Cruisers help out

Here on the Rio Dulce, home to many world-girdling cruisers, there are a wide variety of personalities.

One of the most delightful that we have met is Debi. Debi is a nurse and she has a passion! It's a private obsession - in fact we have been here now for almost 4 months and have only recently become aware of what Debi gets up to...

And what does she do?

Debi is a volunteer nurse in a small clinic here in the Rio. And so are Cindy, Deayna, Karen, Stewart and a number of other cruisers. Quietly and professionally they give their time and expertise to helping the local Mayan community who live in the area surrounding the small village of Esmeralda.

Cruisers are welcomed with open arms, to help in a variety of ways. The one thing that is very clear though is THEY DO NOT WANT MONEY!

Now isn't that a refreshing change?

If you have medical skills you are extremely valuable, but non-medical cruisers can also help out with the pharmacy, kids and in countless other ways. If you don't have the time but would like to make a difference Debi encourages the purchase of items in your usual grocery shop which make a huge difference to the life of these people.

Debi speaks for herself on the video here, it's a powerful message.



What they need:
Disposable new-born diapers.
Liquid children's vitamins.
Diaper rash ointment.
Antibiotic cream- Neosporin.
Baby cereals - Rice.
Nido or other powdered milk formula for infants/children.
Baby bottles.
Other sized diapers.
Children's Tylenol.
Hall's drops.
Pre-natal vitamins.
Soap.
Toothpaste/brushes.
Shampoo.
Tampons.
Small giveaway toys for children.

What they don't need:
Money.
Prescription drugs.
Candy.
Stuffed toys.

They need volunteers one day a week from 9am until the queue has been cleared!

You can drop off any items, here on the Rio Dulce at either :
Mario's Marina
Bruno's
or Monkey Bay Marina

If you are reading my blog and thinking of cruising in this direction, maybe staying in the Rio for the hurricane season, you are welcome to come and see the work these cruisers do and to join them for as short or as long a time as you can spare.

Just the fax.

It’s me, TBH. If recipes are suitable fodder for Gerry’s blog, then why not the occasional computer tip? This one is on faxing from a PC.

It’s easy enough to send faxes from programs like Microsoft Word; the only problem is that you have to sign up to a fax service with a minimum charge, typically $10 a month. With all the emails we send, we hardly ever need to send faxes and certainly can’t justify $10 a month for such a service. So we end up faxing via marina offices, usually at a cost of one dollar a page, sometimes more.

But, if you have a Skype account, there is a brand new fax service called PamFax (technically a Skype plug-in) which charges you much less ($0.25 per page from Guatemala to the States). It is dead easy to use and doesn’t incur any monthly charges. Just download the free software here.

That’s all folks.

Edgar Alan Egret.

Edgar Alan Egret has been a fixture at Mario's Marina for some considerable time. I am told that there was great excitement last season when, for the first time, Edgar was seen in his full adult plumage. A stylish and eye catching feathered ensemble that he wore with pride!

Edgar is a Great Egret although the jury is still out on whether he is male or female! He seems totally at home here in the Marina elegantly striding up and down the pontoons watching the action with a beady eye.

When I open the hatch to our companionway first thing in the morning there he is quietly patrolling the dock, ensuring that all is in order for his guests as the day unfolds! Ready to catch any unsuspecting frog or fish.

Cruisers who have been here in previous seasons speculate as to where he has been during his annual absence from the Rio, has he found a 'partner' yet and will he join the Great Egret Orgy on Bird Island up river at Fronteras once the cormorant chicks have been ousted?

Whether you are still single Edgar, boy or girl, we of Mario's salute you and welcome you home!

Foot in mouth syndrome!

Bother!
Passion is a wonderful thing but just occasionally it can be a right pain... this morning, totally contradicting my self-imposed rule of not speaking on the Cruisers' Net, I could not contain myself any longer when once again listening to Brent. Now I should have kept my mouth shut 'cos a short statement made at the height of passion is rarely a good thing... and it wasn't. Aaggh. Still what's done is done and I will not let it deflect me from the main event.

My apologies for the inarticulate nature of my interjection...


Moving on, I have been looking up the tax returns for Mr Borthwick and Wind Word Ministries at the Canada Revenue Agency.

It would appear, from the regulations issued by the Agency, Wind Word Ministries does not comply with at least two of the four requirements, namely:

• devoting all of its resources to charitable activities; and,
  
• operating for the benefit of the public and not for private gain.

I have therefore written a letter to the Enforcement Division for Brent's returns area expressing my concerns. Perhaps if you feel the same way you could also let them know?

