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Monthly Archives: April 2016

Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica

30 Saturday Apr 2016

Posted by Cindy in Uncategorized

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Arenal Volcano, cruising Costa Rica, Lomas del Volcan, Marina Papagayo

Wow what a beautiful country! We are currently in a marina on the northern part of the country which tends to be more drier. So we headed out looking for those lush rain forests we’ve seen and heard about and the area around Arenal Volcano did not disappoint. We stayed at Lomas del Volcán, a hotel with individual cabins right at the base of the volcano.

This was our cabin with a view of Arenal Volcano from our back porch.

This was our cabin with a view of Arenal Volcano from our back porch.

At 5,480 feet, Arenal is a traditional cone shaped volcano and was quite impressive especially from our hotel. It was last active from 1968 until December 2010.

Arenal is a classic cone shaped volcano.  I've read it usually is covered in clouds but it was clear for most of our stay.  This was taken from our hotel.

I’ve read Arenal usually is covered in clouds but it was clear for most of our stay. This was taken from our hotel.

On the advice from the front desk, we hit a trail right from our hotel that took us part way up an extinct volcano next to Arenal. In minutes we were in the thick of the rain forest. It was beautiful. I admit I would have enjoyed it more wearing army boots and carrying a big stick as I’m very afraid of snakes, but we had a good time. Definitely was a challenging hike.

The start of the trail.  I'm thinking I don't have enough foot gear on.

The start of the trail. I’m thinking I don’t have enough foot gear on.

The plants were everything we wanted to grow in our yard in Northern California.  We were just lacking the rain!

The plants were everything we wanted to grow in our yard in Northern California. We were just lacking the rain!

Rain forest near Arenal Volcano

Rain forest near Arenal Volcano

Looking for snakes and poison frogs before I step.  Next time I'm wearing army boots and carrying a big stick lol

Rain forest new Arenal Volcano

The view from our back porch.

The view from our back porch.

From our back porch.  It was interesting to watch how the clouds worked themselves around the top of the volcano.

From our back porch. It was interesting to watch how the clouds worked themselves around the top of the volcano.

Hungry when we arrived in town our first stop was a Caribbean roadside stand.

Hungry when we arrived in town our first stop was a Caribbean roadside stand.

We have been in Costa Rica for almost two weeks and our first impressions:

1- CLEAN! The roads are not littered with garbage from the children and adults alike who throw garbage out of the buses in El Salvador and Guatemala. They also have recycle bins rarely found in the parts of Central America we have traveled.

2- No armed guards lurking in every store and corner leaving the impression that a gun battle will break out any second.

3- Public transportation is more civilized. Public buses are newer, adult sized buses. No school buses handed down from the USA filled to overflowing and I really mean overflowing.

Of course some of this comes at a price. There is an import tax on all goods coming into the country so food is more expensive here as are the marinas. But Tico’s are proud of their country and it is really nice to see that they treat it respectfully.

Passage to Costa Rica

21 Thursday Apr 2016

Posted by Cindy in Uncategorized

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Costa Rica, cruising to Costa Rica, Iridium Go, Marina Papagayo

We chose to do another two night passage to get past the Papagayo winds. Like the Tehuantepec, the Papagayo winds originate in the Caribbean and intensify when they funnel through the mountain ranges of Central America. Passing over Lake Nicaragua and into the bay winds can top 40 knots and we wanted no part of that. We also heard the winds can pick up unexpectedly. Picking a long calm window, we scheduled our bar crossing for April 15th at 9:30 am. As with entering Bahia del Sol, we had to leave on a high slack tide with a pilot escort to get safely over the bar. Our exit was much less dramatic than our entry and we motored out through a few large rollers. Other than hitting some confused seas for four hours, the passage was uneventful. Was sorry to pass Nicaragua by, but we plan to sail up the east coast of Central America so will catch it then.

