Garifuna Culture

Monday, May 9, 2011--Puerto Barrios to Livingston, Guatemala

I left the hotel planning to stop at a restaurant recommended for breakfast by my guidebook.  When I got there, it wasn't the restaurant they had said; it was the Cuban one which I had tried to find yesterday.  Apparently the guidebook has an error.  This one was closed for Monday, and I had no idea where the other would be.  I went ahead to the docks and bought my ticket 1 1/2 hours early for the trip to Livingston.  The lady there suggested I have breakfast across the street at a small stall where several other people were.  I had scrambled eggs, refried beans, picante sauce, and orange juice.

There were storms in the forecast for today.  And 2/3 of the way through the boat trip, one hit us.  We had to hold plastic sheeting over ourselves to keep dry.  The young lady next to me lost track of her telephone and found it in the standing water on the floor when the rain stopped.  She was frantically trying to dry it and get it to work again.

Livingston is a wonderful town.  It is poor, but it is clean and attractive.  Lush greenery is everywhere.  There are hills, and there is a small beach.  The town was settled in the early 1800s by slaves who were shipped out of St. Vincent Island after they had rebelled.  The local culture is known as Garifuna.  The people are a mixture of Caribbean blacks and Hispanics.

I'm staying at the Garden Gate which has only two rooms.  They are new and nice with the walls and ceilings covered in tatami mats.  There is a huge window looking out over the tops of the tropical trees.  The only disadvantage is that there is no private bathroom.  I have to go downstairs where there are two shared bathrooms.

This afternoon, I walked up and down the streets exploring the town.  Everyone was friendly.  One black man walked up to me and started talking.  He is a teacher and a musician named Polo Martinez.  Apparently everyone in the community knows him.  He talked to me about the Garifuna culture and walked me through the neighborhoods.  I don't know how much to believe of what he told me.  For instance, he said that Jerry Garcia used to have a house here and that he worked for him and was eventually sent to university in the US by him.  He said he had been to San Antonio, Austin, Waco, and Dallas touring and playing music.

I was a bit disappointed in my dinner.  I went to what is supposedly the best restaurant in town.  I had garlic spaghetti with salad and garlic bread.  It was okay, but nothing special.  Tomorrow, I will find a Garifuna place and have rice and beans, I think.

Town was alive with people as the sun was setting tonight.  Everyone seemed to be in the streets visiting with each other.  It would be a great place to hide if someone wanted to get away from it all in a quiet, pretty, relaxing place.