More Ramblings about Central America
Songline, Barillas Marina, Bahia de Jiquilisco, El Salvador. 7 November 2005
Dear Friends
When we last wrote from Costa Rica at the end of May, we had just decided that, rather than continue our voyage south this year to Panama and Ecuador, we would turn round and come north again. We had seen nothing of Nicaragua or Honduras, and we knew that there was much more to see in El Salvador and Guatemala before we left this part of the world. We were still enjoying Costa Rica but wanted to leave before the rainy season became too uncomfortable. As it turned out, our three months permit for Songline to stay in Costa Rica was up well before the rains really got going (if they ever did!) and it was with some reluctance that we left at the end of June, still enjoying mainly sunny days and starry nights, though with the occasional huge thunderstorm or overcast day to remind us that this truly was the rainy season.
We were planning a trip to England in mid-September, which gave us two and a half months to explore what we could of the area before leaving the boat safely and securely moored at Barillas Marina, not far from Usulutan in El Salvador. Our intention had been to fly from San Salvador to Miami to catch a British Airways flight to London from there. However, getting hold of American Airlines tickets to Miami (even using John’s BA travel concessions) proved to be a lot more complicated and more expensive than expected, so we abandoned that plan, got out the Lonely Planet guides and worked out that travelling the 1000 miles or so to Mexico City overland would cost us much less and would provide at least a couple of weeks’ worth of adventures visiting more places that we had never seen - with a BA flight hopefully waiting for us at the end.
So our summer gradually began to take shape, with three months in Costa Rica, then two in Nicaragua and Honduras, followed by a week in El Salvador and nearly two weeks travelling overland through Guatemala and Mexico to catch our flight from Mexico City to London on 14 September.
It was not a great summer for sailing - good sailing winds were the exception, so we found ourselves continuing to be very reliant on Songline’s trusty Yanmar engine to get us from place to place. The distances involved were not large and we were able to complete most journeys during daylight hours, with only one overnight passage up the coast of Nicaragua.
We spent most of the month of June in the Gulf of Nicoya not far from Puntarenas, partly in the peaceful, flat anchorages on the western side of the Gulf and partly at the Costa Rica Yacht Club in Puntarenas itself. We particularly enjoyed a week anchored at Playa Naranjo, a lovely bay with a small and friendly resort hotel (almost empty, as it was out of season) whose swimming pool and showers we could use for a nominal fee and where we were able to get on with a few boat maintenance projects while waiting for some spare parts to arrive from the USA. The wildlife was as abundant as anywhere we had been in Costa Rica, with monkeys in the trees and many varieties of birds, butterflies, lizards, insects and so on. We were, however, more than a little surprised to find an unexpected stowaway on board on our return trip from Playa Naranjo to Puntarenas! Barbara was tidying up one of the lines in the cockpit after we had dropped the mainsail when, mixed up with the line, there emerged a snake - quite a small snake (about two feet long), but a snake nevertheless! Luckily it didn't move nearly as quickly as she did (backwards!), and it was not hard to trap it under a bucket, where it remained, with one of our hands firmly on top of the bucket until we were able to anchor and give the newcomer our full attention. The bucket turned out not to have been a very good idea, as it was then very hard to tell what the snake might be planning to do next. However, taking our courage and a transparent plastic box in both hands, we carefully lifted the bucket and were happy to find an almost-inert snake quietly waiting to be captured in the new container. Once safely inside the box, we were able to examine it a bit more closely, and concluded that it wasn't after all a deadly fer-de-lance, but more likely a young boa constrictor, which made us feel much better disposed towards it. Our snake identification skills were later confirmed by one of the staff at the Yacht Club, so it became Boris the baby Boa. It's a pity we couldn't ask Boris how he got on board - we'd love to know! Anyway, we found some foliage to go into the box, and Boris curled up very contentedly and spent the night with us before being released in the mangroves up the river the next day.
We had not planned to do any land travelling in Costa Rica, having already seen a fair amount of the country when were there three years ago. However, we had begun to notice a drop in Songline’s battery capacity and were concerned that four of our batteries might be reaching the end of their life. This particular type of battery is not available in many places outside the USA, and a phone call to the manufacturers confirmed that the only source of AGM batteries in Central America was in Panama City, over 600 miles away. However, it turned out that this battery distributor had a shop in David, just over the border from Costa Rica, and he was happy to arrange for 4 batteries to be there for us to collect. We were on the bus to San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital, at 0400 the following Friday and then on the 0730 bus to David which arrived that evening just before the shops closed. The batteries were bought, we spent the night in David and by 0830 next morning were on our way back to San Jose and Puntarenas. A total of 23 hours on (very comfortable) buses, covering around 650 miles, plus the night in David, cost us the princely sum of $55, and within five days of diagnosing the problem, we had our brand new battery bank installed and working. Not bad for Central America!! The bonus for us was the journey itself - a wonderfully scenic route along Costa Rica’s central spine, taking us over jungle-clad mountains and winding along passes as high as 11000 feet in places.
