Inland Costa Rica



Manuel Antonio National Park beach.

 Hola!  We took off on a 1 week adventure with Jerry and Lauren, from SOMF, after renting a 4x4 vehicle in Golfito (where our boats are now moored).
    Wow! What a great time we had exploring Costa Rica's high volcanoes, beautiful beaches, high mountains, waterfalls, and the famous "Cloud Forest".

Hey Lauren! Be sure to get Jerry's good side!

    We began with  Manuel Antonio National Park with a walking tour where we spotted 2-toed and 3-toed Sloths, and seen several monkeys in the trees and even on the beach! Some were just a few feet from us as we walked the trail! Now, let me just say how FAST monkeys can be when you're wanting to get a good picture, so no monkey pics from the beach. Although, we did spot the ever popular Lauren and Jerry taking several typical tourist beach pictures! Defiantly, this is a beautiful place not to be missed on any Costa Rican visit.
    We ate many delicious foods including sandwiches made from a true Italian deli that made our mouths water and we couldn't wait to devour! Costa Rica's foods are of a worldwide mixture and delicious to say the least.

Runway Models Nancy and Lauren showing off the "Rain Poncho"

These beetles are about 6" long! Ouch!

    We toured the famous "Cloud Forest" where we were "so lucky" to experience the heavy rain as well! We purchased ponchos from the gift shop ($8 each) and the rain was warm, so we made the best of a forest canopy tour. Here, we walked 14 bridges towering high above the forest and seen people on zip lines passing overhead! After driving 20 miles of washed out, very rough,  4-wheel drive dirt & gravel road, we spent two nights in Fortuna and stayed in a lovely 2 bedroom cabin located on a family owned coffee and sugarcane plantation.

     We stopped at a butterfly farm where they raise butterflies and study insects...including a beetle the size of a banana that actually flies and has a beak! Imagine one of these splattering over your windshield! Ewwww!
    We hired a guide to take us on a tour of the area. where first we stopped where "strangler vines" wrapped around old growth trees and actually kills the tree it's wrapped around leaving only the hollow vines. Here's Jerry, who bravely climbed inside the strangler vines and where once was a huge tree now rotted away completely..I could only picture one vine slowly wrapping itself around his leg like in an old science fiction movie.  

Oxen with cart carry milk to the dairy each day

Beautiful isn't it?

Our guide, Carlos, took us  a local Quaker owned dairy and they make famous cheeses. The Quakers moved  moved to the remote Costa Rican mountain region to avoid the US-Vietnam war. And, if you're wondering...No, they don't dress like the guy on the oatmeal box...but, I knew you were curious! We were treated with seeing the morning delivery made by Oxen pulling a cart loaded with old style milk cans. Yes, this is how they make their morning milk deliveries from one local farms. The dairy farms are located on high elevation, steep, green-grass covered mountainsides with deep canyons.

Believe me...this is COLD water!!

   From here, Carlos took us to a banana plantation with a jungle-covered mountain trail leads to a beautiful waterfall. We wore swimsuits and were anxious to jump into the water...only to find it's COLD water under the falls! Bravely, we dove in providing instant "brain freeze" as our heads went under! Upon sticking a finger into the fringed water, Nancy (smartly) decided she didn't need to swim after all!  Lauren bravely dove in....and right back out before the numbness set in!

Costa Rican Coffee...the BEST we've ever tasted!!

    Our day ended at a small family owned organic coffee plantation where the coffee is grown at high elevation and  shaded by taller trees, harvested, processed, and roasted,by the family. I, not being a real "coffee groupie" and mostly drink Starbucks "foo-foo" coffee, can attest that this was the BEST coffee I have ever tasted. It was so delicious I only added cane sugar to sweeten....that is, cane sugar fresh from the cane press located in the nearby shed.
    Not a bad tour for $40. and worth every penny...thank you, Carlos!

High elevation plant called the "Poor man's Umbrella"

Just another waterfall...Costa Rican style!

     The next day we drove to "Volcan Poas" in the Northern part of CR. This is a live volcano with sulfur laden steam venting from the crater. From the top we were told on a clear day we could see the Caribbean Ocean...but with the cloud cover we only seen clouds.     The rich fertile volcanic soil provides much nourishment for the sizable plants as you can see in the picture with Nancy.

