-Rio Dulce-

-20th December-
Nice to move on from rainy Flores and arrive in rainy Rio Dulce! Yesterday was immense. I took the old banger that is the Toyota shuttle down a 14 mile bumpy road ( pothole laden London would be proud ) with 14 or so locals. I jumped off at the 'Fincas del Paraíso' stop and was amazed at what I finally came across after following the shallow river upstream. This particular place of natural beauty was home to thermally heated waterfalls! ¡Que Chilero! (This is what I hear all the time here, it means awesome or something) This was certainly a first, to be standing under a hot waterfall was mind blowing, besides I had been waiting for a hot shower for weeks.

First impression of Rio Dulce. Love the way you are stranded without the use of boats, this means you must accept the present moment, be content with where you are and what you are doing. What a fantastic place to be held against your will!

Rio Dulce is like a miniature version of the Amazon river (not that I have been) which is still pretty massive. Similar colour, tinge to the water, except I have been told there are less life threatening creatures that lurk beneath. I think I'll pass on the whole taking a dip thing.. for now. When you cannot see your own limbs in the water the imagination seems to take the reigns and you begin to see crocodiles and anacondas approaching despite them not inhabiting these regions.

I took a kayak out along the winding, narrow tributaries close to Casa Perico. There were a few mosquitos and a lot of movement in the trees above. These were tropical birds, I haven't seen any monkeys yet.

Right now I am waiting for my water taxi to head further down river towards Livingston, Puerto Barrios and the Amatique Bay which eventually leads to the Caribbean Sea. Oh, the sun has just shown it's face!

Got dropped below one of the largest bridges in Central America and was told to wait until 2:30pm for the boat to the next hostal. Food time. Found a little place where 5 women were busy conjuring up tortillas. I had a go and the girls laughed so I asked for some grub and sat down. I had this simple yet nutritious munch, it is easy to eat plant based here. Beans, rice salad.

After being offered a white kitten by the women, which I regretfully said no to as I'm catching a flight in 9 days, I came across a playground and did some training. These children's playgrounds are not just for children I tell ya. I then practised some shooting under the famous bridge in Rio Dulce. Funnily enough the guy I played against happened to work on the boat I would take at 2:30. I nearly missed the boat, time flies when you do things you love.

The boat ride revealed the true expanse of Rio Dulce. The water seemed cleaner further out, the day brightened up momentarily, the cloudy sky must have caused the water to seem less inviting.

It was clear some people come here to live the good life as there were many large yachts moored about the place. The closer we got to the destination the more green it became, the river narrowed slightly and the vegetation seemed to tower higher and higher over the river.

Finally we made it, jumped off the boat and was greeted by a dog and another Miguel, it must be the equivalent of the name Sam in Guatemala. The Round House hostal is in fact a round house. It is beautifully constructed and made exclusively of wood. The next few days should be full of tranquility and physical activities. The volunteer here mentioned there were hot springs nearby, a Mayan village, and some nice hikes though the nature reserve. Let's have it.