I never realized how much I can worry over things. We needed to find an internet café to clear my camera memory onto a CD again, and even though I don't voice my thoughts, I very often find myself preoccupied with the details of how things are going to work out, and wondering IF they are going to work out. Of course they will! But how often I doubt it.
After walking all around town looking for an open internet cafe, we found a place which charged a little bit more than we wanted (and whose attitude was less than desirable about serving us). We kept walking around, and met a Garifuna woman 
(that's the name for the locals in Livingston. They have very black skin, and speak Spanish and sometimes English) who offered to braid my hair for a good price. Como no! (Why not!) It was a painful ordeal, but I had fun having my appearance transformed, an
d chatting with our new friend.
Since the power was still out in the city, going to the major business shops for the internet seemed our only option. As we continued to walk around town, Anghel motioned me to enter a Tigo shop with him, where a young woman sat at the desk with a laptop. What a clever guy. He struck up a conversation with her and asked her simply if we might use her computer to burn a CD. She was very kind and accommodating, and I had a pretty good conversation with her as well while Anghel went out to buy a blank CDR. I am constantly amazed and the trust and friendliness of this people, and especially in Livingston. Because it is so far removed from civilization and difficult, (an hour boat ride one way), there is an atmosphere of peace and safety there. Perhaps this contributes to the renown gaiety of the people. The Tigo woman and I spoke a little about my volunteering at the school in Guatemala City, and she commented on the great need for education in Livingston. Again, the distance from civilization makes it difficult to access higher learning.
Our new friend at the Tigo store wouldn't take payment for helping us (even though it took about an hour to get everything done), so Anghel and I went and bought her some fruit since she hadn't had breakfast yet. By the time we took a taxi towards our next destination (which I had only a vague idea about), it was about 9am.
We walked about an hour after the taxi ride, but it was a pleasant walk along the palmy beach of Livingston. I still felt a little tired, and very thirsty, but the ocean breeze was refreshing (though still humid), and the change of scenery gave me new energy. We crossed little rivulets running into the ocean, and saw boats close to the shore casting nets for fish. There were lopsided palm trees filled with fresh coconuts, as well as mango trees which dotted the shore. I stopped Angel to try to get a coconut down (I was really thirsty!), but even when we got it by knocking it over and over with a huge bamboo pole, we had no way to cut it open. Doh! We decided to stash it under a little ledge of sand and tree-roots until our return. Not much later, we found a man with a machete who we paid 5 quetzales for one of the coconuts of his tree. He let me try to hack mine open before he did the rest. It was great! I felt like a real native of the land. Hehehe. And MAN, was that coconut milk GOOD. So refreshing, and mildly sweet. So fresh! Once we cut the coconut open for the meat, our new friend sliced me my own spoon out of the shell of the coconut, which was perfect for scooping the soft white flesh out of the small crater of the core.
By the end of our trek, after having a refreshing drink from a natural spring coming from the rocks of the beach jungle, we paid admission at the little restaurant/rest-stop and hiked into the forest, home of Siete Altares. Here, again, the pictures must do the talking. This was by far my favorite tourist spot of the trip, having all my favorite qualities of nature. It was cool under the canopy of trees, picking our way over rocks and across the stream. There were little plateaus of water leading up to a quaint fall, which is probably why the place is named "Seven Alters." I only wish we could have stayed longer at the waterfall, but we had to get back in time to meet the taxi and continue the rest of our journey. I felt higher in spirits going back than coming in, and for once, Anghel was the one trying to keep up with me. I had also made a decision to appreciate my trip and my tour-guide more, since earlier I felt a bit plaintive and reserved, and that and a prayer made all the difference. I was really enjoying myself, now.
On the way back down the beach, we met some Guatemalan youth knocking mangoes out of a tree with a slingshot. They shared one with us, since we couldn't reach (thanks, Anghel, for asking for me), and continued happily on our way. I commented frequently how beautiful the landscape (paisaje) was "¡Que hermoso!", to which Anghel always replied "Thank you," as if I had been referring to him. What a clown! (¡Payaso!)
I met the same group of guys again on the way back into town, when Anghel and I hitched a ride on a pickup truck. I rode in the back with them, and had a stilted conversation, which led them to recommending a nearby restaurant for my first taste of "Tapado." Anghel and I got off and went into the something Gato (I forgot the name), one of the three famous restaurants in Livingston for great Tapado. It cost 56 quetzales, pretty steep compared to everything else (Anghel got his lunch for 12), but worth every bit! That soup...was...SO...GOOOD! I don't usually make a habit of eating food that still has head and eyes attached, but for this I was willing to make an exception. One taste of that creamy, tantalizing coconut broth made my spirits dance and my mouth come alive. There's no way to describe it other than, "Will you marry me?"