Volcan Poas is still steaming, and we're not sure what about!

We drove to "Volcan Arenal" and enjoyed an afternoon and evening at the hot springs...more of a resort. For $22 per day, or $28 with a buffet dinner, we opted for the $28 deal. If we purchased tickets at the resort they were $45 each, but from our hotel we paid $28. We had a ball here, several fun water slides, swim-up bars in the pools, and hot pools of water from 98 degrees up to 152 degrees that I could could only stand in for 2 seconds! And the dinner....wonderful, delicious, and a true bargain.
     We spent 2 days in San Jose exploring the city and it's beautiful sights. Sadly, the Gold Museum was under construction and we opted not to enter...I was hoping for free "samples" at the door! We seen the elegant theater, jade museum, parks, and central market area as well.

     There is one thing, if you drive a car, about Costa Rica I should warn you about... speeding tickets are way out of line here. We were stopped for "speeding" about 10 kph over the speed limit. We were flagged over by a policeman who's tow truck was parked along side the road. Yes, the police drive tow trucks here! Let me continue the story with me standing at the tow truck and learning that my ticket can be paid at any bank in Costa Rica....my $500 US dollar ticket that is! What the *&^%$###@ % 500 dollars! No way!
    Yes, it's true, and I seen other tickets in his book well over $900 US dollars. Oh, and it's a $700 ticket we learned as our passengers (Jerry and Lauren) were in the backseat not wearing seatbelts! He "let me go" on the seatbelt ticket as he gave instructions of how I am to go to the bank and pay my fine. (I found that's what the tow truck is used for, when the locals cannot pay the fines they tow the vehicles). For those who know me know I can BS with the best of them, so, with my best BS I was able to work out a "cash fine" of $40 paid directly to the very polite officer who promptly placed my reduced fine into his pocket! I was torn between being pissed or relieved that I didn't have to pay $500 dollars!
    Now, to add to the story, we dropped Nancy off at the San Jose airport to catch her flight to Reno, and began our 6 hour return trip to our boats in Golfito. We were again stopped at a police roadblock (which are common). Lauren was laying down asleep in the backseat and sat up as the policeman approached the vehicle. He smiles and pointed at our seatbelts, then pointed to Lauren, who actually did have her seatbelt on, (thank goodness!) and waved his finger as if to say, "You must to wear your seatbelts... or I will write you up!" 
    Yes, sir! Thank you, Sir! We drove off with beads of sweat still wet on our foreheads and relieved we avoided yet another ticket.   Oh, and the tickets...well, they all go to the driver of the vehicle! But then again, it might be worth watching Lauren working off $700 by scrubbing, polishing, and waxing Windfall till she sparkles! Hey Lauren, you know I'm just kidding...right? Right???
    Currently, Nancy is in Reno, Nevada and awaiting the birth our new grandson "Bodhi", and I'm aboard Windfall till he decides to make his appearance. Then, I'll fly back to the US. Nancy and I plan to travel to Oregon to visit friends and family, then on to Florida to visit Nancy's family before returning to Costa Rica. Once we return to Costa Rica, we will get Windfall in "sea-ready condition" and set courses for Panama and through the Panama Canal!
    Our friends aboard Varuna are in Panama and arranging to go through the canal. If all works out, before I travel back to the US, I will meet up with Varuna to be a "line handler" and go through the canal. This will be a great adventure and an experience before we take Windfall through the canal later this year.
    Happy 4th of July everyone!

Golfito;Windfall on a mooring ball

Our view of the bay from the clubhouse deck...pretty nice, Eh?

    After spending 3 wonderful days in Puerto Jimeniz, we motored 8 miles across the bay where we are finally in Golfito located in Golfo Dulce (Sweet Bay). Golfito is located on a beautiful, large, and very protected bay surrounded by tropical forests. We are on a mooring ball at Land Sea, www.marinaservices-yachtdelivery.com   a wonderful small "marina" that has a LOT to offer cruisers. It's ran by Tim and Katie, Ex- cruisers who are friendly and very helpful.  The "marina" and "Clubhouse" (where beer and sodas are sold on t the honor system) is basically a large dingy dock with only one slip, several moorings, a floating house (where Windfall is currently tied along side), and a wonderful clubhouse with a large deck overlooking the bay. Mooring balls are for rent for $8.00/day, Pet sitting  is available, internet, TV room, and some of the nicest showers we've ever seen! Gas grills and all the amenities are free to for the cruisers to use on the deck.

