Since I took the opportunity to reflect upon our journey as a family after 100 and 200 days afloat I guess it seems reasonable to write a 300 days afloat article. We certainly have experienced much in the last 300 days and as I write this article I find myself struggling with two opposing emotions I believe common to most cruisers, or to anyone who chooses to live a life of exploration and discovery.
This morning we made one last round in the marina saying goodbye to so many who have become family to us over the last two and a half months.We said goodbye to Vince, Basil, and Maggie, the three boat dogs that came to visit daily and always brought a smile to our faces. They were charming additions to the marina and we will miss them and their owners.
I am the first to admit that I do not do goodbyes well, and frankly I do not like them, so I generally choose to say, "See you soon" or "take care and we will catch you on the water in Belize". The truth is we will undoubtedly see some of our new friends again and others we will not likely see again. I am reminded of the statement made by Jodi Picoult inher book Keeping Faith, "The truth doesn't always set you free; people prefer to believe prettier, neatly wrapped lies."
The reality is we said goodbye to a number of people today who we will not see again soon, if ever. Many are sailing south and we are sailing north. Still others like our friends Frankie and Roger on s/v Infinity who we planned on sailing with all the way from Panama to Florida have encounter boat and health challenges that have held them in Panama and we doubt our sailing paths will ever cross again. It is tempting and certainly more comfortable for me to construct a prettier neatly wrapped lie that denies this reality and yet I recognize it is not the truth. The leavening ingredient that makes all these goodbyes palatable is that those we left behind this morning gave us much, having invested themselves in relationship with us, and we are better because of it.
Amy and Marshall have matured so much during our time in Guatemala. A number of people commented on how nice it was to see Marshall come out of his shell, and Amy is quickly changing from a little girl into a lovely lady. We owe much of this maturation process to the individuals who took the time to befriend and get to know us and our kids. There were many days that our kids spent more time with other people in the marina than with us on our boat. I was proud of Marshall at the Halloween party for wearing a costume that most 10 year old boys would not. He liked it and wore it proudly and even won a prize for funniest costume. Amy also dressed up and won the award for most original costume in the adult category and danced the night away with all of us.
The contrary emotion I am facing is one of excitement. As we lifted the anchor and began to slowly motor away from the marina I felt like dancing on the foredeck. We were no longer tied to a dock. I could feel the water moving under Mima and the breeze blowing through my hair. It felt like I was taking that first motorcycle ride in the spring. It was as if I had been confined and bounded with no horizon and now I had been set free. Amy, with her highly social personality, liked the marina and easy access to so many people and activities but Sue and I are not marina folks. The confines of the marina and lack of privacy and independence do not appeal to us and as we motored down the Rio Dulce we began to feel free again. We dropped the anchor in Texan Bay, where we will spend the night before checking out of Guatemala and heading to sea tomorrow and begin to rediscover why it was that we went cruising in the first place.
Today we said goodbye in order that tomorrow we might say hello to new people and places. The very nature of the cruising lifestyle requires that one become proficient at saying hello and goodbye. We all admit that we like the hellos better than the goodbyes but we are also realizing that the reason the goodbyes are difficult is because we have been blessed to make so many good friends. As we journey on together as a family we remain committed to investing in our relationships with each other and those with whom we have the pleasure to come in contact with.
We wish you many happy hellos and sad goodbyes, the 4Wheelers
Some of my fondest memories as a child revolve around time spent with my grandparents.Holidays were always extra special if they were with us, and in fact it seems that having them visit seemed to turn ordinary days into extraordinary days.For the first two weeks in October we were blessed to have our second set of grandparents (Amy and Marshall's that is) come and spend time with us since we left Idaho.I should tell you that sailing is not on my mom's list of priorities and since we are still waiting out hurricane season we decided to travel inland and see some of Guatemala together.
