Another Big Adventure

It's amazing how fast the time is swishing by!

Port Ludlow Marina Fall

Last week I took the plunge and bought my ticket to South Africa. I have been watching airfares on google flights and they had dropped so I grabbed it. First I fly to Burbank for a few days with Ryan, then on November 20, fly out of LAX to Johannesburg via Heathrow, on Virgin Atlantic. It's a 30 hour trek and then a short hop to either Durban on Pietermaritzburg, depending on where Mick can pick me up.

And that is just the start of the next big adventure. The planning is coming together, bit by bit and with the distillery visits to include, it is going to be a busy time. Roughly, very roughly! these are the plans, subject to major change, of course.

On arrival, it will be recover from jet lag for a few days, rent a tiny car, then I want to go to a couple of distilleries in Zululand that make rum! Pure, Natal sugar cane into something delectable. Zoze arrives from New Zealand at the end of the month and we are hoping to go to Umzumbe, a beach with hundreds of memories for both of us. We will stay at Jenny B's (Zoze's school friend) beach house for a few days. I am hoping to plan some time with Rosemary, my dearest school friend and mother of my god daughter at the cottage at Clansthal beach.

Then comes the trip down to the Cape, where we will stay part of the time with Biff and Julie at their new home in Villiersdorp, and some of the time at a self-catering cottage right near them. From here, I want to visit as many distilleries as I can, and as we will be almost in the wine country, there are numerous ones, with brandy being at the forefront. Then, at some point after January 6, I want to take the Light Blue Train from Cape Town to Jo'burg, where I am going to do a basic distilling course and visit more distilleries!

Then it's back to Maritzburg, more distilleries, more visiting and then I am scheduled to leave at the end of February, when I fly back to Los Angeles before heading to Belize, which is a completely different adventure!

If you are wondering about all the distillery action, I am working with the American Distilling Institute, doing some writing for them. And while in South Africa, getting assistance and introductions to the South African craft distillery scene through Hendre Barnard of Distillique, who heads up the new South African Craft Distilling Institute. This is a steep learning curve for me, but a lot of fun! I've really not been much of a "hard liquor" drinker, except for gin! But I am discovering a whole new world out there. Once you get away from the mass produced products, the craft spirits open up brand new tastes, flavors and aromas and I'm finding that spirits I never liked or didn't even try, are amazing! And each distillery has it's own unique flavor. So you can just imagine how much fun it is!

And of course, the visual delights in the facilities - huge, shiny copper stills, enormous stainless vats, rows and rows of aging barrels, bottles filled with all colors of liquids! Every distillery seems to try to outdo the others with creative names for their spirits and labels, some of which are just gorgeous.

So there it is, my rough plan.

In the meantime, I have three articles to write; find a perfect home for Hinckley and Buddy; take care of this house in some way; sell my car; sell or donate everything in the house and reduce my belongings down to one suitcase.

Wish me luck!

The Next Big Adventure

It's Time!

When I came back here from South Africa 4 years ago, I had no intention of staying here. But one thing did NOT lead to another and so here I still am, in the Pacific Northwest, vowing to never do another winter here.

But the Universe works in mysterious ways and my departure is set for November. In brief, I go from here to South Africa for a family reunion and four months of fun before pretty much moving to Belize. There I will research where Ryan can buy some waterfront property, then oversee building or creating an Airbnb situation where I would live.

That all sounds quite simple put that way, but there are still a lot of blocks that need to fall into place to make it happen. And all of a sudden, that is happening.

As you know, I am fascinated with craft distilleries. I love the look, feel and smell of them with the enormous copper stills and weird and wonderful pipes linking to more stills and more piping. And I love the enthusiasm of the distillers, themselves! Oh, and of course, the tastings! There are so many variations to a spirit and all reflect the individuality of the master distiller!

One of the blocks that recently fell into place is a solid connection with American Distilling Institute (ADI), the group that has become the "governing body" for craft distillers in this country. Through them, I have hooked up with the newly-forming South African Craft Distilling Institute (SACDI). They have welcomed me with open arms and introductions to the distillers down there. So now, besides the family reunion, I will be doing a lot of traveling to write articles for the ADI magazine, Distiller Magazine! I am SO excited about it and there is the possibility of going Australia to do the same thing at a later date!

