Random Thoughts

It taste like chicken

Fishing on the river from Livingston

How do we get this on the river

End of a nice day

Love & kisses

Steve

Market Day

Got to Chichicastenango the night before market day. The vendors carry the poles in for there stalls the night before. There is a market twice a week which is setup and then taken down at the end of the market. Trip is starting to wind down so time to shop.

There is a mixture of old and new religion with a alter outside of town on a hill and the steps of the churches used as pyramid with an alter. Names are change to protect themselves as in the story of old and new Jesus. New Jesus pissed off old Jesus so he bumped off new Jesus. Mom "Virgin Mary" banishes old Jesus to a mountain top, which he escapes to become the sun. Virgin Mary becomes the moon. The cross is a old Mayan symbol for the four points (Sun, Moon, Earth and People). So seeing crosses at sacred sights I am not sure whether it is the old or the new religion being recognized. When the Mayans sacrifice chickens at an ancient alter stone on a hilltop is it old testament or remembering the good old Mayan days.

A Week of Beds

La Ceiba at the Banana Republic Guesthouse the owner ran the TV just outside the dorm window at a level the neighborhood could enjoy till 1 am.  The window did not close. Around then I need to change beds as water was dripping from the ceiling.   At 5 am the owners started a long and loud discussion by the window. I got a early start to the day.

In Livingston the dorm became my own room as they had me put my lock  on the door.  It was a quite night.

After a long day I ended up in Guatemala city late at night and got a room three blocks from the bus station.  The taxi goes 15 blocks before dropping me off on the second pass by the hotel.  Have a private room and the trucks route outside is clearly heard.  The window is closed but that does not reduce the volume.  It was a long day so I sleep through the truck parade.

At Antigua the girl in the bunk above me had to much tequila before 9:30 in the evening.  Her friends were helping by giving her the trash can from the bathroom (remember how toilets are used in Central America).  After closing up my backpack and putting my other stuff out of potential dripage areas, it was time time for sleep.  She was forgiven as none of my stuff was a target and she was part of the cut "hola" girls from Chile.  Every time I passed them each one of them would say hola. 

In Chichicastenango the room had a great view of the cemetery.  I found the dead sleep in peace.  Note the green hotel I am staying in is the same color as my old truck.

Staying in Xela some of the other bunks became double occupancy.  No lass for me.  I guess I should have gone to the disco tech instead of the hostel pub.

What will tonight bring?  I should work on my salsa dancing for Gladys??¿ The dozen hola girls are in front of the hostel pub singing along to the blaring Queen songs.

Love & kisses
Steve

Roatan

Gladys made it to Roatan.  Six days at a nice resort taking the dive boat twice a day.  Plus shore diving.  She even got talked into a night dive.  Then we moved to the shack for the next three days.  The fan kept most of the sand flys away. 

Glovers Reef Atoll

Off to Grover´s Atoll Reef. This is a 9 acre island on the edge of a reef. This reef surrounds a lagoon that is 12 mile by 7 mile ad has 700 coral reefs inside its protection. Great snorkeling in the protection of the lagoon. The plan is to get to their hostel tonight to catch the weekly boat in the morning. Rent a sea kayak for the week and snorkel until exhausted. Just need to get to Dangriga and pickup food, then get to Sittee River 8 miles from the main road south.

Bus to Belmopan was no problem. In the terminal one of the nice venders told the tourist (me) and the others there that we must not be nice, but push to the front of the line to get a seat on the bus. Was not aggressive enough when the gate opened to get a seat. Everyone on the bus must be seated when the bus leaves the terminal. No standing is allowed until they start picking people up along the road that includes outside the terminal. They decide to run a second bus and I get a seat on it as I motivated. I am doing good on time and ask a taxi driver it Marie Sharp´´s salsa factory was open and he said yes. Took a cab ride to to the factory as Marie does give tours as the guide notes. The factory is not open and Marie is not there. The taxi driver offers a deal to good to be true ( it was not true). I do get to Sittee River but pay to much.

I have made no reservations and when the owner arrive from there weekly shopping I am in luck as there is space on the boat and the island.

There are iguana in the trees of the river leading to the ocean. I should have know that something was up when the trip out was three hours and the weather was getting rough. The island cabanas over the water and on shore, there is also a dorm and camping for the real cheep. The weather was not great so I went for a dorm. This was upgraded as soon as I got there as some of the employees were staying in the dorm. The place on the beach had cooking setup below the Cabana for the cheap people like me. The island offered:

No phones, no lights, no motor cars

Not a single luxury

Like Robinson Ca-rusoe

It's primitive as can be

Yes and no bar so I brought my own as did everyone else. Weather turn to the bad for most of the week. I even need to were a jacket during the day (the horror). The high winds kept the kayaking down and the cabana shaking until the last day, when the sun came out. When I started the four book reading I was looking for signs of civilization.

Had a good time just wish the weather was a bit better.

Love and Kisses

Steve