The address is:

Enforcement Division
P.O. Box 9070 - Station Main
9737 King George Highway
Surrey BC
V3T 5W6

Tel.: 604-587-2170
Fax: 604-587-2101

Poem.

The book of the writings of Nick Heiney, son of Libby, is being serialized in The Times newspaper. This poem is believed to be the last thing he wrote before his suicide. I find it beautiful, haunting and disturbing.


The morning runs on, a springtime secret through the avenues and avenues which lure all sound away

I sing, as I was taught inside myself.

I sing inside myself when wild moments slice some tender evening like a breeze that rattles gravel and digs in the dirt

I sing, as I was told, inside myself.

I sing inside myself the one wild song, song that whirls my words around until a world unfurls my ship’s new sail

I catch the dew and set a course amongst the ocean curls

The silence at the song’s end

Before the next

Is the world

Borthwick providing disaster relief? You must be joking.

There is a massive humanitarian disaster happening right now, about 1,000 sea miles away (2-3 days for Jireh) in the Tabasco region of South East Mexico.


300,000 homeless, over a million affected by the worst floods in 50 years... and where is the mission ship Jireh and its 'brave' captain Brent Borthwick?

Oh goodness! They are sat at the dock in Mar Marine, Rio Dulce, Guatemala plugged into the air conditioning, bemoaning the lack of USDA beef, praying for God's deliverance from venomous snakes, lightning strikes and 'dinghy fever'!

Bet that makes all his generous supporters feel real good, huh! Especially as his time is so full with organizing petitions to praise the navy guys who caught alleged dinghy thieves on the Rio... and then let them free because the cruiser, the local policeman and the navy officers that caught them are too scared of retaliation to press charges. Pity you poor fools who've signed the petition and put your boat names against it, they now know who you are. Welcome to the real world of the Rio, Brent. Not your comic book, fantasy-land of crocodiles, bull sharks, coral snakes and little brown "native" children who have never seen a white man.

But dare he leave now? Just when his charm offensive is at full throttle in pursuit of his desire for a role as a 'spokesperson' for the Rio cruising community? Could he bear to live by his own words in his begging, oh sorry, fund-raising pleas that he will "provide disaster relief, water, and food, medical and dental needs to remote areas by sea"? I know. It's a lot to expect when the $7,000 boat insurance is falling due.



News headlines urge that food and water is running out and that remote areas, only accessible by boat, are in dire need. Bet a 50 horse-power dinghy would come in real handy. Hurry Brent! Somebody might actually need you. It's certainly not us.

Go on Brent. I dare you. Do the right thing. Prove me wrong about you.

New President for Guatemala.

The results are in from the Guatemalan Presidential Elections held yesterday.

Alvaro Colom is set to be the next president of Guatemala. The centre-left former businessman is being credited with just over 52 percent of the vote, five percent more than his rival in the second round run-off ballot. It's Colom's third attempt at the presidency. In a campaign marred by violence, he accused his opponent of wanting to take the country back to the dark days of military rule. Otto Perez Molina, a retired army general, had pledged to launch a military-backed crackdown on crime.

It was quiet here on the Rio yesterday with alcohol sales banned from Saturday 12 noon until this morning (Monday) 9am. We have seen this ban during elections across Central America and it appears to be rigorously enforced. Elections here generate high emotion and in a country where almost 6,000 people were killed last year, out of a population of 13 million, any measure to curb over zealous behaviour is to be applauded.

Violence is usually blamed on gangs of youths, but many analysts also point to the penetration of the state by organised criminal groups intent on eliminating rivals. There are also claims of social cleansing by death squads.

Guatemala has one of the highest murder rates in the world, and more than 50 political activists were killed in the run-up to the election.We noticed a high armed presence here with military helicopters flying overhead and boats full or gun toting soldiers patrolling the river. There certainly seemed to be a big show of 'policing' the democratic process.

The newly elected President, Colom, has said fighting poverty is the best way of tackling violent crime but has admitted that members of drugs cartels have managed to infiltrate his party.

Across Guatemala, turnout was light for yesterday's voting, after a nasty campaign that centered on the crime and corruption that have made a mockery of Guatemala's democratic institution.

We hope that Guatemala will make inroads into its many problems under the new leadership... it looks like being a long and difficult road.

I am continually surprised by the number of cruisers I talk to who have little idea of the realities of the countries that they stay in.To my mind one of the most fascinating aspects of this itinerant lifestyle we lead is to begin to understand the National Psyche of the places that we visit. Without that interest cruising can swiftly degenerate into just another island/beach/venue.
One day, hopefully far in the future, I look forward to remembering the many faceted aspects of the cultures I have been privileged to visit.