In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this financially independent lifestyle, they invite you to take advantage of their wisdom and experience.

Livingston, Guatemala

Where the Jungle meets the Sea

Billy and Akaisha Kaderli

Livingston at the mouth of the Río Dulce at the Gulf of Honduras/Caribbean Sea

An unanticipated joyous blend of Caribbean colors, Garifuna flavor and Maya culture, Livingston is the other side of Guatemala! With no overland access, this tiny outpost stays beyond the ordinary.

From Antigua

We traveled to Livingston, Guatemala from the city of Antigua. Even though there is no way to reach Livingston except by boat, from where we were, we still needed to go by land to Guatemala's capitol city and then to Rio Dulce first.  At 7 a.m., we were able to catch the bus at the corner of our street down from our hotel in Antigua. For 8Q's per person, we had the privilege of experiencing The Ride from Hades!  Every hairpin turn found us slammed into our seatmate. There was no slowing this driver down and there was nothing gentle about the ride.

The bus was fully packed with passengers sitting 3 or more to benches on both sides of the bus, plus people standing in the aisle. After twenty or thirty minutes of this vigorous and embarrassing smashing into strangers on both sides of me, any effort to maintain a sense of sophistication seemed absurd. Still, I had to rustle up my courage to ask the handsome man next to me (whom I felt I almost knew personally by now) about which bus we were to take to get us to Rio Dulce.

Rolling his eyes to the heavens let me know that he thought we were complete idiots.

It's one of the things that I enjoy about city dwellers. There is no hesitation in giving me a look that lets me know that  - while I have traveled the world -  I am still a country bumpkin to this man who lives among millions by choice.

"Reee-oh DOOOOOL-SAAAAAY," he says to me and then sucks in his bottom lip. "Why that bus station is on the other side of town!"

What?!?!

Relieved to get out of this bus, we jumped off at the next stop, right in the middle of belching exhaust, street vendors, foot traffic and horrendous horn honking. But the fine featured man with a hesitancy to smile assured us that we should just take the next taxi to - well, - to the bus station that would take us to Rio Dulce!

Silly us! Of course!

Billy grabs a taxi, bargains a ride for 25Q's and we make the station just in time to catch the 9:30 a.m. bus to the sweet river town.

We arrive in Rio Dulce at 4 p.m. Bounced and bumped on the first bus, we endured a boring, dusty ride on the second. Anxious to get out and about after all this sitting, we promptly find a room right on the river for the night, and check into boats that will take us to Livingston the following morning.

Rio Dulce means Sweet River. On our way to Livingston by boat

After a quick and much needed shower, we head into town to see what's cookin'.

Our first grazing is delicious!

10Q's each for Carne asada with chile, 3 tortillas and black beans. It was a great price with solid Guatemalan flavor. After a trying day on the road, we are looking forward to some delectable food options and a leisurely walk riverside. Picture-perfect vendors and street stalls are everywhere.

Billy takes out his camera to take a photo and --

Phhhhhttt!!

His cameral no longer works!

A bit peeved, we go back to the hotel, and --

Phhhhhtttt!!!

The whole town is without lights.

Morning arrives and we hop aboard the boat that will take us to our last stop in Guatemala. Our trip down the Rio Dulce went as planned and the scenery was awesome. Not having a workable camera, Billy was pained watching scene after photographable scene pass him by.

Livingston is at the edge of the country where the river meets the sea, and has its own unique society unlike anything we have ever seen.

We heard of the Garifuna culture but had never before encountered it.

In 1635, Spanish ships were transporting slaves from Nigeria in Africa to their colonies in America when their ships wrecked just off the Caribbean island of St. Vincent. Survivors of the wreck took refuge on that island. The Garinagu (plural of Garifuna) are the living descendants of these African slaves and the Caribs who lived on St. Vincent.

Most Garifuna speak Spanish, some English and their own Garifuna language which is a mixture of Arawak, French, Yuroba, Banti, and Swahili words.

Buga is Garifuna loosely translated as river mouth. This woman proudly calls herself a Buga Mama

There are small eateries everywhere in Livingston and are worth seeking out. The main drag generally attracts the tourists who come through, but the smaller places on the side streets will give you a chance to hang out with those who live here full time.

We always like to get local, as we find it more interesting.

Street food made by a Buga mama

La Buga (lah BOO-gah) is the name the Garinagu use for the town of Livingston. Buga means river mouth in their language.

