Livingston, presumably...

Bit of a photofest here as we've not been up to much... Happy New Year to all

We didn't feel guilty for not riding to Livingston as the only way to get here is by boat. It was a pretty cool journey across the lake and up through the mangrove and jungle.

"Welcome to Africa" said the hostel tout as the boat docked at the jetty. The Guatemalan people here are descendants of African slaves and I guess the relative remoteness of the place has kept  their appearance true to their ancestors.
We're on the edge of the Caribbean Sea here and the whole place has a very laid back vibe. It's a bit of a shanty town and actually it's the first place in Guatemala that I've instantly warmed to on arrival.

We've had 2 'firsts' today. Neither of us have even been to the Caribbean before let alone swum in the warm waters. That fact still stands as despite the local beach looking ok in this photo, the water (I went in knee deep) was pretty polluted with plastic bags and general rubbish. Despite not swimming we sat on the sand, feeling the warm sea breeze and listening to the little waves lapping on the shore. It felt good

Another (more practical) 'first' was lunch. A little street stall served us up delicious BBQ fish, cabbage n beetroot slaw and a proper mansize portion of rice n beans. It was yummy, cheap and for virtually the first time we came away from a meal actually feeling full. 

In fact it was so good we went back the second day

It's bloody hot up here and uber humid. Just sitting in the shade you gently sweat away, God only knows what it's going to be like once we ride along the coast towards Honduras. Right now though we're just going to chill out here for a few days until the New year.

Here's a few shots of the town

These are the seats in a local pick up truck, I guess you can imagine how good the rest of it looked

NYE came and went. We were in bed by 10pm but not before eating a special dinner - Tapado, a coconut milk based soup with spices and coriander. Bit tricky to eat but tasted great. That fish was whole, it's head emerged as the soup level lowered and I ate the plantain that was hiding it

More food photos, the first breakfast of 2016. Luke warm chow mein. Scrambled egg, fried tortilla, plantain and refried beans. Bit weird but did the job

We walked out to some waterfalls but never found them, still, got us out and about

There is so much rubbish washed up on the beaches here. We humans are bad

Not only a genuine dugout canoe but here you also get a chicken thrown in for free

We stopped off for a drink. I wonder how you say "kiss me quick" in Spanish?

While we're at it, let have a luvverly bunch of...

Me trying to get arty (inspired by Louisa Eagleton)

Back in town we went back to our favourite (because it's cool n breezy) spot. Seems this guy liked it as well. He sat there until the tour boats came in and then scrounged the left over packed lunches the tourists hadn't eaten.

I just wanted to also mention a great Canadian guy we met. I reckon Eric had it just about right. He lives in a small off grid cabin that he built up the hill from the small town in British Columbia where he was brought up. He's got a decent engineering job in town and has travelled the world quite a bit. He loves getting out there but has decided that his favourite place is home. He has solar power, an outdoor shower and no TV and his head is properly screwed on. Good on ya Eric, you're doing well mate.