Por launcha: Day 2

Early Saturday morning, Alfredo got up and rode a launcha boat to Puerto Barrios, where Alfredo had parked the van.  But the launcha he rode back had no lifeguards and twice as many people as rode in Martin's boat.  While Alfredo drove the van back from Puerto Barrios to Rio Dulce, the team et al., Martin, and his wife (instead of Benjamin) boarded the boat at the Livingston wharfs and traveled up the Rio Dulce river through bluffs, Q'eqchi' villages, and through a very wide part of the river that was essentially another lake.  Martin et al. also investigated a tributary within a Q'eqchi' village, a lily pad rivulet and bird mangrove island, and a place along the north side of the river with a hot springs.  Most of the team members et al. jumped in.  Along the way, the boat - and its motor - hit a big log - turning off the motor and scaring the team - all the more so because Saturday morning's ride had been much more placid than Friday afternoon's final ride.  The boat passed Rio Dulce, went under the bridge, and swung by the fort at San Felipe, which the Spanish conquerors built to control access to Lake Izabal and ultimately the coast.  The fort - with its cannons - commanded the connection between the lake and the river, which was narrow at that point - and is said to have prevented pirates from raiding the lake, where the Spanish traded with the Mayans for gold (or swindled them?) and perhaps mined gold.  A few minutes later the boat was back under the bridge and docking in Rio Dulce, where Alfredo, the van, and lunch at Bruno's awaited.

-Perry