Creature Comforts Breed Complacency
[18:32] [Wednesday, January 31, 2007]
We have been at Mario's Marina now for several days, and actually we've spent most of our time anchored in the bay just off the "storage line" -- that is, a line of med-moored boats stored by vacationers on the Rio. This has saved us a fair penny, but we spend our last night at the Marina dockside, with our shore power cable hooked up for the first time since we shoved off from Rockport, air conditioner humming quietly, biding time before we head for Lago de Izabel in the morning.
The Marinas along the Rio are safe havens for cruisers who travel its length and through the lakes -- Golfete and Izabel. Armed guards patrol the pier and grounds at night to deter theft, and the community developed at a marina like Mario's further prevents intrusion. Staying longer than a night means an inevitable indoctrination into the family of boaters here through a variety of activities hosted at the restaurant/bar.
Knowing someone before arrival is by no means a requirement, though to be sure it helped us tremendously to have Roy and Debi with us when we went to Fronteras, the closest town. We tried to get a handle on the town by ourselves, but the combined lack of Spanish and local knowledge plus a drippy day made for a poor exploration of the main thoroughfare, and we returned to the boat wet and grumpy. The next day offered us both sun and our tour guides, and they showed us where we could expect to find what we might need while on the river at reasonable prices; not to mention Debi's semi-fluent Spanish allowed for translation and informal learning as we made our way through town.
Everything here is very raw and untouched. The fruit and vegetables are to die for -- you would not believe how crispy, colorful and flavorful the veggies are, and cheap! Granted, the "rawness" of the main street means having to watch for drivers, since there is no sidewalk, but being able to purchase produce we know for certain has not been altered by genetic engineering or bleached for the sake of sterilization makes us feel good. Really! We don't think we've ever eaten this well, even though the past few days we have taken to eating at Mario's Restaurant.
We have heard stories from several long-term "residents" here of dinghy and motor theft, as well as the occasional boarding of boats to rob the absent cruisers blind. We are not sure by now if these stories should concern us greatly or if the robbed cruisers were asking for it, but we have been given several tips on where to anchor so as to remain safe along the banks of Izabel and the Rio.
Tomorrow we plan to head into Lake Izabel, and we hope to anchor near Aguas Caliente (hot waterfalls). We have heard some great things about caves behind and near the waterfalls open for exploration, and we hope we'll be able to get a good peek around the underground caverns with the aide of a sherpa, waterproof flashlights, our snorkel gear and -- of course -- video camera in hand. Also, the hot waterfalls flow into a cool river, and the drastic temperature difference between the falls and the pool they drop into is supposed to be spectacular. Can't imagine how we couldn't have a good time!
