Our blogging has slowed down because my computer went to the big tech heap in the sky, and of course all our photos were on my computer. Thankfully I backed up my files (yes, go and back up your computers now) and successfully transferred my photos to Peter’s computer. Now Peter and I just have to learn to share, “gasp”, one computer. Who says we aren’t roughing it out here on the high seas 😉
I’ve always wanted to know what to do with a coconut. They literally litter the ground down here. So weren’t we luck when Trudy of Casa Orquideas, an American ex-pat who lives on an orchid and tropical plant farm in Costa Rica, showed us how to open one during a tour of her beautiful property.
Casa Orquideas near Golfito, Costa Rica
Trudy uses a rail spike to quickly split the husk of the coconut
Thanks to Trudy, I now know what to do with the brown ones. You have to shake it to hear for liquid inside to be sure it is good to eat.
First, remove the husk. This can be done in any number of ways. I use the trusty machete, third world wonder tool. You have to peel it off in slices.
This leaves you with the round brown nut we are all familiar with.
Then, using the back of the machete, give it a few good hard whacks on a line around the circumference, holding the coconut upright.
Soon, it will crack all way round and you can pluck the top right off.
Then, drink the delicious fresh coconut water inside. Who knew dogs were absolutely CRAZY about coconuts? Lucy will drink off a whole coconut and then seems to have renewed energy. She’ll even try to gnaw the white meat out of it.
You can pry out the white meat after drinking the water. Press a knife into it and pry pieces of it out.
If you are extra lucky and find a coconut that is sending up a new shoot, you will find a little round sponge-like object in it. This tastes like coconut but is soft and airy with a little crunch. I am surprised this thing has not found its way onto Manhattan menus yet.
I still don’t know what to do with the green ones, ok, maybe I do LOL
I think with those you only drink the milk inside. Locals chop the top off, add a straw and perhaps some rum and you have nature’s Solo cup.
Our first stop in Costa Rica was in the tranquil bay of Santa Elena. We were exhausted and ready for a break from the high winds. Once the anchor was down, we relaxed with a sunset cocktail and to enjoy the deserted scenery surrounding us.
Santa Elena, Costa Rica
The tranquility soon was broken by this sound
Had we entered Jurassic Park? Are there gorillas in the mist? No, just the local howler monkey troop welcoming us to Costa Rica. We were certain they were going to be giant, gorillas even, but when we finally saw them they were basic-monkey sized. This country had me at first grunt.
Howler monkeys all over the place
What’s cuter than a baby monkey?!!
Eager to see more of Costa Rica, we left the boat safely at Marina Papagayo and rented a car with pals, Robin and Mike from Mermaid and spent a few days up in the very wet inland mountains and the Monteverde Cloud Forest.
Of course we didn’t forget Lucy.
Driving in Costa Rica is a combination of well paved roads and pot hole filled dirt trails where interesting obstacles are par for the course.
Modern day cowboy.
We spent a fascinating day touring the Monteverde Cloud Forest, which was made even better by our knowledgeable guide, Javier. Its protective reach extends over 35,000 acres atop the Continental Divide. There are over 100 species of mammals, 400 species of birds, and 1,200 species of amphibians and reptiles living within its bounds.
Javier leading us through the Cloud Forest. And yes we are styling in those rain jackets
It is well worth having a guide to help you spot the local flora and fauna and explain the fascinating ecosystem found in this lush forest. We had just started the tour when a spider monkey quietly swung overhead. Unlike the Howlers, they don’t make a peep because as Javier explained: in this wild preserve full of predators (mainly wild cats, who actually prefer to hunt in the trees), “monkey cry, monkey die”. Sorry to say I didn’t have the camera out in time for the spider monkey, but we did for the resplendent Quetzal. What is this you ask? I did too after the 100th person in Central America talked about this colorful, yet elusive bird. It is the official bird of Guatemala, even their money is named after it, but they are rare, almost non-existent in Guatemala. However, good ol’ Javier (aka the Quetzal whisperer) with his bird calls and years of experience spotted this majestic creature for us. And wow was it a treat, this bird’s colors are so brilliant he looks like a cartoon. Javier was ingenious enough to help us take this picture through his scope with our phone.
We took this photo through a scope, which doesn’t do it justice, but proof we saw the resplendent Quetzal!
