Rio Dulce

NEWS: Change of Travel Plans!

Oops. My one-month off-grid jungle adventure in the heart of Guatemala’s Rio Dulce, that I had so eagerly anticipated for several months, was a bust! Darn it.

The small eco-resort I went to volunteer at was wonderful, just as I’d expected. The beautiful wood & thatch buildings are fantastic. The river, jungle and vegetation are stunning. Kayaking to the end of a river to hike into waterfalls was great fun.

All the people at the resort were great, from the local staff to the other volunteers, manager and ever-changing guests. We all got along splendidly and had a jolly time. But…

Quite unfortunately, the resort set-up, meal scheduling and working hours didn’t really fit my body requirements or personal volunteer guidelines. More specifically, the all-vegetarian diet, set meal times, dorm room location above the restaurant/hang-out area and distant toilets all caused me a lot of grief.

jungle loft dorm room view

Issues became quite apparent within two days of my arrival. So by mutual agreement, the owner, manager and I all decided I should probably head out.

So just six short days after my arrival I departed, wondering what I was going to do next and where the heck I was going to spend Christmas instead. For starters, the resort graciously sent me on a local boat down river to Livingston, a tiny fishing town at the confluence of Rio Dulce and the Caribbean Sea.

I expected Livingston to be a dirty, icky fishing village with nothing to offer. I expected to want to leave the very next day to…somewhere. I had a few tentative ideas in mind.

To my great surprise, though, I actually like Livingston! True, it is a rather messy and disheveled fishing & border town. And as a link on the South American drug smuggling circuit, there’s a slight edge to the town and several shady characters roaming about. But the town is full of lush, tropical vegetation like palm trees and lovely clapboard wooden houses and shops overlooking the sea, river and fishing piers.

Even better, since Livingston is completely disconnected overland from any other towns or destinations(you can only access Livingston by boat), very little traffic roams the streets. This is a great relief to me. Every other town I’ve visited in Guatemala has been plagued by never-ending roaring traffic. Livingston, in contrast, is fairly quiet and calm, with a nice soothing ambiance.

view from my room at Casa Rosada

Best of all, the little guesthouse I’m staying at is absolutely fantastic. My second floor room in the large clapboard wooden house looks out over a long wooden jetty reaching into the last meters of Rio Dulce and the vast Caribbean Sea beyond.

A charming thatch roofed pavilion rests at the end of the jetty. A lovely garden and open-aired restaurant grace the grounds below my window. More accurately, there’s a series of open-aired windows along the front of the wooden house.

I feel like I’m residing in a luxurious beach house with the sea breeze drifting through most times of day and night. It’s exceedingly peaceful.

I like this hotel and Livingston so much, in fact, that I’ve decided to stay on through Christmas.

When I discovered the town’s large upscale resort, complete with Olympic size swimming pool set in landscaped tropical gardens and an open-aired restaurant serving gourmet seafood dishes, that put the icing on the cake. Suddenly I have somewhere special to spend Xmas day, dining and luxuriating poolside.

Meanwhile, even more great news has landed my way…

The next HelpX assignment I have lined up is working at an animal shelter on Belize’s best island – Caye Caulker – starting in late January. When my Rio Dulce adventure turned sour, I wrote asking if they could use my help sooner. And…indeed they can! I am now scheduled to begin helping stray cats n dogs on January 7^th. Less than 3 weeks from now!

So at the end of this week, right after Christmas, on December 27^th I am taking the ferry from Livingston to southern Belize! In just 5 days I will be leaving Guatemala and beginning my explorations of English-speaking Belize. Much to my surprise, I’ll also be celebrating New Year’s Eve on the glistening beaches of Belize.

I’ve given myself 11 days to make my way slowly up the Belize coast, visiting beach-side towns and inland jungle-laden national parks, before I head out to tropical paradise island, Caye Caulker. Yippie!

On my agenda are:

* Punta Gorda – small Garifuna fishing village and landing port town for boats from Guatemala

* Placencia – upscale yachties harbor town with reputedly fabulous white sand beaches and fancy resorts

* Hopkins – bohemian style beach-side village, home of Garifuna drumming masters

* Sittee River – tranquil riverside village near Hopkins

* Blue Hole National Park – features 2 big caves, blue hole, hiking trails, cave tubing, swimming

* Dangriga – main Garifuna town, home of punta rock, drumming & Garifuna Museum

* San Ignacio – mountain town near the border of Guatemala (if time allows a quick visit)

That all sounds fun and exciting to me!

Moral of the story: When you end up in a situation that clearly isn’t right for you, accept that and move on. It wasn’t meant to be. Instead, look forward to better, more suitable things that are in store!

Merry Christmas from Livingston, Guatemala!

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