Musica: Una Manera Hacer Amistades

Livingston, Guatemala, is the Guatemalan city closest in area to Belize´s Carribean Coast and home to Garifuna people, descendents of a shipwrecked group of African slaves, with a culture much unlike the rest of Guatemala.

After spending a hours or so touring the town, and sampling the local culture in the form of local beer, we stopped into a small local bar just across from our hotel, where two of the three tables in the small front room were occupied by the bars only two other patrons. After settling in and ordering a round of dinks, we proceeded to introduce ourselves to the men seated to our right. After a few minutes of conversation, the older of the two men asked us if we liked Country music. Both Andy and I replied affirmatively and the man disappeared behind the bar, returning minutes later humming the tune of our new Country sound track. For the next hour or so, we sung along with old Country favourites, while I unsuccessfully, but amusingly, tried to teach our new friends the Texas Two Step. After a long night, we bid our farewells, leaving me contented and marvelling at how strange life can be sometimes and how something like the simple love of country music can bridge cultures and turn strangers into friends.