Retirement Possibility in Guatemala

 

One of the building locations for retirement cottages in Cayo Quemado, Guatemala. 

Our friend Sarah Cannon is building a small retirement community here on a spectacular peninsula in Cayo Quemado, Guatemala. She and her partner Tim built a beautiful home many years ago nearby but after Tim passed, Sarah sold it and has recently moved to her still under development property nearby. It's an enormous project. When they purchased it, it was jungle! She has two teams of workers going at all times, landscaping and building. There are no roads in this area so everything is brought in by boat. Two sets of docks are finished, one for her boat Cannonball and one large one for everyone's launchas and dinghies. One large building is almost finished. On the first floor is a workshop and bathroom. On the second floor, still uncompleted will be the community kitchen and dining room. The top floor will be the residence for the cook and her husband, but until Sarah's cottage is finished, she is living there. 

A second site for a cottage. Each site is landscaped so it is private from the others and has it's own view of the lake. Sarah has had land built up around the peninsula so that there is a nice walk all around the property along the water.

Sarah's house foundation is already outlined and will be built next. She took the site nearest the yoga palapa. Women from around the area meet together during the week for yoga there. She hopes to have 2 or 3 cottages built for other retiring individuals or couples. They will share the cost of upkeep and meals can be communal or individual as needed. Pretty amazing!!!

Jerry, Debarah, Sarah and Scott

Sarah's boat "Cannonball" rests at the new dock
she just had built for it.

The Yoga Palapa

A view inside, hammock ready for a nap afterward.

There is a big professional workshop on the first
floor of the main building, which will eventually
be used by the residents

Looking down from the dining room to the 
launcha/dinghy dock.

Jerry, Scott, Debarah and Sarah are standing in the dining room of the main building. The
first and third floors are finished but not this floor, which will also contain the communal
kitchen and another bathroom. The caretaker/cook's residence is upstairs: Sarah is living there
now. All the cottages will also have their own kitchen, but can eat here as well. 

Trapped in Guatemala

 

Sunrise at Tortugal as we prepare to sail downriver to Cayo Quemado. 

We've known for some time that we were supposed to leave Guatemala by January 20th, but as that time approached we still had boat work ongoing. Our Marina manager, Byron, assured us that we could stay a while longer and just pay a fine on the way out. We only needed another week. We wrote Raul, our agent and explained the situation. We heard back from him on January 8th and he said we'd be OK leaving a week or two afterwards, with a fine. We also heard from others in the river that they were waiting s well. So we didn't leave as originally planned. Well, in hindsight, that was a big mistake. 

Our anchorage at Cayo Quemado, also known as "Texan Bay" due to Mike's Cafe. Mike specializes in southern comfort food.. We had chicken fried steak and chicken fried chicken one night, both served with a huge helping of mashed potatoes and gravy (nice and peppery) with a small salad  It's actually a series of small interconnected bays that merge into mangrove lined canals that feed back into the Lake.  This is all located at the far end of El Golfete, a long narrow lake that connects Lake Izabel via the Rio Dulce to the Golf of Honduras.

But we were blissfully unaware of the problem at our beautiful anchorage. We came the day before to get our insurance rigging survey from Tom, a rigger that lives there. He scrambled all over our boat and pronounced it "amazingly over rigged and sound". The survey went off immediately to our insurance company who finally approved our renewal. SO, all set, we thought and proceeded down to Livingston on a launcha to check out of the country. Raul was plain spoken; "Your boat has overstayed it's allowed time and you will have to either import it into Guatemala or leave without a zarpe." Well, these aren't possible options for us (or any of the other boats in our situation). Importing the boat into Guatemala is a two year process and not only involves a complicated procedure to determine it's value (we've been told the tax is 30%) but you have to hire a lawyer to accomplish it. And leaving without a zarpe means not being able to go into Belize, Mexico or Cuba on the way home, regardless of weather or needed boat repairs! So we applied for special permission to depart admitting our error and explaining that we needed to return to home for health reasons (and we admit it, old age). Now we were told, we just need to wait. That was January 27th and we're still waiting. 

We have a guest, Jenny Wolf, arriving on February 19th. She had planned to meet us in Belize but was flexible enough to change her plans so will come to us in Guatemala. We're going up to Antigua, the old capitol on the 18th and she'll join us there on the 19th Then we all go down to our boat in the Rio Dulce. Hopefully, we'll get permission to leave that week and the three of us will sail to Belize. She'd fly home from there if that works, otherwise, she'll fly home from Guatemala City. Wish us luck!

Rigger Tom scrambled all over our boat, up to 
the very top with little assistance and no fear.