Click, click, click go the blocks.

My main focus now is to get the house taken care of, the cats re-homed with Ryan (holding thumbs) and getting out of here before it gets cold and dreary.

Day Trip to Tikal, Guatemala

World of the Maya

Crossing the border from Belize into Guatemala was simple! The border is barely 20 minutes from the hotel, and we were offloaded on the Belize side, went through Immigration, paid our $20 and met up with our Guatemala guide, Mariella, on the other side and climbed into her brand new van for the 2 hour drive to Tikal. Just 24 years old, her whole family is in the tourism industry and she has the canned history and geography down pat.

The countryside is beautiful, with huge vistas, lakes, small villages - and rough roads!

We stopped for a bit of shopping before coming to the Park; t'shirts for the little boys and coffee for me - and for gifts ☕️

[su_pullquote]There are really no words to describe this place, this sacred area of Maya history, and photos don't do it justice. It is definitely one of those places that you have to see and experience for yourself. [/su_pullquote]The Tikal National Park is a designated World Heritage Site. Spending just a short day there is not enough, just enough to whet the appetite for more. The day tour just touches on the most important areas, but I would like to discover some of the lesser-known parts.

Also, it was extremely hot and Mariella (despite her size) kept up a grueling pace that nearly got the better of me. Fortunately, Jane noticed I was looking overheated and so I downed a very cold Belikin beer, which cooled me down and I was able to continue!

It's a very physical tour, with lots of walking and climbing stairs and pyramids. We could actually climb some of the temples' rock stairs While others had wooden stair cases built to keep people off the ruins. But it makes you wonder how the Mayas, who generally appear to be quite short, were able to regularly go up and down these towering edifices with steps that seem to be twice a normal (or modern) height! Once in a day is more than enough for me.

Some of the viewing platforms, especially on Temple lV (I think) are very high and un-fenced, just a few feet wide. People and their children were nonchalantly walking back and forth and I was cowering, back against the main wall, with very wobbly knees! Me and heights don't get along!

Mariella told us which temple was which but I probably have not identified them correctly in the photos! Gives me a reason to go back to explore at a slower pace and also time to read up on it more.

The day we went was during Easter week, right around the spring equinox, so there were a lot of people visiting. Tourists, but also a lot of local people; whole families with grannies and infants, the men carrying coolers and women with hampers who set up picnic spots under the trees to spend the day in this very sacred spot.

On our long walk out of the park, we saw coatimundi rummaging around on the forest floor, heard the howler monkeys and saw spider monkeys swinging through the branches. At the lunch restaurant on the outskirts of the park, there was great excitement when toucans were sighted outside! I was so tired at that point, I really didn't care but got a shot (that if you look closely) of the colorful bird!

The ride home to Maya Mountain Lodge was a lot quieter than our inbound trip. I was thinking about the long flight the next day, looking forward to seeing Ryan, but dreading being back in Washington. Hanging on to memories!

[su_slider source="media: 3413,3403,3402,3395,3394,3393,3372,3392,3390,3389,3388,3387,3386,3385,3384,3383,3382,3380,3379,3378,3377,3376,3375,3373" limit="26" link="lightbox" height="500"]

Exploring San Ignacio, Belize

Our DIY Tour of San Ignacio

Our day off turned into a day of exploring San Ignacio Town, a bustling place with wild traffic and lots of people!

It seemed like there were no rules of the road as we know them, but no one seemed particularly concerned by cars and vans careening around corners, honking at pedestrians and generally appearing out of control. Most of the intersections had no stop or yield signs and it was a free-for-all!

Our taxi (we bought air freshener sheets from the driver - the smell has permeated everything that was close to it in my bag!) dropped us at the town market place. Even though it technically wasn't a market day, the stalls were stocked with local produce and we wished that we had been able to stock the boat from a place like this. Besides all the usual fruits and vegetables, we saw custard apples and papayas and granadillas! Plus some fruits and veges we couldn't identify. There were of course, lots of oranges, pineapples, coconuts, plantain and bananas. What a treat!

