still not the best for his back...

Welcome to the Rio Dulce sign and cayuco (what they call their canoes). These are still widely used on the river for fishing! Bruno's...where we have had breakfast twice because the propane wasn't working (hard to believe but we've been back a week tomorrow)...but yesterday Paul finally got it fixed (sort of) and this morning we had OUR tea!!!

Monday morning hussle and bussel on the streets of Fronteras....I love the cows...Paul has noticed that just as many cows go one direction down the street as go the other direction...but only in the morning...by afternoon it is much too hot! Oh, did I mention it was hot here?? Inside the boat during the day...95 degrees. Thank heaven for the pool!

Delivery to the local grocery store...
Inside the only grocery store in Fronteras....
We buy our fruits and veggies on the street...we are back to drinking our papaya, banana, melon, orange juice, lemon juice and yogurt smoothies to keep us cool!!

And, these two young men were selling...well, I'm not sure if it was a fruit or just what it was...but Paul tried it first...and he was fine...so I tried it too...different tasting...and then chewy...

So I have to tell you...yesterday was my birthday! Paul took me out to breakfast (we shared one at Bruno's)...we relaxed in the pool...and then for dinner we ate at the marina...shrimp and pasta - really good. A lot of the cruisers were there at the resturant too..but I really didn't think much of it...until I told Paul that I was tired and going back to the boat...no...and minutes later...a chocolate BD cake brought out by the staff...and a round of HB to me!!! Oh heavens!! You would have had to have been there to know how old I am. Next year I've already decided that I'm going to say I'm 60 so everyone will say how YOUNG I look and I CAN'T be 60!!! Ha ha ha....So, anyway...pretty much it was a relaxing day for me... now to Paul's story....