    It's defiantly going to be a great place to spend our time while in Costa Rica. Tim will even check on our boats while we are traveling around Costa Rica with SOMF.
    We stopped at the fueldock before mooring Windfall....$955 for 191 gallons of diesel and 6 gallons of gasoline...OUCH! 

Dockwise loading boats for transport

    We're among lots of friends who were in El Salvador with us, Varuna, Royal Albatross, Sunnyside Up, and of course our good friends Jerry and Lauren aboard SOMF.  Several boats here are awaiting "Dockwise" a transport drydock ship for boats not wanting to sail to far off locations, Dockwise will be here Sunday to begin loading boats aboard. Royal Albatross is being dropped off in Florida, and others are on another drydock ship bound for Vancouver, Canada. It will be interesting to watch as the huge Dockwise ship lowers itself into the water and the boats motor onto the deck where divers will secure the boats to the deck. After the boats are secure, Dockwise will slowly raise it's deck (along with all the boats) above water and set off for distant locations to drop the boats off to the awaiting owners....oh, and cost is about $12,000 for a 40' sailboat from here, through the canal, and to South Florida...just in case you are interested.
    Today, Jerry, Lauren, Nancy, and I went to the Port Captain to check in (as a courtesy) ...he could see we had all the proper papers and asked how long we'd be in Gofito...."Uhh, about 60 days," we replied. "Ok, I don't need to see your papers till you check out." We left his office and walked around the street corner to one of the local markets to buy provisions for the week.
    A botanical garden is located  8 miles outside of town to make an easy day trip to visit. Sloths, Scarlett Macaw parrots, and Toucans are rumored to be seen just outside of town, so it looks like a bike trip is in order for the crews of Windfall and SOMF.
    So, for now, it looks like we're settled into a very comfortable, secure, in a beautiful Costa Rica paradise and looking forward to our car trip with SOMF to explore inland Costa Rica, volcanoes,  and maybe a river raft trip!
    Come meet us at the clubhouse for cocktails and coldies!

Drakes Bay



Jerry & Lauren crossing a creek..keep your feet up!

Sam's horse actually drinking fresh water. Lauren watching

We come into town a-hoopin' and a-hollerin! .

 As with most great plans, we didn't stay at Quepos as we thought.  Due to the high cost of slips at the marina ($150/night), no mooring balls, and with the anchorage being very rolly and too deep to anchor comfortably, we decided for a (slow) overnight sail to Drakes Bay.
 We couldn't go too fast or we would arrive at Drakes bay in the darkness of night...which is not a good option to enter an unfamilure bay at night. With only 7 knots of wind we put the sails up for the next 11 hours it was peaceful, calm, and Nancy got some sleep below till her watch at 1am...and of course thats when the rain started. Oh well, we arrived at Drakes Bay at daylight with rain and another rolly anchorage.
The Oso Peninsula covers nearly 500 square miles and most is in the Corcovado National Park.
The next day I put out a stern anchor and this worked great to keep Windfall pointed to the large swells enterning the bay. It's much more relaxing for Windfall to take the swells head on than to roll side to side...trust me! SOMF also put out thier stern anchor...much better!
Drakes Bay is named after Sir Francis Drake who landed here in 1579. Rumor is he buried gold treasure at the...now don't as me, if I knew where it was I wouldn't be telling you this!
We took the dinghy to the (small) dinghy dock and explored the village. After a quick stop at the a small  "Soda" (store) for cold bottles of water, we spotted several Scarlett Macaw Parrots in the tree  not more than 50 feet away. Lauren and Nancy began taking pictures of these beautiful red, blue, and yellow colored birds.
We continued our tour of the village with a stop at the market, and it just happened to be the day the produce truck parks outside. We bought fresh bananas, apples, and a pineapple. I've got to say that I never knew just how sweet a pineapple could be till we tasted these. These pineapples are the sweetest, juciest, and most delicious I've ever tasted.
We noticed a guide trip on horseback available, within a shot time we we signed up for a trip in the morning.
Ok, here we are, four gringos ready for our steeds.... Our guide "Oly" said we would ride the beach, then a mountian trail, and we would see some huge rocks that are perfectly round...no reason known why the natives did this , how they made the rocks so perfectly round, or why at the locations  were picked.
We mounted our horses and off we went...The Four Gringos...and Oly. The beach was beautiful, our horses wanted to drink saltwater standing in the small waves...Hmmm, this should have been an indicator of how smart these horses were.
We left the beach and took to a mountain trail, 6 miles of steep, winding, mud trail where our horses were slipping and sliding.

