Back on dry land

And it´s nice. A real toilet that flushes, no pumping necessary. And cold water to drink, how refreshing! I did learn that I have the ability to live a full week onboard a tiny boat with a misogynist as well as no toilets or showers. Did I already mention the showers are just fresh water bottles, sorry there is no question mark on this keyboard!! Anyway, it was quite an experience. It was a good relaxing group with many laughs and even tears. There truly was no privacy. But this has been my life in Guatemala.

So on the boat we sailed quite a bit and there were rough choppy moments. Overall, though, there was a great breeze. Probably the toughest part was finding shade. My poor back has a burn on top of a burn as well as sun blisters, which I´ve never had before. Crazy enough I was super vigilant about applying and reapplying sunscreen but you shouldn´t feel sorry for me.....

The snorkeling was pretty good. They definitely saved the best spot for last. I saw manta rays, there was a shark feeding on the fish corpses, a moray eel, and many colorful fish and plants. I was too scared to go in the water with the sharks and eel though, creepy. I have to say though, aside from the last stop in Belize, Guam had better snorkeling overall. But now I have a live aboard experience!!

So we ate on deck and slept underneath in little caverns. The food was great! Freshly caught seafood and dessert every night! Last night we had pasta with conch shell meat and it was the birthday of one of the passengers so they made chocolate cake!! We had great breakfasts of pancakes, sometimes beans, eggs, and plantains. I had a positive experience overall, this being said, the computer monitor is moving.....

I´m off to continue my travels with Becky to Semuc Champey, in the middle of Guatemala. It´s not an overly touristy place but is reported to have gorgeous natural beauty in the form of limestone pools and caves. I´m dreading the bus ride though, 3 hours then we change buses in El Rancho and from there I don´t know how much further it is. We might not make it all the way to Lanquin-Semuc Champey tonight.