Finger?

I have said in a lot of our blogs that when we stared writing our blog we wanted to share all we find as we travel and tell it like we find it. We are definitely not trying to tell people how to do any thing. Maybe if people hear how we did it, they can maybe do it even better but either way at least we tried to tell you what it was like for us. The only questions ask more often than what if we get sick down here is how we fight off pirates. So far we have not seen a pirate but you can believe me we are keeping a good look out. This week we have had the opportunity to experience 3rd world medicine close up so maybe this will help answer the second most ask question. What happens down here if you really need a doctor? I did something stupid this week and cut off one of my fingers. Left hand right behind the first knuckle trough the bone and tendon, on my middle finger and no it didn’t hurt all that bad. It was so quick. I had a skill saw mounted to a piece of plywood making it into a table saw. First thing you never do is run any thing trough a saw with the blade higher than it takes to cut trough what you are cutting. Second and most important you need to use a push board on small stuff. If you don’t you my find parts of you missing. When it happened, I held up my hand and saw the finger hanging there on one little peace of skin. For some unknown reason, I just put the finger back and pulled my other fingers together. My outside finger were now holding my finger in place. I went for Pam. She did her little I need to do 3 things a once but what do I do first thing but soon settled down. She informed me that we were not taking Dumpling our dink to town. We live in a marina that has no roads. I might pass-out on her in the middle of the river so we went for the care taker here and he did have a little fit when he saw my hand trying to help me any way he could. Even trying to help me walk to the marina launcha. There’s a good doctor in Fronteras but he said it was over his head. That I needed a surgeon so he cleaned it and put in a drip opening in my good hand for a forced drip put in by a needle. He called ahead telling them we were coming. Left the needle in my hand for the drip Bandage it a little for the ride to Morales and a hospital on a caltivo. That’s the little bus vans here they say you can’t over load. There is always room for one more. They have a drivers’ seat that goes across the front and 3 bench seats in the back The most I have seen is 26 on one bus. I think they should have a ride at Disney World like it but in the states it would be against the law even at Disney World. Riding in a caltiva with your finger cut off and holding it in place with your other fingers and your hand is just a little more crazy than I do every day but we went on. When we got there we finally found the doctor and he said we would need to pay him for it all but we could pay him the next day. I ask him why not today. Why did we have to come back? He said in his broken English and Spanish to where we could understand this time. You are going to a hospital for major surgery and when you wake up it will be late. You will not be going home today. We need to monitor you tonight after you wake up You can maybe go back tomorrow if you are doing alright but first you need to find the clinic up the street to have your hand
x-rayed. We walked around till we found that with my cut off finger held in place by other fingers and bleeding some from time to time. Came back with the x-ray. All this time I was dressed in the worst cut-offs and tee shirt I have. I was doing fiberglass work when it happen. So much for looking nice and I don’t think it’s nice walking around leaving a blood trail either but what can you do? At the hospital we were given a private room but had to share a bathroom.

