Report # 125 Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala May 23, 2019 Thursday Rain & 90 degrees
Ever heard of the “Land of the Eternal Spring”? Well, that is Guatemala, with temperatures averaging in the mid 70’s, it seldom gets cooler than that. Although the rainy season is now…May through October, the dry season is November through April. The capital of the country is Guatemala City and the population is over 15 million primarily Spanish-speaking people. The country consists of two mountain ranges, rivers, lakes, forests, and tropical jungles. It is the heart of the Mayan world, and has 33 volcanoes, 3 of which are still active. Two things we found interesting are that the beaches on the Caribbean side of Guatemala have white sand, while those on the Pacific side are black, due to millions of years of volcanic activity. And second, the most prolific breeding grounds for sailfish are in these waters, considered the best in the world.
There are two main ports for the country….one is on the Caribbean side, and the other is here, in Puerto Quetzal. Strictly a jumping off point for excursions to Antigua, Puerto Quetzal is a commercial port with a small marina, a few acres of enclosed shopping, and a couple of bars and one restaurant. There is also a working conveyer system to offload ships carrying large amounts of carbon, which is coal. There are mountains of the stuff near the marina.
Ten shore excursions left from here, most headed for the colonial capital of Antigua, located 4500 feet above sea level. It is a 90 minute bus ride each way. There can be a big difference in climate as it is much cooler and it might rain more there. We have gone on a tour that included Antigua, but our coach arrived late, and most of the city was shut down for the day. We did enjoy a tour of a coffee plantation and the traditional lunch served there.
Once again, these tours came with a caution, advising those with wheelchairs that the streets are cobbled with no ramps. And no large buses are allowed in the city, so a transfer to smaller coaches is necessary.
One 9 hour tour was a flight to Tikal with Mayan ruins, also a UNESCO Word Heritage Site. The cost was $650, and we do know a couple that took this tour a few years ago. They were delayed over an hour, but the Captain waited for their return, because it was an HAL excursion.
The Amsterdam arrived by 7am to a very, very hot and humid day. Rain was in the forecast, but we never saw any. One thing that was missing in the When & Where paper was the information of a shuttle, since we were docked in the commercial port area. This has been the case for the last two times we have stopped here. The reason we understand, is due to some damage caused to the floating pier near the marina. As it would be impossible to walk anywhere in this busy dock area, without a shuttle, we would be stuck.
So after breakfast, we went outside to see what was happening, and discovered there were at least four free buses to take guests to the passenger dock with the palapa and fenced shopping area. We waited until 11am, so we would not be too early for lunch this time. We were surprised how many folks did not choose to go to Antigua today, because the buses filled one after the other.
As the crow flies, we were located about ½ mile from the old pier. However, the bus had to go all the way around the to get to the other side. Big rigs were lined up to access this loading area, so it took longer for us to go through the security gate.
The huge palapa was still there, filled with a double marimba band, and duel counters…one for tourist info, and the other for booking day trips to Antigua. The souvenir stands were still set up, with the exception of a few. Only one beer place was closed, but the restaurant, Pez Vela, was opened for business. Strolling past the vendors is always a challenge, as they don’t take “no thanks, we are just looking” for a good answer. We did purchase a few items like a water bottle holder that is the most practical. Beaded jewelry, and a trio of giraffes found a home with us. We asked one of the local ladies if any more cruise ships would be stopping here, and she said they would come until July. We have always been told that we were at the end of the season, and their prices would never be cheaper.
There were a few free gifts handed to us by the locals. A woven bracelet, and two tiny pouches of worry dolls were ours to keep. According to Guatemalan legend, whenever you have a problem, take a worry doll, tell her your worries, and put it underneath the pillow. By the next morning, your worries will be gone. Life smiles at you again. Nice thought.
Time for lunch at Pez Vela. It’s right next to the shopping area, and the food and beer are the best. Not a fancy place, they serve an excellent platter of cheese nachos with grilled steak and chicken. The local brew is Gallo, and when it is ice cold, it sure tastes good. After lunch, we walked around the boat harbor watching the iguanas sunning themselves on the rocks. These were the smaller ones today, but we have seen the larger variety. In fact, the waiters at the restaurant sometimes feed them bread for the tourists to watch.
It was so hot, we decided to make our way back to the ship, getting there around 2pm. All onboard was 4:30pm, and we went to the Seaview Pool to watch the ship leave the harbor after 5pm. By now, the skies were completely cloudy and the breeze had picked up. Sure looked and felt like rain, but that never happened. Once we were clear of the harbor, we hit some deep swells, which continued through the night. That is when something unexpected occurred – a bee sting, happening so fast, it was like hit and run. The stinger remained in Bill’s hand, causing instant pain, and eventually swelling. Despite taking an antihistamine, and treating the sting with ice, the swelling increased slightly. For some unknown reason, his sensitivity to these stings seem to have increased over the recent years, although given time, the side effects disappear. We hoped for the same this time.
After dinner, we walked outside to see quite a lightning display in every direction we looked. This kept up all night. By the way, the clocks went forward one hour, since Mexico is not on the same time zone as Central America.
Our next port is Huatulco, but we don’t arrive until 2pm.
Bill & Mary Ann
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