Chillin' and soakin'
Trip Start
Oct 23, 2006
1
207
228
Trip End
Apr 15, 2009
Poptun,
Guatemala
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
We like it here and are happy to be back. The route is new to us as we travel eastward on paved highways. There are a couple of cities on route but a glance from the overlooking highway is all we need except in Chiquimula we stop for groceries. Chiquimula is very hot and we are happy to be back on the highway getting some elevation to cooler but unfortunately cloudy weather which soon turns into rain. Once we reach Rio Dulce we are back on familiar trails and passing over the waterway full of sailboats at anchor we recall that this is where a couple were attacked recently which resulted in the man being killed. This is a tourist area and signs of wealth are evident in flashy white yachts. This area is a safe haven for boats from the storms and hurricanes that ravage the Caribbean.
We reach Finca Ixobel our safe haven for many days. As we probably wrote before this is a working farm. Travelers can come and work for room and board or stay as a tourist. There are tree houses, dorms, houses and camping, something for everyone. Camping involves picking a spot anywhere on the large grassy lawn. Forests surround the place and we take joy in watching and listening to birds and other critters. There is a breed of monkey here, known locally as the mico. Gillie picked up its scent and became quite agitated so the security guard went looking and discovered the monkey. Parrots-papagaya and guacamaya amuse us with their spanish greetings. Mostly they sit high in the tree and squawk but during the afternoon they will talk. A flock of toucans sat in the tree above us and sang their song, not much of a song but special. A huge tarantula lives in a hole nearby us. Jose, the guard coaxed it out of its hole and we admired it from a safe distance. It crawled onto the nearby tree and stayed there until it caught something to eat. I missed that action so have no idea what he dined on, I only caught the finger licking part.
The 200 acre farm supports the needs of its thriving restaurant and provides activities such as hiking, caving, inner tubing, horseback riding and other treks. A pool and bar are located at the end of a path far away from the sleeping areas. The bar is opened for a couple of hours after dinner. Visits here work on an honor system where you sign in and log everything you use; meals, beverages, lodgings, internet, wi-fi and activities and when you check out you pay your bill. Nothing is a surprise because only you write in your log and monitor it closely. I'm sure the staff monitor our entries in some way.
We spend our days easily and accomplish a few things. Life is easy here for us.