Later in the tour, Javier calls us over to a small crack in the hillside, shines his flashlight and with a devilish smile tells us to look inside. Eeek, I believe is the word you are looking for…
tarantula
This Millipede smelled like almonds. And no he didn’t smack Pete in the face.
Cloud Forest
Stylish hanging bird’s nest built from moss. This bird must work for Dwell magazine.
Cloud Forest living up to its name.
Feed me, Seymour! Plants that look like they want to reach out and grab you
Jack ass on the canopy bridge
After a few days of R&R in Monteverde, which included delicious meals, cool weather and an earthquake. Yes, 5 years in San Francisco without an earthquake and 5 days in CR and we were rockin and rollin’, we headed back to our marina along the coast.
Great meal at Trio restaurant. Moments after this photo was my first earthquake!
We had a lovely stop in Playa Avellanas and enjoyed lunch at Lola’s watching an international crowd of surfers in this remote spot. (Good lord all we do is eat.)
Lunch at Lola’s
Lola (yes, this is Lola and no we didn’t order the spare ribs)
We came to Costa Rica 20 years ago and it is amazing how much it has changed. A LOT more expensive, but still as beautiful. We’ll tell you more of our adventure in Part II of the CR post.
What do you do when you have extra time in El Salvador? You rent a mini van with a bunch of your pals and drive the 5 hours to Guatemala. (Note to all travelers in Central America, however long they say a trip will take, add 3 hours). You breeze through the boarder crossing, so easy a dog can do it.
Guatemala border crossing. I got in trouble by the authorities for taking this photo, but I needed to get a shot of that dog.
Then you hold your breath while driving across the El Salvador-Guatemala border bridge under repair.
No need to close the bridge during repairs, just drive on through.
You are amazed at how huge and modern Guatemala City is.
Guatemala City
You rent an over the top house, party with your friends and of course order delicious Chinese food.
Beautiful home we rented just outside Antigua, Guatemala
Mike photo bombs Rob and Rose
Chinese dinner and they delivered! Travel fun with our friends Ken and Julie (Kia Ora), Paul and Janet (Talos IV), Rob and Rose (R&R Kedger) and Mike and Holly (Wanuskewin)
You hang on for dear life as you take the local bus into town. Minimum speed 70mph
The fast and the furious, I mean the bus ride into Antigua
You enjoy a beautiful day exploring the Spanish baroque style 16th-century buildings, churches, cobble-stoned streets and the many ruins throughout Antigua. Earthquakes have destroyed many structures, but they’ve done a wonderful job preserving the ruins and even incorporating them into functioning businesses. 
design created with colored rice
Central Park
If you are Peter, you jump out from a dark corner of the catacombs and scare teenage kids on a field trip.
Catacombs under Santo Domingo
You renew your wedding vows…
Just kidding
But you do crash a wedding at Santo Domingo, which was an old monastery that they’ve repurposed into a museum and hotel. The old alter which was destroyed in an earthquake is now used for special events.
Fellow wedding crashers Mike and Holly
Take a 2 hour coffee break, because Peter and Mike found this woman who was a coffee guru.
Peter and Mike in coffee nirvana
You take a beautiful drive to Lake Atitlan. A bit too touristy but stunning countryside and the opportunity to see the colorfully dressed indigenous people.
Guatemalan countryside
Lake Atitlan
Traditional clothing worn everyday. And yes, the weather was cool enough for sweaters!!
The men dress in vibrant colors too.
Locals crossing at low tide
Indigenous ladies of Guatemala
You marvel at the vibrant and exuberant colors of the cemeteries. Families think of the afterlife as something to celebrate, so why not make the graveyards a cheerful place.
Graveyard looks like a small city
And you are so thankful you have the opportunity to explore another fascinating country.
Sailing south from Mexico to Panama a boat has to pass three hairy spots where the wind can be fierce. These are areas where the trade winds from the Caribbean blow across the narrow Central America isthmus and accelerate as they are funneled through mountain valleys. The first such place is the Gulf of Tehuantepec. We crossed this 250 mile stretch of water with little difficulty. The second are the Papagayo winds that blow along the coast from El Salvador to northern Costa Rica, but are strongest on Nicaragua’s’ Pacific coast. The third is the Gulf of Panama which we will face on our way to the canal.