My parents have traveled extensively, and along with sailing, traveling to third world destinations also fell off the priority list many years ago. But as parents and grandparents have been doing for centuries they set their personal preferences aside and loaded up and headed out to see the kids and grand kids. It was quite the adventure and between a volcano melting our shoes, riding on horses and in tuk tuks, visiting some amazing ruins, learning more about Guatemalan culture, history and their only "Saint" we experienced a little of everything this country has to offer.
Our trip began and ended in Guatemala City with a week spent in between in Antigua. I am sure there are varying opinions on this, but to us Antigua is really the crown jewel of Guatemala.Built by the Spanish, this traditional city, complete with cobblestone streets, takes one back in time and feels much more like historical Europe than Central America. That is of course if you can ignore the beautifully dressed Guatemalan ladies. I continue to marvel at the color and complexity of the tapestries still worn by so many of them. They provided a kaleidoscope of color set against the rich architectural past of this quaint town.
As the original capital of Guatemala, Antigua has a footprint smaller than downtown Boise yet there are over 50 ruins, mostly churches, within its city limits. Many of the ruins have been or currently are under renovation and a guided walking tour of the city gave us a better appreciation not only for the architecture and design of the city but also the challenges faced by Antiguan residents over the centuries. At its' peak, Antigua was a thriving city, yet after the capital was moved to Guatemala City the city slowly declined for two centuries. It has been in more recent years that the city has seen resurgence in economic viability, mostly due to tourism, and this new energy is providing the emphasis to preserve this historical landmark.
Guatemala is one of the few countries in the world that mines Jade. In fact a few rare types of Jade are found only in Guatemala and Burma. Antigua has emerged as the Jade manufacturing capital of Guatemala. With numerous jade factories the variety of jewelry and decorative pieces made from Jade was astounding. The Mayans knew of and used jade, and many of the jade masks recovered by archeologists are reproduced by modern craftsmen and are a wonderful reminder and glimpse into the past. The color and variety of jade from black to translucent with green, blue and lilac in between are a jade artists dream come true. No trip to Antigua is complete without a jade factory tour. It was a treat to be able to buy Amy a beautiful ring of lilac jade for her 13th birthday while we were there.
The other thing I had to do in Guatemala was climb a volcano, and when I learned you can roast marshmallows over flowing lava at a volcano near Antigua I signed up for the trip. Originally my plan was just for my immediate family to climb the volcano. I figured my mom and dad would hang out at the hotel while we ventured up the volcano. As it turned out they decided to go with us and we all made it to the top. My mom and dad rode horses as far as possible and walked the remainder, and the rest of us got our daily workout, hiking to just over 12,000 feet. We spent 20 minutes at the top warming ourselves over steam vents and roasting marshmallows over open lava. Seeing firsthand the awesome creative power and energy contained within a volcano is not an experience we will soon forget and served as a great lesson in geology. One word of advice if you decide to climb an active volcano; keep your feet moving or the ground will melt your shoes.
To say the volcano climb was more than my parents bargained for is a gross understatement, but to their credit they did not give up and I have to say that I was really proud of them. Numerous people on the climb told me how cool it was my mom and dad did this with their grand kids. As I walked down the volcano behind my mother on the horse, holding onto the saddle for dear life I thought to myself, "this is what love looks like." Setting aside our own personal desires to make room for the dreams and desires of those you love. My parents are "really cool" and I am grateful for the example they continue to set for me and my family.
We made it back to the hotel with our melted shoes and after a late lunch we spent the rest of the day doing absolutely nothing. What a great experience and memory we will all not soon forget.
For the last 10 months most of what we have experienced cruising has really been fun and exciting. The events I relate below happened just over two months ago and I have been slow to write about them as I have tried to process through my own thoughts and emotions. As we prepare to leave the Rio Dulce It seems like the right time to relate this information. I initially submitted a revised version of this article to the Idaho Statesman back in September but this more candid and detailed account has been subsequently published by Sailing World. If you read the original article read down to learn more about significant security risks on the Rio Dulce.
