Today’s activity – All day river trip. Your host today will be David the Rastafarian River Guide. David, with his long dreads and rainbow beanie, is very chill, very black and very Rasta. The trip will be an adventure down a winding, jungle river while you catch some sun and scope for huge iguanas, or “bamboo chickens” as the locals like to call them. We will begin our trip about 7 miles up river at an orange farm that used to belong to David’s great-grandfather and make our way over the course of 8 hours to the center of San Ignacio. We will make a couple of stops during the course of our trip for cliff jumping, to get some beers and to snack on freshly picked bananas and oranges.
After we finished the trip, we got to San Ignacio and went to the bar for a couple of beers before we got our ride home. I scooted around to everyone and tried to collect a tip. When I got to the Germans Frank and Sabrina, they refused to give me the $2.50 US that I was asking for and instead gave me a couple of cents a piece. Sabrina was already making her mark on me by her sly laziness (standing in the background while we were unloading the van and making it look like she was helping) and it was evident by both her and Frank’s attitudes that they were expecting something more lavish when they booked the trip. This however was Exhibit A of their cheapness. I couldn’t believe that after David had spent a whole day with us on the water, all they wanted to give him was pocket change while at the same time they were sitting and buying multiple beers.
Just a tip to those of you that come from countries where tipping is not part of the culture… In countries such as the US, Mexico, Belize, etc. it is customary to tip guides, waiters, bartenders and the like. In the states it is 15 – 20% and in Mexico it is 10 – 15%.
When you go on vacation somewhere that tipping is customary, it is not a suggestion but instead it is obligatory to tip. Coming from someone who makes a lot of his money from tips, people that don’t tip are not considered to be thrifty, they are thought of as cheap, money grubbing assholes. Nothing is more upsetting as when you spent 3-5 weeks going out of your way to make people happy – staying up late, cleaning up after people, helping them when they are sick or get their passports stolen, sacrificing your own pleasure for theirs – and in the end they totally stiff you or just give you change. Don’t get me wrong, I am not greedy, but I do have a desire to get paid and also I feel like a good tip shows the client’s appreciation for the hard work and time I invested into them having a great holiday. So, TIP PEOPLE! Sorry about the rant…
We headed back to the campground and started our New Year BBQ. Nick grilled up a bunch of chicken and burgers and we all began to drink. There was talk of going into town to celebrate, but those plans soon deteriorated as we had more and more drinks. The blender was pulled out and pina coladas and margaritas were abundant.
Weird New Year’s Eve Note: The night was fairly mild, just hanging out, drinking and talking. Sue, the 43 year-old American had started drinking early however and was very tanked come midnight. She kept hang on me and standing next to me for pictures. I was starting to feel a weird vibe from her. A little later I headed to the toilet and she started to follow me. I tried to shake her, but when I couldn’t I just started to talk to her about other people in the group. I said “Hey, looks like Jo and Laura are getting kind of friendly. Maybe they’ll hook up” and she responded with “I want to hook up with you!”. Oh Boy… I had to spend the next 10 minutes backing my way out of that situation with “I don’t mix business with pleasure…” and “I am sorry but I don’t hook up with passengers…” ramblings. She wasn’t really having it and continued the whole night to try to get me alone or lick my neck (yuck) while we were taking pictures. Curled up in my sleeping bag and then wrapped myself in my hammock and passed out in front of all my passengers to ensure some protection from a late night molestation.
Friday, December 31, 2004
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Yo, Yo, Yo I Got You All In Check!
Thursday 12/30 – Mutiny on the Rio Dulce
It was a rain and fog filled morning, definitely not the type of weather that you want to wake up to when you are planning on hanging out on an open air catamaran all day. It was going to be a no go. It was kind of a bummer because although my group was really not into the boat trip, I was really excited for it. Oh well, gotta go with the flow. We made a group decision to head back to Belize. The drive went quick and the border crossing back into Belize was considerably smoother.
As we made our way the 11 miles into Belize to the city of San Ignacio, I was stopped at a checkpoint. Apparently my insurance papers were not all legit and I heard a couple of the cops talking about arresting me. Thanks though to one of their colleagues who talked them out of it and then proceeded to give me the digs on what to do and where to go for New Years Eve. A chunk of us spent the night playing some intensely heated games of Pictionary. I was amazed to see some of these sweet, quiet English girls turn into cursing, insult hurling competitors. In the end their tactics really didn’t help though because Yo (the Belgian Boy Wonder) and I kicked some Euro ass.