1 = Tehuantepec
2 = Papagayo
3 = Golfo de Panama
We crossed the second of these most recently. We left El Salvador with a good weather window but quickly ran into a steady 20 knots of wind on the nose. The strategy for navigating these winds is to stay very close to shore. Since the winds blow from the land, staying close to land gives little room (fetch, in sailing terminology) for the winds to build up waves. Dealing with a lot of wind is one thing, dealing with a lot of wind and big waves is another, and one we try not to face. 
So hugging the shore and passing along the barren shores of El Salvador and Nicaragua, we, along with our buddy boat Mermaid, sailed into this stuff hour after hour. Finally, as dark was setting in on the second night, we had had enough and looked for a bay to wait it out (these winds can blow even harder after dark). We pulled into Astillera in Nicaragua, a largely empty bay, to anchor overnight. The winds howled all night but we slept well in the shelter of this remote bay. The next morning, we were greeted by a stern young man from the Nicaraguan navy on our stern. He asked what we were doing here and to see our papers.
Neko being boarded by the Nicaraguan navy.
Satisfied that we were leaving in an hour and were only there to wait out the wind, he went over to inspect Mermaid. Frankly, I was pleasantly surprised that we didn’t have to pay any “fees” or “fines”. With no choice but to leave, we went out into more wind than the day before. That day we had a blistering sail with gusts to 45. With 2 reefs in the main and the staysail up, we hit speeds up to 11 knots. We hugged the coast and with the wind more to the side of the boat, the sailing was easier. We flew down the coast of Nicaragua, past our last intended “bailout” bay and into the relative safety of Costa Rica. By the end of the day the Papagayo winds had slowed down, and we coasted into an anchorage tired and exhilarated. Now we can slow down and sight-see a bit (off to the Monteverde cloud forest).
Costa Rica
When we first started this trip, I envisioned sipping cold beers on the beaches of Mexico, then sailing to Costa Rica for eco-everything, anchoring off a remote island or two, going through the Panama Canal and finally to the holy grail of clear waters – the Caribbean. But there are four, yes, four other countries between Mexico and Costa Rica. The “forgotten middle” as some call it.
Neko heading to El Salvador
And I’ll admit it, El Salvador was not at the top or even on my list of must-see countries. There are a lot of reasons boaters don’t stop places; too much crime, too expensive, too big a headache to check in, too few places to stop and on and on. El Salvador’s main strike against it with boaters is that its entry is too “scary”. (See crossing sand bar post) But after hearing others (that’s you Torben and Judy) say it was no big deal and that the El Salvador Rally was worth checking out, we decided to take the chance, put on our big boy pants, cross the bar and see what “the savior” had to offer. And indeed, unlikely as it sounds, Neko was “saved” with fixes to our hydraulic steering and generator by helpful craftsmen in El Salvador. And we were saved from missing out on a fascinating country. Outdoor fun, indoor fun, city life, country life and sea life, what a mix.
Boquerón, one of El Salvador’s 22 volcanoes
Joya de Cerén, is an archaeological site of a Maya farming village preserved remarkably intact under layers of volcanic ash. The “Pompeii of the Americas”
The El Salvadorian ladies love their frilly aprons and can balance anything on their heads.
Fish market in Libertad
Iglesia el Rosario, looks like a cement airplane hanger on the outside, but inside…
Iglesia el Rosario interior. The sunlight coming through the windows changes throughout the day creating a stunning natural light show. It has been a zillion years since Peter’s last confession, but he broke into this church so we could see the inside. It was well worth it and I’ll have him say 5 Hail Marys.
We spent a month meeting fantastic new friends,
Sweet Jan. Lucy’s best new pal!
learning that El Salvador is a proud country that is moving beyond their civil war (that was 20 years ago folks) 
Crazy night at Che bar. The bartender and his friend are both children of Guerrilla fighters, both their dads and moms.
and enjoyed exploring both El Salvador and neighboring Guatemala (see Guatemala post). Because of their close proximity to each other and the fact you get a four country visa, land travel between Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua is relatively easy.
Indigenous ladies of Guatemala
To all you fellow boaters out there thinking of doing the El Salvador Rally – give it a shot. It is VERY informal and chill. No need for morning nets, just wander up to the bar or pool and see what’s what. I liked the fact there were only about 20 boats at any given time, allowing you to actually know everyone.
