After what seemed like a very long time on twisting roads, I made it from Coban to Rio Dulce. We passed through lush mountain jungle and dry, cactus plains on the way only to reemerge again into jungle tangle. The town of Rio Dulce lies on the Rio Dulce River, which connects Guatemala’s largest lake, Lago Isabel, to the Caribean sea. The main street, where the buses pull up, is downright ugly, full of noise, traffic and trash. Luckily an old Spanish man with blue eyes led me to the dock where I caught a lancha, small boat, to Tortugal Marina hotel on another side of the bay. I had booked a reservation here for one night for only $13. This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever stayed and that is of course due to the atmosphere and the wonderful people I met.
My bed was one of four in an open-air thatched roof cabana dormitory, which perched on posts above the river water. Only one other traveler shared the dorm with me, a 16 year old boy who had grown up homeschooled on a sailboat and had already been to 64 countries and counting. Needless to say, he hung out with adults and was extremely sophisticated himself. Most of the people at Tortugal own boats and keep them there because the Rio Dulce offers a less expensive and hurricane free dock.
Tortugal provides free kayaks to guests, so guess what I did right away? Yup, kayaked around the bay for over an hour. Kayaked out to a peninsula where a Spanish castle was built in the 1700’s to try and keep foreigners from entering via the sea. Hot and sticky after the wrestle with wind and current paddling back, I went for a refreshing swim at sunset. Coming out of the water, a table of 3 middle-aged yacht owners greeted me warmly. They told me to come join them for dinner and the free movie night on the dock after I dried off. So I did. A couple from Oklahoma and a lady from Austin. We all ordered the special at the restaurant consisting of two slices of any kind of pizza, a salad, and a beer for $7. Then we settled into deck chairs to watch “My Sister’s Keeper” on a slide projector in front of the water. Bliss.
I am so grateful I ended up at Tortugal that night. I really needed it and I felt extremely spoiled after the homestay and in a totally different world. What a life! I decidedly like the boat people, their stories and their wanderlust.
The next morning the 3 new amigos showed me their boat, invited me to visit them in Austin next time I’m there, and helped me get my bags to the warf for take-off. I wandered about for a beautiful walk behind the marina, collected my thoughts and things, and departed on a little lancha for Livingston, the town at the other end of the Rio where the river says hello to the open sea.
