PUERTO QUETZAL, GUATEMALA

        Puerto Quetzal serves as the largest Pacific Ocean port in Guatemala.  Until the 16th century Guatemala was part of the Mayan civilization but was conquered by the Spanish then.  It became independent from Spain in 1821.  Since then it has undergone rule by several dictators and from 1960 to 1996 experienced a civil war.
        Guatemala is about the size of the state of Tennessee.  Not even 2% of its landmass is urbanized so it offers some superb natural scenery.  Tourists come here to zipline, do white water rafting, trek through jungles, hike in volcanoes, and a host of other activities out in nature.  Propane is imported for use in cooking.  Gasoline is over $4 per gallon because it also has to be imported.  Much like Nicaragua, the minimum wage here is low ($250 per month).  Wages in the capital city, Guatemala City is slightly more at $400 per month.  Because of drug trafficking and poverty, there is quite a bit of crime here.  Most businesses have an armed guard.  At the emerald factory and showroom today there were 6 armed guards.  A lot of Guatemala is mountainous with several volcanoes but there is some very fertile, volcanic soil in the lowlands along the Pacific Ocean.  Here there are massive sugar cane plantations and the country is 5th in sugar exporting.  Also exported is coffee, bananas, vegetables, and textiles.
        My tour today was a 5 hour "Colonial Antigua at a Glance".  Once again Rebecca stayed on the ship despite me wanting her to see Antigua.  I visited this city back in the early 90's when I was flying Boeing 727 trips from Miami to Guatemala City.  I was very impressed with Antigua back then so was anxious to return today.

                                                  Walking down gangplank

                 Of course you have to walk past many little souvenir shops on way to buses.

           This is Paulino, our driver.  I sat in front seat beside him and had great views.
It was an 1 1/2 hour drive through the lowlands and past huge sugar cane fields to get to Antigua. We climbed from sea level to over 4000 feet before arriving in Antigua.  Antigua was actually the capital of Guatemala from 1543 to 1773 when it was destroyed by an earthquake.  We saw the ruins of several old cathedrals built back in the 15th and 16th centuries that were partially or almost totally destroyed and now abandoned.  After the 1773 earthquake the capital was moved to Guatemala City just 35 miles away.  The buildings in Antigua are all less than two stories and most just one story.  It is known for its well preserved Spanish Baroque influenced architecture.  Many US students come here to one of the many language schools for Spanish "immersion".  In 1979 Antigua was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its immense historical and cultural value.  On our drive to the city, I asked Mario, our guide, if I could leave the group while they were touring an emerald factory to go revisit one of the most beautiful hotels I have ever seen.  It is the "Casa Santo Domingo", a huge 5 star hotel that was once a monastery.  There is a museum on the grounds of the hotel where they are doing archaeological digs.  The other passengers overheard my request and they all said they wanted to see this hotel too.  I had seen it back in the early 90's and loved it.  He called his boss and arranged it.  I think everyone felt this was the highlight of the day.  I did!  After that we drove around the city on the very rough, old cobblestone streets to view several of the old church destroyed by the 1773 earthquake.  We eventually ended up at the main plaza, Plaza Mayor, of Antigua to walk around and view a cathedral, old city hall, and other old buildings surrounding the square.  Everywhere we stopped there were NUMEROUS women, men, and kids trying to sell us jewelry, toys, and blankets.  The Guatemalan people are small due to Mayan Indian heritage.  The women are around 4 1/2 to 5 feet tall and most all wear the traditional Mayan dress.  How can I say this nicely?  These women are not attractive.  BUT they were super nice and very courteous to us.  The little kids are very photogenic and inquisitive.
        I really enjoyed today's trip to Antigua and would like to return again to Guatemala some day.  My camera battery died so I did not get any photos of our stop at an emerald factory.  A lady and her husband from Ft Worth, Texas, moved to Guatemala 40 years ago to look for emeralds.  They found and have mined them since.  They taught some of the locals to cut and make jewelry and replicas of ancient museum pieces.  She gave us a very informative briefing about the emeralds.  I even enjoyed this stop.  Then we headed back to the ship and arrived here at 2:00 pm.  I ran up and grabbed a hamburger (they are great on the ship) for lunch and have been working on this blog ever since.  It is now 4:15 and we just departed for our next port, Huatulco, Mexico.  We are due to arrive there at noon tomorrow.
        The production show last night was INCREDIBLE.  One of the best we have seen on a ship.  I took photos which I will post on the next sea day.  Here's what I took today.

                                       Old bus ahead of us polluting the air

                                                         Active volcano

                                             Driving past sugar cane fields
       

               Some coffee plants under the trees.  They have the trees shade the beans.

Passed a lot of people cooking along side the roads and streets.

                                               cobblestone streets of Antigua

                     I love this hotel.  The next 9 photos were taken on the hotel grounds.

                                        Cathedral ruins from the 1773 earthquake.

Unlike Nicaragua yesterday, the streets are pretty clean.

                                                  Cathedral on the Plaza Mayor

                      This and next photo is of a group of folks visiting on a corner of the plaza.