A term of respect and endearment given to women in the town is "Buga Mama." And you don't wanna mess with these Mamas! They are large and in charge!

Street food comes in all styles, and this is some of Livingston's finest.

Down by the dock, several Buga Mamas set up their mobile restaurants around noon. Patrons come by and purchase their lunch and sit in the shade of a frangipani or jacaranda tree.

Chicken, Cole slaw, fried plantains and red beans and rice. Chicken stew broth is ladled over the rice and beans for extra flavor. No one goes hungry with these meals! On the tables are vegetables marinated in spicy jalapeno juice and red peppers.

A word of caution! These vegetables are burning hot!

Taking a walk outside of town

Leisurely walking on the dirt paths that connect this river town to Amatique Bay, we stopped at a shack-styled bar and had an afternoon beer.

There were two tables and 4 stools. A Garifuna woman was sitting on one of the stools, letting her thoughts drift out to sea.

Topado, a famous Garifuna coconut seafood soup

Interrupting her reverie we exchanged pleasantries, then inquired, "What’s the name of this bay?"

"Livingston. All of this is Livingston."

"But what’s the name of the bay of water here?" we pursued.

"Livingston. All of this is Livingston. It’s Livingston water" she clarified

"And out there? Is that the Gulf of Honduras? Then the Caribbean Sea?" we pressed just a little further.

"Yeah. But right here it’s all Livingston."

And that is all we needed to know. There was no point in getting all snarled up over something that wasn't important or had nothing to do with life right here in the moment.

How could it possibly matter what someone calls the water so far out in a place she'll never go?

It's a beautiful day, the sea is lapping the shore, and there's a fine breeze.

'Nuff said!

A local lunch of distinction

Back in town on another day, we're ready for some food so we stop at Antojitos Gaby for a local lunch of distinction.

Topado is a native Garifuna specialty that you must try. A coconut seafood soup fills a large bowl to the brim with whole fish, shrimp, clams, and crab. At 65Q an order, it will easily feed two. Ours came with fried plaintain and buttered toast.

The broth is spectacular, made from healthy coconut milk and is filled with protein. You won't get this anywhere but in Garifuna country! We ordered some red beans on the side but it ended up being too much food to finish.

Moving on tomorrow

The boat to Belize leaves tomorrow at 7 a.m. so we must get our visas stamped out of Guatemala here at this Immigration office before we board. We cannot even purchase the 200Q per person ticket until we show the captain our exit stamps in our passports. So we list our names on the manifest and proceed on to the immigration office just up the street.

We walk into this tiny air-conditioned building and show Mr. Immigration Officer our passports.

Tiny immigration office in Livingston

"Hmmmmm," he says while shaking his head sadly. He tells us he doesn't like our stamp into his country of Guatemala.

Huh?!?

Billy and I look at each other quickly and with confusion in our eyes. For two or three full minutes we explain to Mr. I'm-Giving-You-Trouble that we entered Guatemala through the Mexican border at Huehuetenango.

"Oooooh," he says as he fiddles around behind the counter looking for the correct stamps with which to mark our passports.

"That will be 80 Quetzalez per person."

What?!?

Main street Livingston, then out to the sea

We explain with great respect to our newest best friend that our guide books didn't mention a thing about being charged a fee for the exit stamps...

With a ferocious "harumph" in his eyes, Mr. Immigration Man states flatly that the guide book is wrong. He says he has been working at this job for 20 years and for each of those 20 years he has been requiring payment to leave Guatemala.

He demands to know the name of the guide book and what year it was written, but then he interrupts himself and simply states that the book is no good.

So we give him 80Q (or $10USD) each to get his stamp, and all of a sudden he’s happy now. Broadly smiling he gives us a "legal receipt" - which he neither stamps nor signs... and we are on our way!

If you have never been to Livingston, it’s worth the trip. Exotic and memorable, you will not regret your time there.

For more stories and photos of Guatemala, click here

About the Authors

Billy and Akaisha Kaderli are recognized retirement experts and internationally published authors on topics of finance, medical tourism and world travel. With the wealth of information they share on their award winning website RetireEarlyLifestyle.com, they have been helping people achieve their own retirement dreams since 1991. They wrote the popular books, The Adventurer’s Guide to Early Retirement and Your Retirement Dream IS Possible available on their website bookstore or on Amazon.com.

Retire Early Lifestyle appeals to a different kind of person – the person who prizes their independence, values their time, and who doesn’t want to mindlessly follow the crowd.

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