It was a rain and fog filled morning, definitely not the type of weather that you want to wake up to when you are planning on hanging out on an open air catamaran all day. It was going to be a no go. It was kind of a bummer because although my group was really not into the boat trip, I was really excited for it. Oh well, gotta go with the flow. We made a group decision to head back to Belize. The drive went quick and the border crossing back into Belize was considerably smoother.
As we made our way the 11 miles into Belize to the city of San Ignacio, I was stopped at a checkpoint. Apparently my insurance papers were not all legit and I heard a couple of the cops talking about arresting me. Thanks though to one of their colleagues who talked them out of it and then proceeded to give me the digs on what to do and where to go for New Years Eve. A chunk of us spent the night playing some intensely heated games of Pictionary. I was amazed to see some of these sweet, quiet English girls turn into cursing, insult hurling competitors. In the end their tactics really didn’t help though because Yo (the Belgian Boy Wonder) and I kicked some Euro ass.
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Mutiny On Rio Dulce
Spent the morning straightening out our bills at the Finca. Then we were off into previously uncharted territory. We were going were no other group had gone before - south to Rio Dulce for a 2 day Catamaran trip.
The whole situation had me a little pissed off already. My boss is supposed to fully prepare me with all of the information I need to complete my trip successfully. When I left LA, I felt completely unprepared for this trip – my boss gave me limited info and then said that he would get back to me when he had the situation all straightened out with the Captain. My boss never got back to me and the phone number I had for the Captain didn’t work until I arrived in Guatemala. When I finally got through to the Captain he was completely surprised to hear from me. He said that he had not heard from anyone from our company for months and that he thought that the whole thing was called off. He said that he was on vacation visiting his daughter in Western Guatemala, but that he would return to do the trip for us… he didn’t sound happy.
We arrived in Rio Dulce around noon and did some last minute shopping. The main street, or should I say only street, is a zoo.
At the marina I met Captain Bob. He is an interesting fellow – a short, stocky pock-faced man with really glassy blue eyes and deeply furrowed wrinkles sprouting from his eyes and his cheeks. He skin looked as sun faded and worn as his oversize pink shirt and he had a weird look to him that made him look sinister. This is the “Captain"? He said that he had worked hard to throw together an itinery for the next 2 days – things to do, places to stay – and that it was difficult to do at the last minute. He had us grab our gear and head to the boat to start our trip. The catamaran was definitely not the luxury cruiser that I had imagined. It was small, rickety and looked like it had aged as well as its owner. There was a small trampoline up front that could hold only 4 people (I am assuming because any more than that would cause it to pull apart at the seams) and a deck in the back with a few lawn chairs for seating. The sail wasn’t even in place and instead of wind power we relied on two small motors on the back of the boat to troll us to our destination for the day.
The destination was a finca upriver and from there a hot springs waterfall. When we landed we jumped into a trailer hooked up to an ancient tractor and chugged our way along a river towards the hills. The waterfall was amazing. A thin, winding thermal (very hot) river rolled over the edge of a cliff and down large mineral formations where it mixed below with a colder river. I was really incredible. We jumped in the colder part of the river and as we swam towards the waterfall, the water got increasingly warmer. Standing under the gushing thermal water was the hottest shower that I had in weeks. We spent about an hour just relaxing on the large hot rocks under the falls just enjoying the natural spa.
The trip back to Rio Dulce was not so fun. We had left in such a hurry that I had no time to remind the group (nor myself) to bring something warm to wear on the return trip. With the sun down, the wind whipping and then later rain it was a cold, on comfortable trip home. So much so that when I got back the group told me that they didn’t want to take the boat trip the following day. Since the Captain had done so much last minute planning for the trip I really didn’t want to pull out of the commitment for the next day so I spent the next hour convincing them that it was worth it.
