Uri's Kingdom & Guatemala's Independence Day

September 15, 2008

Independence Day in Guatemala

Uri is one of the owners of Nana Juana. I believe he is a native of Israel and may be the chief of Israeli Security in Guatemala (maybe in Latin America.) I am just not sure. He has taken on Nana Juana Hotel and Marina as his retirement project and there are grand plans to make the resort into a world-class destination. No doubt, this will place Nana Juana out of our reach in the future, but for now we enjoy it. There is a great deal of development going on. A new restaurant is being constructed, some of the new docks are in place and big-boat garages are being built as well. The old restaurant will be taken down so that the expanded pool will have an unobstructed view of the lake. As I said, grand plans are afoot. It is important to Uri that these projects and the daily hotel management are done just right. When he speaks, people scurry. He is at the resort from Wednesday evening through Monday morning usually, so the scurrying doesn’t happen all the time. He has hired and fired several managers since June and there is a new chef as well. When Uri is around, no one thinks. They only need to do what he says to do and how he says to do it. Now!

On September 11th a hole was dug. On the 12th, a tall flagpole was erected and concrete was poured to keep it in place. Several of us cruisers helped Uri and his workers hoist the pole into position since all the work being done here is being done by hand…in the heat! It was interesting to be part of a process where no one took any initiative. Uri made all the orders and the workers only supplied the muscle when told to. It was like they were part of an organism with Uri as the brain. A dirt mound was formed around the concrete and sod was placed on the mound so that on the afternoon of the 13th, with pomp and circumstance, Uri and his staff could raise their flag for the first time.

In a somber and reverent voice, that I could not hear, Uri addressed his staff. I noticed his eyes welled with tears toward the end of his speech. I wondered if he was expressing his emotions regarding his patriotism or his gratitude for the opportunity to realize a dream come true or his upcoming retirement. Maybe it was a little of all of these.



I had taken photos of the first flag raising ceremony and as we shared an early morning walk, his wife requested copies. It was my intention to give them copies all along after I saw that only one other person was photographing this historic occasion besides me. Sometimes I remember the camera! Now Uri calls me “sir” when he sees me around the grounds or at the pool. I asked him to call me Jay, but he insists on “sir.” I think he can’t remember my name or that the English “J” sound is too foreign to him. “Hay” would do just fine. Anyway, it makes me chuckle to be “sir” to a big-shot like Uri.


Independence Day was the following day and Nana Juana showed their colors in fine patriotic fashion. Jim from S/V Lorena had given me an old, large Guatemalan flag in Isla Mujeres and Barb, Pam and I worked to get the rust stains out and replaced the grommets. We flew that flag for the day on Jupiter’s Smile as well. Even though it was Independence Day we still went to Spanish class and had homework! Ilianna is a demanding teacher, but we love her. Here is Barb doing homework. I should be doing mine too!
Hasta que la próxima vez. ¡Está bien mi familia y amigos!

The Dryden Family

On August 20th we arrived at Jupiter's Smile and we found that all was well. It took a few days to put things back to normal and that included inflating the dinghy and mounting the motor. The little Nissan started-up on the first try, but we had snagged the dinghy on a small stub of rebar sticking out of the concrete wall of the dock and when I took the dinghy out for a first spin I noticed water where it wasn’t supposed to be. We took the motor off and we hoisted the dinghy out of the water again, dried it out and patched the hole with gorilla tape, inside and out. That patch has held so far, but I think we may have a slow leak in the high-pressure inflatable floor necessitating re-inflation of the floor each morning. Add fixing the floor to the list. At the top of the list was to get our Guatemalan cruising permit renewed through the agent, Raúl.

While Bryan (S/V Pearl S. Buck) and I were waiting to meet with Raúl, Bryan suddenly stood up and greeted Nancy Dryden. Bryan introduced me to her and she introduced us to her children and friends. About two weeks earlier, four robbers had boarded their boat, S/V Sunday’s Child, had murdered Nancy’s husband, Dan, and she had received serious injuries. Two of the alleged robbers have been arrested. This was the first time Bryan had seen Nancy since her return from the hospital. She stated, “she would love to take her family out sailing if she could find a captain. Did we know any?” Bryan said he would take them out and I chimed in with my offer to help if they needed it.

So on the 23rd Bryan and I checked the boat and then the crew of eight backed Sunday’s Child out of her slip and into the lake. I was on the helm and Bryan was on the foredeck with Nancy, her grown children Jessica and Daniel, Brian (Jessica’s husband), Reneé (David’s girlfriend) and Ale (a family friend). While they were getting lessons from Bryan, I hoisted the mainsail and headed downwind toward Lago Izabel. They listened and learned and took turns at the helm and handling lines as we jibed downwind. Downwind sailing is very relaxing because the boat is moving with the wind and the boat and those on board feel less of it. Once we turned and headed back upwind, the boat heeled a little and the wind speed was accentuated because the boat was now headed at an angle to, but into the wind. Smiles widened as pulses quickened. Nancy sobbed a little and we all knew that this was the kind of moment her husband wanted for his family, but never got to realize. Dan’s family was working together on a well-found vessel, sailing smartly in the tropics. His spirit was there.

Nancy told us that they were going to keep the boat, but would leave it in Rio Dulce in a boat yard while they returned to Alaska after the legal wheels were put into motion. The family intends to rename the boat, Kwiana, a made-up word derived from the Upik Eskimo word Quy’ana which translates to “Thank you.” They plan to return and sail during the winter, just as Dan had planned. The timing of all of that is uncertain.

Jessica and Bryan in the buffet line at a pot luck.