Nicaragua, our next destination, lived up to all our expectations, though our first night at anchor in the small harbour of San Juan del Sur (a few miles up the coast from the Costa Rican border) did not appear to augur well. A large Pacific swell was coming straight into the harbour which, with a massive thunderstorm reverberating around us for several hours, created one of the most uncomfortable nights we have ever spent. We were tempted to leave the next morning, but were glad we didn’t as the swell had all but disappeared by midday, giving us two calm and comfy nights and an opportunity to explore the town. Further up the coast, about twenty miles north of Corinto is the new and superbly-equipped marina of Puesta del Sol, where we spent five days enjoying the two swimming pools, the long ocean beach and the unbroken good weather, with Songline safely tied to the first dock we had been alongside since leaving Mexico. We also made a couple of trips to the town of Chinandega, one of which included a visit to the nearby Flor de Cana rum distillery - a family-run business which has survived the turmoil of Nicaragua’s troubled past and still produces some of the best-tasting rum there is.
Next came Honduras, which on its Pacific side shares the Gulf of Fonseca with Nicaragua and El Salvador. A deep shipping channel winds its way for nearly twenty miles through the mangrove-lined estuary to the port of Henecan and the small town of San Lorenzo. We were able to anchor just off the town, one of only three or four visiting boats to do so each year (one other boat shared the anchorage with us during the six weeks we were there). San Lorenzo turned out to be one of the most pleasant surprises of our journey so far - friendly and welcoming people, a very secure anchorage and a good jumping-off point for other parts of Honduras and the adjacent Central American countries, being situated as it is on the Pan American Highway. The mainstay of San Lorenzo’s economy is a large prawn-packing plant. The prawns are farmed further south in the Gulf of Fonseca and brought to the town where they are prepared and packed for many different customers around the world, including Marks & Spencer and Waitrose in the UK. The Empacadora itself is a model of strict hygiene and even casual visitors such as ourselves had to leave all rings, watches and jewellery behind and dress up in hospital coats, hats and rubber boots before being allowed to enter - via a disinfectant bath for the boots and a couple of hand washes in case we touched anything. Our anchorage was opposite the Empacadora, whose security guards gave us the comfort of daytime surveillance of the boat. After a few days, we concluded that this would be an ideal place to leave Songline while we did some further travelling in Nicaragua. Our principal worry was night-time security for the boat, but this was quickly resolved in the shape of Rafael, who works for the Empacadora, or his father, who for a small fee were happy to act as night watchman on board while we were away.
Our two-week trip back to Nicaragua in July/August involved a variety of buses - some very plush and well-sprung, but some excruciatingly slow and uncomfortable. Our first destination was Leon, a delightful town (and former capital) to the northwest of the present capital, Managua. Originally founded in the early 17th Century, it has many fine colonial buildings and churches and old Spanish-style houses which offer tantalising glimpses of the courtyards and gardens which hide behind their rather austere exteriors. After a couple of days in Leon, we moved on to Ometepe, the large island on the western side of Lake Nicaragua. Ometepe is in fact two volcanoes joined by an isthmus. The smaller of the two, Volcan Maderas has long been dormant, but its neighbour, Concepcion, had been making local headlines a couple of days before we arrived, by rumbling loudly and spewing large clouds of ash into the air. We should have been warned about volcano-climbing by our excursion a couple of weeks earlier up El Tigre, a small Honduran volcano not far from San Lorenzo. A relatively easy walk up a very steep, rough track to the 2570 ft summit, the round trip took us about three hours but left us both totally exhausted and wondering whether our knees would ever recover. Nicaragua’s Volcan Maderas, at nearly 4600 ft, represented a much sterner proposition - and we had barely been up to the challenge of El Tigre! The day did not start well, with the minibus arriving more than an hour late to take us to the foot of the mountain. Worse still, the promised breakfast en route failed to materialise (fortunately we had taken a packed lunch, which saved us from total starvation). Because of our late start, our guide was keen to get us moving as quickly as we were able, to ensure that we got back before nightfall! After the first hour, one of our two companions (Julie, a lawyer from Florida) was forced to give up, with knees already showing signs of rebellion! We decided to carry on, with 20-year old Spanish Miriam skipping up the ever-steepening path ahead of us. By now we had entered the cloud-forest which extends to the top of the volcano. Although it was not actually raining, the ground underfoot was sodden and the trail became muddier and more slippery the further we climbed. We wondered whether we should have gone back with Julie. However, now armed with two sticks each, found beside the trail, we found that the going became a little easier and we pressed on. Finally we made it to the rim of the crater, and lowered ourselves with the help of a series of ropes to the crater floor. Other groups, whose transport had not been delayed at the start of the day, and who had had the luxury of a proper breakfast, were getting ready to leave, having had a leisurely lunch and (some of them) the optional dip in the crater lake. Not to be outdone, we had our swim in the chilly, muddy water, with the mist swirling around, and then, fortified by what was left of lunch, set off on the return journey. We had forgotten how much worse it is trying to walk down a steep, muddy path than up it - and even the sure-footed Miriam spent nearly as much time as we did tobogganing down on her backside. With blisters and aching knees and covered in mud, we eventually made it back to the minibus, already telling ourselves what a good day out it had been - even if we hadn’t enjoyed every minute of it!