With Mike and Holly in the colonial town of Suchitoto
El Salvadorian artist, Fernando Llort’s gallery.
I jumped in a fountain to save a dog!
Learning about indigo tie dying from women’s artist coop
Indigo tie dying with Rose
Cooling off the pool with ice blocks. You’d think we were kids in a candy store.
dork
Dinghy raft up
Rally crew in Suchitoto
Peter getting neck massage. Wait! What???
Funky tree house room we stayed in during trip to Juayua. It was a great place and especially enjoyed the cool weather up in the mountains.
Juayua food festival
Zip lining through the jungle. See zip line post
The laid back attitude of Bill and Jean (rally organizers) created a no pressure atmosphere for participating as much or as little as you desire. We did both planned activities and explored on our own. For god sake, if anything go for the $1 beer 😉
Bye to all our Rally pals
Costa Rica, here we come.
Hello, my name is Mary and I am a chicken. I’m afraid of a lot of things; first and foremost moving fast and being out of control. Skiing, motorcycles, boat racing, you name it. Peter wants to do and does all these high adrenaline activities and my response 99% of the time is “no way”. Then the next thing I know, I’m snapping skis on my feet, zipping down the highway on the back of a Ducati or racing JY15’s on a frozen Hudson River – bitchin’ and cryin’ the whole way. So when Peter and a group of boating friends said, “let’s go zip lining through the El Salvadorian jungle”, I gave my pat answer. I’ll let you guess what happened next…
At least we will fall to our deaths looking stylish. Peter and his chick(en), Julie and Ken (Kia Ora) and Janet and Paul (Talos IV)
Why oh why
Flying chicken
Here we go
We survived
Don’t tell Peter that I loved ever second 😉
We saw these guys on some inland traveling in El Salvador. We’ll probably have more to say about our travels in a later post, but I wanted to point out these crazy dudes. They ride these giant homemade skateboards down the mountains of this country (El Salvador has more volcanoes per square mile than any other country – it is a jungly, mountainous place). They usually carry a load of wood behind them and use a spare piece of it as a brake by jamming it under the “vehicle”. They steer with their feet. Note the tiny metal wheels and generally rickety construction and then imagine riding one of these things down a potholed third world road amongst traffic at about 40 mph. There’s just a different approach to safety here. Life is full of risks.
Fully loaded
Passengers Too
Don’t get that scarf caught
Picture this: You and friends are sipping drinks at a table by a hotel pool on the beach. Several other tables are also filled with quietly chatting folks when a local guy walks up from the beach with a machete in one hand and a small sea turtle in the other. He flips the turtle onto its back and raises the machete.
What the what???
Mary cowers in terror, as several of us run over to tell the guy not to do this in front of everyone like this. You hate that endangered animals are eaten, but you wish at least they would do the butchering out back somewhere. But before you get to the guy he gently taps the machete against a growth on the underbelly of the turtle. It’s a barnacle. He knocks it off and then repeats it for a bunch of barnacles on this poor turtle.
Barnacle belly
By this time the turtle has stopped flapping for its life and is calm. He has either given up or knows somehow he is not in danger. The guy painstakingly knocks barnacles off the underside, shell, legs even the head of the turtle. It’s amazing what these guys can do with a machete. He even very gently pries one off its eyelid! 
By this time we realize he is not some turtle butcher with no social graces. He is a kind of Tortuga whisperer. When he has all the barnacles off, we all, including Lucy, follow him back to the ocean to watch the turtle swim away newly unencumbered by the little parasites. 
Good luck buddy
The hero
The turtle hero has zero English and his Spanish is different and incomprehensible to us. So we are only able to communicate our wonder and appreciation for this bit of kindness in a world where people are often so indifferent to animal suffering with smiles and cheers.
Beautiful El Salvador
What a welcome we received upon our entrance to El Salvador. We had buddy boated down from Mexico with Kia Ora, Mermaid and Talos IV. We actually had great winds for part of the trip, so the 250nm journey went faster than anticipated, ending with us all anchored out in the ocean waiting for high tide to “cross the bar”. The entry into the harbor has a shifting sandbar with waves breaking over it, making it dangerous to cross without a knowledgeable pilot to guide you through the narrow opening.
