Back from Guatemala 09-03-2009

***UPDATE October 6, 2009 ***

Second Star is having some mechanical issues and Johne and Susie are anchored off the coast of Belize while they sort through them. Spot Checks are suspended until they get under way again. Other than the mechanical issues, both Johne and Susie are doing well and they are safe.


Hey all,

This is Jen, Johne's daughter. After having recently returned from a two week trip to visit Johne and Susie, I thought I would share with you our perspective on the place Second Star is currently calling home.

Our trip was wonderful and exhausting. There were so many things to see and do and we enjoyed each and every one. Our trip began with an interesting shopping adventure in Guatemala City. Of all the places I have ever been in the US, there is not a city that compares with the chaos of GC. The traffic alone is crazy. Not to mention that following traffic laws is optional. I am sure that there must be affluent places within the city, but you certainly do not see them. It is very impoverished and was a great eye opener for the kids. The slums are heartbreaking. Once we completed our grocery shopping, we began the journey back to the Rio. Again, driving in Guatemala is not something for the feint of heart. The roads are not great, their idea of speed control is the randomly placed (without warning) speed bump, and driving defensively is a major understatement. However, we made it back to the boat in one piece and very quickly all fell into bed.

For the next several days we crammed in as much of the country as we could. We began with a fun tour of the Castille de San Fillipe. A very cool, old fort that is very close to Second Star. There is nothing about the place that is imposing and Susie and I couldn't understand how it could have been good for much in the way of defense. It is very well preserved though and has a colorful past and it is something I am very glad we took the time to visit. Carson kept saying how it was just like something out of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Next on our list of to do's was a trip out to the Sapodilla Cayes. Soon after arriving on the Rio, we had a good weather window to get the boat out of the river and make a run for the Caribbean. It was the first time that we had been out on Second Star. It seems that each time we have visited Florida, the tide didn't want to cooperate, so we were never able to take her out. I have to say I am so impressed with how solid she is. I am also very proud of all of the work my dad and Susie have put into making her not only beautiful, but safe. Everything ran wonderfully well. The trip up the river was breathtaking. The cliffs that run along the sides of the river are very impressive. I kept feeling like I was on the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland. It was a great way to spend 3 hours.

That first night we decided to anchor off a town called Livingston. After we made anchor, we took the dinghy to town for dinner and a look around. Livingston has a large Garafuna population, and was pretty colorful. More of the Afro-Carib vibe and not much Mayan influence. I would have liked to have spent a little more time there exploring in the daylight. Maybe on another trip.

The next morning we broke anchor and headed for the Rio Sarstoon. A large river that runs between Guatemala and Belize. Again, this was another beautiful trip. The little fishing villages that dotted the shore were cool and all the children were darling. When they would see the boat coming they would run out to the shore, and then along it, smiling and waving. Once we made our way inland, we very quickly became disconnected from the outside world. There were no villages and with the exception of an occasional fisherman paddling by in his Cayuga (which is probably spelled wrong, and is the Mayan version of a kayak), you would have thought we were the only people on the planet. You couldn't hear or see any signs of humanity. It was almost eery after coming from the US where there is always some sort of background noise. That night there was torrential, rain forest, downpour that made the monsoons in AZ and the thunderstorms in FL look like light rain. Mother nature is pretty impressive! Once the sun went down, the jungle came to life. You could hear all sort of animals and birds calling out. I felt like I was on safari.

The next day we headed back out of the river to make our run for the Cayes. It was a long day on the water. Although the seas were pretty calm, Carson is just not one for that rocking motion. He spend a lot of the day quite sick. Even he would tell you though that once we made it out to the Cayes, it was well worth it. Once we hit that beautiful turquoise water I felt like I was getting closer to right where I am meant to be. I feel so at home in the aqua waters of the Caribbean. There were a couple of small reefs that were little "islands" and a palm tree or two would be growing. It was fun to see. The kids each called for one to be their own private island...at least until the next big storm comes through and puts them back under water. Once we reached the Cayes, there was a vacant mooring ball which made anchoring a breeze. We were able to get set up for the night quickly and then we all had a quick snorkel around the island. There was not much to see besides giant starfish, but it was so fun to be in the water. Have I said how much I love the ocean?!! This was the first time our kids had officially been snorkeling and they did a great job. It was a lot of fun and something that I hope we get to enjoy lots of time doing as a family.

After we returned to the boat, our "neighbors" on the boat next to us came over to let us know that the ranger from the island had spotted a couple of Man O' War jellies. That is certainly nothing any of us wanted to mess with. So, our snorkeling off the Caye was finished for the day. We spend the the rest of the evening just hanging out. The next morning we took the boat out to try some deep sea fishing. Justin must have had bad juju because we made a thousand passes and didn't catch anything! We did get a wonderful snorkel in though, just off one of the kid's private islands. There were quite a few fish and some coral. As much as I love each time I get to snorkel, it always leaves me feeling a little sad. Our oceans are such a mess, humanity has really left it's mark. The reefs have so much bleaching and the amount of trash (plastic) floating in the ocean infuriates me. We are stewards of this planet, and on the large scale, we are failing miserably. Anyway, off my soapbox...it was a wonderful way to spend a day! On a side note, that snorkel was also cut short because Justin came up to get his bearings, and about 15 feet away was another Man O' War.

