Jan 27, 2019 - Jan 27 Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala

Sunday, January 27 Today was Guatemala day. We ordered room service for 6:30-7:00 since we had to meet our excursion at 8:20. Neither of us heard the alarm, and were awakened by the waiter knocking on the door at 6:45! I think I need to use the wake up call or my phone from now on—the little travel alarm doesn’t do the job for me anymore (remembering oversleeping on the day to visit Valley of the Kings in Egypt). We thought we’d have to shuttle to the cruise port (the regular dock has been damaged, so we are in the industrial area). The...

Sep 18, 2018 - Day 4 - Guatemala - Cultural Immersion

Today started off with another early morning at work in back to back meetings and putting out fires everywhere ;-) To top it all off I have been fighting a cold since last Wednesday and today it finally hit me hard and I could not get my nose to stop running. However, I refuse to allow a cold to keep me from exploring while I'm in another country. After finishing up meetings Aida took Shauna and I out to explore more of Guatemala City. We first stopped to get gas where apparently every gas station has someone who fills your car for you. The...

Sep 17, 2018 - Day 3 - Guatemala - Work, work, & work

Well folks not much to say here other than today was focused all around work. I launched my 20th line of business today in both Guatemala and Winnipeg. It was a super busy day with lots of things keeping me on my toes. Biggest plus was being able to enjoy the sunset over the mountains as the day ended. Then it was back to hotel for a quiet evening of room service and TV. Looking to explore some more of Guatemala tomorrow after work!

Sep 16, 2018 - Day 2- Guatemala - Lazy Sunday

The day started with Shauna and I checking out our site in Guatemala City and seeing the beautiful site within the 4 grand towers. The view from the towers is amazing and the agents get to see all the beautiful mountains around them while working. It was then back to our hotel to enjoy a traditional Guatemalan buffet and when I say buffet it was a MASSIVE buffet. There were so many amazing foods to try it was impossible to enjoy everything. We even got to enjoy live music while enjoying our lunch. Music is a huge part of the Guatemalan...

Sep 15, 2018 - Day 1 - Guatemala Independence Day

Today was an amazing first day in Guatemala. I landed and was greeted by a driver who took me to my hotel. The Westin Casino Real is top notch and I love all the decor. After checking out the hotel and settling in to my room, I hopped in an Uber (yes they have Uber) and headed to Antigua to meet up with a coworker who lives here, Aida. The hour long ride took me up and down mountains and near the volcanoes. It was so cool seeing all the shops and small villages along the way. Plus today was Guatemala Independence Day from Spain and people...

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...