The Rio Dulce to Belize and back to the Rio Dulce
Aug. 28/2000
We are back in the Rio Dulce after a wonderful time on the reefs of Belize. The weather was great - so was the water- and the lobsters delicious! Dave even caught us a hogfish which was excellent eating. We stayed on a mooring ball at Nicholas Cay. It is a beautiful palm island , about 1 acre in size. We met a couple of other cruisers out there and had a great time socializing with them. One evening it would be on our boat for movie night and popcorn; the next on the "Twenda" with Jerry and Anne for desert. She makes the best cakes! Then another evening would be on the "Filia" with Ullie and Margaret from Germany , for sunset and cocktails. We had many pleasant days and nights out in the Sapodillo Cays.
We are now going inland to visit the ruins of Tikal and will be gone for about 5 days. Will write when we get back.
Sept.3/2000
We just got back from our little inland trek. We left Rio Dulce, Frontares, on Monday and took a bus to Flores. It is a lovely little island in a lake in the El Peten region in the North of Guatemala. We spent the night there. The next morning we went to the ancient ruins of Tikal. It is a beautiful rain forest where the Mayan civilzation developed and flowered. The many temples and pyramids were so interesting and amazing. The view from many was breathtaking and the history very interesting. We stayed on the park grounds at a clean and comfortable Inn. The food was delicious and inexpensive. We hiked all day long and climbed to the top of many ruins. We were in awe of all the beautiful and different varieties of tucons. We sat on the top of one pyramid called Perdido Mundo (Lost World), and felt ourselves going back in time. It was fantastic. We watched the sunset and heard the ferocious sounding howler monkeys "calling" off their territory. We saw grey fox, which aren't much larger than a large domestic cat. We saw many other rare and exotic looking birds, monkeys and animals. It truly was a wonderful trek.
On the way back to the Rio Dulce and Sorrento, we stopped at a working ranch, called Finca Ixobel (ish-0-bel). We had a wonderful time exploring the old caves with candles and saw bats flying around our heads. The stalagmites and stalactites were huge and when you tapped them they produced a musical note. The following day we took a horseback ride through the forest and crossed many streams. The horses were reluctant but we spurred them on. The grounds are beautiful and many backpackers travel to this particular finca (ranch). One reason is it's inexpensive and the food is served buffet style; delicious and plentiful. It was another great experience.
We will go back to the boat now and check out other interesting places to go during our stay here in Guatemala.
Miss you all
Fran & Dave