Granada, on the north-west shore of Lake Nicaragua, provided a relaxing contrast to the rigours of Volcan Maderas. An even finer example than Leon of Spanish colonial splendour, Granada, with its colourful houses and beautifully-restored churches was the ideal place to wander, with many good and inexpensive restaurants to choose from. It would have been easy to stay for longer, but with John’s nephew and niece due to join us on the boat in a few days’ time, we needed to get back. If we ever have another bus accident, we hope that it will be like the one we were involved in soon after leaving Granada! The bus, about half full of passengers, was moving slowly along an area of new road building when it strayed a little too close to the soft edge - and very gently and elegantly slid over onto its side down the small embankment, coming to rest in the foliage below. Apart from one grazed leg and the driver’s wounded pride (and maybe his job!), there were no injuries, and there appeared to be little damage to the bus. We were lucky it hadn’t been far worse.
Rennie and Victoria’s visit on 11 August gave us an opportunity to spend a few days enjoying the anchorages in some of the islands of the Gulf of Fonseca - and to watch at (very!) close quarters some of the evening thunderstorms which, during their stay, became an almost daily event. We even had some very pleasant sailing, with just the right amount of wind coming from just the right direction. We also took them up into the highlands of Honduras, to La Tigra National Park, north-east of Tegucigalpa where we stayed in a 2-bedroom cabin perched high up in the mountains with the most spectacular views of the valley below and wonderful walks in the surrounding cloud forest. The only way we could get our small, heavily laden rental Daihatsu up the hill was for all the passengers to get out and push!
By the end of August, our journey to England was fast approaching, so we said farewell to San Lorenzo and brought Songline back to El Salvador. Barillas Marina in the Bahia de Jiquilisco provides a very safe haven, with mooring balls to tie the boat to and vigilant security both day and night, and we left her here on 3 September. By mid-morning we were on the bus to San Salvador, and a few hours later, after a change of bus, arrived in Guatemala City. The best part of Guatemala City is the bus to somewhere else - of all the Central American capitals, Guatemala City has the well-justified reputation of being the most dangerous - so it was with some relief that we completed the transfer from one bus station to the next and climbed onto the bus for Coban, a few hours to the north. Coban is in the central highlands of Guatemala, a beautiful and rugged area, nowadays accessed by an excellent, paved road. However, our destination was not Coban itself, but Lanquin, a small village about three hours further on by minibus, much of the way over bumpy dirt road. Lanquin and Semuc Champey are home to one of the world’s most extensive underground cave systems and we joined up with a group of four others and a guide for a most unusual morning. With our route lit only by a candle each, we waded through an underground tunnel into the first of the caves, decorated with wonderful stalagmite and stalactite formations. When the water got too deep we swam for the next cave, climbed through a series of smaller caves and tunnels, finishing at a point where the subterranean river cascaded down into the underworld beneath us. Once above ground again, we were able to spend the afternoon enjoying Semuc Champey’s other natural wonder - a limestone bridge more than 1000 ft long, underneath which flows most of the Rio Cahabon, but on top of which is a stepped series of turquoise pools created by the part of the river which flows above ground, over the bridge. Wonderful cool water for swimming! We had long wanted to visit Tikal in the north of Guatemala, famous for its Mayan ruins, dating back to the period between 700 BC and 900 AD, and this trip gave us the chance to do so at last. The most prominent feature of the ruins is the steep-sided temples, some of which have been completely taken over by jungle. Others have been cleared and many have been restored to their former condition, but the whole area is still deep in the jungle, as it was when it was rediscovered in the 19th Century. We spent two magical days exploring the area and wondering, as our knees started to feel pain akin to volcano-climbing, how the Mayans (short people, by all accounts) ever managed to get up and down all those steep, high steps! By splurging on our accommodation ($50 per night for the two of us - including breakfast and dinner!!) we were able to stay at the Tikal Inn, close to the ruins and take advantage of the early mornings when the wildlife was at its most abundant and tourist life at its least. After Tikal we had an exciting crossing of the river which separates Guatemala from Mexico. Fed by recent heavy rain, the river swirled with fast-flowing eddies and even appeared to have the driver of our somewhat overloaded panga (small open boat) worried about its stability. However, we reached the opposite shore without incident, and continued by road to Mexico’s answer to Tikal. Palenque is another group of Mayan ruins in a jungle setting - in some cases even more magnificent than the ruins at Tikal. However, Mexico attracts far greater numbers of tourists than Guatemala, and we were not able to enjoy the same peace and tranquillity that we had experienced at Tikal.
