Livingston

[Lollygil]

I booked the Go with Gus Humanitarian Tour that includes a small tour of Livingston at the very end. I emailed him and asked him if we would have time to go to the 7 Altars Falls instead...extra charge..which he said we could. My question is..are we missing out on something by not doing the Livingston tour? Most of the pictures I've seen of Livingston don't really impress me. So should we stay with the free tour of Livingston or go for the Falls?

[saraisarai]

go for the falls........

[Jsipes]

Livingston was a port city built to ship Bananas to the U.S. by the United Fruit Company many years ago. Until recently the only way to reach Livingston was via boat. Now there is a road.... Most of the residents of Livuingston were imported from Carribean islands to work the banana plantations and lade ships...that's why there is a large Black population. The rest of Guatamala is largley Hispanic. Livingston, to me , was not a very good port....:)

[Another ship trip]

Skip it entirely. There are tons better places to go. Poor, mangy dogs, not a touristy place. STopped via boat and we were walked up the hill and asked to go into a couple of shops. Saw some gators in an enclosure. Nothing there impressed. Never will return. Not a pretty place.

[98Charlie]

Interesting comments on this thread about Livingston. Actually, DH & I truly enjoyed our time in the village on our NCL Spirit last November and booked a cruise for the same time again this year so that we can go back to the village.

 

We truly enjoyed our time there and look forward to our return trip.

 

Dianne

[Gingee]

What is the web site for the tour to the falls (not the cruise sponsored one)?

[wdowns9]

Here is a company that we have used before and are using again in Dec. http://www.happyfishtravel.com/pg014.html

[murphysmum]

Hello...

 

I feel the need to "stand up for Livingston". It's a fun little town, more Carribean than Guatemalan, but with much to offer for those who look.

 

The third poster/thread missed half of the population of Guatemala...and part of the population of Livingston...the Mayans...."not a good port". The fourth poster took a short walk, saw a dog and turned around.

 

I spent about five delightful hours there and would go back on future trips. We stopped in Livingston on the way back to our ship after taking a boat from the town of Rio Dulce to Livingston. Our boat driver was Guatemalan and a companion who we had met at AK Tenamit was Mayan....a chief in his village actually...an honor for me. He hitched a ride back to his home in Livingston and joined us for the afternoon. Having both of them for guides was quite nice. We walked the entire town and met several of the local residents.

 

The town is very colorful and presents a lot of photo ops. It's true, the town is not new and is not for everyone, but it does have some charm. Many of the old buildings contain shops. For those who want to purchase authentic Guatemalan textiles (usually found in the highlands), this would be the place to do it rather than in the tourist trap at the ship's dock where the textiles there were overpriced and mostly of poor quality. I found two stores in Livingston with beautiful assortments of hand woven textiles and huipiles with the assistance of my "volunteer Mayan guide". I believe that it's the only location on the east coast of Guatemala to see and purchase the incredible weavings and fabrics of the Mayans.

 

While in Livingston, my husband and I took our two guides to lunch at Tucan Dugu (often included on tours to Livingston) at the Villa Caribe Hotel. Great ocean view, super food and good company. The restaurant is run by local Garifuna and we were entertained during lunch by Garifuna dancing.

 

Leaving Livingston to return to the ship (Azamara Quest), we saw literally thousands of beautiful pelicans, many of which followed our boat most of the way back.

 

I have always loved Guatemala and, although Livingston is not a typical Guatemalan town, I found it to be well worth looking below the slightly tattered surface to find a little jewel and make some really nice memories.

 

I hope that someone who reads this will take the time to wander the town and will enjoy it as much as we did. I completely agree with 98Carlie's post that it's worth returning to.

 

murphysmum;)

[harryjr]

murphysmum, do you remember the names of the shops where you found the authentic woven textiles in Livingston? thanks

 

harryjr

[murphysmum]

Hi!

 

I'm sorry, but I don't even know if the shops had names; I didn't pay attention. However, I can tell you that the two I purchased from were on the same street as Toucan Dugu/Villa Caribe. Going slightly uphill from what appear to be the main cross streets in town toward the hotel/restaurant, they were on the left side, one before reaching Villa Caribe and one almost across the street. Going uphill, Villa Caribe would be on the right.

 

They were both small stores, more like large (but permanent stalls) often seen in the marketplaces in the highlands. I saw quite a bit of hand made fabric and huipiles as opposed to what I saw near the ship. They took dollars, but not credit cards.

 

If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to answer them. I didn't purchase a lot as I'd just been on a huge land buying spree the year before, but I know how to recognize the "good stuff". I also noted that the prices were about 10% more for what I did buy. I would attribute that to the distance the sellers would have had to travel/transport the fabrics as they're not made in the Livingston area.

 

It's not a large town. I don't think you'll have trouble finding things. If you do, just ask a local where to purchase Mayan fabrics.

 

I think, but I'm not sure, that I saw another store on the way to the boat dock to go back to the ship, but I was having a conversation and so it may have just been a few things being sold by a street vendor and not a permanent store.

 

Happy shopping!

 

murphysmum (Janed);)