November 15 – 18, 2008
At Abel’s Boatyard for Paint, Etc
Back in June, Bryan and I had scouted out the boatyard and made a date for a November 10th haul out for bottom painting and other out-of-the-water projects. On the 12th, there was space for one boat so Bryan drove S/V Pearl S. Buck up to the trolley and got hauled out. He has found enough work so that he has been out of the water for ten days and counting.
Jupiter’s Smile waited until Saturday, the 15th to haul out. We were a half-hour early for our appointed 10 AM date. I dinghyed ashore to see what we needed to do and it was clear that the boat that was supposed to be launched, so that we could haul out, was not ready at all. We were told that it would be mañana for us. We had already learned that mañana doesn’t necessarily mean, “tomorrow.” It just means, ‘not today.’ From the look of the boat they were trying to prepare, I had my doubts. I hated to be hauled out on a Saturday and then sit idle, but still paying for the yard time, on a Sunday. So this was the upside to this scenario – which was, they would be working on Sunday to launch one boat and haul us out at least.
Not to let this turn of events rain on our parade, we decided to proceed up river, past the old Castillo into Lago Izabal to sail for a while. We only had the main sail mounted and didn’t want to rig the other sails if we were headed for the yard mañana. The wind was light and with one sail and a dirty hull we didn’t even make two knots of headway in six knots of wind off the port beam. I turned on the engine and motored, deciding on the destination of Denny’s Beach. The wind all but died. Two hours from the boatyard Barb snagged a mooring ball in front of Denny’s Beach and we dinghyed ashore where we were greeted by Denny, a friendly Canadian. He said that it was going to get loud around there because he had about seventy people coming in that afternoon and staying through the night. He wanted to know if the weather was going to be as bad as was expected the next day, because he had to return this crowd to the other end of the lake and three foot waves would make the trip pretty nasty. I said that I thought it wouldn’t get too bad too early, that we were there just for lunch and would probably be gone before the seventy arrived. We enjoyed the setting and the end of a so, so lunch and walked around the beautiful grounds. We hopped back in the dinghy and got Jupiter’s Smile underway across the mirror-like lake. Our bilge pump was running much too often, reminding me that our stuffing box needed service and that this is done better out of the water – in a boatyard…please, let it be tomorrow.
At about 8 AM I ran the dinghy to the boatyard to check on things. The yard workers were polishing and waxing the boat that, once launched, would give way to us on the trolley. I was given affirmation that we would haul out today at 10 AM. I rushed back to our boat and we cast off arriving at about 0930. While we waited, I got an hour and a half of chrome polishing accomplished before we entered the trolley cradle.
The yard personnel hauled the boat, power washed the hull and left for their remainder-of -Sunday off. Meanwhile, Barb and I scurried around outside the boat removing old sacrificial zinc anodes from the propeller, the propeller shaft, the rudder skeg and the bow thruster propellers. I fitted the grease fitting to the propeller and filled our three-bladed, feathering MaxProp with grease. Inside the boat, I opened the stuffing box and extracted the old flax while I hung upside down through the access opening above the propeller shaft and stuffing box, with my blood rushing into my head and hands.
Those of you uninterested in mechanical stuff should skip this paragraph. The aforementioned stuffing box is a simple device that allows the propeller shaft to turn while keeping seawater from leaking into the boat. About 10-12 drops of water should leak past the stuffing box and into the bilge every minute that the propeller shaft turns to keep the shaft and stuffing box lubricated and cool. When the shaft is not turning, no water should drip inside the boat. If water does drip when the shaft is not turning, or water runs in too fast when the propeller is turning, the stuffing box nut should be tightened slightly to stop the drip, but not too tightly so as to maintain a slow drip while the propeller shaft turns. If the packing nut is too tight the packing material will heat up from the friction produced and that could cause expansion that might result in a scored propeller shaft. I had adjusted this nut over the years until I was no longer confident in the flax packing material’s ability to keep water out. Our bilge pump had been running much too often and I felt uncomfortable in tightening the packing nut any farther and damaging the propeller shaft, so I decided it was time to change the packing with an upgraded product. This process required lots of Liquid Wrench®, work with a pair of special crescent wrenches to loosen the lock nut and packing nut, work with a pick to extract an end of the three rings of flax packing material, work with needle nosed pliers to pull the compressed rings of flax packing material from their snug fitting home of four years one by one, lots of sweat, several skinned knuckles and many words that are only appropriately used while hanging upside down in the privacy of the access opening above the shaft/stuffing box assembly.