One huge bowl was quite satisfying, though, and you can see the before and after photos. It took me about 30 minutes to eat, because I had to peel the shell off of the crabs and shrimp, and carefully remove the bones as I ate the fish, but it was quite the experience, and working to get the meat off my food only made me appreciate each bite that much more.
After lunch, we walked back to the hotel, (me lugging the two coconuts we'd found on the beach all the way), and cleaned up. We got to a lancha just in time, and as we waited for it, met a funny boy who had randomly wandered up to me to talk. He was fascinated by my camera, I think, and showed me some coins he had. I gave him a couple of 25 centavo coins, and he pocketed them quick enough. Anghel and I had to laugh as his older sister came and hauled him away by the arm with a strong rebuke from mother for wandering off. His chin was stuck proudly in the air as he allowed himself to be scuffled gruffly away. It reminded me of a comical scene from "The Little Rascals."
After a half-hour boat ride to Porta Barrios, we met with a disciple named José and met his family. His wife's name is Evelyn, and they are the Corranado family. They are so sweet and giving! They moved to this poor city to help start a church, and are extremely poor themselves, with 3 or 4 children (I believe...yo creo), and only two bedrooms. There are already two other families whose lives have changed because of them, and I've never met such faithful, content, and generous people with so very little. We went out shopping with Evelyn and José, and Anghel and I bought them groceries as well as food for dinner. Evelyn made some delicious Argentinian food for us (since that's where she's originally from), and I ate more than my share of Platanos. She had made some kind of runny egg with a really tasty salsa, frijoles (of course, por supuesto), and ham on bread. Good breakfast sandwich, and a special treat at 8 pm at night. While we ate, Anghel shared a scriptures and well all talked about God according to his word in the Bible. I was asked to share, so I read Romans 8:1-17 and talked about what I had recently been learning about my selfishness and ungratefulness. The whole night made me very aware of our need for God as human beings, and sharing in the truth of what Jesus taught, which is love, and forgiveness, and a way out of all the mess inside of us as people.
Time for bed...see you at 1am when we wake up to catch our bus back to Guatemala city!
(that's the name for the locals in Livingston. They have very black skin, and speak Spanish and sometimes English) who offered to braid my hair for a good price. Como no! (Why not!) It was a painful ordeal, but I had fun having my appearance transformed, an
d chatting with our new friend.
Since the power was still out in the city, going to the major business shops for the internet seemed our only option. As we continued to walk around town, Anghel motioned me to enter a Tigo shop with him, where a young woman sat at the desk with a laptop. What a clever guy. He struck up a conversation with her and asked her simply if we might use her computer to burn a CD. She was very kind and accommodating, and I had a pretty good conversation with her as well while Anghel went out to buy a blank CDR. I am constantly amazed and the trust and friendliness of this people, and especially in Livingston. Because it is so far removed from civilization and difficult, (an hour boat ride one way), there is an atmosphere of peace and safety there. Perhaps this contributes to the renown gaiety of the people. The Tigo woman and I spoke a little about my volunteering at the school in Guatemala City, and she commented on the great need for education in Livingston. Again, the distance from civilization makes it difficult to access higher learning.
Our new friend at the Tigo store wouldn't take payment for helping us (even though it took about an hour to get everything done), so Anghel and I went and bought her some fruit since she hadn't had breakfast yet. By the time we took a taxi towards our next destination (which I had only a vague idea about), it was about 9am.
We walked about an hour after the taxi ride, but it was a pleasant walk along the palmy beach of Livingston. I still felt a little tired, and very thirsty, but the ocean breeze was refreshing (though still humid), and the change of scenery gave me new energy. We crossed little rivulets running into the ocean, and saw boats close to the shore casting nets for fish. There were lopsided palm trees filled with fresh coconuts, as well as mango trees which dotted the shore. I stopped Angel to try to get a coconut down (I was really thirsty!), but even when we got it by knocking it over and over with a huge bamboo pole, we had no way to cut it open. Doh! We decided to stash it under a little ledge of sand and tree-roots until our return. Not much later, we found a man with a machete who we paid 5 quetzales for one of the coconuts of his tree. He let me try to hack mine open before he did the rest. It was great! I felt like a real native of the land. Hehehe. And MAN, was that coconut milk GOOD. So refreshing, and mildly sweet. So fresh! Once we cut the coconut open for the meat, our new friend sliced me my own spoon out of the shell of the coconut, which was perfect for scooping the soft white flesh out of the small crater of the core.
