My Salty Suitcase

Guatemalan jungle! Every Caribbean cruiser worth their salt knows that Rio Dulce (or Sweet River), Guatemala is the place to be in the off-season. Whether you’re stopping in for repairs, need to leave the boat and fly overseas, or just want to experience the beauties of Guatemala, the Rio is the perfect break from cruising. By the time Jasamine reached Livingstone, the town at the mouth of Rio Dulce, I had been looking forward to going upriver into some quiet waters for a few months. For years, I had heard stories from my parents of the deep, flowing river that cut its way through lush rainforest, breath-taking mountains, and narrow canyon passes. As a Florida girl, all this talk of land on any other incline than flat made me super excited! I was ready to be in amongst the lush green mountains! But getting into the Rio was another matter entirely. There we were, eight o’clock in the morning, two miles out from Livingstone, the gateway to Rio Dulce close at hand, my hopes ri

Sam the Fisherman by a fishing shack In my family, we always joke that our Jack Russell, Sam, is the top fisherman. He fishes in the shallows, scales fish on the deck, and all around flips out whenever he thinks there’s a chance one of us have a line overboard. Even when we just say the word ‘fish’, his little ears perk up and his brown eyes look at us expectantly as his tail wags madly. But no matter how enthusiastic our little “fisherman” may be, he is nothing compared to the Belizean fisherman we've met. We got invited to spend  the day on a fisherman's cay.  This was the house he and  his wife lived in. Many Belizeans who live along the beautiful coastline revolve their lives around the fishing industry. They part with their families for weeks at a time, giving up privacy and everyday amenities, just so they can catch enough to make a living. Some people have built shacks on the outer cays (islands), motoring every day from their cay out to the reef to