August Pearl, Neko (top row) Kia Ora, Mermaid and Talos IV(bottom row)
Even in the opening there is often a cresting wave that causes a boat to surf on in. Surfing a 30,000 lb boat will make you a bit anxious. At the appointed time, we lined up with the other boats and nervously anticipated the crossing. When it was Neko’s turn we went full throttle towards the prescribed path and just as we braced ourselves for a wild ride down breaking waves, we heard the voice of our pilot over the radio welcoming us to El Salvador. Wow, that was a relief and, frankly, a bit of a let down. You don’t want to surf the boat, but you kind of want a little wave. Alas, in the long run I think it was better to have had the uneventful crossing.
Lucy ready for a new country
They don’t get a lot of tourists in El Salvador and even fewer boaters, so they were very welcoming and friendly. When we arrived we were greeted on the docks with smiles and cheers by immigration officials, the port captain, locals and rally members. (We have joined the very informal El Salvador Rally which begins in a few weeks. In the meantime we plan on exploring on our own and with our other boat pals.)
Welcome cocktail, this is my kind of place
They handed us welcome cocktails, snapped photos, helped with our lines and bombarded us with information. As you’ve read in previous posts, we normally have to drive or walk miles to officially check in/out of a country, here we only took a few steps to an air conditioned (ahhhh) office with ALL necessary personnel ready to stamp, stamp, stamp our way into El Salvador.
Peter waits his turn for the all in one check in
Apart from their love of official government stamps, El Salvador is really quite different from Mexico. Everything from the landscape (volcanoes and lush jungle), people (friendly, but a little more shy), food (not spicy) and even their Spanish is slightly different (tend to drop endings of words). Mexico was great, but we are ready for a change.
We’ve met great folks here and within our first week have been welcomed into their homes, experienced an early season lighting storm,
no not snow, heavy rain
No flash, only the lightening making the dark sky look like day
watched a turtle rescue (click here for turtle story), started volunteering at an English language school for children, run by a wonderful woman, Jan.
English language students
sampled several versions of pupusas, the quintessential El Salvadorian dish,
Pupusaria
Pupusas are made of thick corn and sometimes rice flour tortillas and then filled with any combo of cheese, beans, pork, veggies and served with a side of curtido (pickled cabbage)
taken long beach walks along their wide and empty beaches,
Giant beach all to ourselves
had the boat’s generator removed for repair
Guys carrying generator
and took a dinghy ride down a pristine winding estuary to a remote restaurant which was merely a thatched platform over the river run by an adorable fisherman Memi and his family. 
Our new pals Jan and Riza
Memi cleaning our lunch
Peter cleaning his lunch
The restaurant grilled us a delicious fish lunch over a charcoal fire right in the thatch-roofed hut. It was really only a platform on piles in the river with a few tables. The restroom was a bench in the mangroves across a rickety catwalk.
Don’t forget the toilet paper
The next day we spent running errands in the crazy city of San Salvador, made even crazier by a hotly contested presidential election. It was a close race, with both sides claiming victory and demanding recounts; all that was missing were hanging chads. It’s interesting to note they do not serve or sell alcohol the day before, of and after the election to try to mitigate tempers. (In the US, they’d be better off shutting down the internet). Sadly, this goes for visitors as well, so only cocktails on our boat (oh, how we suffer).
As of now Sanchez Ceren is the declared winner, who was one of five top guerrilla commanders during the 1979-1992 civil war and marks the first time Salvadorans have voted an actual former rebel commander to be president.
San Salvador, like all of El Salvador is a place of haves and have nots. You see everything from shacks on the outskirts of town to huge homes behind high walls and gates.
Private home outside the city
Private home in the city
Apparently there is a lot of gang violence here, although we never felt any danger, you can’t go 50 feet without seeing guards with machine guns posted outside every store, bank, home, even zipping down the road on a motorcycle.
At least they wear helmets with their guns
Please check your bags and guns
This is the capital and largest city in El Salvador, with almost 2.5 million people in the metro area. And it is very much a big city, people are busy and going about their business and it is an interesting change of pace to be somewhere where tourism isn’t the name of the game.
We love getting to know this vibrant country whether it is deep in the mangroves, in a small villages or in the big city. We are looking forward to seeing more.
Perfecting the siesta
Sailing on Neko 