Feb 28, 2018 - Tom’s Birthday, Guatemala

Tom’s Birthday, Guatemala Feb 28 The stewards decorated our stateroom with a Happy Birthday sign and pompoms hanging from the ceiling. Quite festive for Tom’s 77th birthday. The ship was docked in an unusual place due to a tanker that had an oil spill. Not easy to get to shore. We just lazed around and didn’t even go into Puerto Quetzal in Guatemala since we were in port for a short time. Dinner was at Prime C with wonderful lamb chops and veal fillet. A birthday cake accompanied our dessert. Tom had a wonderful day.

Jan 19, 2018 - Sea day

Jan 19 Sea day today. The temperature was warm but the sun was very hot. It felt like it was burning on my skin. I went to the gym as usual and did a lot of walking on the ship. Later the hot tub felt so good. We read for awhile on the balcony. We played bean bag toss but were eliminated on the first round again. There are a lot of good, or at least lucky, players this cruise. It was windy, but the boat was steady. Tonite, the show was Getaway Island, 60s beach party. Music of the Beach Boys, Jimmy Buffett and others. It was pretty good,...

Jan 18, 2018 - Puerto Quetzel, Guatemala

Jan 18 We were late getting in to Puerto Quetzal Guatemala today. Puerto Quetzal is named after Guatemala’s national bird, the resplendent quetzal. The word comes from the Nahuatl “quetzalli”, meaning large, brilliant tail feather. Last night's winds slowed us down a lot. There is not much in the port area. There was a small area with souvenir shops and restaurants (as there is a marina right there too). It was mostly under a canopy of trees so you could barely tell anything was there. As we walked through, we were bombarded with the local...

Oct 31, 2017 - Flores and Tikal, Guatemala

We left Belize for Flores in Guatemala for a few days. It was really hot! And a bit wet. Beth decided it was time to blow the budget and get a nice hotel for once! Flores is really nice, the town is on an island in Lago Petén Itza, a big freshwater lake, linked to the mainland by a manmade causeway. It has a slight Mediterranean feel, probably due to the Spanish colonisation of Guatemala back in the day. We found the Guatemalans really friendly, even though our Spanish is really rubbish. The main reason we came here was to go to Tikal, a...

Aug 20, 2017 - Antigua

Today is our last full day in Antigua. Anita left this morning and Chrissie and Brian are off to Lake Atitlan for a few more days. Our first morning not to have to rush so we take our time. We decide to walk into Antigua for breakfast and we cannot get into Dona Luisa Xicotencatl so we go to the Condessa Cafe in the square which has a lovely courtyard. The usual eggs for breakfast. We will look like an egg at the end of this trip as we have them every morning. Standard fare! Phil needs a haircut and beard trim so he finds a Barberia and...

Aug 19, 2017 - Tecpan

Today another optional tour and we make our way out of Antigua towards Tecpan. On the way we stop at a Church, although this is quite an unusual Church. It is a cross between the Catholic religion brought by the Spaniards and the Mayan religion. They pray to a god, but it is not Jesus, but Maximon, also called San Simón who is at the alter. He is a Mayan deity represented by a moustached man. People will enter this church, kneel and make the sign of a cross as Catholics do, but then step up to the alter and give offerings, like throwing...

Aug 18, 2017 - Lake Atitlan

Off at 6am for a full day trip to Lake Atitlan. We drive for an hour and a half and stop for breakfast, waffles and coffee. We continue on, past all the used caryards and Tomas explains about how Guatemala gets its cars, trucks and buses. Apparently they all come from America. The buses are ex school buses that have done 200,000 miles. Guatemala buys them, replaces the motor with a larger capacity as Guatemala has many mountains, paints them up in bright colours and they become the ‘chicken’ buses that speed around the country. The colours...

Aug 17, 2017 - Copan to Antigua, Guatemala

Today another early start, 6.30 am. Unfortunately Tomas asked us what time we would like to leave 6.30 or 8.00. Chrissie said 8am (she has not enjoyed the early starts) and I said 6.30am and the others said nothing. So now Tomas has to make a decision. He then opted for 6.30 as we will then arrive in Antigua in daylight and have time for a city tour. Chrissie is not happy and Tomas should have just said what time we were to leave, as even though there are only 5 of us, nobody ever agrees. We have a long drive to Antigua and we have to cross...

Apr 19, 2017 - Puerto Quetzal

Our next port of call is Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala. We are going to do the Pacaya volcano hike, the blurb in the guide says 2.5 miles on rough terrain. Puerto Quetzal is one of the main ports for Guatemala and it looks as if it was built very recently. The main road out of town is a dual carriageway to the capital and fortunately for us it is in the direction of the volcano. We have been warned that security is an issue here and when we stop at a service station guarded by armed security complete with security watch tower you begin to...

Jan 30, 2017 - Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala and Coffee Plantation

Monday, Jan 30, 2017 Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala and Coffee Plantation We got up early for this tour and headed out on a more manageable bus that took us from the port to the mountains (5000 ft) to visit a coffee plantation. Along the way, we were amazed to see ash and steam spewing from an active volcano! There was also smoke on the low lands where sugarcane was being burned supposedly to kill snakes and make the fields safe for the workers. At the El Barretal Coffee Farm, music greeted us, as well as a large poster honoring Jorge Ubico...

Jun 30, 2015 - Day 5 - San Pedro / San Marcos

Another good class with Roxana. She is a good and patient teacher. We went through indirect objects and estar versus ser exercises. Very helpful. 3 hours is just right for spanish lessons. My brain would be fried with any more. I love my open classroom floor on the mountain. Our plan was to go to Santiago directly after class today. Santiago is probably the longest lancha ride of all the places we planned to visit while in San Pedro. The itinerary: Tuesday Santiago, Wednesday San Marcos, Thursday San Juan, Friday leave San Pedro to...

Jun 29, 2015 - Day 4 - San Pedro

I love, love, love my little room here in San Pedro. It has a bed with a desk and bathroom with shower - everything you could want or need. The room opens up to a welcoming garden and stairs up to the casita. It's very peaceful, although not quiet. Evenings can be a bit loud with the music in the town, but I have earplugs that work great! I even had two scorpions visit me a couple of evenings. They startled me but nothing that a broom didn't take care of. It's the first time I have encountered a real scorpion though - I should have...