We took a public launcha from Cayo Quemado
down the Rio to Livingston to "check out". Along
the way we picked up and dropped off various local
people

We spent a week at Cayo Quemado visiting with our friends Brenda on My Island Queen and Sarah on . Cannonball. The later has been building a "retirement community" near Cayo Quemado, more on that in another blog post! Jerry and Debarah from Czech & Mate stayed with us until we sailed back up to Tortugal Marina on February 2nd. It's now February 14h and no word yet. We hope to be able to leave on the next high tide starting a week from now. 

Rigger Tom at the top of our mast.

Lunch at Bugga Mama's our first trip down to 
Livingston. This is a training facility for Ak'Tenamit,
 a Rotary sponsored school for local
children.  

Scott and Jerry at the bow of our this time private
launcha trip to Livingston.

It's hard to see the scale here but these cliffs are 300 feet high and lined with mahogany, teak and palms. The river is 6 miles from the end of El Golfete to the Garifuna town of Livingston at the mouth of the river. 

Our second trip we enjoyed a great meal at this
restaurant, Raul's favorite - terrific fresh fish!

Debarah at Casa Rosita's where our launcha docked.
These beautiful painted tables were especially
 commissioned from a local artist. 

Our launcha driver Bob, Debarah and I on the way
back.

Dried fish are a specialty here in Livingston.
When the fish are running they are put our to dry
all over town. 

On the way back from Livingston our driver Bob took us through some of the narrow canals that
wind their way through the mangrove forest. There are no roads anywhere in this region. The locals and expats all travel by boat and many of the homes are built partially on stilts over the water. There is little solid land.

Here's a typical local home on the canal with their small engineless dugout out front. 

Our last night we had dinner here at Sonia's with Jerry & Debarah and Sarah. One table set out on the dock and one menu - chicken pepian, rice and salad - no alcohol, we brought wine with us. 

Back in Guatemala - yet again, but maybe the last time.

 It's a little bitter sweet on this trip as it could be the last time we fly to Guatemala. It's been 8 years now since we arrived in the Rio Dulce and we expect to be leaving this month for our trip home. People ask what are our feelings as we give up this life style that we have enjoyed so long. On our first blog 19 years ago we said that the saying goes that the best two days of your life are when you buy the boat and then when you sell it. That's true for us but only as it pertains to our boating life - there are more important events in our life than that - for example, our kids and grandchildren, and our marriage.

The view out our 8th story hotel window at dawn in Guatemala City

But the last two years have made this decision easier. Many of our cruising friends have already retired and sold their boats. Others will be doing it soon. COVID 19 has changed our comfort level in other countries and our age status has made it more difficult to maintain the boat. It will be a relief to reach the U.S. and more available assistance at sea and on the land. So we have no regrets. (Edith is singing that in my brain). 

Scott and I take a selfie on the plane to Guatemala

Amazingly enough after all the news about canceled flights, both of ours on American were on time. We landed around 9 PM Guatemalan time (10 PM our time) on New Year's Eve. We were in our hotel room at Las Americas at (their time) 10:30 PM. Scott feel asleep immediately but I couldn't. I watched from our 8 story hotel windows while the huge city celebrated. There were close to a hundred firework locations visable and thousands of fireworks. What an amazing sight. 

A huge Mall is only blocks away from our hotel. It had just opened so we had the restaurant to ourselves for lunch. 

The next morning we enjoyed the breakfast buffet. Our 5 star hotel costs $50 a night with breakfast (a discount booking with our Marina, but still, all hotels here are very cheap by U.S. standards. Good omelet station and fruits but cold pastries, no toast.  New Year's Day was "tranquillo". This is a big holiday here and very few people were out on the street and the traffic was the calmest we have ever seen!!! Later we had several walks in the pretty park areas and enjoyed a lunch out at the big Mall. Big family groups gathered for picnics under the trees. People are more COVID smart here than most of the U.S. They wear masks and there are temperature and hand sanitizer stations at most entrances. We wore restrictive surgical masks on the planes and when there were crowded situations, but switch to easier breathing masks when we can distance.

It was a beautiful day with a high of 79 degrees and a low of 59. A large park separates the two directions of the main avenue of Las Americas. Normally this street is REALLY busy and hard to cross but on New Year's Day, almost empty all morning. 

Our driver picked us up the next morning at 7 AM, after the breakfast buffet served at 6 AM here. The drive down to the Rio Dulce is usually around 6 - 7 hours, but can be much longer if there is an accident or other traffic problems. The record for one of our friends was 11 hours. But we had a record 4.5 hour easy trip as it was a Sunday and as our driver said; "Everyone is asleep!"  We were welcomed at our Marina by a number of our cruiser friends and enjoyed a fun evening with everyone. Because of our recent travels, we sat "downwind" at the long table. 

Many families were enjoying the beautiful day at
the park. One section is a small amusement park
with pay and free rides and structures. 

That's our hotel on the left, Las Americas.

