Villa Caribe Livingston

... I asked for the cuenta after eating at Restaurant Margoth (tapado), I just wanted to be sure I was paying 113 Q for all of that and she didn’t really crack a smile until I actually paid her. "Is this correct? What were the prices?" She just pointed and said yes. Pretty much the only people who will approach you are those who want to sell you something or lead you around the town to places where they will get a commission, and ...

... I took a tour to Lamanai which were yet more Mayan ruins but it was a really cool day. I had my reservartions when the only other people on the tour were a couple of Canadian chumps in their 50's and the wife's parents who must have been getting on for 80. They got pretty excited about the most trivial things but were harmless and even though we didn't have a whole lot to chat about the tour made up for it. We got to the ruins by taking a 33 mile boat ride up the New ...

... that took place other than everything was way to expensive considering its down season and no one is there. so we agreed a price on a room and said we would fend for ourselves with regards food.....<br>chuckle im sure he did....<br><br>We set off back to the village for some supplies...pasta, sauce, eggs, pasta, sauce, eggs.... on arrival back to the finca we looked for the guy.... no wher to be seen<br>After dark, realising he wasnt coming back to open the ...

... nature, peace and quiet and a rope swing. What more could I ask for? The second day there I took out a kayak (love those) and entered the Chocon Machacas Biosphere. Phew, lots of paddling that day, about 7 hours. Saw lots of great scenery, but not many animals. Met three other travelers there and they convinced me to travel with them to Semuc Champey, sounds like fun.

... J )<br><br>We arrived in the town Rio Dulce at noonish and were quickly persuaded to stay at Casa Perico (a little jungle lodge a short boat ride away) for that night. Although I was a little unconvinced at the time (I never like to get off transport and immediately be persuaded to stay anywhere) this turned out to be an amazing decision (thanks Anwen!). It was recommended by los Amigos though which in our book always counts highly in it&#8217;s favour. It ...

... in hammocks reading our books (standard). Since we got here the weather has been cloudy or raining and we&#8217;re really hoping it brightens up for tomorrow&#8217;s tour. For dinner I had Tapado &#8211; which is a local Garifuna dish. A soup that is served with lots of different seafood (It had a whole fish, mussles, prawns and a whole crab!!!! In it!) It was obviously very messy to eat (since all of the above had to be dissected!) but it was ...

... dragging our luggage and trying to stay upright as we were jostled and elbowed by the locals, looking for a small hotel we had been told about back in Flores. A Guatemalan policia truck pulled up and I asked if they knew where Brunos Hotel was. They said 'get in!' So we piled in to the backseat of the policia truck, they threw our luggage in the back, and drove us to Bruno's. 30 seconds later the daily rainstorm hit and I thought if there were no rooms I would ...

... so I guess I didn´t really have to bargain too hard.)<br><br>That night, I had my first delicious meal. While wandering the streets of Cobán in search of internet and food, I came across a few street vendors on the edge of the main plaza. As any good traveler would do, I nuzzled on up to truck with the greatest number of patrons and proceeded to eat my weight in churrascos for 10 quetzales (or about $1.25). (Note: While I initially feared that I would be running to ...

... and peeling skin - it was like those places in Asia that people pay and dip their feet in to get rid of their dead skin, here we were getting it for free. There was a small overhang that you could swim under and it was like being in a sauna. The actual falls were about 12m high and in a jungle. <br><br>After an hour or so we were done so we walked back (holding our breathe as we passed a few stinky swines!). After our tractor ride we got back ...

... pineapple and drinking beers. Toward the end, we took turns posing for pictures around all our empties. That night we went to a local place to have tapado, a local soup with coconut milk, fish, crab, veggies, and bananas. The coconut milk/banana combo was especially delicious. <br><br>My last day in Livingston was spent just chilling out. It was so friggin hot there that I didn´t have the energy to do anything else. I left on my birthday-eve, headed to Utila to learn to dive.