That night we ate at the restaurant in the campground. I sat with 4 pax and we waited for about 2 hours for our food. When it finally arrived, everyone received a meal except for me. I waited about 10 minutes longer and when I finally realized that it wasn’t coming I told the waitress. She told me that the cook would start cooking it right away. About another half hour later my meal finally arrived… not the steak that I ordered but a chicken breast. Total Mexi-style service baby!
The whole situation had me a little pissed off already. My boss is supposed to fully prepare me with all of the information I need to complete my trip successfully. When I left LA, I felt completely unprepared for this trip – my boss gave me limited info and then said that he would get back to me when he had the situation all straightened out with the Captain. My boss never got back to me and the phone number I had for the Captain didn’t work until I arrived in Guatemala. When I finally got through to the Captain he was completely surprised to hear from me. He said that he had not heard from anyone from our company for months and that he thought that the whole thing was called off. He said that he was on vacation visiting his daughter in Western Guatemala, but that he would return to do the trip for us… he didn’t sound happy.
We arrived in Rio Dulce around noon and did some last minute shopping. The main street, or should I say only street, is a zoo.
At the marina I met Captain Bob. He is an interesting fellow – a short, stocky pock-faced man with really glassy blue eyes and deeply furrowed wrinkles sprouting from his eyes and his cheeks. He skin looked as sun faded and worn as his oversize pink shirt and he had a weird look to him that made him look sinister. This is the “Captain"? He said that he had worked hard to throw together an itinery for the next 2 days – things to do, places to stay – and that it was difficult to do at the last minute. He had us grab our gear and head to the boat to start our trip. The catamaran was definitely not the luxury cruiser that I had imagined. It was small, rickety and looked like it had aged as well as its owner. There was a small trampoline up front that could hold only 4 people (I am assuming because any more than that would cause it to pull apart at the seams) and a deck in the back with a few lawn chairs for seating. The sail wasn’t even in place and instead of wind power we relied on two small motors on the back of the boat to troll us to our destination for the day.
The destination was a finca upriver and from there a hot springs waterfall. When we landed we jumped into a trailer hooked up to an ancient tractor and chugged our way along a river towards the hills. The waterfall was amazing. A thin, winding thermal (very hot) river rolled over the edge of a cliff and down large mineral formations where it mixed below with a colder river. I was really incredible. We jumped in the colder part of the river and as we swam towards the waterfall, the water got increasingly warmer. Standing under the gushing thermal water was the hottest shower that I had in weeks. We spent about an hour just relaxing on the large hot rocks under the falls just enjoying the natural spa.
The trip back to Rio Dulce was not so fun. We had left in such a hurry that I had no time to remind the group (nor myself) to bring something warm to wear on the return trip. With the sun down, the wind whipping and then later rain it was a cold, on comfortable trip home. So much so that when I got back the group told me that they didn’t want to take the boat trip the following day. Since the Captain had done so much last minute planning for the trip I really didn’t want to pull out of the commitment for the next day so I spent the next hour convincing them that it was worth it.
That night we ate at the restaurant in the campground. I sat with 4 pax and we waited for about 2 hours for our food. When it finally arrived, everyone received a meal except for me. I waited about 10 minutes longer and when I finally realized that it wasn’t coming I told the waitress. She told me that the cook would start cooking it right away. About another half hour later my meal finally arrived… not the steak that I ordered but a chicken breast. Total Mexi-style service baby!
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Senor Coconut and the Supertropical Super Dance
Woke up late due to severe bar-age the night before. I spent most of the day burning Sean’s CD collection. I did most of the things that I had put off for the last week – laundry, organizing, making reservations and jumping on the internet. Played a couple of games of Bocce Ball and swung the double dutch ropes for a minute (Represtentin' with the DD Christine!)
We ate dinner at the Finca. They throw down everynight and have an all you can eat buffet Guatemala style. Fresh baked bread, veggies and salads from the farm, fresh cheese… it was amazing, really good eatin’.
Chill night for the Dave… a beer and a couple of Seinfeld episodes on my laptop.
We ate dinner at the Finca. They throw down everynight and have an all you can eat buffet Guatemala style. Fresh baked bread, veggies and salads from the farm, fresh cheese… it was amazing, really good eatin’.
Chill night for the Dave… a beer and a couple of Seinfeld episodes on my laptop.