By the time this was accomplished, it was dark. We had accepted “Viva Bob’s” (Bob on S/V Viva) kind invitation to sleep on his big catamaran about a fifteen-minute dinghy dash down river at Catamaran Marina. Viva is docked right next to M/V Sueño Dulce, where Bryan and Dorothy had accepted Pat and Susan’s invitation to stay while Pearl S. Buck was being worked on. Barb and I found our dinghy’s navigation lights and even though the stern light would not stay lit, we set out down river. We got about fifty yards, before our trusty two-stroke, five-horsepower motor started to gag. Barb said, “Turn around. We’re staying on our boat tonight.” I turned around! I called Viva Bob on the hand held radio and told him of our situation. Bless his heart, he offered to come and pick us up, but I said that if I couldn’t get the dinghy motor running we were tired enough that we could sleep anywhere and would stay put in the boatyard. I got our headlamp and returned to the motor with tools and a new spark plug accompanied by the Labrador Retriever guard dog. I drained the float bowl for the carburetor, suspecting that water had accumulated there (oh, if only the motor could run on water instead of gas!) and changed the spark plug just in case. In just five minutes, then a few squeezes on the gas line bulb and pulls on the starter cord later I had all five horses happy to give us a ride again. I also got the stern light to cooperate. So we arrived at Viva around 9 pm, exhausted. After a wonderful, hot shower, we crawled into our berth.
Arising a little after dawn, we set out to put in another day at the boat yard. We had our usual breakfast and then went to work. The yard workers prepped and repaired a slight blemish on the leading edge of the bottom of the keel, sanded and masked the hull and applied two coats of bottom paint. The measuring, cutting of the W.L. Gore and graphite fiber, PTFE impregnated, stuffing box packing material and the restuffing and tightening of the packing nut was accomplished with much less fuss than yesterday’s ordeal. . Barb scraped growth from the propeller, the shaft and through hulls. I scraped growth from the bow thruster tunnel and propellers and greased the outside surfaces of the through hull seacocks. We were able to quit at a reasonable time and arrived in time for a happy hour aboard Sueño Dulce. Barb cooked dinner for the three of us aboard Viva. We went to bed with thoughts that we would be able to be back in the water tomorrow, if all went well, and my stuffing box maintenance would be tested.
The yard still needed to polish and wax the topsides (from the water line to the cap rail or “top of the hull”), while I needed to put on the new zinc anodes. With this accomplished, the launch process was begun and we were floating by 1030 AM. With Barb at the helm, I went below to check the stuffing box and it wasn’t dripping while underway (at least we weren’t sinking), so I loosened the packing nut just enough for the slow drip to start. With the propeller shaft not rotating, there was no drip—perfect. As we returned to the dock at Nana Juana, I successfully tested the bow thruster (to avoid crashing into the dock) and came to a perfect stop along side as our fenders lightly kissed the dock boards, squeaking as if to say, ‘hi we’re back.’ This haul out, once begun, took almost exactly forty-eight hours and was as good as one could hope for anywhere. Abel Ramirez, phone 5200 7941, E-mail: astillerorio@yahoo.com.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Gene and Valeria Marry - Nov 8, 2008
November 8, 2008
Gene and Valeria Marry
Gene is a smart gringo from Texas who fell in love with Iliana’s older daughter, Valeria. Remember please, that Dr. Iliana is our Spanish teacher. Last Saturday, Gene and Valeria were married and Iliana’s students were invited to the wedding and reception. Pam from S/V Tisha Baby did eight heads of hair for the bride, her attendants and mothers and had fashioned the bride’s veil as well. Pam worked aboard Gene’s boat, S/V Aurora, as the bridal party and Gene’s parents were brought by Gene’s best man at the helm. The disembarkation along a red carpet was a dramatic entrance to the site of the ceremony, the Hotel Mansion del Rio. The ceremony was in Spanish, of course, so I understood some of it. The context was pretty obvious so that helped my understanding. The reception was wonderful with a varied buffet offering and entertainment by a rousing Garifuna band and dance team. They had many members of the audience join their dancing and it was a jovial scene. Valeria’s selection of recorded music was nice and old and there was much dancing after the paid entertainment had ended. Everyone agreed that the day was a success.
Gene and Valeria Marry
Gene is a smart gringo from Texas who fell in love with Iliana’s older daughter, Valeria. Remember please, that Dr. Iliana is our Spanish teacher. Last Saturday, Gene and Valeria were married and Iliana’s students were invited to the wedding and reception. Pam from S/V Tisha Baby did eight heads of hair for the bride, her attendants and mothers and had fashioned the bride’s veil as well. Pam worked aboard Gene’s boat, S/V Aurora, as the bridal party and Gene’s parents were brought by Gene’s best man at the helm. The disembarkation along a red carpet was a dramatic entrance to the site of the ceremony, the Hotel Mansion del Rio. The ceremony was in Spanish, of course, so I understood some of it. The context was pretty obvious so that helped my understanding. The reception was wonderful with a varied buffet offering and entertainment by a rousing Garifuna band and dance team. They had many members of the audience join their dancing and it was a jovial scene. Valeria’s selection of recorded music was nice and old and there was much dancing after the paid entertainment had ended. Everyone agreed that the day was a success.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
November 4 and more...Tikal
I have been trying to get photos into this post for several weeks to no avail. So here is the text and I will continue to move photos as I can.
