All is well on Sanibel

Freddy the paraplegic pig.

There is no shortage of things to do on the river. Jimi and I find ourselves going non-stop. By now we’ve met up with most of our friends from French Harbour in Honduras, and we’ve made a number of new friends since we’ve arrived. Now settled in, I’ll touch on some of our highlights and what has also become routine for us.

We made  another trip to the natural hot springs by way of Guatemalan public transportation called a collectivo. There’s one thing to remember about riding in a collectivo – there’s always room for one more. We’ve heard there have been as many as thirty people in one of these twelve passenger vans. We haven’t witnessed that, but we felt like we had on our way to the springs. Thankfully we had seats, but six or seven people did not and two of them were hovering over me. I held a bowl of corn for one lady while she payed for her ride. A couple of road workers slide their machetes under my feet as they stood for the ride. The van’s doorman took a seat on the van’s roof when it became full.

We were the first ones to arrive at the hot springs, which gave us ample time for some photos. But it  wasn’t long before the tourists and some locals piled in. The pond was clear and cool. The water falling from above is warm. Over time the minerals in the spring water has created an overhang on the rocks which allows visitors to gather under the overhang. If you can keep your balance you can let the hot water hit your shoulders and slide down your back. The small fish nibbled at my feet and ankles from time to time and I didn’t like that.

 The water is clear and calm.

 An incredible peaceful place.

It really is this beautiful. 

Under the rock ledge looking out.

Our selfie!

On the trail back to the road we met up with some locals selling finger foods; even though we had no clue what it was, we bought some and ate it. It was delicious. A family with several children were working  to collect fire wood. The father carried two large tree logs on his back with the load on a strap that went across the top of his head. Then he walked somewhat hunched over down the trail. A young boy, looking about eight or nine was trying to follow his father dragging a long cantankerous limb. We could see he was struggling and yet, still trying his best to do the job. I picked up one end of the log and motioned for him the pick up the other end. Together we carried the limb down the trail until he said we’d reached the destination. I realized then that the front of my shirt was covered in mud only in one precarious spot. I couldn’t travel on the collectivo and through town like that, so I took my shirt off and washed it in the river not far from another local doing her laundry. There’s nothing like jumping in to the culture when you least expect it.

The limb was heavier than it looks.

On a separate occasion we rode horses through a non-profit organization called Freddy’s Friends. Freddy’s Friends was started by a lady named Pam. Her and her husband moved here for Texas about six years ago. To occupy her time, Pam rescues animals, spays and neuters cats and dogs, deworms them and provides any medical attention needed. The money she raises, by taking people horseback riding, helps pay for of all these things. She has six rescued horses. All of which came to her underfed, overworked and skinny. The most touching story is Freddy himself. Three years ago as Pam and her girlfriend, Julia, were riding they came across a wee little piglet who’d been hit by a car. The right side of his face was crushed, as well as most of his body,  but he was alive. Pam took him home and began nursing him back to health. Now three years old, Freddy is fat and happy. He’s roughly three hundred pounds and spoiled rotten with mud pits, a swimming pool and lots of love.  His back legs never recovered, but that doesn’t stop him, he drags them behind him wherever he goes. He loves people and all the attention he gets from the visitors Pam brings. She has many other animals too: foxes, various cats, dogs, iguanas and something that we’ve forgotten the name of.

Freddy posing for his picture.

This cat jumped on my shoulders and refused to leave.

The name of this animal escapes us.

One of the foxes.

One of Pam's dogs.

The horse barn.

The horse ride itself was easy going and not at all a limited trail ride. We could gallop, go ahead or let lose if we wanted to. We crossed swift flowing rivers, rode through rural villages where children waved with big smiles upon their faces and stopped for a cola in the village. We rode past pineapple fields and corn fields where the horses tried to sneak a snack.

We took another collectivo to the town of Morales with friends, Harry and Melinda. I had a large shopping list. Unfortunately I didn’t find anything on it. Nevertheless, we walked, window shopped, ate lunch and had ice cream. It was a enjoyable outing with friends.

We met a couple on vacation who stayed in one of Captain John’s bungalows for two nights, Jon and Lynne. We instantly hit it off and spent the weekend together including getting up at 6am on Sunday to dinghy over to Monkey Bay. Monkey Bay is an area off the main river covered in overhanging trees and brush. The floating vegetation is a carpet on the water. Using our ores instead of the motor gave us an advantage to find the howler monkeys. After more than 30 minutes of incognito stealthily rowing  following  their loud calls, we found them. We weren’t close enough to get great photos, but it was captivating all the same.  When we were finished, we all retired to our respective abodes and slept until noon. Jon and Lynn are continuing  their vacation inland and will then head back home to Jasper, Texas. We  wish them well and only regret that we didn’t have more time with them.

Howler monkey and baby.

Some of our daily and weekly rituals include immersing ourselves in the swimming pool once and sometimes twice a day to cool our cores and fruit and veggie shopping on Tuesdays and Saturdays. I attend a bible study on Friday mornings, we listen to the net every morning, except Sundays, at 7:30am and I do yoga in the mornings at 6:30ish with the dock kitty, except I’m missed the past several days.  A gathering to play Mexican train dominos is Sunday afternoons – we’ve played once. Tonight we’re joining friends for a game of trivia. We’ve sat in the pool with new friends John and Lisa and old friends Harry and Melinda and dock neighbor Rich. We have more friends than we could possibly mention without losing your interest. Trust me when I say there is no shortage of friends, drop-ins and visiting.

The dock kitty doing yoga with me in the mornings.

Boat work – I try not to do any. Just kidding. I do what I need to; daily cleaning, cooking and dishes. Jimi has made us a nice drip tray mounted under the grill in the cockpit and took on a major project to redesign the holding tank plumbing and engine exhaust hoses. He also rebuilt a large manual pump used to empty the holding tank when at sea. He had to get creative with the materials and make the parts from items he scavenged at a local tire shop. The  look on the employee’s face clearly showed he thought Jimi was a loco gringo (crazy white guy) when Jimi asked if he could rummage the trash pile and asked if he could have the piece of inner tube he found.

I cook breakfast after the net , we have a light lunch around noon and a smoothie in the afternoon daily. We try not to cook in the evenings, but rather plan our menu ahead of time so we don’t need to heat the cabin. We’ve found that it’s much more economical to buy local foods for one of our meals each day. The restaurant, Sundog, sells a very large sandwich called The Italian for $5. Loaded with three types of meat and veggies, it’s large enough to share. About once a week we buy a roasted chicken. When supplemented with steamed vegetable and rice or potatoes, it lasts us an easy two meals. The food is unlimited and we’re still in awe at the amount of fruits and vegetables, all fresh with smells that float through the city. The size of the carrots and other vegetable is almost unbelievable. Our last purchase included a bag of strawberries, a potato, a carrot, a bell pepper, two jalapenos, two avocados, three tomatoes, green onions, three apples and a papaya for $5. The prices are as well unbelievable. 

This pile of fruit and vegetables cost us $3.25. The carrots are as large as, and often larger than, a banana.

Next week we begin some inland travel. We’ll leave Sanibel for three days as we travel to the ruins of Tikal. Stay tunned…