Bronk Buster Nancy - Yee Haaaa!

irlJerry's horse was the slow-poke, always far behind. He actually named his horse "Old Spice" but saw no reason to rush his horse on the trip.  Nancy's horse actually slipped and fell to all four knees, but, like a true rodeo bronk buster, "Cowgirl Nancy" stayed mounted and rode it all the way! I swear she yelled Yee-Haaaa!..Ok, maybe she did forget the Yee part of it, because all I actually heard was AHHHHHHH!
Let me just say that after 5 1/2 hours of trial riding, bronk busting, and saddle sitting the "Four Gringos" could hardly walk afterward! A cold brew at the nearby waterhole sure helped to sooth the saddle sores.
As we boarded the dinghy and started back to the boat, a "small" gotor was spotted 20 feet ahead. Gulp!  Later, Jerry mentioned he needs to clean the bottom of his boat...and I was thinking "Gator, the other white meat"...no make that "Jerry, the other white meat"!

Would you cross this knowing we just saw an alligator?

We instead headed up the small river we were in for a short dinghy "jungle tour"...and oh, how beautiful it was. The water was nice and cool, a swinging bridge crossed the river leading to an wildnerness lodge for those eco-minded tourist.
We like it here so much we've decided to stay another day, our firends aboard "Sunnyside Up" just entered the bay and dropped anchor. Time to break out the Captain Morgan and make a toast to Sir Francis Drake for finding this perfect tropical location....just for us!
Next stop Puerto Jimeniz

More from Northern Costa Rica

Windfall sailing away.....

 What a true adventure Costa Rica has become for us all. We've really  enjoyed traveling with SOMF (Sand On My Feet) as we set courses for beaches and bays marked on our charts.
As we're now in the "rainy season" of Costa Rica we get some pretty heavy downpours that may last a few minutes to about an hour. We've found leaks we never knew Windfall had till a mix of 25 knot winds driving heavy tropical rains onto the boat. But after several tubes of sealer, and yards of weather stripping, and a bit of frustration on my part (according to the Nancy) we've think we've got the leaks stopped (for now). 

A hike to a very cool waterfall

We took a bus trip to a very cool little village called Montezuma where we hiked to a very cool waterfall. Whew! It was hot, but the cold beer and great food at the local watering hole made for a wonder day. We enjoy the bus trips, talking with the locals, and seeing the countryside... Costa Rica has an abundance of natural beauty to be explored.

Lauren & Nancy hiking the trail to the waterfall

We had friends from "Sunnyside Up" stop by the anchorage and are spending a few days traveling along with us. One afternoon we decided it was time for a tour of the estuary around the bay and look for some monkeys. No monkeys were seen till we stopped at a couple of abandoned houses... there... and there.... in the huge Mango trees....Howler Monkeys! They have a distinctive sound to be sure as they leap from tree to tree in search of the ripe mangoes.
Before long, we were back at the dinghies cooling off and swimming in water...with the monkeys curiously looking from above. We all snorkeled, swam, and enjoyed the warm afternoon...that is till a "few" drops of rain began....followed by a torrential downpour as we stood in the water with no cares of getting any wetter than we already were.

When you are in the water, looking for any sign of the rain stopping and you only see MORE rain....you finally say..."Let's go for it!"
Racing across the two mile wide bay, unable to see with the rain pelting our faces, I reached down and put on my swim mask! I saw Lauren, racing beside us in their dinghy and look over, point at me, and before long Jerry had his mask on to see as well!
On our way back a fully loaded tourboat was stopped in the bay and in the heavy rain. They had ran out of gas! Captain Jerry and crew to the rescue! Jerry was quick to toss a line and give a very welcomed tow to the nearby dock. Well done, Captain Jerry! I doubt the driver got any tips this day...his passengers were all soaked to the bone!

Hey Jerry, didn't you ever learn to come out of the rain?

