Traveling the Land of Apocalypto
Lago de Izabal
[09:58] [Saturday, February 03, 2007]
We left Mario's morning of the first after a hearty breakfast and motored to the lake. In search of a safe anchorage, we made a bee line for Denny's Beach, where several Rio vets said we could be certain we'd find no trouble.
Two other boats shared our anchorage off the beach, waving British colors. Peter and Theresa on Sonatina, and Will and Jeanine on Samcharsa, have all been in and around Guatemala seasonally for several years, and it didn't take long for us to join up with them.
Yesterday afternoon we all decided to make a circumnavigation of the lake. Sonatina had done so alone a couple years ago and explored the west end of Izabal pretty heavily. Perhaps about to sell their boat, Peter and Theresa are looking to get a final look-see around Izabal -- and no wonder! Two mountain ranges fade along the north and south horizons, and like all the rest of Guatemala we've thus far seen, they make for an amazing view.
We dropped the hook in a cove nickname El Refugio for the night. As the sun lowered slowly toward the Sierra de las Minas, Brady and I set off in the dink to get a closer look at the cove's uninhabited shore. We rowed over lily growth and a fishing net right up to land, and Brady jumped out to get a taste of the jungle.
Surrounded by chirping bird and insects and a green canopy, we rowed as close to shore as possible, soaking up the lushness of El Refugio. The only reminder we were not alone was the laughter of our boat buddies in the distance, swimming and sharing cocktails aboard Samcharsa.
We turned the dink around in time to watch the sun dip behind las Minas over our three boats. A clear sky dropped red and purple as twilight fell and, sleepy after a hot day, we retired.
This morning is overcast but quite breezy, and we've broken away from Sonatina's course awhile to enjoy some much-missed sailing. Our sails are full and the lake is vast, green and empty. It is so strange to see a lack of boats here. It seems we share this gorgeous gem only with our boat buddies.
Though alone for now among water and the silhouettes of mountains, we will meet up with the Brits near El Estor. Perhaps our daysail will leave us in a state of mind to have a few drinks in the company of friends this sunset.