Long-distance buses in Mexico are, in our experience, superb - comfortable, fast and usually on time - and we were whisked to our next destination, San Cristobal de las Casas in less than five hours. One of Mexico’s most attractive Spanish colonial towns, San Cristobal is set high in the mountains at 6500 ft - another delightful place to wander the cobbled streets. Tuxtla Gutierrez was another bus ride away. From nearby Chiapas we took a day trip by boat through an impressive steep-sided gorge, with walls rising straight up to over 3000ft in one part, while elsewhere our panga driver wove amongst the crocodiles which slid wickedly into the water from the muddy banks.
To break the journey between Tuxtla and Mexico City, we made a brief stop in Oaxaca, which we had first visited with friends on our way south last February. Then it was on to Mexico City, straight to the airport and a few hours later, into two of the last remaining seats on the BA flight to London.
Six weeks in England, Spain and Scotland flew past in a blur of visiting relatives and friends and before we knew it we were packed for the journey back to El Salvador. We had planned to return via Miami, but Hurricane Wilma put paid to that, causing cancellation of BA flights to Florida for at least two days in a row. Instead we came back via Los Angeles, which proved to be an excellent alternative - apart from the fact that our bags had evidently got it in mind that Miami was on the itinerary, and it was not until three days later that we were reunited with them after their unscheduled diversion to Florida!! We heaved a sigh of relief when we unpacked and found that nothing was missing. The unfortunate thing is that we had ordered a number of bits and pieces to be delivered to a friend in Miami for us to pick up on our way through. He, of course, is still waiting for us to collect and, this time already armed with American Airlines tickets, we hope to make the trip sometime in the next week or so.
Since we got back to Songline on 27 October we have had the boat hauled out of the water so that we could repaint the bottom with antifoul paint (a job which needs doing every two years or so, to prevent too many nasty things like barnacles and weed from growing). All went well with the haul-out at the fishing boat dock next door to the marina - we were put onto a cradle on a large metal framework and then hauled up a short railway line until clear of the water. However, we were very shocked to find a large number of small blisters in the existing paintwork, which is a sign of the number one enemy of fibreglass - osmosis. Island Packet yachts have a very good record in the osmosis department - so much so that they provide a ten-year warranty against it happening (though this is a declining warranty, so that only 20 percent of the actual repair cost is now covered on our eight-year old boat). So it’s all the more disappointing for us to find this problem in such a relatively new boat. We are now pondering the alternatives - to continue to Ecuador as we had planned, where we know of one boatyard which is competent to do the necessary work; to return to Mexico where there are several yards to choose from; or to investigate the possibilities of having the work done somewhere in this area. Meanwhile, we have put on one coat of antifoul and relaunched the boat, ready to head south or north some time in the next couple of weeks. We hope to be able to let you know before Christmas which way we have decided to go!
With so much recent activity, we have had no time to update our website. In fact we know that a number of you have tried to look at it and found that Yahoo (geocities) turned you off after a short time, and we are in the process of setting up a new website which will not have the present capacity limitations. We’ll let you know how we get on with that too. Meanwhile we are sending a few photos in a separate e-mail and hope that we have made them small enough to keep the download time to a minimum.
We hope that you are enjoying life and we very much look forward to hearing what you are up to.
With love
Barbara and John
PS Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends from the USA.