Next, we wandered down to the main part of town where the Main Street is closed to traffic and lined with stores and bars. After browsing for a while we headed to the San Ignacio Resort Hotel where the Green Iguana Conservation Project lives. I had absolutely no intention of handling one of the reptiles, but they seemed to enjoy it and are quite docile, so I did! And four of us, Tina, Jane, Betsy and myself had a picture taken of us, each with a small iguana on our heads! That was a first, I think, for all of us!

Back down into town, a bit more shopping then a taxi back to Maya Mountain Lodge for couple of drinks on the deck before a delicious dinner.

Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave (ATM) Tour

Early to rise and a thumbs up! The river had receded and the caves were open.

Because the caves had been closed the day before because of high water, it was quite busy out at the staging area. We had prepared ourselves, wearing the right clothes and shoes, although a couple who joined our group had not, and had no idea what they were getting into. She was all twittery, a newly wed, with all the right clothes etc., just not for what we were going to experience!

This really is an amazing adventure! No cameras are allowed, and after experiencing the tour, I can understand why!

The caves were discovered in 1989 and a National Geographic documentary put them on the map.  They have been left as they were found. The only thing keeping people from stepping on the artifacts and skeletons were two strips of orange tape fastened to the rocks, forming a pathway!

Before entering, we were outfitted with helmets and headlights. Then walked for about 45 minutes along a cleared jungle trail Tapir Nature Mountain Reserve ( which is 6,741 acres of protected land), stopping every so often for a bit of history and nature tidbits from Orlando, our excellent guide. One time we stopped by a tree that had an ant's nest on it. Orlando stuck his finger into it and when he withdrew it, it was covered with tiny termites which he said,"Taste like carrots!" Which they did! Yes, I did eat one but they are tiny and not like the big, fat ones we get in South Africa.

We crossed the river three times, each time wading up to our armpits, pushing through the fairly fast moving water, stumbling on the smooth rocks, clutching the rope strung between the two banks. Just a taste of what was ahead of us.

The entrance to the caves loomed ahead and we waded in, turned a corner into pitch darkness! Headlights on, we moved forward, our group of eight keeping up with Orlando as he followed a path only he knew! Working our way through caves and caverns, stopping every so often to check we were all still there, Orlando pointed out the spectacular stalagmites and stalactites that created a fairy landscape when our headlights illuminated the tiny drops of water hanging on the tips of a gazillion of them! Pure magic.

All the while, we were climbing and came to caverns dotted with artifacts - broken urns and pots and yes, skeletons of the Maya people, the nobles, who lived and worshiped in the caves centuries ago. The bones were exactly as they were found; men, women and babies. Stories tell of human sacrifices in these tombs. Chilling!

We saw the crushed skull of one of the men - and the reason no cameras allowed. A clumsy tourist had dropped his camera and destroyed the bones! I know I needed every finger and toe to make my way through and if I had had my camera with me, it might not have been a pretty sight! And I am actually amazed that tourists are still allowed in but apparently there are 12 other caves being excavated that are closed to the public. I am just glad that we were able to do this before they decide to close this one.

We continued on to the scariest (in my mind) part, where we had to climb a ladder (remember it is all pitch black except for your headlamp) to a platform to see the "Crystal Maiden," a fairly young female skeleton. And then going back down the ladder was even scarier. Even writing about it makes my knees go weak! It's like stepping into a void!

Clambering back out, sliding down smooth rocks on my butt and going with the water flow made the trip out seemed easier, although we went through areas where you had to duck down in the water, turn your head sideways and wiggle your head through a gap! Good thing the water was low! Rounding the last bend and suddenly, there was light! We trudged back the 45 minutes to the staging area. The hotel had packed a lunch for us and we needed sustenance after the three-hour adventure!

Guava Limb

Our day wasn't over, even though we were all pretty tired. We had decided to go off the reservation for dinner, to Guava Limb, a restaurant in town that came well recommended.

Extensive menus. both food and drink, reduced us to trying a variety of dishes and drinks, all well-worth making the effort to come out to enjoy. The service was excellent and it was comforting to know our waiter was checking on us as we waited for our taxi in the barely-lit street. Naturally, we made it home safely, for a good night's sleep before our departure in the morning.

[su_slider source="media: 3343,3340,3339,3338,3337,3336,3335,3334,3333,3332,3331,3330,3329,3328,3327,3326,3358,3359,3360,3361" limit="26" link="lightbox" width="800" height="700"]