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After leaving Finca Ixabel in the late morning, we drove to the town of Rio Dulce. Rio Dulce is on the river of the same name, which is an outlet of Lago de Izabel. The river leads to the Caribbean Sea, so the area is very popular with "yachties" looking for a spot off the ocean.

Rio Dulce to Honduras

Dbg
2005-11-04 19:50:52

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March 19, 2005

After leaving Finca Ixabel in the late morning, we drove to the town of Rio Dulce. Rio Dulce is on the river of the same name, which is an outlet of Lago de Izabel. The river leads to the Caribbean Sea, so the area is very popular with "yachties" looking for a spot off the ocean.

The road into town was very narrow and crowded with busses, cars and trucks. We just added to the mix and patiently made our way toward the bridge that crosses over the river. Just before the bridge, we were able to turn off into a large parking area. We immediately were approached by a man who wanted to put us on a boat to the town of Livingston.

Livingston is a town reachable only by boat and it is populated by black Guatemalans who speak Spanish, Garifuna and English. They are descendents of Africans brought to the New World as slaves. They've developed their own culture and language.

The man who approached us helped us find a spot to park the vehicle overnight (Bruno's Hotel, Restaurant and Marina) and put us on a boat to Livingston. The boat ride took about an hour and was a beautiful trip down the river, across a gulf and through a gorge. We saw lots of cormorants and egrets.

When we arrived in Livingston, we immediately looked for a room and found a cute place in a quiet location, complete with mosquito nets. We soon set out to explore. It was Saturday afternoon, so the town was getting ready to kick into gear for the evening. We sat down and ordered some ceviche (raw fish marinated in lime and spices) and watched the action. Across from our seats was a restaurant that seemed to attract a wide mix of people. The first ones to attract our attention were a group of scantily clad women. They took up residence at tables in front of the restaurant and proceeded to hold court. Eventually they started braiding hair and had quite a clientele going by the time we left.

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