Belize, Death of a Mac, and Tikal

Today I sit at a small computer in an un-airconditioned office in the Rio Dulce, Guatemala. We've just got back from ten days at sea in Belize. Truly one of the most incredible experiences of my life. We were leary when we left that we'd end up going stir crazy on a sail boat for longer than a week. I was amazed to find, however, that we acclamated incredibly quickly. It seemed after a few days and one trip with seven foot quartering swells (that resulted in my macbook pro taking a salt bath and dying) that I found my sea legs and pretty soon being at sea became the norm. After leaving Guatemala, we sailed for five hours to Placencia, Belize. There we provisioned and picked up Jim's wife Lois, who happened to be the ship doctor as well. It was a good thing, because my cameraman got a pretty voracious case of sea sickness and needed a little TLC. Drugs and a 24 hour nap later we were all fit and ready and headed east to island hop. We visited all kinds of keys and islands, reefs and shoals. I snorkeled for the first time, and saw an incredible variety of wild life in the belizian coral reefs. One night culminated with us on a small sliver of an island trying to build a fire at sunset. Even though the sunset was beautiful, and we had brought our secret ingredient, we could not get the fire lit. Apparently, the wood was a little too wet for even gasoline. Oh well.
We spent a few days in Glovers reef. Another beautiful island and headed back. Its amazing to think how natural it became to be on the boat. A few hours on land and I'd be jonesing for some water under my feet again. Yesterday we dry docked the boat in what Jim has said was the fastest turn around for the Lorena yet, and today we hop a bus to head for Flores. Flores is a small town on an island in the middle of a lake in Northern Guatemala. It's about a forty five minute bus ride to Tikal, where the ancient Mayan ruins are located. We're supposed to meet Jordan and Libby in Flores. Our australian boatmates for the past two weeks, we dropped them off in Belize on our way back to the Rio. Jordan just finished two semesters studying abroad in Long Beach, CA and George Washington University, in DC. Libby, his girlfriend, had a work visa and stayed with him for the journey. On their way back to Australia to finish his masters degree on his way to becoming an Architect, they decided to spend a few months in Central America. Hopefully we'll see them again. Its the end of our trip, and its been incredible.

Michael