So Bryan and I got to know this wonderful family. On several occasions we ate together and talked at length. Nancy picked Bryan's brain and Bryan gave great advice regarding the care of the boat while would be gone. I committed to giving a weekly e-mail report schedule since the boat is stored near Nana Juana and on my morning walking route.

The Rio Dulce is a bustling, but poor town with many opportunities. Among the businesses that have had a head start in this region is drug trafficking and organized crime. From information told to us, the perpetrators of the murder were members of a crime family and that the bosses preferred to conduct business with less attention on their activities than the murder of cruising US citizens attracted. The mother of at least one of the alleged murderers (a minor lieutenant in the crime family in her own right) and one of her sons were assassinated and the two suspects presently in custody were found by the police because of an anonymous tip. It seems that “the family” was cleaning house and sending a warning to anyone who jeopardizes their business while at the same time throwing a bone to the police who could look good by capturing at least two of the suspects. After repeated delays, Nancy was finally, on September 12th, asked to identify the two suspects in custody (which she did) and she was deposed before a judge. She was finally free to leave the country leaving the justice system to deal with the perpetrators of the violence against them.
In the final stages of preparation for the storage of the boat, Bryan is pouring diesel fuel, Brian is catching any diesel spills and wiping sweat from his brow, Jess is holding the funnel and Nancy is supervising. How many cruisers does it take to screw in a....? They got it done.

Nancy, Jessica and Brian had plane tickets that routed them to Alaska through Houston on the day that hurricane Ike blew through, so even the weather was conspiring against her return to Alaska, delaying their departure by yet one more day. We assume that the family is reunited in Alaska now and that they will be busy gathering together the pieces of their lives in familiar and supportive surroundings.

It has been a privilege for me to get to know them a little. They are a close family with a spiritual bond to each other, with the departed Dan, with the good things in nature and really – with everything. They seem to live a life of serenity despite the tragedy and hardships they have encountered. They are strong because of their commitment to each other, because of their readiness to gracefully accept the challenges of living a full, exciting, passionate life and because of their openness as they include others in their experiences. I love and respect them immensely. The way they celebrate life together is a model for us all.

Letting those thoughts sink in……until next time – be well!

Some Recent Photos

The first several photos are where we are docked.

View from the lower deck of the restaurant at Nana Juana. The Rio Dulce bridge is in the background. Jupiter's Smile is the sailboat with the white sunshade slightly to the right of center.
The pool at Nana Juana
A view of the grounds at Nana Juana looking towards the open-air hotel lobby, on the left

in the background.

This is the entrance from the road into the Nana Juana Hotel and Marina. I visit this spot almost every morning as the sun is rising to get in a half hour of brisk walking before breakfast and school. We never use this entrance since we drive by dinghy not by car.

Here we are at school. Ilianna is our maestra. She is a pediatrician, M.D., but is too busy with teaching, several civic, business and community causes and activities to run a practice. She is a joy and very patient with us. Not only is she teaching us Spanish, but we are able to keep abreast of the local happenings, the gossip, how to stay healthy and how to get along in Guatemala with the least effort. While we have worked very hard at school and doing homework, we have had a great time learning. I just realized that we haven't been taught any swear words, but we haven't needed them either.
Here is the view from Ilianna's seat of Barb at work at her school desk. Nice classroom, Si? The Rio Dulce bridge is in the background. This view should make the science teachers "down under" at Palmer envious (Probably the "up and over" science teachers too. Maybe every staff member and every student!) Like them, we don't have air conditioning either. It's 90 F degreesThe parking outside of Tienda Miriam gets crowded.The parking near Dispensa Familiar seems less so, but we were just lucky that day. La Dispensa is connected with WalMart, it is said. Yes - low prices everyday. Just be sure to check the expiration dates and convert a dollar to 7.42 Quetzales. Try it - Escarola ver (leaf lettuce) 3.55 Q, tomate 1 libro (tomatoes,1 pound) 2.97 Q, agua pura 12 litros (drinking water, 12 liters) 40 Q, Corn Flakes, 600 g. (Corn Flakes, 600 grams) 24.75 Q.

We stop at Backpackers, a hostel with a restaurant/bar. Happy hour beers go for 2 for 12 Q while we pick up our laundry (washed, dried and neatly folded) for 35 Q per load. We enjoyed dinner, on September 4th, at Churrasquerros with Bryan (S/V Pearl S. Buck), Pam and Richard (S/V Tisha Baby) on the occasion of our 40th wedding anniversary.

A fitting place to quit for now. Spanish homework calls to me.
Until then, be well-----Jay & Barb

Arriving in Rio Dulce June 1, 2008

We checked into Guatemala at the mouth of the Rio Dulce, in Livingston, on May 28th. We navigated the river to the lagoon by Texan Bay Marina and "hid out" there for four days (three nights) while we waited for the rains from tropical storm Arthur to pass. We sailed through El Golfete to the town of Rio Dulce on May 31st and we checked into "The Jungle Lodge and Marina at Tijax" on June 1. We did some preliminary settling in and some sightseeing and moved to Nana Juana Marina on June 22nd. We closed up the boat and left for the US and our tour of the upper West Coast and Midwest on June 30th. We had great visits with friends and family for over seven weeks and returned to Guatemala and the boat on August 20th. The detailed account of those adventures appears on "The Adventures of S/V Jupiter's Smile" blog. What follows, at least for now, are accounts of what we experience while we are here, docked in Rio Dulce.



With our new sunshade we keep cooler (not the same as cool) and protect the deck from the tropical sun.

We are side-tied to the dock at Nana Juana. This photo may heighten your interest for our next post which will highlight Nana Juana.

For those of you that have been following our previous adventures, yes, that is S/V Tisha Baby right behind us!