Updated 7/15/2006
 Carrie wrestling a crocodile located near our hotel in Livingston. |
This installment begins with us in Livingston, then crossing over to
Punta Gorda, Belize by lancha (small /fast powerboat). We then caught a
'chicken bus' to Placencia. A chicken bus is a converted US Blue Bird
school bus used for public transportation. Although a very inexpensive
and efficient mode of transportation you never know what you will find
on board. From Placencia we headed for San Ignacio, again by chicken
bus, near the border of Guatemala. Background Photo: Abstract painting of car on wall of house. |
Left:
After three wonderful days at Finca Tatin we finally had to say
goodbye. But, instead of taking the lancha down the Rio Dulce to
Livingston we opted to kayak down. The folks at Finca Tatin brought our
backpacks down with their lancha and took the kayaks back. This part of
the river narrows and is lined by tall, jungle covered cliffs. Where
possible thatched roofed homes were built near the water. We were
joined by another couple we met at Finca Tatin from Switzerland and
Japan.Bottom Left: After settling into our room at the Casa Rosada Hotel, we were ready for lunch. This picture is of the dining area near our room. The food was great. We ordered the delicious local specialty, Tapado, which consists of : coconut, curry, fish, shrimp, shellfish, coconut milk, plantain and spiced with coriander.
Bottom Right: View from our room at Casa Rosada overlooking the bar of the Rio Dulce, out into the Carribean. Don't miss the rainbow!
Finally,
tummies full, we went exploring downtown Livingston. The mix of
cultures in Livingston is amazing. But, the majority are Garifuna,
descendants of African slaves brought to the new world. They revolted
in 1795 and spread to Belize and Nicaragua from Honduras.