Wednesday, December 5, 2018- Puerto Quetzal, La Antigua, Guatemala

Wednesday, December 5, 2018- Puerto Quetzal, La Antigua, Guatemala We could see a line of volcanos rising out of the haze on the horizon as we approached Puerto Qeutzal, Guatemala. Our ship pulled up behind the Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas.  After a quick breakfast in the buffet, we boarded our awaiting buses on the dock below.  It was a long bus ride through the countryside to our destination La Antigua.  On the way, we could see Fuego, the aptly named volcano, erupting to our north, with a cloud of ash and steam billowing.

Driving through the countryside revealed scenes similar to Nicaragua, with small cinderblock and cement homes with tin roofs huddled together under the blazing sun. There are a lot of transport trucks associated with the agricultural products of mangos, bananas and coffee. The countryside was framed by another volcano to the south called Agua.

Our buses wound up into the mountains, into coffee plantation country. We learned that quality coffee beans must be grown at altitudes above 1600 ft in well drained volcanic soils to achieve the optimal balance of acidity and flavor. The young plants must also grow in the shade of larger trees.    

One of the most dramatic sights we came across was an area wiped out by a pyroclastic flow from Fuego, the volcano we could see erupting with steam and ash.  There is a massive scar running down the side of the mountain, leading into a valley of death, characterized by crushed cinderblock and sheet metal buildings and scorched trees and ground. There was major construction going on to restore the road through this area.

We arrived at the outskirts of La Antigua where the buses parked and we walked into the town past groves of coffee plants and bananas.  We started our tour in the square of San José Cathedral and City Hall.  We then walked through the iconic Santa Catalina’s Arch to La Merced Church and Convent.  There were some in our group that had trouble walking on the cobblestoned streets, and it was over a mile to the La Merced so our group ended up getting pretty spread out so our guide had the task of herding a bunch of cats.  Still, we did manage to have plenty of time to wander the squares and markets. He did end up dropping us off at a jade factory where there were artisans making jewelry and other fine jade items. This place had nice bathrooms. Then others in group insisted on going to a restaurant where they could have lunch and drinks, so we were left to explore the city for about an hour.

There are lots of historic structures and lots of character in the cobble stone streets, but the little Guatemalan women vending their brightly woven fabric wares, and the kids who were pushing carved wooden masks, flutes and xylophones were pretty aggressive and annoying.

Not carrying any cash besides tips for the driver and guide makes it a little easier to deal with aggressive vendors. When Janet told one girl “I have no cash, sorry. No Gracias”, the girl retorted right back “Your husband will PAY!”.  But overall, the people were very warm, kind and happy to share a smile, and a glimpse into their lives.

 

 

 

It’s too bad we are committed to not accumulating what one of the lecturers described as inventory for future garage sales, because the Guatemalans are creative and industrious people.  

 

 

We did manage to eventually round up our group and head back to the buses. Several people had to have Tuk-Tuk rides arranged by our guide because they couldn’t walk another step.  

 

 

Once everyone was back on the bus, the trip back to the ship was unremarkable except for when we got into the shadow of Fuego, it let loose a huge ash and steam eruption extending thousands of feet into the sky.   

We were a bit nervous about driving through the prior pyroclastic flow zone, but we didn’t end up on the evening news and made it safely to the ship as the sun was setting.

 

We had another dinner at Manfredi’s, most likely our last since we have nearly exhausted the menu aside from the rotating de Giorno items.   

Tomorrow is the first of 3 sea days as we work our way back up the west coast of Mexico to Cabo San Lucas.  We’ll need to keep an eye out for whales.