living is easy in Livingston

If you are every considering going to Rio Dulce, Guatemala, don't. We arrived by the insane chicken bus and checked into probably the worst hotel on the face of the planet. For 35Q each (way too damn much for this shithole), we got a bright blue concrete room with three beds - one of which was more like a warped wooden palet with a sheet - no blankets, no running water, no flushing toilets and a night filled with a cacophany of noises. We woke up, or rather, we sat up after laying in this dump for most of the night, and promptly left Rio Dulce.

After a two and a half hour boat ride up the river, we arrived in Livingston, a place unlike any other in Guatemala. (Sidebar: the boat ride was billed as a tour, with stops at a bird island, hot springs, and a random oasis of lily pads, but calling it a tour is pushing it. The boat driver would pull over, say nothing, we would all take pictures of what we guessed were hot springs or a bird sanctuary, and then the boat would pull away. Strange, but the scenery was breathtaking.)

First of all, the people here in Livingston are mostly black, which we haven't we haven't seen much of since traveling in Central America. The majority of the people are Garifuna, which is decendant from African slaves and Caribs here. Livingston is on the mouth of the Carribean, and at one point we were standing on the Guatemalan beach looking out at Belize to our right and Honduras to our left. The Garifuna call it La Boga which means The Mouth, since it's the mouth of the Carribean. It's incredible. Anyway, the people are beautiful and kind and laid back and everywhere you turn, there is fish frying and drum music playing. Oh, and the landscape is much more tropical than we have seen so far, complete with lush jungle-like brush, palm trees, white sandy beaches, and crystal clear water.

We are staying at this gorgeous little hotel complete with thatched hut cabanas and fresh fish dinners. Today we wandered down the beach today (for about an hour and a half) and made it to Siete Altares, which were seven waterfalls... really today they were like five pools of cool water and a ton of rocks since it hasn't rained in so long, but it was amazing. This place really is unbelievable.

This morning, we also met a man on the street named Polo, who suggested we eat at a Garifuna's house to get a real authentic experience. He then proceeded to lead us down the beach, stopping into his friends' houses until he found a friend who would cook us dinner tonight. So we went back this evening and had grilled red snapper and rice cooked in coconut milk. The meal was amazing, mainly for the experience of being in these people's home and talking with them. Polo told us all about the Garifuna, the lifestyle (really, really laid back), the history, racial tensions between the blacks and the Hispanics here (some things are univeral around the world, I guess.) It was a good way to really get a better understanding of Livingston, the people, the culture.

As much as I have fallen in love with every place we have visited (besides Rio Dulce, that shithole), Livingston really struck a chord with me. Just walking down the street and feeling the energy... this whole town feels alive and happy, and the people just seem to be enjoying their lives. It's been nice to experience a culture so vastly different than what we have been living in the past month or so. I understand it's similar at the beach on the Bay Islands, which si Dios quiere, we will be heading tomorrow... that is if we can tear ourselves away from this place.