Back on the Rio Dulce

The View from Deja Vu

Palapa Land...Mario's Marina , Rio Dulce, Guatemala

Deja Vu at Anchor off Cayo Quemada (aka Texan Bay), Rio Dulce, 2010

Changes in Attitudes ~ Deja Vu, Our Stevens 47...To Be Sold

 Big, big news...We've decided to give another fortunate sailor the opportunity to own our wonderful yacht, Deja Vu. At present, she is at Mario's Marina on the Rio Dulce, Guatemala. We haven't officially put her on the market yet but will be there in January, 2012, to prepare her to receive potential buyers eager to have the amazing Caribbean adventures we've had on board  this wonderful sailing ship for the last 10 years.

For inquiries, please contact us via "Comment" on this blog.

It's the Journey ~ not the Destination

Happy New Year to our  fellow cruisers, friends and family. 2011 promises to be a milestone year but one that will not be spent on the good ship Deja Vu. We are currently in Maine, squeezing lots of lemons to make gallons of lemonade to get us through the year. Someone said that growing older is not for sissies and now we're beginning to understand what that means. George will be "tethered" to medical services in Maine this season, with what we strongly believe will be a most successful outcome. So we are certainly willing to sacrifice a cruising season for his long term good health.

Here, for our cruising buddies, we jump into the way back machine and feature some great friends we've made along the way...Enjoy and fair winds! Thanks for the amazing memories. We'll miss you this year. 

Has it really been four months?

I'm so behind the curve and promise to blog something soon.  Plans to return to Deja Vu in early 2011 are up for grabs at the moment. Will keep you posted when we have a clue. Thanks for checking in.

Summer on the Shore

A most extraordinary summer. A real summer with warm, even hot, days...not much fog... and rain enough to keep my garden bright and vibrant. There's something about the light up here...magical and ethereal.

Water, Water Everywhere...

f you really want to get away from it all, the remote Belize cays may be the perfect stress-reducer. No people (except the ones you want to be with), no cars, no phones, no internet. How long do you think you can survive without your iPhone? You might be surprised to discover that disconnecting from your other life is a piece of cake. Just turn off everything because you can't use it anyway. We've observed that every year when we return to the U.S., everyone is on a phone, all the time. What's so important that it can't wait for a week or two? Someone will always know where you are and that person can be your emergency contact. Even if they have to send the Belizean Coast Guard to find you (is there a Belizean Coast Guard?), you will be found.

Some views from your own private cay...

Postcards from Livingston

A retrospective look at Livingston, Guatemala… a few "postcards" of this not-so-sleepy town at the mouth of the Rio Dulce where it meets the Caribbean. This is where we clear customs before and after crossing the infamous sandbar we’ve come to respect. A unique blend of cultures and races co-exist in colorful harmony…Garifuna, Q’eqchi Maya, and Mestizo. It’s the closest thing you’ll find in Guatemala that actually feels Caribbean with reggae and punta rock blaring from local shops. Vibrant and eclectic, it’s a great place to spend a couple of hours while waiting for yacht agent, Raul Veliz, to process our documentation paperwork before heading north to Belize.

Isolated by jungle wilderness but only ten miles to the Belizean border, as the crow flies, access to Livingston is by water only. Fishing, shrimping, local goods and services and seasonal tourism are the major sources of income. On our most recent visit during Semana Santa (Easter week), the local tiendas were overflowing with hamacas, woven bags and conch shells, Bob Marley backpacks and beach towels with images of scarlet macaws. Produce vendors sold bagged wedges of fresh watermelon and pineapple. Baskets of limes, bananas and ripe melons sat under the shade of plastic tarps.

This year our crossing has a happy ending. After two unsuccessful tries that had nothing to do with the bar itself, rather mechanical problems on board, we eased across early one morning on April Fool’s Day…but no jokes on us…for a change.

The best guide books for this area are Lonely Planet and Moon Handbooks’ Guatemala

Dance of the Deer --- Lagunita Salvador, Guatemala

We were privileged to attend the annual Dance of the Deer which depicts the relationship of the Spanish conquistadores to the indigenous Maya culture. There is no love lost there. The photos speak volumes. Villagers dress as forest animals...deer, monkeys, jaguars....and conquerors. The costumes were fabulous concoctions of beads, sequins, applique, feathers and fringe. A very technicolor day.

Water World...A Simple Life at Cayo Quemado, Guatemala

Living in slow motion – the low hum of a simple place...

Soft breeze ripples the freshwater lagoon. Sound of nets being cast, wooden paddles slap the surface. From my floating perch the world feels fresh and uncomplicated. From the first rooster crowing before sunrise to the last cayuco headed to its mangrove shore at sunset, this is a busy yet peaceful, watery world. Everything that happens here, happens because of the water. No roads, no cars. A few simple palm-frond palapas grace the edges of the lagoon. Countless variations on the color green.

Bird heaven. The melodic, solitary call of the manakin bird beneath the forest canopy pierces the silence. Flock upon flock of young white egrets fly in waves looking for their next home. Low flying, sodden cormorants are en route to new nests with long strands of pond grass trailing from their beaks. Long legged jacandas step nimbly from leaf to leaf on mammoth waterlily pads. Mangrove swallows perch on Déjà Vu’s solar panel in hopes of a nest at the end of our boom. Unless they want to go to Belize, they’d best look elsewhere.

The young fisherman casts a net from his cayuco, hoping for dinner.

The occasional turista launcha cruises through from El Golfete while white-skinned travelers marvel at the humble beauty of this exotic time warp on the Rio Dulce.