Rio Dulce

Recently someone described this place as "the Rio that swallows up gringos." It is so lovely here that many cruisers who intend a short stop end up staying semi-permanently. Already we are looking forward to coming back.


There are so many luscious flowers and interesting plants and trees that we will dedicate a future post exclusively to that.

One afternoon we dinghied to Laguna Salvador where there is a Mayan village that welcomes visitors. While there we met this little girl, Marta. She had been soaking corn and was getting ready to grind it by hand.

William posing in front of a costume worn by the Maya during the Dance of the Deer.

Outside there was a flock of turkeys, and the males were strutting around with their tail feathers up and their waddles wiggling trying to impress the hens who seemed to ignore them.

The castle/fort San Felipe is just about a half mile upstream from us. The boys love climbing around and exploring all the rooms and dungeons. It has been rebuilt many times over the centuries.

Lora and William.

One of our favorite activities is motoring up the many nearby rivers. There are small Maya settlements along most of them. One afternoon we dinghied 3-4 miles up a small creek. We had to go under logs, and deal with small rapids, and rocks, and stumps. We saw bats that fish, huge beehives, lots of lizards and birds, and had quite an adventure.

The palapas here as so different from the ones in Mexico; they have steeper roofs, and more openings for ventilation.

Lora and Parker at the Manatee preserve where we took an enjoyable hike through the rain forest. There are majestic mahogany trees and the San Juan tree which is used for making the dug-out cayucas.

The towering bamboo is often used in building the local palapa homes.

One day we took a bus ride into Puerto Barrios an important port. From there Chiquita, and Dole, ship fruit to many parts of the world. Typical of some port cities, Puerto Barrios was dirty, crowded, smelly, and loud. The shopping mall had a fence around it, and security guards monitor those who enter or exit.

Your bananas are on their way from Puerto Barrios.

A few days ago we dinghied 30 miles round trip and then hiked along some farms for an hour to visit aquas calientes, where a hot spring flows over a waterfall and into a creek. There is a cave under the waterfall.

Henry on some roots at the hot-springs.

One morning Warren decided to do his schoolwork in the dinghy.
Henry loves to fish. He gives some of his catch to the Rosita at the restaurant next door. Here Henry lets Parker hold one of the fish he caught. Unfortunately, even small fish like this one end up at the market, and the river is being over-fished.

Parker with coconut.