i should log off » jungle

Photo: Rio Dulce

Jillian — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:13:36 +0000

The direct translation means sweet river, but in the pouring rain it seemed anything but. A popular place for sailboat and cayuco (dugout canoe) trips, the river starts at Lake Izabel and flows to the Caribbean. Along the way it winds through a small Spanish fort and a canyon, only to empty into the Caribbean at Livingston, one of the largest Garifuna settlements in Guatemala.

After waiting two days for the weather to clear up, we decided to take the boat trip to Livingston in the rain and from there catch a ferry to the town where the buses left for Guatemala City. With on and off showers, the boat ride to Livingston was anything but comfortable, but nevertheless the lush scenery made up for the wind and rain.

To see more of our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo of the day series.

IF YOU GO: Boat trips to Livingston leave from Rio Dulce at the mouth of the river. We spent a few days at an eco-lodge on the lake. Find your way to the boat dock and you’ll find a whole group of captains waiting to escort you to their favorite lodge. Crossing the river is one of the longest bridges in Central America.

Photo:A Ride Along the Rio Dulce

Danny — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 08:15:06 +0000

In taking the boat ride along the Rio Dulce to the coast we were able to see how life still transpires in that region of Guatemala. I generally pride myself on being able to quickly name where each of our 20,000 photos were taken with only a moment’s glance but this photo gave me a challenge. Sure, now that I know this was Guatemala that looks right but it could have just as been taken in Uganda, Malawi or pretty much anywhere in Southeast Asia.

I actually think the owners of this house have things relatively good. Their house looks big, their river is pretty clean and it looks like their roof is fully functional. I wish I could live in a house with a thatched roof like the one in this photo. Maybe someday!

To see more of our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo of the day series.

IF YOU GO: Guatemala is a great country to visit and to learn Spanish. We visited this region on our way back from Tikal. I didn’t particularly like the boat ride along the Rio Dulce, but the rest of the region was pretty cool.

Photo: Tarantula

Danny — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 12:15:26 +0000

In going to Costa Rica, the cloud forests of Monteverde became something of a goal for us. The mountains and forests of the region were something that attracted us and we had initial planned on staying for a few weeks to volunteer and relax a bit. When we got there we found a tourist town in the midst of rainy season and so we realized we’d need to readjust our plans a bit.
Since it wouldn’t be long before heading off for the monkeys of Manuel Antonio, we decided to give a night hike a try. Really, it’s just what it sounds like and not much more. Unfortunately, most of the wildlife we did see was shrouded in darkness and therefore not close enough for our cameras to see in the pitch dark of night. Then we came across this tarantula…it was right next to trail so it was easy to take a photo, thankfully it stayed put and didn’t come after us!

IF YOU GO: Monteverde is a great place to visit and very close to the Volcan Arenal. Driving between the two isn’t exactly easy but there is a transport service that combines with a boat ride for the one way journey. Montverde may not be the site of luxury that Arenal is but it contains all the adventure from night hikes to canopy tours!