We were all saddened by the tragic death of a fellow cruiser, Daniel Dryden, at the hands of bandits on the Rio Dulce on August 9, 2008.Our deepest condolences and prayers remain with Nancy as she recovers from her injuries, and the family and friends of the Dryden's as they put the pieces of their lives back together without Dan. What is not as well known is that the unrest on the Rio was not isolated to this single event.
For s/v Dream Odyssey, s/v Ctoy, and s/v Mima, August 11 began and ended with a range of emotions uncommon to this sailor and author.We had all arisen at 2:30 a.m. to weigh anchor and head the 25 miles to the mouth of the Rio Dulce to take advantage of an early morning high tide to get across the bar at sunrise and into Livingston, Guatemala. Our careful and thoughtful planning was rewarded by a smooth and "bottomless" crossing.The bar at the mouth of the Rio Dulce has a mean low water depth of 5 feet 6 inches.Of the three boats I draw the most at nearly 6 feet 6 inches. As such we had planned our crossing to correspond with high tide and we never saw less than 7 feet 2 inches.None of the boats touched bottom and by 6:30 a.m. we were safely across the bar and anchored, waiting for the local officials to check us in and purchasing shrimp from the local fishermen.
We were all checked in and cleared by lunch time.We had a quick meal in Livingston and weighed anchor to head up river. I was ecstatic to finally be in the famed Rio Dulce. The first turn in the river ushered us into the jungle, and the river was as beautiful as I had imagined with 200 foot cliffs on one side and lush jungle on the other. We had been advised of the Dryden murder upon our arrival in Livingston by our immigration agent, he also reminded us to not anchor in the middle of the river so as to keep out of the way of boat traffic, and to anchor near a town and close together if we did anchor. In his words the Dryden murder was an isolated case and the river otherwise was a safe place given the advice mentioned above. As such, we chose to anchor at the mouth of the Rio Tatin.The cruising guides suggest this anchorage and talks about the Mayan community here and the volunteer opportunities available in the local school and clinic. We wanted to check it out and arrange to do some volunteer work with our kids during the summer, and maybe visit the spring fed pools at the head of the river.
We were able to meet the local school teacher and his family and visit the spring fed pools.It was a lovely afternoon but as the sun set we all began to feel our 2:30 a.m. wake up call.All three boats did dinner early and retired.Dinghy's were lifted and locked as usual; extra lights were left on for security and visibility. After a wonderful shrimp dinner I was in bed and asleep by 8:30 p.m., thrilled to be in the Rio Dulce and excited about what the next day would bring.
At 9:30 p.m. after having been asleep for only an hour all hell broke loose. We were awoken by Greg yelling from s/v CToy that Dream Odyssey had been boarded and robbed.Greg and I secured our boats and crews and I dropped our dingy and picked up Greg and Barbara and went immediately to Dream Odyssey. What we learned from Roy and Michelle and saw onboard Dream Odyssey impacted us all deeply.Here is the account that Michelle gives.
"At around 8:30 p.m., while eating dinner, watching a movie and running the generator, at least 5 men with machetes & a gun, boarded our boat and actually came right into the salon and stood behind me before we even knew they were there!!!! We did not resist.
Before it was all over, they tied us up, gagged us, threatened Roy with a knife for the dinghy keys, took our money/credit cards, two laptops (with all of our charts, navigational guides & travel logs for the past 4 years, plus all of our photographs!!!), printer, watches, cameras, camcorder, DVD player, LCD-TV, phones, various chargers, radio/cassette player, our safe, etc., etc. They tried very hard to steal the dinghy & motor but were unsuccessful.
We estimate at least $20,000.00 worth of equipment was taken!!!! Some equipment was damaged while ripping things out but they did not otherwise trash or damage the boat & THANKFULLY we were not hurt!!! They were on board at least an hour.
We believe they got us to us via a large wooden boat but we never saw it or heard anything. I managed to get untied after they left and they had missed taking the VHF in the cockpit, so we were able to radio our friends who were safe and completely unaware, even though they both said they had made a visual check of our boat during that hour. It was a traumatic experience to say the least & we are doing our best to put it behind us!!!"