We arrived in Bahia Culebra 268 nm away in 46 hours. Checking in to the country on the northern end is a bit of a hassle. You either anchor off Coco Beach, dinghy in through the surf hoping not to get tossed out, run around town to the various offices including a taxi ride out to the airport for immigration or for $350.00 work with an agent who brings immigration and the port captain to your boat at Marina Papagayo. I’m all for saving money but it was pretty much a no brainer for us to hire the agent. Since the agent needs 48 hours notice and you can’t get off your boat at the marina until you are checked in (we are so not in Mexico anymore), we opted to anchor out the two nights before our appointment enjoying the warm clean waters off the boat. We were in a little bay 2 nm across from the marina, but for some reason we didn’t have cell service. We are so happy we invested in the Iridium Go satellite connection. Not only does it provide us weather during passages but I was able to secure the services of the agent, email him all the information needed to complete our paperwork, and I let the marina know we would be arriving two days behind schedule. And using the free minutes our plan provides, I had a phone conversation with our sister-in-law, Bonnie to get an update on Gary’s Mom. Being in contact with family is important and this is a great backup when we have no cell service.

Marina Papagayo is probably the best kept facility we have been in yet. We have a nice pool, small restaurant, laundry, gym, TV room with more channels then we care to watch and a pool table. The only downside is we are not close to town for grocery shopping. We have a few boat chores to do, Gary needs to get over a cold he somehow caught and we plan on renting a car and seeing this country. We have wanted to visit since the 80’s and we are finally here.

The slips are mostly empty here at Marina Papagayo.  Whenever we met cruisers going north they always commented on how expensive Costa Rica is.  Perhaps that is why it is at least 80% empty?

The slips are mostly empty here at Marina Papagayo. Whenever we met cruisers going north they always commented on how expensive Costa Rica is. Perhaps that is why it is at least 80% empty?

Suchitoto, El Salvador

19 Tuesday Apr 2016

Posted by Cindy in Uncategorized

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El Salvador, Fernando Llort, Los Almendros, Suchitoto

Before leaving El Salvador we headed out on a road trip with Bill and Jean organizers of the El Salvador Rally, Dave and Linda from Perrr-fect, and Bruce and Gina on board Dream Catcher to visit the town of Suchitoto. After spending hours on old American school buses and vans with bald tires and no air conditioning, the van Jean rented was heaven even if the driver was a little sketchy (just checking to see if you are reading the blog, Bill 🙂 ).

Bill aka our driver!

Bill aka our driver!

We stopped on the way at the Fernando Llort art gallery in San Salvador. Fernando is a local artist whose art work even appears on the cups at the local coffee shop.

Fernando Llort

Fernando Llort

At an elevation of a little over 1000 feet, Suchitoto didn’t offer relief from the heat but it had a nice little town and our awesome hotel Los Almendros had a pool. The owners, Pascal and Joaquin, along with their boxer Leonardo, welcomed us at the front door.

Leonardo

Leonardo

Los Almendros

Los Almendros

Each room is unique. We had a two story suite where we could have thrown one heck of a party.

Our room is too the left overlooking the pool

Our room is to the left overlooking the pool

Los Almendros

Los Almendros

Los Almendros

Los Almendros

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The hotel is filled with art.  This was in our room.  That is a door turned into a shelf.

The hotel is filled with art. This was in our room. That is a door turned into a shelf.

The hotel had a bar across the street called El Chucho, which translates to The Pooch, that Gary thought reminded him of the bars in New Orleans one of our all time favorite places to visit. I have to agree. It had that same rich, old decor and vibe New Orleans is known for. As you would expect, Gary and I went there several times and the owners hosted a wine tasting for our group there. On the second night they hosted a dinner for us along with guitar music on their patio. A lot of poetry, which isn’t quite our taste especially in Spanish, but the food was delicious.

Suchitoto is a small town with a few galleries and shops.

The cathedral

The cathedral

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Everyone rides around in a Tuk Tuk typically 25 cents

Everyone catches a ride in a Tuk Tuk typically 25 cents

On this day the people lined this one street selling all kinds of goods.

On this day the people lined this one street selling all kinds of things.