At times, when we are anchored in nice little places and don't want to leave, only the rumor of "Oh there's a better beach, bay, bar, or whatever that lies just around the next corner" is our only motivator to hoist anchor and leave.
 Currently, the three boats are anchored in a wonderful little bay, Punta Leona, with a white sandy beach, a luxury 5 Star all inclusive resort hidden in the trees, and beautiful Red Scarlett Macaw parrots flying from tree to tree. We dinghied to the beach where Lauren fell off the dinghy into the water - Note: this was NOT the Captain's doing!We went to the resort store for a few well deserved treats and snacks for the crew. Oh, and while we were in the store the afternoon torrential downpour began...just in time for our dinghy trip back to the boats!

I see blue sky...but not here!

 Boy! What fun! You know those "wash and wear" clothes you always hear about? Our's were defiantly "wash and wear" on the trip back. Now,  THAT'S FUN!
We've used our "Bad Boy" WiFi antenna and very pleased with getting internet from the boat, including Skype. Ok, so we've been uhh..."pirating" a few more movies to watch in the evenings.
Tonight we have invitations for dinner aboard "Sunnyside Up"...always a good time when friends get together for drinks and dinners. I must say we've had some great potluck type dinners aboard friends boats, you never know what will turn up.  
Tomorrow we're planning a course to Quepos where we will leave the boat on a mooring ball while we  will travel with Lauren & Jerry (by rental car) inland . Quepos is only 38 miles from our present anchorage, hopefully we will catch a nice Dorado to share.

Howler Monkeys watched from above while we swam

We did have a little problem with our windlass not wanting to raise the anchor. After cleaning out the V-birth completely to get to the windlass, it turned out to be a simple little fuse...Whew!
Well, time to get the dinghy loaded and motor to the neighbor's for dinner..

We plan to leave around 6am to Quepos,

Update.....Quepos was too expensive at the marina ($150 per night), the anchorage too deep and rolly to anchor comfortably, and no mooring balls, so we decided to set a overnight course for Drakes Bay (names after Sir Francis Drake- who stopped by for a while). We dropped anchors in Drakes Bay at 6am. This is a beautiful anchorage to say the least!
....Horseback riding, alligators, and lots of rum...sounds interesting! More on the next blog

Northern Costa Rica

    Whew! After some rough seas, and one sea-sick Admaral, we made it to Santa Elena Costa Rica. In the Papaguyo's (area notorious for sudden high winds and rough seas) we actually had "green water" roll across the boat deck and the sea spray fly clear over the hardtop, Windfall took the rough seas and 35 knot winds kindly. We love our boat!

Monkeys in the trees!

  We were contacted on the SSB raido by our friends aboard Royal Albatross as they were just

leaving the bay and gave it high ratings. We pulled into the beautiful Santa Elena Bay at 1:30, dropped anchor and promptly dove into the warm clear water. Our friends aboard SOMF and Varuna were expected in 3-4 days, so we had the whole bay to ourselves. As a note, this is where Oliver North was training the Contra Rebles to invade Nicaragua...which is located just around the corner from the bay!