The Cruisers go to Flores and Tikal
After much research, our travel staff (Dorothy) was able to track down the same fellow who took us all to Quirigua back in June. He agreed to be our personal driver and take the nine of us to Flores and Tikal on our schedule for less cost than if we took public transportation,. Furthermore, we would travel faster, wait for no one and go where ever, whenever. If any travelers can get a group together like Dorothy did, that is the best way to go. Many tourists who had gone before us told us that we could not see the Tikal site and visit Flores in only two days, but by maximizing our travel efficiency I think we did just fine.
At 0730, Richard & Pam (S/V Tisha Baby), and Barb & I were picked up at our dock by the launch from Catamaran Marina with Bryan & Dorothy (S/V Pearl S. Buck), Walter, Herbie (S/V Soul Time) and Bob (S/V Viva), already aboard. We were dropped off at Bruno’s where we met our driver, Enrique. We loaded up and hit the road arriving in Flores a little past noon. On the way we were able to discuss possible hotel accommodations and we decided to try Barb’s first choice, Mirador del Lago.
Jim let us off right in front and we obtained modest rooms for between Q55 ($7.50) and Q100 ($13.50). Bob got his single room for Q55 and we got a room with a nice view of the lake for Q100. In between, two other couples got rooms for Q80 without the view.
Flores is a five-block in diameter town built on an almost circular spit of land extending into Lago Flores. We found a spot for a reasonable lunch at a reasonable price looking out on the lake making it a very pleasant opportunity to unwind. We met Enrique at the prearranged 2 pm time to drive 50 km. to Tikal to buy tickets for a 3pm entry into the park that would be good for the next day as well. We spotted some wildlife along the way and stopped for the photo op (yea, private van!)
When we arrived we were told that the time had changed for the tickets to 4pm, but that was okay because that gave us an opportunity to investigate the museum and then walk around and visit a crocodile. The tickets were Q150/person for persons of foreign origin, Q50 for Guatemalans.
At 4pm we guided ourselves through the awesome temples and climbed three of them to take in the majesty of the place. The third was climbed just before sunset and, even though it was farthest from the park entrance and once the sun sets it gets dark very quickly, Dorothy and I paid a small morida to the guard to go around to the cordoned-off west side of the temple for the opportunity to see the sunset from above the forest canopy. Photos were taken and then we endeavored to get as far back down the path as we could before it got totally dark. Enrique was there to help us while the rest of the group had gone on ahead. The light from a Guatemalan family’s video camera ended up being the best beacon through the jungle we could ask for. We piled back into the van and drove back to our hotel and then walked to pretty good dinner at a reasonable price at a restaurant at lakeside. After Pam, Barb and I spent some time on the roof of the hotel watching the stars, the bats, the lake and listening to the frogs and the night revelers we turned in, anticipating a 5am meeting with our hired guide, Locho, (Q55/person) and van ride back to the park.
We arrived hungry and found the café at the park open for some food, but not for business – no change in the till. Bob had bought some hotdog buns the evening before and a stick of margarine so we added some sugar to that and had our “breakfast rolls” with coffee and tea to start our day in the park. Locho had been a park guide for eighteen years and walked fast enough as he talked so that we saw all the sights, got all the stories, took all the photos and saw howler and spyder monkeys (but no jaguars) and some places in the park that many tourists do not visit. We had already climbed and photographed from the climbable temples except one the day before. Several of us notched the last and steepest one on the second day. We enjoyed Locho very much and it seemed that he enjoyed us as well. We practiced as much Spanish as we could and he was very patient with us. He spoke very good English, having taught himself over the years. He also speaks French and is in the process of teaching himself Italian. We arrived back at the van hungry and hot. Enrique drove us back toward Flores where we had planned to stop at a major shopping center to stock up on provisions as long as we had the opportunity and the means of transporting them. We dropped off Locho and went in search of our late lunch, but there no places to eat since the shopping center was not even half constructed inside. We found the grocery to be large, neat, clean and able to take our credit card, but the range of selection was disappointing. We all purchased some things and we loaded the luggage carrier with our booty. Now, we really needed lunch so we went to the local Pollo Campero (a nationwide cross between MacDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken) and got fed.
The van-ride back to Rio Dulce was very quiet as several of us travelers slept. Those who stayed awake speculated about the hundreds of undiscovered buried temples that we were certain we were passing as we drove past the nearby mound-like hills. We arrived at Rio Dulce in time to enjoy a cerveza at dockside tables and waited for the 5:45 launch back to the marina. We had two very full days, but I don’t think we missed anything. We saw both sundown and early morning at Tikal and got a very fine, guided tour of the amazing park. We toured, dined and slept in Flores on the lake and had the luxury of door-to-door service for touring and shopping. Dorothy deserves many thanks for finding Enrique again and we all enjoyed each other’s company. It couldn’t have been better; more relaxed, cheaper or more efficient.
