Bye Bye Belize
This entry was posted on 2/11/2007 6:38 PM and is filed under Guatemala.
LIVINGSTON - Anna and I left Belize by boat from Punta Gorda and landed in Livingston Guatemala for a few nights at Casa Rosada. Livingston is a pretty little town at the mouth of the Rio Dulce and is only accessible by boat. We found a local guy to take us across once we got through customs, no small feat since the only lady on duty was in a very bad mood. Here's a shot of us at the dock ready to cross the border...
When we walked from our hotel - which by the way was right on the water - to the town center we kept getting this very strong fish smell. After some careful examination we discovered the source... not sure what they do with all this stuff but they leave it out to dry in the sun and it sure is stinky. We saw more than a few dogs enjoying the fallen scraps.
After a couple of days of relaxing we decided to get off our butts and make our way upriver to the town of Rio Dulce, also known as Fronteras. Every town in Central America seems to have more than one name and Rio Dulce was of course no exception. To get upriver you jump on a collectivo, but this time it's a boat or lancha instead of a car... kinda neat if you ask me. Anyway, the ride upriver was gorgeous... there were 1-200 foot high limestone? cliffs covered in green jungle. Large white birds and giant pelicans hung out in almost every tree you could find and the river was full of local fishermen in their wooden dugouts using hand lines and nets.
We had met Bob and Joanie at Casa Rosada and they recommended a place to stay called Tortugal Marina. We thought it was strange that it was called a marina but when we got to Rio Dulce we understood... there were sailboats EVERYWHERE. And they were gorgeous... apparently Rio Dulce is a mecca for sailors around the world. Situated well upriver from the ocean and surrounded by mangrove, it offers safe harbor from the devastating hurricanes that blow through. The other benefit is that compared to marinas in the states, the rates here can't be beat. Anyway, with all the boats around Anna was in heaven and I figured we might just be here for a little longer than we'd originally planned.