We had dinner in the hotel restaurant and had it to
ourselves. We eat very early by Guatemalan standards. Scott had a wonderful Mexican chicken soup and Caesar salad and I had fish with capers and lime. Excellent.

Our welcoming group at Tortugal from left to right: Ellen & Dave, Scott, Alan, Tamara, Shelly, Kent, Marsha and Rick. That's our book swap shelves in the background. Every Marina and most bars, restaurants in the Caribbean have one. Now we have them all over the U.S. Little libraries on the street in cities or in our case in Shrewsbury in front of our library or at Pierce's Store. This is the back section of the restaurant which we've been using as there are a lot of guests at the moment. 

Guatemala to California and Back

 

Scott, Heather, Roy, Dale, Debbie, Jeff, Debarah, Jerry and Ellen (and Garcia bottom center) enjoy our nightly get together for drinks. 

The moon rise over the Rio Dulce from the restaurant.

We got a lot done during our month in Guatemala. Well, mostly Scott got it done and I kept track of the "to do" list. I shop, cook, clean and cheer him on, but the hard labor falls to him. We scheduled the insurance survey a week after we arrived with Captain John. The first part was in the water and then we had her hauled up at RAM boatyard for the second part and some much needed work. The two biggest jobs were replacing the hose and cleaning up the prop that goes between the engine and the propeller. The second was cleaning the fuel tanks. Captain John discovered the first one and we the second when our engine quit a few minutes after we left the dock! Water got into the tanks over the year and a half and grew some nasty organisms. It took two workers two days to polish the fuel and clean the tanks. In order to access those tanks we had to empty all the lockers in the main salon - what a mess. And then Scott had to clean all the fuel hoses and filters. Even then we still had trouble turning on the engine. Happily, Jim came over and they found a loose wire to the ignition - what a satisfying sound that engine makes!  Jim and Renate, our cruising buddies on Emerald Seas, arrived a week before we left. They have decided to sell their boat and only stayed a few weeks to get it ready. We are really going to miss them!!!

Dale, Roy, Debarah, Dave, Tamara, Scott (from Kookie Dance), Alan, Heather & Jerry. This was just one of the several tables for Thanksgiving. There were 29 of us in all. 

The owner of Tortugal , Daphne, brought back a 20 lb turkey and a big ham for our Thanksgiving (and another pair for the staff and hotel guests). Mary, the resident Chef, baked these for us and they were great. All the cruisers signed up for a appetizer, side dish or dessert. Of course we had mashed potatoes & gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, cranberry sauce, but we also had stuffed christophenes (also know as chayote) with shrimp, gingered carrots, curried lentils, grilled eggplant etc. It was a feast for sure with lots of apple pies for dessert. One dish brought back a lot of memories for me. Daphne also made a lime jello salad with pineapple, walnuts and cottage cheese. That was a favorite of my mother's and she often made it for pot lucks. 

We were supposed to fly back to the U.S. on Tuesday 11/30 and had reservations at the Barcelo Hotel in Guatemala City for two nights before the trip to be sure and get our COVID test results. A negative test is necessary to reenter the U.S. But I came down with Montezuma's Revenge on Saturday and had to cancel our driver on Sunday morning. Unfortunately the problem continued and we had to cancel again on Monday and reschedule our flights for Friday December 3rd. Our driver took us up to the city on Thursday early and we were able to get our test and results that afternoon. Our flights all went very well and we were back in Boston with Sean & Will that night and drove home on Saturday. 

But not for long. Scott's ex-wife Nancy, the mother of our daughter Zoë, passed away in November and we flew out for her Memorial Service on 12/9 and a visit with Zoë, our son-in-law George and two grandsons Nick and Tommy. The service was really beautiful and we enjoyed a family dinner afterwards at Zoë's sister Kyrie's home. She rented heaters so that we could eat outside! It was pretty cool in Palo Alto - mid 50's. On Sunday we drove to U.C. Merced to visit Nick, who is a Freshman there. Then back to Boston again on the 14th and home here in Vermont the next day. And here we'll stay for a whole 2 weeks! James, Morgen, Kolya, Sean & Will all arrive next week and spend Christmas with us. We're getting COVID PCR tests on Saturday so we can celebrate safely. We already did the Rapid home tests on Wednesday morning. 

Then on 12/30 if the stars align we'll have dinner at Marty & Russ Wolfs house in Concord, MA with the Silversteins and Bond-D'Arpas, followed by flights to Guatemala City on the 31st, and the long drive down to the Rio Dulce and Scott Free on the 1st. of January. Whew! But right now our best wishes go out to each and every one of you for the merriest but safest Holiday Season and lets hope, a better 2022. 

Daphne, the owner of Tortugal and 
a good friend.