True to Roy and Michelle's personality all they kept asking me is "are your kids safe?"These two are the salt of the earth and we are blessed to be their friends. We are all thankful that neither of them had been physically hurt, never -the- less, the senseless and cowardly nature of the robbery still leaves us asking why. Crime at any time is a cowardly act and usually it is viewed from afar, but this time it was our friends and we were involved. Much of what was taken will have very little value on the street and these two wonderful individuals have been rocked to the core.
As disturbing as the robbery was it unfortunately does not end there. Later that night another boat was boarded and fortunately again, no one was hurt. We have learned that this sort of activity has been going on for years here and yet none of the guide books or internet websites gives cruisers any warning regarding the very real and palpable security risks that exist on the Rio Dulce. I have been unable to find any security warnings on local cruiser based business websites and although everyone is verbally sympathetic to Roy and Michelle and the robbery there seems to be a sense that if we don't talk about it maybe it will go away or at least won't hurt business.A local ex-cruiser now resident told me "everyone knows that if you anchor near the Rio Tatin you will be boarded". It is odd to me that no one here on the river has ever taken the time to post anything on the web or in print media for those of us who are first time visitors. In fact the cruising guides suggest anchoring where we did as an intermediate stop up the river.
The authorities learned the identity of the perpetrators within days but were unable to react because in their words it is "very sensitive." Once a raid did occur and some of the stolen items recovered the police were run out of town by 40-50 locals carry machetes and boards with nails through them and they were unable to finish their raid. Unfortunately the police and navy have such a bad reputation that they are not trusted by the local Guatemalans. Four arrests were made and the men identified as the robbers.Two of the cowards were underage and could not be held. The father and ring leader, along with his adult son, were held and then just 10 days later they were released with "not enough evidence to hold them". I guess the authorities forgot about the stolen items recovered and positive identification made. To add insult to injury, the judge presiding over the case (whom Roy and Michelle have been unable to meet with after several attempts) asked Roy and Michelle directly to be paid (bribed) to release the recovered items that were stolen from them.
Ironically, the local police force developed to protect tourists and their interests (INGUAT), although helpful to Roy and Michelle initially, seemed to think nothing of the bribe requested by the judge. The take home message is clear to this cruiser. We must never let our guard down and be aware that as good as the cruiser information web is in other parts of the Caribbean it is sorely inept here.The primary purpose of the VHF net here seems to be who has the best lunch special. The day after Roy and Michelle were robbed a local restaurant owner actually asked on the net if the information being relayed could wait until after the net was over so people could get on with their lunch special announcements. In fact a number of individuals who have taken up residency here have suggested that we should have known better than to anchor where we did.Our only question of them is how we are supposed to know if they don't communicate with the cruising community regarding these security issues.The brotherhood that normally exists among cruisers has been lulled into complacency here.
I recognize this report will ruffle a few feathers, but with a combined cruising experience among the three boats of over 12 years and more than 75 countries visited, the lack of any rule of law here, and an apathetic resident community should give all future visitors to the Rio Dulce a moment of pause. Having now spent the hurricane season on the river I have attempted to talk with every cruiser I could to get their take on the river. The feeling is unanimous among "cruisers"."Cruiser" being defined as yachtsman still on the move and who have not taken up permanent or semi-permanent residency on the river that this is the most unsafe place they have ever visited while cruising. The murder rate in Nicaragua is 3.1 per 100,000, in the United States it is 7.1 per 100,000, in Guatemala it is 47 per 100,000.The statistics speak for themselves, do the math.
It is not my desire to place blame on anyone regarding the unfortunate events on Dream Odyssey. We remain thankful that they were not hurt but also desire that everyone entering the Rio Dulce in the future be fully aware of the security risks. Perhaps Jodi Picoult inher book Keeping Faith said it best, "The truth doesn't always set you free; people prefer to believe prettier, neatly wrapped lies."Guatemala is a breathtaking country and the people are lovely but we are all best served knowing all the information not just the nice stuff.