Reviewing the logistics: Enrique’s clean, air conditioned Van (phone 4983 8872) quoted Q2300 for nine people, we paid Q280 ($37.85)/person including tip. Enrique is a very safe driver as well. Hotel Mirador del Lago – Lake-view room (not necessary, the Q80 room would do just fine. You are sleeping after all – the view is the same!) Q100/2 persons. Park fee Q150/person. Museum fee Q10/person. Wonderful guide, Locho, contacted through Enrique, Q500/ 4 hours, we paid Q65/person including tip and had him for eight hours including the travel time to and from the park. Rio Dulce to Flores +/- 3 hours. Flores to Tikal 45min to 1 hour.
The Cruisers go to Flores and Tikal
After much research, our travel staff (Dorothy) was able to track down the same fellow who took us all to Quirigua back in June. He agreed to be our personal driver and take the nine of us to Flores and Tikal on our schedule for less cost than if we took public transportation,. Furthermore, we would travel faster, wait for no one and go where ever, whenever. If any travelers can get a group together like Dorothy did, that is the best way to go. Many tourists who had gone before us told us that we could not see the Tikal site and visit Flores in only two days, but by maximizing our travel efficiency I think we did just fine.
At 0730, Richard & Pam (S/V Tisha Baby), and Barb & I were picked up at our dock by the launch from Catamaran Marina with Bryan & Dorothy (S/V Pearl S. Buck), Walter, Herbie (S/V Soul Time) and Bob (S/V Viva), already aboard. We were dropped off at Bruno’s where we met our driver, Enrique. We loaded up and hit the road arriving in Flores a little past noon. On the way we were able to discuss possible hotel accommodations and we decided to try Barb’s first choice, Mirador del Lago.
Jim let us off right in front and we obtained modest rooms for between Q55 ($7.50) and Q100 ($13.50). Bob got his single room for Q55 and we got a room with a nice view of the lake for Q100. In between, two other couples got rooms for Q80 without the view.
Flores is a five-block in diameter town built on an almost circular spit of land extending into Lago Flores. We found a spot for a reasonable lunch at a reasonable price looking out on the lake making it a very pleasant opportunity to unwind. We met Enrique at the prearranged 2 pm time to drive 50 km. to Tikal to buy tickets for a 3pm entry into the park that would be good for the next day as well. We spotted some wildlife along the way and stopped for the photo op (yea, private van!)
When we arrived we were told that the time had changed for the tickets to 4pm, but that was okay because that gave us an opportunity to investigate the museum and then walk around and visit a crocodile. The tickets were Q150/person for persons of foreign origin, Q50 for Guatemalans.
At 4pm we guided ourselves through the awesome temples and climbed three of them to take in the majesty of the place. The third was climbed just before sunset and, even though it was farthest from the park entrance and once the sun sets it gets dark very quickly, Dorothy and I paid a small morida to the guard to go around to the cordoned-off west side of the temple for the opportunity to see the sunset from above the forest canopy. Photos were taken and then we endeavored to get as far back down the path as we could before it got totally dark. Enrique was there to help us while the rest of the group had gone on ahead. The light from a Guatemalan family’s video camera ended up being the best beacon through the jungle we could ask for. We piled back into the van and drove back to our hotel and then walked to pretty good dinner at a reasonable price at a restaurant at lakeside. After Pam, Barb and I spent some time on the roof of the hotel watching the stars, the bats, the lake and listening to the frogs and the night revelers we turned in, anticipating a 5am meeting with our hired guide, Locho, (Q55/person) and van ride back to the park.
We arrived hungry and found the café at the park open for some food, but not for business – no change in the till. Bob had bought some hotdog buns the evening before and a stick of margarine so we added some sugar to that and had our “breakfast rolls” with coffee and tea to start our day in the park. Locho had been a park guide for eighteen years and walked fast enough as he talked so that we saw all the sights, got all the stories, took all the photos and saw howler and spyder monkeys (but no jaguars) and some places in the park that many tourists do not visit. We had already climbed and photographed from the climbable temples except one the day before. Several of us notched the last and steepest one on the second day. We enjoyed Locho very much and it seemed that he enjoyed us as well. We practiced as much Spanish as we could and he was very patient with us. He spoke very good English, having taught himself over the years. He also speaks French and is in the process of teaching himself Italian. We arrived back at the van hungry and hot. Enrique drove us back toward Flores where we had planned to stop at a major shopping center to stock up on provisions as long as we had the opportunity and the means of transporting them. We dropped off Locho and went in search of our late lunch, but there no places to eat since the shopping center was not even half constructed inside. We found the grocery to be large, neat, clean and able to take our credit card, but the range of selection was disappointing. We all purchased some things and we loaded the luggage carrier with our booty. Now, we really needed lunch so we went to the local Pollo Campero (a nationwide cross between MacDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken) and got fed.