Tim not happy in his room

I had to put on a hospital gown and a pair of what Pam called “pantalones” A pair of big legged shorts with a draw string. This is not coming to a fashion store near you soon. They came and got me on a stretcher to take me to the operating room. I don’t know why? When I could have walked but I was glad. No one wants to be seen in hospital “pantalones.” It was cold in there something I have not felt in a very long time. The doctor was talking to the nurse and then I was in my room trying to get awake by myself. It seemed to be hard to wake up and I wondered why Pam was not there. Then I stared to remember she was going back to the river by herself to get money and our computer to move some money we have in a little saving account. I didn’t like her having to go back by her self but what else could we do? They don’t take credit cards at this hospital. They didn’t want US dollars and we didn’t have enough in the bank to use our debit cards. Pam didn’t get back till almost 9 that night. A nurse came by a girl maybe 20 but not a word of English. I under stud enough in Spanish that I was not to get up or go to the bathroom with out her. She came by about ever hour so when I needed to go, I just went holding up my drip with my hurt hand. When she came back the second time she called some one on her phone and it was her husband and he could speak some English and he told me to wait on her to go to the bathroom. Maybe it was because there was some blood in the end of my drip. I guess I didn’t hold it up high enough and it reversed on me a little. The next time I made sure I did.
When Pam came back I was happy. I was really getting worried She said she took a taxi back no riding a caltivo or a tuk tuk at night. Cost more but it gets dark here around 6 every night in Guatemala year round. No real long or short days. Too close to the equator. I told her I was worried when she was not there when they brought me back. She said she was there and I was talking to her like we were young again. Telling her how much I care for her with every one there in the room. I am not real big on outward affection at my age in public but I don’t remember saying a word or her even being there. She brought me food when she came back. There is no lunch room in this hospital. We watched TV something I really don’t miss much when it’s all in Spanish. Pam and I tried to sleep all night in the little single bed there. Maybe 32 niches wide. Remember Pam and I have been married over 50 years now and the first night we spent all night together she was only 15. Who could have ever guessed we would be here doing what we are doing 50 odd years later. I was a lot older at 17. This brought a smile from the nurse as she came by. I was worried she might be unhappy with Pam sleeping with me and my hurt hand. She might hit it or something. But she never said a word. In the states I am sure this would not be allowed. The next morning after daylight it all went 3rd world for sure. The power went off and we found out the power company shut down the power for an
up-grade and didn’t tell anyone the power would be off in the whole town till after 3 or maybe 4, but back on before dark for sure, if all went well. “Maybe.” Now our cards wouldn’t work and they would not let us leave till the bill was paid. We keep telling them we needed to go back to the Rio Dulce and get the money out of the bank there. The power was on there but they needed some security and I was all they had. Pam was to go by her self again while I stayed there in a hot room no air condition now or even Spanish TV to watch. Riding back with lots of cash by herself. We finally persuaded them to let us go get the money We left a deposit for a small part of the bill. When we came back the administer grabbed my good hand shaking it like he was thinking we had change our minds and skipped out on them. What do I think about doctors and hospitals down here? If you want a sex change or a brain transplant go back to the states but if you cut off your finger, You will be fine down here but it will be and adventure getting it sewed back on. That’s for sure. Cost up till now, a little over 800 dollars US. 2 doctors operating room night in hospital, drugs for pain, anesthesiologist. Rides on a caltivo from one town to the other 3 US for both of us one way. Cab at night 25 US. Round trip.
Parts for our motor that was to be air mailed here last week are promised to be here next week. You never know? But Life is still good here in Central America and we are watching out for them pirates Hopefully we won’t ever find one and the next time I will lower the blade on the saw before I cut this simple little small peace of wood.

our bed

Gringos

Have you ever dreamed of going cruising and not stopping anywhere for long for years on end? Just always wandering along. We do it all the time but it’s not the way it is. We do have to stop. Waiting on weather will stop us. Its hurricane season and we are just chicken to be out there. It’s safe up here in the river in Guatemala. Waiting on parts to be shipped from the states almost stops every one sometimes. If you are out here for long enough. Before we left we never thought about that. We heard about how hard it was to find what you need but hearing is not like being here. Never thought about what it’s like to shop where most everything has a reason why it was shipped to Central America to start with and not the other way around. Sometime you can see why but something you will just find out latter. We bought some small apples last week, I look at them and they were crooked They had grown with one side bigger than the other. What are the chances of hold boxes of apples being crooked They were shipped from the states to find a market here. They wouldn’t make the grade in the US. Women in the states don’t buy crooked apples so they showed up here.
We are waiting on parts now. It’s the rings to rebuild one of our motors. If we could find them here, I would be afraid to use them. Afraid of what kind of rings they would have. We will just have to wait and get rings from the US we are sure of but it’s nice waiting here. We have settled in and are now maybe part of the community here at this marina, we have been here before. It’s the most run down marina here in the all of the river. We are the only live aboards here. No one speaks English and I don’t speak Spanish just words but the other day the guard here made it clear after a lot of smiling and hand waving he need to borrow some money. He came back with groceries not beer and Pam was happy. I gave him the money and she made it very clear to me if he came back with beer she was not going to be. Most people here live on very little money. We do the best we can to help them but remember we don’t have much either. We give the kid here our empty drinks can and here they don’t weight them when you sell them. “They count them.” I guess too much sand and any thing to make them heaver was showing up. They don’t drink can drinks here as much as we do. Cost too much money and they say soft drinks give you a tourist belly. They drink a lot of juices here but mostly they drink water and what ever you drink here it always just cool not cold. If they catch a nice fish they run with it sometimes to the fish market alive and sell it. The guard came in the other day with a fresh cows head and that evening it was on the grill they burn wood in. Cow head on the grill cooked over an open wood fire with rice and beans a salad lot of chilies some ceveza (beer) and life is good here in Guatemala.