Use the information that you can and disregard the rest, but please be careful here and in all your cruising destinations.
Technically only the crew of s/v Mima went Mayan. We returned to Honduras to visit Mayan ruins while Mima sat safely at our marina on the Rio Dulce. One of the things we had looked forward to most in the days leading up to our hurricane season forced sabbatical in Guatemala was learning more about Mayan history and culture. We had purchased Mayan history books prior to leaving Idaho in expectation of our time in Central America and we have used our geographic location as a spring-board to learn about this intriguing piece of world history. We were also pleasantly surprised when both Amy and Marshall really seemed to get into reading about this fascinating culture.
Tikal in Guatemala is generally considered to be the New York City of ancient Mayan culture and we will make a trip there in 3 weeks. Copan in Honduras is often referred to as the Paris of Mayan culture. Once we heard that and spoke with other travelers who had visited Copan we realized we wanted to go. We loaded up and after an “easy” 6 hour bus ride we arrived at the border. Perhaps I should explain what an “easy” 6 hour bus ride in Guatemala is. The bus, thankfully was not the famed “chicken buses” of Guatemala but an older Mercedes Benz bus that I am sure started its’ life shuttling camera toting tourists around to sites of interest in comfort and class.When they have outlived their lives in more developed countries they seem to get sent here and are referred to as express buses.
The airline style reading lights and air conditioning vents are all still in place, although not operational, as are the curtains. The seats still maintain most of their padding and at least they only allow one person per seat. A big difference between this bus and buses in the U.S. is you stop a lot. I mean A LOT. We stopped for the driver to hand a car radio off to a friend, for him to say hello to a passing bus driver and about a hundred other times, some of which made sense some of which left us scratching our heads. Our driver was very nice and quite interested in the gringos on his bus and loved talking with us, most of the time while driving and text messaging simultaneously.Did I mention that he was really cool? He had the look of a guy ready for anything. Big oversized sunglasses and rings on every finger and that stylish ultra-short beard that made me wonder if he just forgot to shave. None the less, it all worked for him and he pulled it off well.
I do not know much else about our driver except to say that I think he hopes to be a NASCAR driver in his next life and takes practicing with his bus very seriously. This guy moved through the gears like he was driving a dragster, and attempted and succeeded in passing cars and trucks in situations I would not attempt in a Ferrari, but he got us there safely and on time. Once at the border between Guatemala and Honduras it was an easy 15 minute taxi ride to the charming city of Copan Ruinas.
Copan Ruinas has flourished as a town because of the ruins located just one mile from town. The city retains its small town charm and friendliness, yet the constant flow of tourists has attracted many entrepreneurs catering to the broad international base of tourists. The coffee shops, quaint hotels and shops, and beautiful town square invite one to come and stay for a while. But we were here to see the ruins, so the following morning after hooking up with our guide Mike; we headed off to explore our first Mayan ruins.
The Copan ruins are the most researched and excavated of all the ancient Mayan sites. Since the turn of the 19th century archaeologists from around the world have been carefully studying and reconstructing this once vibrant city. Entire temples have been found intact contained within the ruins of later structures. The most ornate and complicated of stone carvings that exist today from Mayan culture were all found here, giving rise to the title, “The Paris of Mayan Society”.Much of the old city now looks like it did 1500 years ago minus the colorful paint, and visitors need not imagine much to visualize a vibrant city of over 30,000 people living and working in this valley.
As we walked through the ancient city looking at massive stone carvings called Stellas, and giant architectural structures, we kept saying to ourselves, “wow, could you imagine walking through the jungle and discovering that?” Who knows, maybe one of the 4Wheelers will be an archaeologist someday.