The van-ride back to Rio Dulce was very quiet as several of us travelers slept. Those who stayed awake speculated about the hundreds of undiscovered buried temples that we were certain we were passing as we drove past the nearby mound-like hills. We arrived at Rio Dulce in time to enjoy a cerveza at dockside tables and waited for the 5:45 launch back to the marina. We had two very full days, but I don’t think we missed anything. We saw both sundown and early morning at Tikal and got a very fine, guided tour of the amazing park. We toured, dined and slept in Flores on the lake and had the luxury of door-to-door service for touring and shopping. Dorothy deserves many thanks for finding Enrique again and we all enjoyed each other’s company. It couldn’t have been better; more relaxed, cheaper or more efficient.
Reviewing the logistics: Enrique’s clean, air conditioned Van (phone 4983 8872) quoted Q2300 for nine people, we paid Q280 ($37.85)/person including tip. Enrique is a very safe driver as well. Hotel Mirador del Lago – Lake-view room (not necessary, the Q80 room would do just fine. You are sleeping after all – the view is the same!) Q100/2 persons. Park fee Q150/person. Museum fee Q10/person. Wonderful guide, Locho, contacted through Enrique, Q500/ 4 hours, we paid Q65/person including tip and had him for eight hours including the travel time to and from the park. Rio Dulce to Flores +/- 3 hours. Flores to Tikal 45min to 1 hour.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Cruisers head to Copán Ruinas, Honduras
Tuesday, October 21, 2008 - Thursday, October 23
Crews of S/V Pearl S. Buck, S/V Tisha Baby, S/V Viva, M/V Sueños Dulce and S/V Jupiter’s Smile (nine people) planned a trip to the village of Copán Ruinas beginning at 0730 on Tuesday. We were picked up at our dock by the launch from Catamaran Marina with Bryan & Dorothy, Pat & Susan and Bob already aboard. Richard & Pam and Barb & I joined them and we were dropped off at Bruno’s where six of them had breakfast. At 0830 we were aboard the Litegua bus for the “direct route” to Florida, on the Honduras/Guatemala border. Since the bus was not full we stopped for every person who had a hand up along the way. We also stopped in every town to pick up and let off passengers. We arrived at the border at right around 3 pm. This bus ride cost each person 70 Q. each ($9.59). In the bus there is the driver and his assistant. The assistant collects money and handles baggage. On this particular bus the assistant was very eager to help us with the van into Copán Ruinas. He would get us all aboard a van for 400Q. He seemed too eager. A Guatemalan fellow, going our way, said wait and grab a ride in Honduras, it would be cheaper.
The border crossing entailed three transactions. Checking out of Guatemala ($3), Checking into Honduras ($10) and getting a van to take us to the town of Copán Ruinas ($3) We arrived in the central square where taxis and tuktuks were waiting to give us a ride, direct us to “the best hotel”, “the cheapest hotel”, “and their cousins hotel.” We had learned that being overheard while we discussed a destination would get us a “guide” instantly and the guide would get a percentage of an inflated price for bringing in the customers. I had mentioned that my brother Larry had stayed at two unsatisfactory hotels before finding Posado Macanudo about two-and-a-half blocks north from the central square and that’s where I was headed. Which way is north? It was overcast so I couldn’t find the sun and the landmarks were unfamiliar. So I asked “¿donde es el norte?” and the fellow pointed. To confirm, I walked a little way and asked another person and tried to orient Dorothy’s map. It didn’t feel right. I asked a gringo-looking fellow (he was Australian.) to orient the map for me and sure enough, we had been headed south. He pointed out the bank on the map and the cathedral.
I turned around and Richard & Pam, Bryan & Dorothy and Barb & I walked straight to the Posado Macanudo where the five rooms were $20 per night for two people. Our room was clean and airy, had a double bed and a twin bed, a hot water shower, cable TV and heat/air conditioning. At two other hotels, Pat & Susan got a room for $60 and Bob got a single for $15. That pretty much covers the cheap to moderate range of lodging. The exchange rate is about 19 Limpira (L.) to one dollar and that is about the cost of a beer which was next on the list. We met for happy hour at
Pub Xibalba at the Camino Maya Hotel, where Pat & Susan were staying. The English bartender was entertaining and she arranged an English-speaking guide to take us around the ruins the next morning. She also gave a recommendation to eat at her aunt’s place, Twisted Tanya’s. Entrés were over $20 there, so we went elsewhere. We ended up at a place that had pretty good food (I had a burrito, rice, vegetables and a beer) and it was cheap (160 L.≈ $8.40). I don’t recall the name of the place, but it was just south from the SW corner (I’m sure!) of the central square.
