We arrived safely in Rio Dulce after the usual long bus ride (6 ½ hours this time) from Guatemala City to Rio Dulce. We dragged our bags across the street – with me muttering my usual “I am never travelling with this many bags again!” to meet smiling Manuel who was just arriving with a load of folks at Bruno’s dinghy dock.

There is a lot to be said for arriving back “home” at a familiar place, however much we like the excitement of exploring new areas. We met up with several friends from past years and were delighted to find Madcap looking fabulous. Byron and his crew took excellent care of her. She was spotlessly clean inside and out with not a hint of mildew or mustiness.

There has been mucha lluvia lately (lots of rain! Lots and lots and lots of rain!) and the water levels are very high. The plank in this picture is usually a foot above water, and today the bottom is submerged. Some of the stores and docks in the area are afloat, and some of the villages where the local workers live are flooded, but we are doing well here at Tortugal.

I will write more another time – about the whole “transition thing” from northern “home life” to southern “boat life”, about the less idyllic part of life on a boat: fridge not working, empty propane tanks, (meaning I could neither store cold food nor cook anything for several days), head (toilet bowl) filling with too much water, no water coming from the taps, dinghy losing air, damp clothing hanging from every hook on the boat. Suffice it to say, there is a clear adjustment period to this cruising business!

Jim and I are both in fix-it mode and we are gradually getting back into ship-shape! Life is very good. We are in no hurry to get anywhere. We have internet connection. We have a marina restaurant that provides delicious healthy meals. We have friends and fellow boaters to share the joys and frustrations. We know local professionals who help where our own skills fail us.

Now I have to go try pumping up that darn dinghy again, while Jim works with Seakist Chris on the fridge!

PS It's 29 C and 100% humidity! And the sun has emerged from the clouds!!