Cow head cooking over the fire

In Mexico we ate cow head taco. Watch him make them. Tell the truth now, Can you tell which part of the cow is in your next taco. Fish nets to catch fish are big down here and the guard makes them from scratch here in the marina.

Making a fish net

No one, Not even the fishermen that fish for a living, fish with a rod and reel. It’s all ways just a hand line or net.

Fishing with hand line

As I have mentioned they have a fish market here but we have trouble buying fish there. We almost always get gringoed. That’s where they charge you more because you are a gringo. Remember that the indigenous people make maybe 10 dollars US a day here if they can find work. If we go in there, people will be coming out with bags of fish but when we try to buy with our bad Spanish it’s always Q100 for 2 fish that’s about 13 dollars or over a days’ pay. We look around and indigenous people are leaving there with big bags of fish. How can they afford bags of fish if 2 fish are Q100? We ask a friend to help us that speaks good Spanish. When we went in he told them “No, weight the fish don’t just tell them what you think you can make them pay.” We bought 4 fish for supper and it was Q10 about a dollar and a half. Remember this, if you want to buy anything from someone on the street or where they have people that try to sell something all day like fish for the fishermen. “You will get gringoed.” What their asking is not what they will take. There is a man here that works for a lot of gringos but if you get to know him, you will find out he was deported form the states years ago and he hates white people. I get along with him alright but I believe him when he says people down here think that all white people are rich. No mater how you look or dress. They think you are just pretending to be poor. Some cruisers will go in to town or to the Port Captain office in anything. Needing a shave, old men with long hair un-kept, cut offs and a shirt that is closer to a rag than a shirt. The only people that dress worse are backpackers and remember the women they have with them in both cases dress no better. Most of our cruising friends I think try to dress appropriately before they go in to a new country or in to town. Not dressing up but dressing nice. Remember they think you are rich either way but if you dress nice they think you are better people. That’s what my white hating buddy says. So if you are coming this way, dress nice and don’t worry about getting Gringoed. It doesn’t hurt too much. We know. We steel get gringoed now and then. You won’t feel the pain until later when you find out just how little other people just paid. Some how it’s just part of the fun of being here.

A Little Dinghy

Last week in our blog we were working on our little diesel motor. It’s actually and old VW car motor. One of two we put in our boat because we couldn’t afford anything else. When we try to share how we have managed to be out here and going cruising in our blog. Remember this , We have never had enough money to go first class or 2nd class. We usually go in maybe what you could call any way we can class. Most of our best stuff is what someone threw away. If you ask any one that is out here going. Not setting at the dock getting ready to go but going. What you need. Their answer will always be what they have and they will tell you that you can’t make it with out what they have. Now on the other side. We have seen boats out here that I would not go any where on and they “are” the ones in trouble most of the time but they are going any way. This is why you do need good equipment. Always the best you can get. That’s really how we go. With the best we can get. Only thing is what we can get is usually old or they have come up with a better thing and the first class people are getting rid of it. Our anchor chain is double dip high strength 3B chain. The good stuff. Just what we needed for our home built windless. The owner was getting new chain. The chain was in great shape. Just old. We have two out boards and they were throw away. Remember this. Some things need love in this world and out boards are often one of them. The smaller it is the more it needs love.