The next morning, after a big breakfast at Pub Xibalba, we met Mike for our tour. He is a native Honduran, but had lived in LA for eight years. He spoke English with no accent, but said he had a little accent speaking Spanish. The ruins are in a park with an admission price of $15. A tour of the tunnels added $15 and admission to The Museum of Maya Sculpture added another $7. We agreed to pay Mike $40 for the group tour for the morning ($5/person with tip.) This was $42 well spent.
Here is Mike, teaching and guiding us. On the right, is a tunnel entrance.
The Maya had religious leaders as heads of state and recorded the history of each ruler’s reign on stelae, large, monolithic stones with the stylized likeness of the ruler carved into them.
The written language is a combination of characters and symbols made up of glyphs, that are also carved into the stelae. Their calendar was very accurate, so once the glyphs were decoded we can know about the events of this pre-Columbian culture, to the day, by “reading” the stelae!
Later, around 700 AD, the style of historical record keeping went more horizontal as the glyphs were carved into “benches” and then, by the artisans of one of the last and longest rulers, into the steps of the largest temple. The steps featured seated symbolic likenesses of six rulers of Copán. Five are present. The sixth should be in the open spot on the staircase, but it is at Harvard where a replica is being constructed. It should be finished, maybe mañana?
The glyphs on the riser of each step record the events and the location of the ruler’s likeness on the staircase reflects the relative duration of his reign.
The various temples around the park all have had tunnels bored into them by archaeologists beginning in the late 1800’s and they are carefully excavated.
These tunnels have revealed that there are usually temples buried, with some reverence, under the temple that had been erected by the next ruler, making each succeeding temple higher and higher. We saw some sides and corners of the buried "Rosalida" temple depicted here, underground, thanks to these “recent” hundred-year-old tunnels. 
We walked and talked on the “Ball Court” where rival teams had bumped an eight pound rubber ball with their torsos (no hands, arms, legs or feet) up onto the sloped stone ramp/wall to hit one of the three goal statues. In some versions of the game, the ball was to go into a hole in the goal not much larger than the ball itself.
It is rumored that the team that won lived.
As we were leaving Mike at the park gate he asked about hiring a van to return directly to Rio Dulce instead of using the shuttle and bus. He called his friend, Tito and with nine passengers with luggage in his fifteen-passenger van he would drive us for $28 per person. Would he drive us after we visited Macaw Mountain, about noon the next day, so we wouldn’t need to stay a third night in the hotel? Yes he would. ($20 + dinner saved!) Would he drive us to Macaw Mountain tomorrow morning and stow our luggage safely until we were finished at Macaw Mountain? Yes he would. We had a deal!
After Mike departed, we stopped in The Museum of Mayan Sculpture and saw a life-sized representation of the buried "Rosalida" temple, parts of which we had seen underground in the tunnels. Several of the original stelae are on display and protected here from the elements, while their replicas are at their original site. We walked back to the central square in town. I noticed that there was a compass rose in the pavement at the center of the central square. It would have been helpful had I noticed this upon our arrival.
Just west of the central square we visited The Copán Museum ($3) and saw artifacts like tools, surgical instruments made of obsidian and learned more about the rituals, customs, science and art associated with the Maya culture.
Here are some URL addresses where one may learn more about the Maya.
http://www.peabody.harvard.edu/Copan/text.html
http://www.maya-archaeology.org/museums/copan/copan.html
http://www.honduras.net/copan/index.html
http://www.mayadiscovery.com/
Bryan & Dorothy and Barb & I found lunch at The Call of the Wild Restaurant where the food was okay at an okay price and in okay abundance. It was across from the ViaVia hotel.
After lunch Dorothy wanted to walk, Barb wanted to nap, Bryan wanted to find Bob and schmooze at a bar. I had my choice and decided to walk with Dorothy since she was returning to the ruins. I wanted to get some photos from some angles that I was unable to take advantage of with the guided tour.
The park was virtually deserted and we timed our walk so that we would exit the gate close to closing time, 5pm. This is an awe inspiring site.
We earned our happy hour that day and after finding Barb,
Pam and Richard at our hotel we met up with Bob, who had elected not to visit the museums, but had headed to a bar instead at Momo's Churesqueria. Bryan was at Pat & Susan’s hotel bar, so Bob went over to bring them to us. The food prices were a little high at the restaurant so after a beer or so we headed out and found Picame. An English woman also ran this small café too! The food was good, healthy, plentiful and cheap.
Pam & Richard, Bryan & Dorothy and Barb & I came back there for breakfast as well and were well fortified for the day ahead. We went to Pat & Susan’s hotel, the pick up point for Tito. We were early and since Macaw Mountain (it is a bird sanctuary for large tropical birds, by the way.) was only 2.5 km away, mostly uphill, I asked the group if anyone wanted to walk. Bob said he didn’t, but that he would load our gear into Tito’s van for us so we wouldn’t need to carry it. Pat & Susan, Bryan & Dorothy and Barb & I set out on foot. We were passed about three quarters of the way to the sanctuary by Tito’s van and joined Bob, Richard & Pam minutes later.