I feel like a pack animal lugging groceries and just about everything to and from the boat.  My two hands and arms are not enough.  I need to stop one of these ladies sometime and get lessons.

I feel like a pack animal lugging groceries and just about everything and anything to and from the boat. My two hands and arms are not enough. I need to stop one of these ladies sometime and get lessons.

Suchitoto

Suchitoto

Everyone brings their corn to the town corn grinder.  Her hand is on the finished product, which is then turned into corn tortilla's, etc.

Everyone brings their corn to the town corn grinder. Her hand is on the finished product, which is then turned into corn tortilla’s, etc.

We took a boat tour of the lake by Suchitoto because well I guess we thought we all don’t spend enough time on the water. The lake was very low since the rainy season had not quite started.
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I had a flash back to the 60’s when us girls went to a women’s co-op and tie-dyed our own indigo scarf. Indigo dye supported Suchitoto’s economic and population growth in the 19th century until synthetic dyes collapsed the market.

Folding and tying

Folding and tying

Hard to believe this makes a design

Hard to believe this makes a design

So I volunteered to stir all our scarves in the vat.  This vat was six years old and contained live bacteria.  Yes, it smelled yucky.  And yes, I did get it on my favorite skirt :(

So I volunteered to stir all our scarves in the vat. This vat was six years old and contained live bacteria. Yes, it smelled yucky. And yes, I did get it on my favorite skirt 😦

But the final products turned out beautiful. (l to r Cindy, Jean, our instructor, Gina, Linda)

But the final products turned out beautiful.
(l to r Cindy, Jean, our instructor, Gina, Linda)

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La Antigua, Guatemala

09 Saturday Apr 2016

Posted by Cindy in Uncategorized

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Antigua Guatemala

When someone insisted that we had to visit Antigua, we said of course we are going to that fabulous caribbean island eventually. Well we were soon educated on the other jewel, La Antigua Guatemala. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site there are cobblestone streets with Spanish colonial buildings restored after the 1773 earthquake that ended Antigua’s 200 year reign as the capital of Guatemala. The cathedrals and buildings not restored are now ruins open for tours. So with that information we headed across the border to the central highlands of Guatemala. Relief from the heat and humidity along with the promise of a beautiful colonial town and some restaurants, we couldn’t leave soon enough.

The first thing we did was hike up to Cerro de La Cruz. From there we had this magnificent view of Antigua and the surrounding three volcanos. Guatemala has thirty some volcano’s three of them active. Volcano of Water is dormant and stands at 12,356 feet. Acatenango last erupted in 1972 and is the tallest at 13,045 feet. Volcano of Fire (Fuego) is 12,346 feet high and is one of the active volcano’s.

Volcan de Agua (Volcano of Water) is in the background.  The top was always covered in clouds.

Volcan de Agua (Volcano of Water) is in the background. The top was always covered in clouds.

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You can just barely see the active volcano off to the right.

After we did this hike, which consisted of many steps along a switchback path, I found out we should have had a escort by the tourist police for safety.

There was one residential tree lined street on the edge of town by our hotel.

There was one residential tree lined street on the edge of town by our hotel.

Antigua

Antigua

Templo y Convento La Merced

Templo y Convento La Merced

Inside Templo y Convento La Merced

Inside Templo y Convento La Merced

Arco de Sta. Catarina

Arco de Sta. Catarina

This is a common sight.  Too bad we couldn't take any home across the border.

This was a common sight. Too bad we couldn’t take any home across the border.

Streets of Antigua

Streets of Antigua

Streets of Antigua

Streets of Antigua

Feeding the homeless pups in town

Feeding the homeless pups in town

Arco de Sta. Catarina

Arco de Sta. Catarina

Streets of Antigua

Streets of Antigua. Many people get around on bikes and scooters.

We are at Plaza Central with the Cathedral in the background.

We are at Plaza Central with the Cathedral in the background.

We explored Convento Santo Domingo, which is part hotel and part ruins.

One of the many fountains within the hotel

One of the many fountains on the hotel grounds

The hotel had a collection of marionettes on display.

The hotel had a collection of marionettes on display.

