Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery;
None but ourselves can free our minds.
–Redemption Song, Bob Marley
LIVINGSTON, Guatemala — I arrived by boat five days ago to this half Garifuna, half Maya fishing village on the Caribbean. The only way to arrive, in fact, is by boat. 
The 45-minute trip from Punta Gorda was a carnival ride without the safety features, and by the end, we were all soaked with sea spray, clutching each other and exhausted from screaming, so I was in no mood to deal with the hustlers trying to get me to go on their tour or head to their hotel. I strapped on my pack and headed straight up the hill to immigration, past the stalls of Bob Marley T-shirts, Rasta hats and finely embroidered and woven Maya crafts.
Livingston’s colorful cultural blend, its party atmosphere and surrounding ecotourism activities have combined to make it a natural tourism destination, and I’m surrounded by backpackers from around the world. The town is especially full this week, when Semana Santa brings tourists from all over Guatemala, as well. Overhead, the street is laced with red plastic flags advertising Gallo, the national beer; in the air is the thrum of the Garifuna drums.
Right across from the immigration office is the beautiful Hotel Villa Caribe, a luxurious setting with a spectacular view of the sailboats and trawlers over the bay. Still wet from the sea spray and drained from the journey, I got some sideways glances from the genteel waitstaff, but I forged ahead, laid down my heavy pack and indulged in a couple of local specialties: coco loco – fruit juice and rum, served in a coconut – and tapado, a creamily delicious seafood soup made with coconut cream.
After lunch I was ready to find a place to settle in – at $130 a night, Villa Caribe was out of the question, but just up the hill, Hotel Rio Dulce had the right price at $12. I’m at the heart of the action, music coming from all sides, and I head across the street to the Happy Fish, where some punta drummers are pounding out a fast beat, punctuated by the traditional Garifuna instrument made of tortoise shells.
Here I sampled the local Garifuna drink – Gifiti, it’s called, a crazy mixture of rum, anise, black pepper, cinnamon, and a variety of herbs from the jungle, with some marijuana seeds thrown in for good measure. It’s supposed to give you energy, and I could definitely use some of that.
On Day 2 I set off to find a more conducive work environment, and the Casa Rosada has proven to be just the place. It’s a nice walk to the hubub on the harbor, but it’s a world apart; this charming guest house offers beautifully furnished cabañas, colorfully painted regional furniture, a coffeehouse atmosphere and spectacular breezes and views of the bay. Importantly, there’s also a reliable internet signal here, and delicious meals with vegetarian options. Multilingual owners Sandra Goossens and Javier Putul are a wealth of local knowledge; Javier is a homegrown Kekchi Maya, and Sandra is Belgian. At $20 a night, it’s a bargain.
I had planned to lay low, relax a bit and catch up on writing this week, but it wasn’t meant to be. The first day I stumbled across the office of FUNDA-ECO, Guatemala’s largest environmental foundation. By Tuesday, I’d found Buga Mama, the green-certified restaurant and ecotourism operated by the Maya school Ak Tenamit, which is promoting important social and environmental initiatives in the Maya communities. Wednesday I was invited to the nearby village, Plan Grande, to check out a village ecotourism project. And Thursday I met the owners of a Garifuna eco-cultural initiative, Rasta Mesa. Clearly a lot is going on here; I made plans to stay in the area for another week and check out their programs. Sadly, between juggling interviews, soaking up a little local culture and making plans for next week, not a lot of writing has happened.
I have, however, taken many photos; Livingston is nothing if not photogenic. Here are a few of the best.
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
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