Guatemala Booming

Being back on our boat this world is changing right in front of our eyes. Here in Guatemala up the Rio Dulce river there are few restrictions. You can build most anything without the government bothering you and most local people here live away from town and the river now. Moving futher away every day as people with money develop the land near the river and the town is growing bigger each year. There is only one road to Guatemala City and it’s changing every trip we take. Most people think of country like this as everyone is poor. I been dealing with what people think from the first day I had to deal with being out in public at 5 years old having to go to school back in South Carolina. What is rich and what is living poor. My granddaddy would say, “A rich man can never have enough money. Never, and a man getting along in life with few problems never realizes how rich he really is” This applies here. There is money here and it is not dope money. I hate hearing that ever time someone sees someone get ahead a little. There is old money here and of course there is people learning to make money here. Making money is hard and there are few people in the whole world can and that is why most people say they make money working for someone but it’s not making money it’s making wages. In the US as a young man, I wanted to be a farmer. No problem as long as you are farming and have been farming a long time when you go the borrow money to farm. They loan no money to anyone that hasn’t proved they can make money farming. What will this be like in ten years here? It will be fine if you have money. If you don’t you will have to pay to live on this river. Remember the only constant is change. Somehow being here watching this change from dugout canoes and hand lines on the river with stores so small in town the size of a bathroom in the US to now this place is more modern every day. Some things never change much. As many, people standing in the back of a truck as the truck will hold going back in the hills to a village with no power or running water. Just a pipe from a creek running in the center on the village. No sidewalks in towns with vendors all the way to the road. Buying a live chicken off the street dodging a cattle truck is a talent.

                                               The Adventure Goes On

Busy streets

Vendors goods almost in the road

Always flowers blooming.

 

What it’s Like Living on a Sailboat?

As in keeping with what we stared on our blog the first blog of the month is dedicated to what it’s like living on a boat. I met a woman not long ago that told me she hoped soon they would make it against the law with a big fine to write anything about any adventure without telling how you got the money to go do whatever it is. That is what we need another liberal law. Maybe here we need to explain how we have done it for years. “Remember it’s we have done it.” We work hard living cheap and save money when we stop to work before our next trip. Sounds simple well it ain’t. We were born in the south in the US and say things like. “That ain’t easy.” Is just how we talk. Out traveling first, you need to stop and get a job before you’re broke. Set up to work and live cheap is as important as what you make then make as much money as you can which means seven days a week and long hours. This may explain some of this what to do while you are making money. There are places if you know where to go that sell can goods cheap if you look for them. Walmart last chose. One place we like in the south is Save A Lots. We go there shopping and if we see something we don’t know about we buy one can. Try it and now we know. When we buy before a long trip, we buy cases. One time in Mandeville Louisiana a man we knew ask us to come and do all his canvas work on a classic power boat and he would furnish us a dock. Best world working with free dock. At the end of the job we borrowed his truck and went to Save A Lots and bought 4 buggies topped off of with can goods. Outside we carefully placed all these groceries in the back and the key would not unlock the door. Pam screamed and we had the wrong truck. Buggies already back inside. She was back inside to get four buggies to take outside empty. I was frantically trying to put the groceries back in the buggies while Pam explained to management what we were doing taking empty buggies outside running like we were stealing them. We got it straighten out with no body too mad. Had it to happen again in a place I won’t tell where so on one can say I’m prejudice. They call this place the Dirty Little Store not the real name and it’s in a bad neighborhood with off duty cops for security guards. Went there with some other sailors in a borrowed SUV. Out of the store with bags of cheap groceries. The key would not unlock the car. Knew these sailors so they said break in I’m sure you know how and less get out of here. I did but once inside climbing over the seat there was a baby seat. Not our car and I’m inside now. Every one screaming get out of there. How do you explain you being in there car in this neighborhood? Remember this neighborhood with them leaving it locked and I’m inside now. Made it out alive with cheap groceries with every one laughing but Pam. Pam saying, “Just because you know how to do things don’t mean you need to do everything people tell you to do.” Now if you have a year or more of can goods, toothpaste, razor blades soap what you need. Now you need fresh meat and vegetables along the way and stuff you can’t carry and no lugging heavy stuff back to the boat all the time this way. Your cash will go a long way living this way until you have to go back to work. Remember by cheap. Not going to be cheap along the way. Meat is a problem and cost a lot. With this we can our own meat aboard the boat while we are working. Turkey is easy to can and very cheap if you buy it after a holiday. We bought some this year in Kansas while we were there for 50 cent a pound on sale after Christmas. Dee-bone it and pack it in (we like pint jars) to near the top half teaspoon salt no skin no bone. Place sealed jars in pressure cooker 90 minutes for 10 pound and it good for years stored in the dark. Beef rump roast same. We do something most people wouldn’t take the time to do and cost a little more. Round steak cut in 5 inch strips laid out and sprinkled with onions and green bell peppers rolled up and wrapped with a piece of bacon and bakers string. Sear it in hot oil just till it browns a little and place in a big mouth jar. Half teaspoon salt. Place sealed jars in pressure cooker for 90 minutes at 10 pounds. Now why we do this? Now with the turkey or the beef you can make turkey and rice, turkey dumplings you can even batter chunks in flour and fry it or just serve it. It’s cooked in the process of canning but frying it changes the taste. The canned round steaks makes a great presentation along the way if you take it out of the jar slice it maybe one inch thick and serve it to guest, you’re anchored up with hungry to get somewhere to get something good to eat. Maybe serve it again served hot, make a gravy with the broth, with mashed potatoes and canned cream corn with fresh bread out of the oven. You know you can butter also. In the future we will tell how we lived for years with no refrigerator off the grid. Looking back, it has been a dream come true going sailing in a boat we designed and built ourselves and it is hard at times but then there are days you are free in the wind with no big plans just see what the day brings. Maybe you can just see the tops of mountain on the horizon. Decision time. We go in or go on? What a free felling.

Do we keep on sailing or go in and anchor for the night?

Pamela Ann anchored in Bay Islands, Honduars