I also found myself thinking about the many similarities between this ancient civilization and ours. I do not pretend to be an expert on Mayan culture nor would I suggest that the practice of animal sacrifice resembles modern society. I am, however, struck by the similarities between the fall of Mayan culture and the current economic challenges facing the United States. Experts suggest that one of the prime reasons for the decline of Mayan culture was that they grew to a state of such excess that the environment around them was unable to support them.
This seems not unlike the excess we have seen exhibited lately by a few that has created such an economic hardship for so many innocent hard-working families. As Augustine noted, we are afflicted with restless hearts.We want more. Yet our wants are often unschooled, wide ranging, without limit, ready to alight on the first sweet-smelling tropical blossom that comes our way. The problem it seems in the matter of desire is not that we desire deeply but that we often desire deeply the wrong things. Not unlike the Mayans of old and the greed driven, “Wall Street” individuals of today.
The line is often very thin between need and want, and we are trying to learning how to live lives that embrace who we are as individuals married to a broader commitment to the natural environment around us and the most treasured of all entities, our fellow human beings. I continue to ask myself if I am balancing the realization of our many blessings with a generous and giving spirit. As we all struggle to make our way in this ever changing world we are hoping we can do so in such a way that addresses not only our needs but the needs of others. From the jungles of Honduras to your home our prayer is that we all are learning to live, love and share well.
La semana pasada la familia Wheeler estuvo estudiando Espanol en Quetzeltanango. The translation for those of us not yet fluent in Spanish is that for the last week the Wheeler family has been studying Spanish in Quetzeltanango, Guatemala.
Since arriving to the Rio Dulce on August 11th we have been going non-stop. Five days after arriving we hauled out to give Mima a new coat of bottom paint. With the help of three local men we had the job done in a week and we were back in the water. It was our first time out of the water and it was quite a sight for us to see 50,000 pounds of sailboat sitting on land.
Once back in the water we got settled at Mario’s Marina and three days later we were on a bus to Guatemala City. Our good friends and cruising buddies, the Johnson’s (s/v Side by Side), were flying back to Guatemala City after 8 weeks back in the U.S. Our plan is to travel inland together for a few weeks and also to attend language school together. After a day in Guatemala City we loaded into a van together and after 6 hours arrived in the mountain town of Quetzeltanango, 182 Km from the capitol city. If you are doing the math that is roughly 113 miles in 6 hours.
Although we were in a private chartered van the sheer ruggedness of the terrain made for a very slow ride. The minutes melted away however as every turn in the road revealed another breathtaking vista. The sheer beauty of Guatemala escapes this author’s descriptive ability. In 6 hours we had gone from the metropolis of Guatemala City through beautifully cultivated fields into highland jungles and finally into pine forests always surrounded by volcanoes. As I write this I am looking out over 7 volcanoes three of which are active. The people and landscape of Guatemala are candy for the eyes, bring a smile to your face and place a joy in your heart. This is a truly spectacular country.
Upon arriving in Quetzeltanango (Xela to the Mayan) we settled in with our host family and began our week of Spanish emersion. Our Spanish program involved 5 hours daily of individual tutoring and as much Spanish afterhours as possible. We spent all our mornings in class studying Spanish and even had homework to do in the evenings. The rest of the day we spent exploring the city and its’ many attractions. Xela is the second most important economic center in Guatemala. The city is also in the center of an area populated largely by indigenous Mayans. The dress, culture and pride of the Mayan provided a fitting complement to the natural beauty of the area.
We have now moved onto a coffee finca (farm) that is cooperatively owned by the 40 families that reside here. This all organic fair trade coffee and macadamia nut plantation is a fully sustainable farm that generates its own biodiesel and has its own water purification system and hydroelectric power source. It has been a wonderful learning experience as we gain more knowledge about the history of Guatemala and the struggle of its’ rural inhabitants to carve out a place in this new democracy. Where the road leads from here we are not sure but where ever it leads we are assured of beautiful vista and charming people.
Until next time we trust your coffee is warm and your macadamia nuts sweet. The 4Wheelers
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