Rio Dulce trip to Livingstone, Tuesday 29th September

We had a river trip planned for the day and set off in a speed boat first to go upstream and view the local Spanish fort protecting the entrance to the lake built in the sixteenth century.

 Plus an egret using the foreshore of the castle to fish.

 We took a detour through mangrove swamps along the rivers edge to check out the flora and to see a giant grasshopper.

 All down the river there are boats moored in the safety of the river between the lake and the sea some 48kms away and away from the impact of hurricanes that whip through the Caribbean at this time of year.

 The river narrows into a gorge before widening out at Livingstone and entering the sea.

 We landed at Livingstone and had a few hours to walk around town and have lunch passing the local laundrette on the way.

Livingstone's version of Ellis island and the Statute of Liberty.

e tried the local tapados dish being a soup of fish, shrimp and crab in a coconut sauce. We also tried the local beverage called guifitti and universally agreed it was the worst drink that we had ever tried.

 On the return journey we stopped off at a hot spring for a swim and a drink.

Our boat.

 Plus resident large spider about the size of my hand.

 Plus a great shot of a local fisherman casting his net.

Plus a few odd shots that I have just received from earlier on the trip that I would have used at the right time had I had access to them. Pilates in Denali National Park with Helen behind me and me taking a photo of Tracey taking a photo of me, Zoe looking at the camera as I am looking away as we were waiting for the tuk tuk striking drivers to let us through on the road to San Cristobel and me eating a plate of grasshoppers (chapulines) after visiting Mount Alban in Mexico.