    Nancy and I love to explore the bay and mangroves with our dinghy "Blondie", we watched as Macaw parrots flew over each morning and evening. One day we decided to take a walk to a 8' waterfall that was rumored to have a nice freshwater pool to swim at the bottom. We treked up an empty creekbed where finally a trickle of water began, and before long we were wading chest deep in the creek to continue our journey to the waterfall. After 30 minutes we walked upon a beautiful clear water pool and jumped in. The water felt refreshing in the tropic heat and I even did a cannonball from the top of the rock bluff! It was a slice of paridise and we hads it all to ourselves.
    The next day we dinghied our bikes to the shore and rode along a dirt road where we spotted MONKEYS in the trees! How cool! The monkeys had white faces and looked like they were having as much fun seeing us as we were snapping photos of them.
    The next day we spent snorkeling and exploring more of the big bay. We spotted lobsters clinging to the rocks, colorful fish you only see in tropical aquariums, and even a 7' nurse shark, don't worry, these sharks are very dosile...at least that's what "they" say,,. I turned to tell Nancy about how tame the shark is..."Hey Nancy"! She was nowhere to be seen...aparrently she was "forgetting" something important on the beach that she needed...Well, at least that's HER story!
    Our friends arrived early in the moring, and that afternoon we went snorkeling at one of our newly favorite spots. Over the next several days, we hiked back to the waterfall, swam, snorkeled, fished, and even panned for a little gold in the stream....gold flakes sure are tiny, but those gold rocks seem to add weight more quickly! Yes Sir, Jerry and I  probibly panned a total of $1 gold flakes! Only $2 million more and we can make a downpayment on those new boats!  Oh, did I mention we had a poisonous sea snake pass by the boat.....Ewwwww! Gulp!
     We spent a total of 2 weeks in the bay, needless to say we did not want to leave! Of course, we were "Pirating" as we had not check into the counrty. yet...but, oh well. We were out of beer and veggies...and I think in that order!
    We sailed to Playas del Coco, Costa Rica and dropped anchor in Playa Panama (just around the corner from Coco...and where the Port Captain wants boats to anchor till they are "officially" in the country. Ok, so we got a little chewing out from the Port Captain, but after a two day process to check in with the Port Captain, Migration, pay a fee at the local bank to have an Agriculture Inspection done aboard the boats, and finally (the second day) a taxi trip to Customs in the nearby city of Liberia, we were officially in Costa Rica. We had to dinghy the Agricultrue Inspection guy out to the boats where he looked inside the refridgerator and freezer and our "inspection " was complete. Jerry and Loren aboard SOMF has a dog and cat, but aparrently were  listed as "No living animals abaord"....Jerry said he's pretty sure the cat isn't dead and does move once in awhile, but the guy had to step over the dog to come aboard!
    May 24th was my 51st birthday...or 15th as Nancy says is more true. We all went to a neat little beach bar and enjoyed great food and drinks...Ahhh, Costa Rica is a nice place to celibrate for sure.
    We moved the threee boats to the Coco anchorage, it's right in front of the cool little village, but the anchorage is VERY rolly and not plesent to be aboard, sleep, or cook meals...time to check out with the Port Captain and leave!!  Fun little place, too bad the anchorage is so rolly for boats.

Nancy looking at Windfall "on the hook" - Looks nice!

    Currently, we are traveling with SOMF and on our way to explore other Costa Rica bays and have made it a whole 8 miles from where we were anchored. We have a beautiful beach right behind the boats, and in 15 minutes we'll be in the water snorkeling.
    Ok, time to get the fins on...... more postings later.

Check us out on www. youtube.com at Windfall Adventures...it's FUN!!

Antigua, Guatemala - What a great place!

 Two Beauties - Nancy and Antiuga, Guatemala

    Well, here we are in beautiful Antigua, Guatemala and having a wonderful time! We organizationally planned to stay 2 weeks learning Spanish and living with a Guatemalan family to become "immersed" in the culture and language. As it turns out, we are living with my Spanish teacher, Patty, and her family. We are having such a great time we have extended our Spanish classes for a 3rd week! I know, I can´t believe it either, even I am learning Spanish! Wow!
    We have great respect for my teacher,Patty, and Nancy´s teacher, Juan, for their patience and teaching skills.  We have our lessons in Patty´s home at 8am, while Juan, (Nancy´s teacher) comes every morning for Nancy´s lessons.

This is the McDonalds in Antigua!! Yes, really!

This was a 300 year old church and now a 5 star hotel!

   
    We are very fortunate to be in Antigua at this particular time. Easter in Antigua is celebrated with people from around the world who come here to see these special processions found only here in Antigua and Spain!
    Nancy and I have already seen three separate processions (a children´s, women´s, and men´s processions with floats) who carry these large and heavy  floats for miles! The women´s float was carried by 50 women, and the HUGE men´s float was carried by 90 men! It was AMAZING!!
    One procession begins at 6am in a nearby town and ends at 2 am in Antigua! Last weekend we watched what we thought was the largest of the processions, including a Saturday night procession that was filled with lights and excitement and 7,000 people IN the procession...BUT, the largest will happen this week with nearly 10,000 (men only) IN the largest procession of all! Antigua´s population is about 45,000 but swells to unmeasurable amounts during the Lent / Easter weeks.  We are lucky Patty has room for us!
    Believe me, it´s unreal to see in person, and we can´t wait for this weekend´s procession to begin. The people, the atmosphere, the vivid colors, and the excitement are beyond description! Oh, and the food(s)....delicious beyond words! Oh my!
    We´ve gained new levels of food appreciation since coming to Antigua and Patty has spoiled us with her wonderful and traditional Antigua and Guatemalan dishes. Nancy is busy copying recipes till her fingers bleed! In return, Nancy has given Patty´s family a few new dishes enjoyed as well...especially Nancy´s famous Mango Salsa! Wow! And, Nancy is makeing her famous Chili for them this weekend!