2HP Honda getting TLC

When you talk to people that have been in the Bahamas, they always say you need the biggest and fastest dink your boat “can carry.” We maybe in trouble. We may go there someday and why would we be in trouble? Because we have and old dink that was broke all most half in two with all the wood trim rotted away. No seats. The back rotted out. It was really sad when it was given to us. It’s happy now but it’s like the other day some cruiser we met at the docks said “Where did you get that? It’s a classic. Just what you need if you are staying, Here in the river.” I didn’t say we have used it every where we have been for years because it would not have helped. The motor we had on was our little 2hp and Dumpling is an old 1974 Dyer hard dink.

Dumpling at rest under a covered dock

They had a new big inflatable with a 50hp on the back. It’s almost like politics. When you meet people that have made up there minds. It’s like they have heard the party line for today and are there with it. You can’t even tell them your side. I thanked them for there nice comment and we went on. They have one good point. Big inflatable’s are fast but have you ever had to row a big inflatable. How could we have told them. First of all we can’t afford a go-fast-dink or the gas to run one. No one will argue with how little gas a 2hp Honda uses and a Dyer dink rows just find “mostly when our little outboard need more loving.” Pam and I can stow her by hand without davit or a crane but in defense of the first class people with there big inflatable’s and all that power. There have been times when little Dumpling was doing all she could and we were not sure it was going to be enough. You need to think about that before you decide to stay little or go big. We have been caught out in some real storms over the years. A long way from the boat. When Pam has her life jacket on and is bailing you know its getting real. If you are reading our blog to help you decide what you may need, when you go. Remember we can’t buy just any thing we want. We just have to work with what we can get and work hard sometimes to be able to be out here going. But here is one thing most people never tell you that I think is important. Try getting in your dink from the water. You may have to someday. Remember we have a lot of old and used equipment on our boat but Dumpling gets used a lot every day for a lot of things. We have rescued people from the water, an over turned boat in the winter. We have helped a lot of people getting them off when they have run aground. We have used Dumpling to help us when we have run aground. Taking our anchor out and pulling. Here is one thing to think about. It is really fun to hold on to your dink snorkeling and watch the world change under you if you have a current carrying you along but some where you will have to get back in your dink.. Maybe in deep water. One thing we try to do with all of our equipment is keep it looking nice. We have dressed up and many a time went places like parties, Christmas Flotillas, Dink floats, where you tie dinks together and float some where all together. When you are coming back from some where and you can see the Pamela Ann setting at her anchor in the moon light. Dumpling will have the same glow with her varnished rails as the Pamela Ann has. How much longer will we be able to keep on going? How long can we keep our little dink, Dumpling? I don’t know but for now when we anchor out or if we hear of some one loosing there dink in the night, Pam is out there locking Dumpling to the boat or more times than not, making me bring her on board. Like I said. There is a lot of old equipment we have that needs loving on our boat but there is also some things like Dumping that are just so easy to love. We are taking her on a little trip this week to the old fort up in the lake. We will lock her to a tree and Pam will make me go check on her through out the day. All sailors love a boat ride and Dumpling is a slow ride but I hope she will look classy pulling up to the old fort with Pam all dressed up. Maybe we can do the blog next week on what we find at the old fort. It’s nice to see people and tourist making pitchers of where we are and it’s real nice to see them making pitchers of little Dumpling setting some where we use to just dream about.