Some of the buffet offerings

An appetizer tray

Scott from Kookie Dance carved the
turkey.

Diane and Heather. We all tried to dress up a 
little!

The next day at Sun Dog Restaurant with our 
friend Rudy, who formerly worked at Tortugal.

Rainbows are frequent on the river. Here's one
that ends at Scott Free!

We had to haul Scott Free for work at the RAM
boatyard. Here she is on the sling.

Scott and I tried to walk everyday on the lovely
roads that lead from the Marina towards 
town. They go through a teak and chocolate
tree farm. 

Tommy, George and our daughter
Zoë in front of their Christmas tree
in Palo Alto, CA

The view from our window at the Las Americas
Hotel in Guatemala City. We're looking over the
airport at several of the volcanos that surround
the city. 

Our grandson Nick with ourselves
at U.C. Merced where he is a 
Freshman this year. 

The chocolate pods were at various stages of
ripeness but these were the only ones we saw
that were two toned!

Back on the Rio After All This Time

Scott finishes up our lunch on the porch of Tortugal Marina

In many ways, it feels like I've never been away. Scott and I are sitting at a table on the deck of the Tortugal Marina having our morning coffee and checking our emails. The sun is coming up over the river through hazy clouds and it's about 70 degrees. We stayed last night at one of the lovely rooms here, a treat we allow ourselves the first night we arrive. Today we'll move into the boat.

Scott Free looking well-taken care of at her berth at Tortugal.

But let's back up a bit and cover our happily generally uneventful trip from Vermont to here. On Wednesday we drove down to Boston, did a few errands, and stayed with our son Sean and his husband Will. Our first flight was at 6 AM so we were up at 3:30 and off to the airport before 4 AM. We flew American and were pleased by the well-organized departure procedures (compared to Spirit!). The flight was on time and totally full. Our days of the cheapest fare are ended: we paid for better seats on every segment. There was just enough time to get to our next flight to Guatemala and again, it was totally full. But we departed just one-half hour late!   It is always stressful waiting for our luggage as there wasn't a lot of time between flights, but our 2 huge checked bags finally arrived. Our baggage this trip consisted of these two, two carry-ons, and 2 personal items. In the past, we often brought 4 huge checked bags and used duffle bags (all at the maximum weight allowed) - no more, Scott can't haul those around anymore. Now, despite there taking up more room onboard, our bags have wheels. 

Jerry and Debarah ahead of us on the launcha as we head to Tortugal from the town of Fronteras on the Rio Dulce.

We landed in Guatemala City at 12 Noon, their time. This is two hours earlier than EST and it's going to take us days to reorient - definitely harder as we've gotten older. We stayed our one night at a new hotel, the Suites Terraza Imperial, at the suggestion of our friend Daphne. If you were staying for many days this would be perfect as it had a well-equipped kitchen but for one night, not necessary. Next time we'll go back to one of our favorites, Las Americanas or La Immaculada. Our cruiser friends from Oklahoma were there already as they had dentist appointments. Many cruisers get their dental and medical work done here. We visited with them briefly before having a very early dinner at 4:30 their time (still felt like 6:30 to us) and collapsing in bed even earlier.

The Tortugal Marina spreads out ahead of us on the river.

Our prearranged driver Otilio came at 6:45 AM to pick all four of us up for the trip to the Rio in a mini-bus. We all wore masks, removing them only briefly to eat or drink. Our driver had his window open and later we cracked ours open as well. We were very impressed with the precautions in Guatemala City for COVID. Almost everyone we saw wore masks, and temperatures were taken of the employees as they arrived at the hotels as well as of customers entering the large stores or malls. We sat in the middle row with Jerry & Debarah (that's the way she spells it) behind us. I'm going into all this because when we arrived at Tortugal our friends learned that their son, who they had been with before coming, had just tested positive for COVID. Of course, they were very worried. They, like ourselves, have had their booster shots, as had their son. After consulting with several people they are getting tested on Sunday and are keeping distant from everyone. We really are not too worried for ourselves as our precautions seemed to highly reduce the chance of being exposed, even if they do test positive. But these are the realities of our life now!

Looking down the dock towards Scott Free - as you can see, a beautiful day!

The trip down took 6 and one-half hours, a little over average time. Happily, the predicted rain never happened and we've enjoyed the sunshine and pleasant temperatures. Now it's all about getting the boat ready for the survey next week, followed by hauling at RAM. This month we want to know what needs to be done, and either fix it or arrange for the repairs. Then we fly home on November 30th for a month with our family celebrating the holidays. When we return the first of January, we'll have two weeks to finish up the work. We need to exit Guatemala oo the high tides mid-month or risk hefty fees. We're not sure whether we'll head to the Bay Islands of Honduras or Belize at that point. We'll decide in January when we know the current situation in both countries. 

All for now...