The guided tour costs $10 per person and takes almost two hours. The birds are magnificent! They are donated to Macaw Mountain for a variety of reasons. Some are found injured. Some were pets whose owners cannot or don’t want to care for them any longer. Some have outlived their owners. If they are stressed, they are sheltered from the public until they become accustomed to their new home or recover from their ailments. This can take a year! Diana, a friend in Nana Juana Marina had given up Indy and Mitzi years ago to Macaw Mountain. Mitzi is a star performer. Indy is not doing as well, for the moment and she is not in public view. The photos tell part of the story. Much of the rest is found at:
http://www.macawmountain.com/index.htm
Mitzi is the Blue and Yellow Macaw on Bryan's left hand.
Dorothy has a parrot on her right shoulder and a Jaybird on her left.
Here are two unrelated, but friendly Toucans.
This blossom is on very exotic plant. The multi-cupped structure is about 20 cm in diameter, 30 cm in height on a 60 cm stalk found in a cluster of about six of these structures. Maybe Dr. Christina can tell me what it is called?
Well, Larry, do I appear to be relaxed?
Tito picked us up on time and the trip that took us seven hours to get to Copán took only four to return to Rio Dulce. Crossing the border cost nothing and where we stopped for some lunch, Valle Dorado, cost just over $4 each. We were delivered to our lobby at Nana Juana at 4:30ish and had time to unpack and unwind before dark.
This was a great trip! Great company, good accommodations, good food mostly, and great, memorable destinations. Thank you, brother Larry, for the spot on recommendations. A trip to Tikal will be our next adventure, so look for that next, if all goes according to plan. Until then, be well!
Crews of S/V Pearl S. Buck, S/V Tisha Baby, S/V Viva, M/V Sueños Dulce and S/V Jupiter’s Smile (nine people) planned a trip to the village of Copán Ruinas beginning at 0730 on Tuesday. We were picked up at our dock by the launch from Catamaran Marina with Bryan & Dorothy, Pat & Susan and Bob already aboard. Richard & Pam and Barb & I joined them and we were dropped off at Bruno’s where six of them had breakfast. At 0830 we were aboard the Litegua bus for the “direct route” to Florida, on the Honduras/Guatemala border. Since the bus was not full we stopped for every person who had a hand up along the way. We also stopped in every town to pick up and let off passengers. We arrived at the border at right around 3 pm. This bus ride cost each person 70 Q. each ($9.59). In the bus there is the driver and his assistant. The assistant collects money and handles baggage. On this particular bus the assistant was very eager to help us with the van into Copán Ruinas. He would get us all aboard a van for 400Q. He seemed too eager. A Guatemalan fellow, going our way, said wait and grab a ride in Honduras, it would be cheaper.
The border crossing entailed three transactions. Checking out of Guatemala ($3), Checking into Honduras ($10) and getting a van to take us to the town of Copán Ruinas ($3) We arrived in the central square where taxis and tuktuks were waiting to give us a ride, direct us to “the best hotel”, “the cheapest hotel”, “and their cousins hotel.” We had learned that being overheard while we discussed a destination would get us a “guide” instantly and the guide would get a percentage of an inflated price for bringing in the customers. I had mentioned that my brother Larry had stayed at two unsatisfactory hotels before finding Posado Macanudo about two-and-a-half blocks north from the central square and that’s where I was headed. Which way is north? It was overcast so I couldn’t find the sun and the landmarks were unfamiliar. So I asked “¿donde es el norte?” and the fellow pointed. To confirm, I walked a little way and asked another person and tried to orient Dorothy’s map. It didn’t feel right. I asked a gringo-looking fellow (he was Australian.) to orient the map for me and sure enough, we had been headed south. He pointed out the bank on the map and the cathedral.
I turned around and Richard & Pam, Bryan & Dorothy and Barb & I walked straight to the Posado Macanudo where the five rooms were $20 per night for two people. Our room was clean and airy, had a double bed and a twin bed, a hot water shower, cable TV and heat/air conditioning. At two other hotels, Pat & Susan got a room for $60 and Bob got a single for $15. That pretty much covers the cheap to moderate range of lodging. The exchange rate is about 19 Limpira (L.) to one dollar and that is about the cost of a beer which was next on the list. We met for happy hour at
Pub Xibalba at the Camino Maya Hotel, where Pat & Susan were staying. The English bartender was entertaining and she arranged an English-speaking guide to take us around the ruins the next morning. She also gave a recommendation to eat at her aunt’s place, Twisted Tanya’s. Entrés were over $20 there, so we went elsewhere. We ended up at a place that had pretty good food (I had a burrito, rice, vegetables and a beer) and it was cheap (160 L.≈ $8.40). I don’t recall the name of the place, but it was just south from the SW corner (I’m sure!) of the central square.The next morning, after a big breakfast at Pub Xibalba, we met Mike for our tour. He is a native Honduran, but had lived in LA for eight years. He spoke English with no accent, but said he had a little accent speaking Spanish. The ruins are in a park with an admission price of $15. A tour of the tunnels added $15 and admission to The Museum of Maya Sculpture added another $7. We agreed to pay Mike $40 for the group tour for the morning ($5/person with tip.) This was $42 well spent.
