My Adventures and Travels

One of the nice things about Rio (and a huge change from Paraguay) is that it's a huge tourist destination. Now, on the downside, there are tons of tourists. But on the upside, it's really easy to attend events and outings without having to do all the planning on your own. Plus, some of the said tourists turn out to be awesome people who even speak English to boot! This is Chrissy. She's awesome. One of the events we found online and decided to attend was nicely called the "Sunset Boat Cruise." But I have been on this type of thing before-it's all about the drinking, who are they trying to kid? Anyway it was really fun. :) We met these nice people Chrissy and Rob early on in the week, and this was the 3rd time we made an excuse to hang out with them! I'm really glad they came because they have this weird scheme to get everyone drinking and partying. Ladies only can go to the top floor of the boat and have all they want free drinks for the first hour....

Okay, at first glance one of these pictures does not belong. However, those beautiful skies led way to a rather violent storm. This caused Paul and Lisa to urgently refresh their beverages before retreating to their cabin under the deck!

Who ever knew getting hermit crabs and racing them could be such fun? That is just what we did one night sailing. During the day, our captain and his two boys swam to a tiny island to round up contestants. To raise the stakes, he offered up a bottle of wine for the winner. After dinner and dessert, it was time for the hermit crab races! We were partnered up, and Birte and I named our tiny crab "Herbie"-like the Volkswagon. The first one to run off of the "table" won. Unfortunately, while little Herbie was a speedy guy, he'd always stop at the edge of the table. He was just too smart to win this game. Fortunately, the winners were generous with their prize, and we all got to share.

Going right along with the food post, is a "things that got caught" post. Lobsters, fish, lobsters, conch shells and meat, crabs...I am reluctant to eat seafood now that I'm back in Colorado, because there is just no way it can be as fresh!

What does one do when on a boat for nearly 7 straight days? Lots of things! When we stopped, we all went snorkeling in the clear water...if we got tired of swimming, there were paddleboards available, useful for exploring nearby islands! There were plenty of Adult Beverages on board...and when you're on a boat, it's always happy hour! Looking for our crew while they were out fishing for lobsters was a good activity (often good for hours of entertainment!)... Playing chess kept kids and adults alike busy for hours!

One of the best things about the trip was definitely the FOOD!! I was a little worried since I did not grow up eating a ton of seafood-for example, this trip was the second time I tried shrimp, and the first time I tried lobster! Well, my worries were unfounded, because our cook, and the crew that fished for us, was FANTASTIC. We ate well, and constantly! (Hey, all that swimming can make a girl hungry!). In between our huge meals, there would be trays of fruit, or in one case, fresh ceviche or crab legs to munch on.

A big group of these guys (I would guess 15-20) raced alongside the boat and under the hammocks for several minutes. It was so cool!

Up early enough to catch the sunrise. Livingston was our last stop before heading out to open sea!

We spent our whole first afternoon/evening sailing up the Rio Dulce, towards the Caribbean. It was beautiful!

For months, I had been looking forward to this sailing trip! A 4a.m. pickup and 6-hour bus ride later, and I found myself in the HOT town of Rio Dulce. It is right on the river of Rio Dulce, and a popular starting point for many boat trips. Here's a picture of the boat in the harbor, the little lancha we took out to get to it, and a few pictures from the boat, Las Sirenas (the mermaids) itself. There will be many more pictures to come of this adventure! (There are ALWAYS more, and more recent, photos on Facebook!)