Travels with Carol Kulish Near Rio Dulce, Guatemala
Winter 2006-2007
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My friends Bill Cone and Carol Kulish were traveling through Central America
in their truck, and they showed up in Fronteras for a few days.
Bill was pretty sick and didn't feel like doing much,
so Carol and I spent a few days seeing the local sights.
The first day we went for a sail.
Unfortunately, it was a day without wind,
and we didn't go very far.
We went up to Lake Izabal,
and sailed past the Castle at the outlet,
but didn't get much further.
It took us three tries to get past the Castle,
going against the current in the river
with little wind.
As we floundered around trying to go anywhere,
I was glad we weren't a pirate ship trying to sneak past the castle.
Talk about a sitting duck!
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| Carol Sailing Malakii |
Gary
Photo by Carol Kulish |
As we were sailing around, this really weird contraption passed us.
It looked like a cross between a paddle wheel steamer
and an asphalt road machine,
and made about as much noise.
It was carrying something that we couldn't make out --
it looked like seaweed, which didn't make sense here.
If anyone knows what it was, I'd love to hear from you.
It took it someplace down the river and unloaded,
as we passed it going home empty.
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Weird Boat / Harvester
Photos by Carol Kulish |
Castillo San Filipe
The next day we went up the road to the outlet of Lake Izabal
and toured the Castle that guards the outlet of the lake.
It's cool!
It was built to keep pirates from sailing up the river
and raiding the Spanish settlement on the south side of Lake Izabal.
This settlement was where the Spaniards collected the gold they plundered
from much of Central America,
then shipped it out to Spain.
The castle was built over several centuries,
and is complete with a drawbridge and moat.
The area surrounding the castle is now a park.
Hot Springs
After lunch we took the truck and bounced our way
up the road on the north side of Lake Izabal.
I'm glad we were had Bill and Carol's truck,
as the road was full of potholes -- no, craterholes -- and a real kidney buster.
We were headed for a hot spring waterfall
on a small creek that flows out of the mountains on the north side of the lake.
You can also get to the hot spring by
sailing up the lake and anchoring at the mouth of the stream
at a place called Finca Paraiso.
Then it's about a two mile hike (Or catch a ride) up the stream
to the hot springs.
That's what I was hoping to do on our day sailing,
but the wind didn't cooperate.
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| Hot Waterfall |
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Looking Downstream |
The hot spring itself emerges on a jungle terrace above the creek,
flows down the terrace and then cascades over a cliff into the creek.
The creek is pleasantly tropical cool,
and the cascade is a perfect hot shower temperature.
Beats those mechanical shower heads any day!
We met a couple from Washington, D.C.,
who had hitched and bussed to El Estor,
a town further up the lake, from Guatemala City.
They needed a ride on into Fronteras,
so when we were done swimming
we all squeezed into the cab and bounced our way back.
John and Elizabeth told us there was a jungle preserve
somewhere across the lake from El Estor,
and a place for a primitive camp.
I've wanted to go explore over there but so far haven't done it.
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| Cliff Hanger Tree |
John and Elizabeth |
Carol |
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| Park Steward |
Sailboats Anchored off Finca Paraiso |