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We enjoyed our ‘Hollywood’ showers and king size bed at the charming El Convento Boutique Hotel. Carefully restored and opened in 2008, it was ‘the place’ to enjoy time off the boat.

Our hotel room.  Too bad it was too warm for a fire.

Our hotel room. Too bad it was too warm for a fire.

We had a spa tub on our patio.  After walking on cobble stone streets all day, our ankles and calfs really appreciated a soak in the tub.

We had a spa tub on our patio. After walking on cobble stone streets all day our ankles and calfs really appreciated a soak in the tub.

The restaurant had a break ceiling.

The restaurant had a brick ceiling.

View from the inner courtyard

View from the inner courtyard

The upstairs terrace had a pretty view of the rooftops and the volcanos.  Adding my handsome hubby makes it even better.

The upstairs terrace had a pretty view of the rooftops and the volcanos. Adding my handsome hubby makes it even better.

The Volcano of Fire (Fuego) stayed quiet until we were in the van heading home, which is unusual because Fuego is known to emit steam and gas at low levels daily. The last larger eruption was September 2012.

So the following pictures were taken bumping along in the shuttle van with bald tires and no shocks. It was a long five hour ride.

Puffs of smoke but no lava.  Guides lead hikes to the top and roast marshmallows.

Puffs of smoke. You can see where the lava has flowed down the hill and it even appears to have come up to the road at some point.

conduct hikes

Guides lead hikes to the top where you can roast marshmallows in the hot spots.

La Antigua did not disappoint. The bonus was great restaurants and actual bars that made cocktails with some craft beer here and there.

San Salvador, El Salvador

02 Saturday Apr 2016

Posted by Cindy in Uncategorized

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Iglesia El Rosario

Linda and Dave on board Purr-fect invited us to share a driver into San Salvador an hour away. Seriously a much better way to travel to and around the city then taking a chicken bus for two hours then walking around trying to find your way in a big city. Edwin, our driver, stayed with us the entire day as we hit up a museum, Linda shopped for fabric and we did some grocery shopping. Oh and I can’t forget the German deli, Kreef, for lunch where Gary was in heaven picking out sausage to bring home.

The one place I wanted to see in the entire city was Iglesia El Rosario. Completed in 1971, the church was designed by one of El Salvador’s prominent sculptors, Ruben Martinez. His quest was to design the church in such a way that ‘wouldn’t get in the way of the public and that wouldn’t run from God’. His intent was that there would be no posts or blinding lights etc. that would interfere with the services or peoples devotion. As you walk up to the building, it is one of the most ugliest structures I have ever seen with its dome shaped roof and ugly grey colors located in the crowded historic district. Then you walk in and before you is a rainbow of colors shining down on the alter through the glass that lines the dome. It was so peaceful and quiet and beautiful. The funny thing is Edwin, who is a native El Salvadoran, had never heard of this church. So the gringo lady was able to show Edwin a little of his city 🙂

The pieces of glass are embedded in the concrete structure and is illuminated by natural light.

The pieces of glass are embedded in the concrete structure and are illuminated by natural light.

You can see the glass pieces in this picture.

You can see the glass pieces in this picture.

The alter.  The wall changes color depending on the angle of the sun.

The alter. The wall changes color depending on the angle of the sun.

The colors are ever changing depending on the time of day and angle of the sun.

The colors are ever changing depending on the time of day and angle of the sun.

El Salvador has made the news recently for its gang violence specifically in San Salvador. There were armed guards everywhere even at the fabric store we visited. Outside stood one guard with a shotgun and inside was a guard with a sidearm. We drove past the presidential palace and you can imagine the fire power lining the sidewalk. While this might freak some people out, we felt very secure with their presence. If they hadn’t been there, we would have worried!

Last on our to do list that day was provisioning and Linda told us of a great grocery store just across the street from the US Embassy. We haven’t seen a store this well stocked since San Diego. Everything looked delicious. Our Embassy is a sprawling campus like compound in a more affluent area of the city. Yes, your US tax dollars at work.

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