Monday, December 27, 2004
Tikal 2004
Some of the pax woke up early to go to Temple IV, the tallest at Tikal, for sunrise. The guide Cesar met the rest of us at 8 and led us into the ruins. Cesar is a young, mustachioed Guatemala who speaks perfect English due to spending most his life in the States. He is hyperactive, very personable and most definitely blown sky high on Guatemalan jungle bud. The fact that he was stoned though didn’t interfere with the tour and everyone learned much due to his vast knowledge of the ruins and Mayan history in general. He also lugged around a telescope which he propped up often so that we could get a closer look at some of the local birds, monkeys and plant life.
It is amazing to climb to the top of the steep, terraced pyramids and to look down at the complex cluster of structures that this ancient society created. The site is completely surrounded by jungle and from the tops of these brick mountains you can see for at least 100 kilometers. It really reminded me a lot of my favorite Mexican ruins, Palenque, but on a grander scale. Some of the temples were incredibly steep and tall, massive mountains in the jungle.
By around noon we packed up and headed to Finca Ixobel in Poptun. The Finca is a working farm a couple hours south of Tikal. The owner is an American woman that moved to Guatemala some 30 years ago and bought the land. Now it is a neat stop on the “Backpacker Highway” that offers lodging, food and activities. When we arrived we settled into our tree house cabins and then relaxed.
That night ate some pretty good Moroccan Chicken (thanks to Cath) and then went to the “back 40” to the bar. The bartender, Sean, happened to be from Madison, so we spent a lot of the night sharing stories about the city. Had some drinks and then had some more…
It is amazing to climb to the top of the steep, terraced pyramids and to look down at the complex cluster of structures that this ancient society created. The site is completely surrounded by jungle and from the tops of these brick mountains you can see for at least 100 kilometers. It really reminded me a lot of my favorite Mexican ruins, Palenque, but on a grander scale. Some of the temples were incredibly steep and tall, massive mountains in the jungle.
By around noon we packed up and headed to Finca Ixobel in Poptun. The Finca is a working farm a couple hours south of Tikal. The owner is an American woman that moved to Guatemala some 30 years ago and bought the land. Now it is a neat stop on the “Backpacker Highway” that offers lodging, food and activities. When we arrived we settled into our tree house cabins and then relaxed.
That night ate some pretty good Moroccan Chicken (thanks to Cath) and then went to the “back 40” to the bar. The bartender, Sean, happened to be from Madison, so we spent a lot of the night sharing stories about the city. Had some drinks and then had some more…
Sunday, December 26, 2004
Border Buddies Part II
Caught the early morning water taxi to Belize City. Being from the States I was totally unaware that Boxing Day (the day after Christmas) was an observed holiday in most countries in the World and Belize was not an exception. I found out that everything, even the grocery store, was closed. I had to be pretty resourceful to find a market where I could buy lunch food and enough goods to throw together a meal that evening. The border crossing from Belize to Mexico was not nearly as time consuming as the one 3 days prior. There is a lot of hustle and bustle at the borders. The van that I drive is very recognizable and as soon as I pull up I am approached by several “border buddies” of other Trek leaders that are eager to help me change money and process my paperwork. None of them charge for their services but a “tip” is definitely expected. At this border it was a young guy named Nere who was actually quite helpful and friendly. After maybe an hour of border hassle it was into Guatemala for the first time for everyone, including me. The first 10 miles of road was the shittiest that I have ever driven on and that’s pretty telling since I have driven more than 100, 000 miles in the US, Canada, Mexico and Belize in the past 2 years. It felt like the van was going to shake itself to pieces and we were all bouncing around like kernels in a popcorn maker. The potholed path finally smoothed out and we reached our campground at the entrance to Tikal before dark. Had a nice meal and spent most of the night locked into the wireless internet that the nearby restaurant was broadcasting.
I heard this evening about the horrible tragedy in South East Asia. What a horrible catastrophe! I can’t even begin to imagine the horrible impact that this one event will have on that part of the world. My heart goes out to all those who have lost someone and to those still waiting for news of traveling family and friends.
I heard this evening about the horrible tragedy in South East Asia. What a horrible catastrophe! I can’t even begin to imagine the horrible impact that this one event will have on that part of the world. My heart goes out to all those who have lost someone and to those still waiting for news of traveling family and friends.
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