livingston

12/01/30

I was not planning to go to Livingston today. After a rainless night, there was this deluge at 6 am. Very intense on my tin roof. I woke with a mild sore throat and thought to pass a quiet day listening to the birds. But suddenly at 9, the sun appeared. The workers in back looked like they would be seriously digging and talking all day. So at 9:15 I asked if there was room for me on the boat and at 9:30 got on. There was barely room fo me. But we moored near another boat and 3 people transfered over. The sun disapppeared and clouds amassed. The rain started to fall and people pulled out their rainjacket and ponchos. Rio Dulce widens into a big lake called la Golfete and we sped across it in the wind and water. After a while, the sky lightened and finally we were able to remove our raingear. The river narrowed again and we stopped at a dock called Aguas Calientes. By the dock, a pool of water. The other boat had already arrived and there were some young tourists soaking in the warm sulferous water. 3 of us followed a guide up stone stairs towards a cave. He gave us solar flashlights and guided us into a narrow opening. Water dripped from the ceiling. He pointed out stalactites and stalagmites. We went in only a certain distance. The access was quite narrow in places and demanded bending and twisting. I came out muddly and happy.

Livingston was an hour further on. Populated by Garifuna people, it feels very Caribbean. On the dock, the grizzled black men spoke English and asked if any one was headed to Belize. Punta Gorda, Belize is 45 minutes away by boat. Livingston is accessible by boat only. No roads reach here.

We stayed long enough to eat lunch and wander the streets and then we headed back to the boat for our return. The boat filled with people coming from Belize. The sun continued to shine and back we came.