Our little Home Made boat in the Western Caribbean

Sick VW motor

Have you ever wanted to take a motor apart? See and feel ever part. Hold each part in your hand. Like a surgeon taking the heart right out of the motor. I can tell you from experience. It’s not that much fun. That doing it in a 3rd world country can make it and adventure and doing it at a dock can make it a long hard process. That you need the patience of a sailor and a wife that you can get dirty. For all the years I have worked on boats I have said. That if I built a boat. “ I would build it where you could work on things.” I can tell you now that when I built the Pamela Ann, I failed badly in that task. I can touch most bolts on our boat with one hand but not with bought. It usually takes Pam on the other side of the bolt with a wrench doing what we call now after all these years. “Boat Yoga.” Trying to get our bodies in some where to get to a bolt we can’t see or Pam can see it and I can only feel it. Like I said “Boat Yoga.” One of our two beloved little VW car motor that has been carrying our old schooner faithfully along for years has died. It just refuses to come alive any more and when it did at the last, it was blowing oil and making smoke. We now need to hold it little parts in our hand again and see what we can do for it. For any of you that have dreamed of living on a boat, this is the parts of boat life the boat magazines seem to leave out. After a day or two of boat yoga, you are finely able to drag the motor out of its hole it has been in for 15 years dripping with oil and antifreeze in to the galley.

It’s out

The galley is a boat kitchen. There setting on a peace of plywood you take it apart. For the next few days, you cook and live crawling over what is left of the motor each day.

The simplest thing can become a challenge. We were in the Bay Islands where they have the only Ace hardware in the western Caribbean and there they didn’t have a simple electrical male plug for and extension cord so I went to 3 more places and they didn’t have one either. They said they could sale me a new cord at about twice what it would cost in the states. I watched a man trying to buy a ¼ inch fuel line and no one had one. Remember this. That if you find a ¼ inch rubber hose hanging on a wall in a store and you need a fuel line. It just became a fuel line. And remember this, when the person you are dealing with takes your money, right at that moment and from that moment on you can not get your money back. If it doesn’t fit are fall apart before you can leave the store. You will never get your money back. The deal is done and over with. We had a man get mad with me in Belize because I put a peach in a bag we were putting vegetables in, his bag and when we went to pay I put the peach back. He said I had touched it and handled it so I need to pay for it. It was 6 US dollars for one peach. “Imported” he said. We left the bag and what it had in it and walked on while he made strong talk about what he was going to do to us if we didn’t come back and pay. If you need a grade bolt down here, if you have someone that speaks Spanish to help you. They steal won’t understand that a bolt is not just a bolt. Some bolts are made stronger than others. We have all the parts coming from the US and hope we didn’t forget the smallest thing. Now that we have it out and apart and the parts coming, where do you put it while you wait for the parts to come from the states? It’s a motor. It’s all to pieces. It’s in the galley floor. You have to walk around it are crawl over it and it rains here every day. Maybe if your wife is the type of wife that you can get dirty. Maybe she will understand these parts just can’t get water in or on them. They need to stay right here safe in the floor. For a little while. Maybe a month or maybe just a little more. 6 weeks tops. This is Guatemala and we are living in paradise trying to put a willing little heart back in our motor. When we look back over our life. Maybe all the motors transmission and assortment of thing we have needed or have had become part of our lives or where we lived can be look at as just another adventure. And remember this, when we drew the plans for our boat, we were just dreaming of places like this. Pam said. “If it will help I will try and do what ever we need to do to make it happen. I really want to go but if we are drawing the plans for our boat around what we need, start with a good shower. Some how I feel like by the end of the day, they’re going to be days I am going to need one.
This is what we see every morning from our boat. The clouds below the mountains. What if it takes 2 months just to rebuild a motor. That makes it just that much better to see and hear it run again back in it little hold and not in the galley floor any more. If it stays there long enough you do get use to it being there. There is a word down here “tranguilo” that translates to quiet but it’s not how its used. They use it all the time for “Take it Easy” life too short to be in a great hurry. “Tranquilo”