We took our immersion "family" to dinner. My Spanish teacher, Patty, is in the Red.

This is a sample of a beautiful Alformras that line the streets of Antigua for the procession. Some are made of painted sawdust (pictured),  while others are of beautiful flowers laid in intricate detail then walked upon only by the procession! (Yes, that´s all painted sawdust they are working on)

    We´ve explored 300 year old churches, picked fresh coffee beans from a plantation, tasted chocolate coated macadamea nuts right from the farms where Nancy also received a macadamea oil facial - Which she highly recommends!
    We´ve explored Casa Santo Domingo, a famous 300 year old church and now a 5 star hotel where even Bill Clinton stayed last year. Check it out at https://www.casasantodomingo.com.gt/  to look at the amazing pictures!
    We really like shopping at the central market, using our Spanish, where you can find amazing bargains as well as the freshest veggies and fruits (Bananas, Mangoes, Papillas, tomatoes, melons, even blackberries and apples) right from the farms. Did you know there are 15 varieties of mangoes? Our favorite is the "pina" (pineapple) mango that is small in size but so sweet! And best of all, we get these (pina mangoes) free for the picking on the island where Windfall is at anchor! How nice!!

Nancy with her teacher, Juan.  Muy Bueno, Nancy!

    We are anxious to return to El Salvador where Windfall is at anchor, and to try out our new Spanish language! But there are still so many exciting thing still do do here in Antigua! It´s a good thing we´ve got another week here!
    Antigua is truly an amazing place that should be on everyone´s "bucket list".
 
       Well, it´s time for us to head back to the casa...We´ve got homework to do and I´m anxious to see what new tasty dish Patty has waiting for us!

GUATEMALA

"Tuk-Tuk"

Lake Atitlan sunset

Hand made detailed fabrics

Lake Atitlan with two volcanoes

 GUATEMALA

         We’ve left the boats moored in El Salvador and rented a car with our friends Rick and Sue (New Yorkers) from the sailboat Moonshine. The rental car costs $35/day if you stay in El Salvador and $50 per day as we’re taking it to Guatemala.

ANTUGUA - Our trip began with taking the coastal route to Guatemala, and then to Antigua, a famous old European style city with many varieties of local artisan works.  We enjoyed the couple days in Antigua, the Central Market area, town square, the delicious foods, and the wonderful friendly people. Antigua is located high in the mountains where it was nice and cool – which felt very refreshing from the warm 85-90 degree days aboard Windfall.Our hotel was an old Colonial Spanish design, beautiful with it’s manicured gardens, and located within an easy 5 minute walk down a cobble stone street to the town square. Our room was simple, clean, and overlooked the beautiful gardens area below.
          We went to the Central market and bought beautifully detailed hand woven cloths made by the local women, of course the prices depend how well you barter – which these women selling their goods are masters at! The items are made at the nearby villages and brought to the market to sell, and just getting the items to market is quite a chore from the remote villages.We hired a guide for an afternoon to tour the city. He gave us the story of Antigua, the churches, Jade artisans, the major earthquakes and volcanoes, and it’s friendly people. We asked about where a good Spanish immersion school is located, Antigua is famous for it’s Spanish immersion classes with one-on-one teaching which we hope will improve our (my) Spanish skills.  Nancy and I signed up for a two week immersion class, beginning April 4^th, where we will live with a Guatemalan family (who only speak Spanish) and go to the school 4 hours a day for the two weeks. We already met our new “Madre” who will cook our meals.