By the end of our trek, after having a refreshing drink from a natural spring coming from the rocks of the beach jungle, we paid admission at the little restaurant/rest-stop and hiked into the forest, home of Siete Altares. Here, again, the pictures must do the talking. This was by far my favorite tourist spot of the trip, having all my favorite qualities of nature. It was cool under the canopy of trees, picking our way over rocks and across the stream. There were little plateaus of water leading up to a quaint fall, which is probably why the place is named "Seven Alters." I only wish we could have stayed longer at the waterfall, but we had to get back in time to meet the taxi and continue the rest of our journey. I felt higher in spirits going back than coming in, and for once, Anghel was the one trying to keep up with me. I had also made a decision to appreciate my trip and my tour-guide more, since earlier I felt a bit plaintive and reserved, and that and a prayer made all the difference. I was really enjoying myself, now.
On the way back down the beach, we met some Guatemalan youth knocking mangoes out of a tree with a slingshot. They shared one with us, since we couldn't reach (thanks, Anghel, for asking for me), and continued happily on our way. I commented frequently how beautiful the landscape (paisaje) was "¡Que hermoso!", to which Anghel always replied "Thank you," as if I had been referring to him. What a clown! (¡Payaso!)
I met the same group of guys again on the way back into town, when Anghel and I hitched a ride on a pickup truck. I rode in the back with them, and had a stilted conversation, which led them to recommending a nearby restaurant for my first taste of "Tapado." Anghel and I got off and went into the something Gato (I forgot the name), one of the three famous restaurants in Livingston for great Tapado. It cost 56 quetzales, pretty steep compared to everything else (Anghel got his lunch for 12), but worth every bit! That soup...was...SO...GOOOD! I don't usually make a habit of eating food that still has head and eyes attached, but for this I was willing to make an exception. One taste of that creamy, tantalizing coconut broth made my spirits dance and my mouth come alive. There's no way to describe it other than, "Will you marry me?"
One huge bowl was quite satisfying, though, and you can see the before and after photos. It took me about 30 minutes to eat, because I had to peel the shell off of the crabs and shrimp, and carefully remove the bones as I ate the fish, but it was quite the experience, and working to get the meat off my food only made me appreciate each bite that much more.
After lunch, we walked back to the hotel, (me lugging the two coconuts we'd found on the beach all the way), and cleaned up. We got to a lancha just in time, and as we waited for it, met a funny boy who had randomly wandered up to me to talk. He was fascinated by my camera, I think, and showed me some coins he had. I gave him a couple of 25 centavo coins, and he pocketed them quick enough. Anghel and I had to laugh as his older sister came and hauled him away by the arm with a strong rebuke from mother for wandering off. His chin was stuck proudly in the air as he allowed himself to be scuffled gruffly away. It reminded me of a comical scene from "The Little Rascals."
After a half-hour boat ride to Porta Barrios, we met with a disciple named José and met his family. His wife's name is Evelyn, and they are the Corranado family. They are so sweet and giving! They moved to this poor city to help start a church, and are extremely poor themselves, with 3 or 4 children (I believe...yo creo), and only two bedrooms. There are already two other families whose lives have changed because of them, and I've never met such faithful, content, and generous people with so very little. We went out shopping with Evelyn and José, and Anghel and I bought them groceries as well as food for dinner. Evelyn made some delicious Argentinian food for us (since that's where she's originally from), and I ate more than my share of Platanos. She had made some kind of runny egg with a really tasty salsa, frijoles (of course, por supuesto), and ham on bread. Good breakfast sandwich, and a special treat at 8 pm at night. While we ate, Anghel shared a scriptures and well all talked about God according to his word in the Bible. I was asked to share, so I read Romans 8:1-17 and talked about what I had recently been learning about my selfishness and ungratefulness. The whole night made me very aware of our need for God as human beings, and sharing in the truth of what Jesus taught, which is love, and forgiveness, and a way out of all the mess inside of us as people.
Time for bed...see you at 1am when we wake up to catch our bus back to Guatemala city!
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