Rastafari rejoice! There is a place here in Guatemala for you to travel too and meet fellow rastafarians, it is a little place called Livingston. It was apparent as soon as we docked, there was a older man wearing the quintessential rastifarian hat and dreads. But for me, I found the mix of the rastafari culture and the typical Guatemalteco absolutely strange. My brain had a hard time computing the fact that somehow both of these cultures lived here in what I imagine is harmoniously.
On our walk up from the dock, we encountered a friendly soul who started talking to us in excellent English. Turns out he studied school in Chicago and was explaining this all to us. In the end he wished us well and told Jen not to swing her umbrella like a weapon. Wise words.
We only had two hours to explore Livingston, so we mostly meandered around trying to soak it all in. Finally we stopped at a restaurant/travel agency (very popular in Guatemala) and enjoyed some cold young coconuts. Definitely made my day. As did the incredibly varied music selection including: Lady in Red, a Celine Dion song, and other classic hits. I’m fairly certain I heard the Lady in Red song about three times and strangely seemed a perfect song to be playing at that time.
We made our way back down toward the pier and I finally had enough and opted for a proper meal. We ate at Buga Mama, part restaurant, part fair trade store. Possibly part hotel too. It was definitely a wonderful way to spend your midday watching pelicans and hundreds of dragonflies fly by and eat some decent food. I also may or may not have seen a former student from Sevilla while I was eating. But I cannot be sure.
After all two hours in Livingston it was time to leave that wonderful place and head back to Rio Dulce and our van to make our way to Flores. Which if I remember correctly was fairly uneventful, perhaps minus some interesting conversations. The only stop I distinctly remember was this beautiful rest stop which served amazing smoothies and offered lovely views of the countryside.
We arrived in Flores relatively early, around 6:30pm and was just enough time to settle into our room and head out in search of food that you cannot find in a gas station. We ended up eating at a rather lovely restaurant and I enjoyed my first peach smoothie since my departure for this trip. Those who know me well know of my complete love of fruit with peaches being a particular favourite. I have been missing my daily smoothies here, somehow it just isn’t the same when someone else makes it for you and only brings you a third of what you want to eat.
We topped off the night by being in bed by 8:30pm. You can thank the 3:45am wake up necessary to make it to Tikal in time for the opening of the Park.
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