Livingston, Rio Dulce - Central America

Okay realised I should do the finale for Guatemala state before signing off
So I will be covering the border state of Guatemala- Livingston and Rio Dulce.

The people of Livingston are a mixture of the Black Garifuna, Spanish Guatemalans and Mayan Guatemalans. A number of languages are spoken including Spanish, Garifuna and English is also widely spoken.

To get to this place, aint no easy task. I sat the bus and I had to transfer 2 times to get to Rio Dulce then change for a boat to get here. And guess what, the reason why I wanted to go there was because lonely planet had recommended that the was a special Tapados (A bowl loaded with seafood – fish, crab, mollusks, conch, sea snails and shrimp).



To get there ( By wikepdia)
There are no land access routes to Livingston; although Livingston is situated on Guatemala's mainland. Access can only be made by water; either by travelling up the Rio Dulce or by entering the port of Livingston on the Caribbean. Boats come frequently from Rio Dulce Town and Puerto Barrios.

A ferry leaves Puerto Barrios for Livingston Monday to Saturday at sometime in the morning (sometime around 11:00, but confirm first) and at 17:00. It costs 10 Quetzales. Collectivo Lanchas from Puerto Barrios to Livingston leave all day and cost 30 Quetzales.

Boats also arrive on the Caribbean route direct from Punta Gorda, Belize on Tuesdays and Fridays for US$17(there is a BLZ 37.5 departure tax at the immigration office located at the dock). Boats from Punta Gorda to Puerto Barrios run daily and are the only option when it is not Tuesday or Friday. When arriving from another country make sure to check in with immigration(500 feet uphill from the dock) to get your entry stamp.

When I arrived at that specific restaurant, what I found interesting was that while eating, there was also a personalized service to braid your hair. Nearly 80% of the people there I would say are black-skinned so braiding was the in-thing for the girls/ladies. However the discrepancy in the rich and the poor is very evident on that island.

Here are some pictures ( from net) - I did not take out my camera here because everyone was already staring at me because of my skin color. hahahaha..



Did not stay there for long, caught a bus to the next town to prepare for my crossing of the border to Honduras the next morning.

Stay Tune for Honduras :)