Life on the River

Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Tue 21 Aug 2012 17:40
A Couple of Weeks of Life on the River
 
 
 
 
 
 
BB Shops and Fort 004
 
We got the launch in to town and walked past the toilet shop
 
 
BB Shops and Fort 001  BB Shops and Fort 002  BB Shops and Fort 003
 
Bear spotted a boys cavern and puffed up his chest ready to try out his new Spanglish. He had taken the outboard to pieces and found out why we could either go straight very quickly or zigzag very slowly as the steering had become impossible. In this Arkwright Shop, we found a rotund, smiling man who gave one look at Bear’s hand and said “O Ring”. With that he disappeared, came back with a box marked ‘O Rings’ and found the correct size in seconds. Bear handed over 60 pence and used the word Gracias. Very fluent Bear. We welcomed Jacob in to the family, congratulations to Martin and Kim and Faye is doing well and getting bigger by the day.
 
 

BB Shops and Fort 007  BB Shops and Fort 008  BB Shops and Fort 009

A very different view for us is from behind the boardwalk sitting in Baby Beez. The marina restaurant, who now make my strawberry daiquiris con vodka, sin ron and very good they are too – daily reds you know – purely for health you know. Beez, seen now with her new ‘river beard’ (that will be a job one day – to give her a good scrub) and the jungle behind us. One day we are going to sit at the other end of the marina where they have set a couple of chairs on a boardwalk dead end and see what flies by. So wish I had a hummingbird feeder. We have seen teeny ones, big ones and a few tree creepers so far. The noisy cowbirds are everywhere, but loudest of all are the bullfrogs who chat to each other some nights.

 

BB Shops and Fort 011  BB Shops and Fort 013

BB Shops and Fort 010

Baby Beez now fully operational, so it was time for our first spuddle in ages. We left Beez behind, looking very yellow in her smart covers. They do a brilliant job at keeping her cool in the average daily temperature of thirty plus Centigrade. The view of the marina opposite is where we look most afternoons. The clouds begin to gather around two and slowly grow to vast expanses of fluffy white. These crash into the ones to our right and provide the most amazing lightning we have ever seen. Once or twice the thunder has been the loudest we have ever heard and we have had two storms directly overhead. There is a motorboat in the marina who was caught in a waterspout whilst anchored in Belize, they were picked up out of the water spun round two or three times – very scary. It ripped one their railings off and caused significant damage to their covers. Worse still was My Muse, a catamaran we met first in Havana, then again in Isla Mujeres, they were struck by lightning (again at anchor in Belize), they lost $5,000 of electrical equipment. It was cheaper for Chris to fly from here to Miami and return with new. He told us of a boat that had been struck and ended up with a peppering of holes in the hull – presumably osmosis. As Bear has always said You need your luck and this time he added - An effective means of detecting osmosis, but I feel not to be recommended!

The rain is awesome. Very few days pass without some natural firework displays. The result is frequent power cuts and dodgy internet – but hey, this is life in Guatemala.

 

BB Shops and Fort 018

BB Shops and Fort 015  BB Shops and Fort 022

BB Shops and Fort 020

BB Shops and Fort 021

On a spuddle toward the fort one afternoon, we saw where some of where the rich from Guatemala City come and play at the weekend – some even fly in by helicopter. This area is very unspoilt, except for the ‘one careful owner’ who thought this hurricane hidey hole meant no maintenance. We found a marina with a travel lift – good to know about and it had a working girl called “Popeye” outside.

 

BB Shops and Fort 041

San Felipe Fort. I asked bear if he would like to satisfy his trigger finger on the cannons. No, I want to enjoy it when we are by ourselves. Mmm

 

Friday night here is movie night. Two slices of pizza, a salad and a beer for 50 Quetzales (12 to the pound). A date night for less than ten pounds, can’t be bad. Cheapskate. The first film we saw was Water for Elephants – enjoyed that, complete with popcorn. Last Friday we got half way through No Country for Old Men when the power went. I enjoyed my Thai pizza, I missed my popcorn. Oh well.

Time for me to try out my Spanglish in the fruit and veg shop. Very successful too. We bought four pounds of potatoes, an iceberg lettuce, eight tomatoes, a pound of squash (baby round marrow) two cucumbers, two avocadoes and a pound of grapes for the princely sum of two pounds and ninety pence. Marvelous. Next adventure was to go to the supermarket, now we have been told where it is. Still a little spooky to see armed guards at the door, still we did manage to buy fresh milk.

 

BB Shops and Fort 005

We had beef stew and the leftover juice was a starter the next day. Baked potato to follow. Served to Bear he immediately plopped the spud into the soup. No comment. He then provided me with a fairly unique experience. The fish man is here do you want one. No thank you, but get yourself a decent sized one, if not get two. OK. Five minutes later he returned looking rather pleased with himself. I bought these two smallish chaps for forty pence. I took them from him to give them a wash before they went into the freezer. Just as I had covered them in water, the bloody things sprang to life and started flopping around.

You can’t say they're not fresh

Have you ever seen anyone aim a live fish at someone’s head

Bear has

Run Bear, Run

Needless to say at this point I needed a stiff drink.

 

BB Shops and Fort 031

Round the corner from the fort is Lake Izabal

 

Lago de Izabal, also known as the Golfo Dulce, is the largest lake in Guatemala with a surface area of 227.6 square miles and a maximum depth of 59 feet. The Polochic River is the largest river that drains into the lake. The lake which is only a metre above sea level drains into the Gulf of Honduras of the Caribbean Sea through the smaller Golfete Dulce which is at sea level and the navigable Rio Dulce thet we came up on arrival.

 

Lake Izabal as seen from space

Lake Izabal as seen by NASA from space – (we are by the bridge top right)
 

Last Sunday we picked up Howard and Janelle from their marina (Mar) to sit a little way on to the lake and watch a regatta. We arrived to see two yachts spuddling about. We were the only spectators until John and Debbie (Shamrock) appeared. We tied the two dinghies together – nothing for it but to have a glass of wine. We drifted slowly, one other yacht joined in, one other set of spectators – nothing for it but to go back and have a swim. That evening was movie night at Mar Marina. We watched Two Nights in New York (rubbish). We bade a fond farewell to Howard and Janelle as they are off in the morning to begin a fairly tortuous journey back to visit family in Australia.
 
 
BB Shops and Fort 043
 
BB Shops and Fort 045  BB Shops and Fort 052
 
The river bank opposite Beez has some lovely little places to explore
 
 
BB Shops and Fort 054
 
A natural hidey-hole or two
 
 
BB Shops and Fort 051
 
Even a flower garden
 
 
BB Bobs and Bits 003  BB Bobs and Bits 004
 
We handed over the sewing machine for Hickmett to do a little sail repair – ably assisted by Yasemin and Misha – very amusing sight to see him perched
 
 
BB Bobs and Bits 001  BB Bobs and Bits 002
 
I’m still having a dodgy year when it comes to Backgammon. Just four ahead and only $83 up, very poor show indeed. Huh. Rummikub has been every bit as challenging, Bear had a particularly odd hand (at least he had a smiley face – mine was every bit as dodgyyes, but how many dollars are you up. Not as many as last year – only $4228. Double Huh.

 

BB Shops and Fort 025

Tonight's lightning is due to be spectacular, judging these clouds. 

 
 
 
 
 
ALL IN ALL A STEADY PATTERN