 LAKE ATITLAN…oh, and along the way we were stopped by the “Policia” and politely asked for “Propina” (a tip)…which cost us $100 Quetzals ($13). It’s not looked upon kindly by the locals for tourists to pay this, but….what are you going to do but pay-even though they are not supposed to do any longer.
         We arrived at Lake Atitlan and begin our search for hotel rooms. We were directed by a great kid on a bicycle and his uncle (self appointed tour guides) of where to go, what the prices were, and that they can arrange a tour of the lake. We looked at two hotels, one completely booked, one with $20 rooms, and the last very near the lake which we got for $25/night. It was a great place, nice lawns with covered patio, views, and only a two minute walk to the lake shore.As the sun dipped behind the distant volcano mountains, people quietly lined the waterfront to admire the spectacular red-umber hues transform to complete darkness before our eyes making “postcard perfect” photos.
         The next morning we met at the nearby dock with our “self appointed tour guide” for the lake tour of two local villages, and we were not disappointed. Local fishermen in tiny wooden carved boats tossed baited lines as our panga driver took us close to the shore to view many beautiful waterfront homes, with terraced gardens to the shoreline, and shaded by palm trees perched on the waters edge. Colorfully dressed artisan women lined the streets weaving their beautiful cloths and inviting us into their shops and view their wonderful handmade goods. We learned some of their colorful, and highly detailed,  woven shirts take as long as 6 months to complete and each village has specific “colors” woven to distinguish their Mayan villages. The tiny details woven in the cloths are amazing to say the least.  You can’t imagine the time and patience it takes to produce such handmade works of art, but you quickly realize how spoiled we, as Americans, have become when viewing life from the other side of the world.
          Later that afternoon we went with Rick and Sue on a “Tuk-Tuk” tour. A Tuk-Tuk is a three wheeled vehicle, fun (and cheap) to ride, and we learned they have 165 Tuk-Tuks for the area! Our drivers charged $6 for an hour tour of the city, pointing out internet cafés, points of interest, great places to eat, then took us to a high overlook of the lake and volcanoes….on a scale of 1-10….this is a definite TEN
          Leaving Lake Atitlan to Guatemala City, we took a different route leading us to cross a river (ok, small stream) with the rental car! The bridge was washed out, and had been for quite some time, but Sue did a great job driving the car and fording the ravaging white water …ok, so it was 6” deep, but she still did a great job of getting us across without getting our feet wet.

         ATACO - Time to cross the border back into El Salvador with our next location Ataco, about 30 minutes out of our way, but highly recommended to visit.
          We stayed in a small posada (Inn), newly remodeled, and welcomed with friendly staff ($30/night). Soon, it was time to search for a restaurant for dinner. As many of you travelers know, this can be a scale of delicious foods…to well, not so great.I must say, we found a little café with great live music, tastefully decorated, and with a Filet Minion that was delicious as any we’ve ever had, served with rice, veggies, bread, and a wonderful pastry desert. Oh, and the price…an easy $9.00.

San Andres Ruins- The next morning we toured the ancient ruins of San Andres where we happened to arrive during a Mayan ceremony of Springtime and offerings of wisdom, forgiveness, and healing to the circled fire. Drums beat as conch shells were blow to welcome the Gods and bring those to the circle. Even a newscaster was on hand for the occasion as I heard mention of “President Obama”….What??? Yes, Mr. “Presidente de Americana” Barack Obama is to visit this very ruin in two days and they were excited with the news.We moved on to the next site.
Joya de Ceren Ruins - Also called the “Pampae of the Americas” and designated a World Heritage Site. What makes this area so special is this is the only area known to show where the common people lived who built the great temples and ruins. A volcano, 1/2 mile away, gave ample warning for the people to escape before it began erupting and completely covering the area with steam and ash.  This event happened 14 times and has buried the city with 4-6 meters of ash. The new site was found in 1976 when a backhoe was working and found a wall preserved deep in the layers. They have only dug 3% of what is believed to be buried as they have no way to preserve the artifacts (homes and personal items) once exposed to the weather and elements. So, for now, the city remains protected and well preserved buried deep within the layers of ash.

It was nice to get back aboard Windfall and back to “busy schedule”…..We’ve been invited to a nighttime beach bon fire, a chicken barbeque to benefit the local school, and of course make our presence at the pool for the afternoon “Cruisers Net” . Nancy has signed up for a drawing and painting class offered by one of the cruisers, and volunteers working with the English class at the local school. I have been working on a picture CD, our Blog, practicing my guitar and strangely enough keeping any “critters” away from the boat….Hmm, …..Nahhh….Couldn’t be…..It must be some strange coincidence.
 More Windfall Adventures when we get back from our Antigua Spanish classes….I feel sorry for my teacher already……