That night we anchored in the same spot and enjoyed a nice meal. We were all pretty tired, so it was early to bed. We woke the next morning and pulled anchor pretty early so that we could make it back to the Rio before dark. There was more fishing on the way back, this time, with a little more luck. Carson caught a Barracuda and Taylor caught a Wahoo. Justin did snag a huge Grouper, but all the boys had left me with the fishing gear when it was hooked. I had no idea what to do so I set the reel....right then Justin came around the corner and hollered at me...so I did the next logical thing...I released it. We then had a lovely birds nest to untangle. :) We did see several more Man O' War on our way back. That was a little perplexing. They are not common in the waters in the area...something must be changing.

Our trip back was uneventful and we made it back a little after dark. We ate a great dinner at a beautiful open air restaurant just up river from where dad and Susie live. For how impoverished the entire area is, it amazes me there are these wonderful, upscale, restaurants.

The next day was spent catching up on laundry and cleaning the boat after returning from the ocean.

Next on our list was a road trip to see more of the country. We set off for Tikal to check out the Mayan ruins. The drive was beautiful. The Guatemalan countryside is stunning. The roads were decent, and with exception to the speed bumps, which are more like a steep curbs, the day was uneventful. The ruins did not disappoint. It is mind boggling to think that a civilization that lived thousands of years ago could have been so advanced. The engineering is fantastic and very complex. We had a lot of fun walking around and exploring. I couldn't keep up with Justin, Susie and the kids, so dad and I walked at a more leisurely pace and I took lots of photos. The wildlife was wonderful and the flora and fauna, beautiful! To top it off, the ruins themselves were fun to photograph. We took a detour off the path to try to locate some howler monkeys we could hear. Trekking through the jungle, I couldn't help but think what tough people the Mayans were...the jungle is very unforgiving and making your way through it on trade routes would have been a very difficult job. We did end up making it through to the trees where the monkeys were. We caught a couple of glimpses, but all were too short to allow me to photograph any of them. Johne does a great howler monkey call though...so you should ask him to demonstrate sometime!

After a full afternoon of hiking and taking pics, we headed to the town of Flores to spend the night. Flores is built on a little island. It is heavily influenced by European style. We had a hard time finding someplace to stay and ended up in a hostel that all of the 20 year old European backpackers must have found too. It was quite a noisy night. All of us were a little tired when we got up the next day. We spent the morning wandering through town which was fun, and the the shopping was great!

From Flores, we headed up into the mountains to Coban. Again, the drive was very nice. Coban is a decent size city and has a lot of German influence. The architecture was very Bavarian looking. We found a hotel for the night and had a wonderful dinner. Again, the fact there are so many nice restaurants, with wonderful food surprises me. We did not do a lot of site seeing in Coban. We were all tired.

The next morning we got up and went to find breakfast. Everything was closed. There was a celebration going on and there was absolutely nothing open. So, needless to say we got an early start heading to Antigua. This part of the drive was a little more interesting. There were hundreds of the speed bumps...that were so tall that every time we would go over one, the undercarriage of the van would drag. At one point, the road just ran out. We had to pay a fee to have a "ferry" take us across the river so we could get back on the highway. Once we crossed the river, we found a place for lunch and ordered pizza. It was interesting. It was a giant, flat biscuit with about 4 pounds of cheese on it. Guatemalan pizza is an experience!! On our way out of that little town, there was some road construction. At one point the flagger was a scarecrow. It was hilarious and I so wish I had gotten a picture. Have I mentioned driving in Guatemala is an adventure?!

We made decent time getting to Antigua. We made it there by mid afternoon. Antigua is a very cool, eclectic place. I would say it had the feel of someplace like Taos, NM. It was a very artsy town. The architecture has a strong European influence. The buildings are brightly colored and the roads are cobbled. There are window planters on most of the buildings. There were several old churches and a very old cathedral. I was in photography heaven. In the center of town was a square that had a park, a fountain and lots of little shops and restaurants. It was beautiful. It was the one place during the trip that I wish we would have had more time. The market had so many vendors and all of the local craft work was beautiful. The fresh produce and coffee was wonderful. I would love to fly back to Guatemala for a long weekend and spend it in Antigua. There was not nearly enough time to explore.

That brings us to the end of our trip. Our time went very quickly. Our adventure in Central America was fantastic! It was a wonderful cultural experience and a great eye opener for our kids. I am so glad that we had the opportunity to go and that dad and Susie picked such a cool place to hang out and work on Second Star.

** I will be publishing pictures from our trip soon. Check back for updates. **