Where will you be?

Think about it!  Where do you envision yourself relaxing after a long day of hiking through the jungles and climbing up the temples of Tikal?

Chef Jose Luis Arenas Arrives at Gringo

This week at Gringo Perdido we were joined by Chef Jose Luis Arenas from Guatemala City.  Chef Jose is here to work with the Gringo staff to help to polish up the service and the fare.  Gringo Perdido will be even better than it is already!!

Lakeside Fauna

A great part of the lakefront of Gringo Perdido has been left in its natural state specifically for the birds frogs and other animals that  live and/or hunt for food along the marshy, reed filled banks.

Yoga at Dawn

Sunrise

Another mind blowing sunrise from Gringo Perdido ... when you combine it with the bird song and breathing trees, its quite magical.

Gringo from a Distance

 

Directly in front of the village of El Remate is the Mayan Crocodile ... said to be the Protector of this area. If you look closely, you can see Gringo Perdido nestled along the shore at about mid-mouth.

Gringo Breakfast

 

Everyone agrees that the breakfasts at Gringo Perdido are superb. Not shown here is the first course of fresh fruit, pancakes or hot bran muffins, mango granola and yogurt (both made in house)... all followed by fresh fruit juice, black beans, fried potatoes with thyme, scrambled eggs and hot bread or tortillas. Topped off with the best coffee around. We make all of our own freshly baked breads and desserts and serve top quality raw jungle honey.

An Evening on the Dock

 

Enjoying Gringo

 

A New Diving Platform

This week Santos finished refurbishing the unusable pontoon boat so it can be used as a diving platform in the lake in front of the docks. For the last several years, the boat has been grounded because no matter what we did, one pontoon leaked. In the end, Eduardo decided to have the floor rebuilt, the whole thing painted, and holes punched in the other pontoon so it, too, would fill and sink ... then moor the boat permanently off the dock to be used by swimmers.

The New Dock

The new dock is almost finished now, needing only to be painted and furnished with lawn chairs and chaise lounges for guests to take in the sun. The Mayan stairs on the right will take you up to the new patio area.

Full Moon at Gringo Perdido

From the restaurant of Gringo Perdido, we watch the rising full moon of August 2008 as it casts its golden path across Lake Peten Itza. You can see the glimmer of the lights of El Remate across the waters.

Coconuts

Polo climbs one of the many coconut palms on the Gringo beachfront to cut down coconuts for coconut water, one of the best natural hydration solutions known to man.

Pyramide Paraiso: Construction Begins

Eduardo was on hand this week as the construction began on the first stage of Pyramide Paraiso. This set of 8 super deluxe rooms is being located just to the left of the Gringo hotel. For detailed information about the overall design of Pyramide Paraiso, go to www.hotelgringoperdido.com and click on the link.

New Dock/Patio

The new dock/patio is still under construction and should be finished by March 2008.

A New Patio

 

At the top of the new set of sweeping Mayan stairs a new patio/restaurant has been created and furnished with teak furniture to match that of the individual patios.

 

 

New Patio Furniture

 

Each of Gringo Perdido's lakefront rooms now includes its own new teak-furnished patio sitting area.

An Heirloom Stove

 

Eduardo discovered a beautiful old wood stove, in perfect condition, that he had sent up from the city to replace the old one that had rusted apart. The large grounds of the hotel supply lots of firewood ecologically, and there is no substitute for black beans cooked the way the Mayans did, and most of the local people still do ... over a wood fire!

Gringo Perdido Upgrades

 

2008 has begun as the year to upgrade the entire hotel while beginning construction on the first 8-room module for Pyramide Paraiso. The upgrades began with all new mattresses for the rooms, and hot water in all the bathrooms.

 

Morning Sun

The early sun shines through the greenery of a Gringo morning as the birds chirp and sing from above.

Balcony Construction

The new balcony on the Presidential Suite is almost finished. When the installation of the sliding glass doors has been completed, Eduardo will install air conditioning, making this our first air conditioned suite.

A Bird Watchers Paradise

Gringo Perdido is an excellent place for bird watchers to stay. The jungle around your bungalow is alive with the chatter, whistle and caw of a myriad of both land and lake birds. And just recently we discovered this Great Potoo living on the edge of the property ... aparently a rare sighting ... it has now been recorded by the Guatemalan Bird Monitoring Program.

Tree Nursery

Gringo Perdido also owns a finca (farm) where Eduardo has set up a tree nursery to produce saplings for his ongoing reforestation project.

Water Play

Guests at Gringo Perdido play in the lake while watching the storm clouds of Hurricane Dean roil across the sky.

Sunset over the lake

The sunsets ... always a memorable experience.