As we sail towards our next destination this morning, the coastline continues to be dominated by volcanoes, and they are very large ones. We are due to dock at Puerto Quetzal, Guatamala at 9am, and enter the bay a little after 8 am. The cruise terminal berth is a fairly basic wharf, with distances to far for the crew to throw the lines ashore, so the lines arte dropped to a boat that carries them ashore and passes them up to the shore staff to secure. The process takes a bit longer than normal, but we are secured by 9.15am, and allowed to go ashore soon after.
Despite the wharf area being quite industrial, there is a substantial tourist market place there with many stalls selling handicrafts etc, and limited wireless internet is available (very slow), as well as a few outdoor cafes.
We have booked a private tour to take us to the old city of Antigua, so track down our tour operator, “Go with Gus Tours”, and head off in a mini bus with 6 of us on board plus the driver and our guide , Pablo. Gus seems to have been a popular choice with other fellow cruisers, as he has a number of busloads booked. It is about a 90 minute drive to Antigua, but first we will stop at San Antonio Aguas Calientes, to visit a textile factory and coffee plantation.
On the way there was a quick stop to check out the local fruit
We visited a textile factory where Mayan pattern and weaving practices (with a bit of technological help) are being preserved
At the same location, there was a small "organic" coffee plantation, where this young fella gave a demonstration on organic coffee roasting ?
We also had a snack of some great freshly made tortillas with a locally specialty filling
The volcanoes are now the dominant scenery as we head inland, and many of them are active, one that is in our view most of the day, has minor eruptions every 5 to 10 minutes. It is also 3,700m in height above sea level, and its neighboring volcano, 3900 m.
The little puff of black you can see on the left of the cone was a minor eruption we witnessed
There is a volcanic plug, also in our view that has a remarkable resemblance to a Mayan woman's face
Our drive will take us up to 1500m above sea level and a much cooler and less humid environment. On the way we learn that Guatamala has a population of around 15 million, and our observations are that it is more developed than the last few countries visited, and much better set up for tourism. The major contributors to the economy are Sugar (cane based) and Tourism, which alternate as the number 1 economic activity.
November 1 is the day Guatamalans pay tribute to the dead, and there is a party atmosphere around cemeteries we pass, with huge crowds and traffic congestion, families laden with flowers to decorate graves, and kids everywhere flying kites. We understand this continues on tomorrow for All Souls Day.
A Flying fox had been set up attached to this monument to give the kids a cable ride down into the cemetery (see one getting on just above the ladder)
We eventually end up in Antigua, a city established by the Spanish in the 15th century, as the first capital if Guatamala. It is large for a city so old, with cobblestone streets and lots of beautiful old and well preserved buildings.
Most of our tour is a walking tour which takes us past the key old buildings and churches, before we stop at a restaurant for a traditional Guatamalan lunch. We are not entirely sure what all of the food is, so chose safely, sticking with chicken and side dishes we could recognize. The food was surprisingly good.
The Restaurant Courtyard and entrance (below)
After lunch, we were taken to a Jade museum, where we are told that the only 2 countries in the World that have genuine jade, are Myanmar and Guatamala. The Jade in Guatamala is all mined close to the fault lines where the tectonic plates meet.
Kathy and David driving a hard bargain for a couple of trinkets
The presentations at the museum are interesting and informative, followed by the usual opportunity to buy a few pieces of Jade, if interested.
It was then back to the bus, for the longish trip back to the port., where there is more shopping for handicrafts, t shirts etc before we are back on board. Overall it was an interesting day, and Guatamala certainly has more to offer the tourist than Costa Rica or Nicaragua.
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