Here is Mike, teaching and guiding us. On the right, is a tunnel entrance.
The Maya had religious leaders as heads of state and recorded the history of each ruler’s reign on stelae, large, monolithic stones with the stylized likeness of the ruler carved into them.
The written language is a combination of characters and symbols made up of glyphs, that are also carved into the stelae. Their calendar was very accurate, so once the glyphs were decoded we can know about the events of this pre-Columbian culture, to the day, by “reading” the stelae!Later, around 700 AD, the style of historical record keeping went more horizontal as the glyphs were carved into “benches” and then, by the artisans of one of the last and longest rulers, into the steps of the largest temple. The steps featured seated symbolic likenesses of six rulers of Copán. Five are present. The sixth should be in the open spot on the staircase, but it is at Harvard where a replica is being constructed. It should be finished, maybe mañana?
The glyphs on the riser of each step record the events and the location of the ruler’s likeness on the staircase reflects the relative duration of his reign.The various temples around the park all have had tunnels bored into them by archaeologists beginning in the late 1800’s and they are carefully excavated.
These tunnels have revealed that there are usually temples buried, with some reverence, under the temple that had been erected by the next ruler, making each succeeding temple higher and higher. We saw some sides and corners of the buried "Rosalida" temple depicted here, underground, thanks to these “recent” hundred-year-old tunnels. We walked and talked on the “Ball Court” where rival teams had bumped an eight pound rubber ball with their torsos (no hands, arms, legs or feet) up onto the sloped stone ramp/wall to hit one of the three goal statues. In some versions of the game, the ball was to go into a hole in the goal not much larger than the ball itself.
It is rumored that the team that won lived.As we were leaving Mike at the park gate he asked about hiring a van to return directly to Rio Dulce instead of using the shuttle and bus. He called his friend, Tito and with nine passengers with luggage in his fifteen-passenger van he would drive us for $28 per person. Would he drive us after we visited Macaw Mountain, about noon the next day, so we wouldn’t need to stay a third night in the hotel? Yes he would. ($20 + dinner saved!) Would he drive us to Macaw Mountain tomorrow morning and stow our luggage safely until we were finished at Macaw Mountain? Yes he would. We had a deal!
After Mike departed, we stopped in The Museum of Mayan Sculpture and saw a life-sized representation of the buried "Rosalida" temple, parts of which we had seen underground in the tunnels. Several of the original stelae are on display and protected here from the elements, while their replicas are at their original site. We walked back to the central square in town. I noticed that there was a compass rose in the pavement at the center of the central square. It would have been helpful had I noticed this upon our arrival.
Just west of the central square we visited The Copán Museum ($3) and saw artifacts like tools, surgical instruments made of obsidian and learned more about the rituals, customs, science and art associated with the Maya culture.
Here are some URL addresses where one may learn more about the Maya.
http://www.peabody.harvard.edu/Copan/text.html
http://www.maya-archaeology.org/museums/copan/copan.html
http://www.honduras.net/copan/index.html
http://www.mayadiscovery.com/
Bryan & Dorothy and Barb & I found lunch at The Call of the Wild Restaurant where the food was okay at an okay price and in okay abundance. It was across from the ViaVia hotel.
After lunch Dorothy wanted to walk, Barb wanted to nap, Bryan wanted to find Bob and schmooze at a bar. I had my choice and decided to walk with Dorothy since she was returning to the ruins. I wanted to get some photos from some angles that I was unable to take advantage of with the guided tour.
The park was virtually deserted and we timed our walk so that we would exit the gate close to closing time, 5pm. This is an awe inspiring site.We earned our happy hour that day and after finding Barb,
Pam and Richard at our hotel we met up with Bob, who had elected not to visit the museums, but had headed to a bar instead at Momo's Churesqueria. Bryan was at Pat & Susan’s hotel bar, so Bob went over to bring them to us. The food prices were a little high at the restaurant so after a beer or so we headed out and found Picame. An English woman also ran this small café too! The food was good, healthy, plentiful and cheap.Pam & Richard, Bryan & Dorothy and Barb & I came back there for breakfast as well and were well fortified for the day ahead. We went to Pat & Susan’s hotel, the pick up point for Tito. We were early and since Macaw Mountain (it is a bird sanctuary for large tropical birds, by the way.) was only 2.5 km away, mostly uphill, I asked the group if anyone wanted to walk. Bob said he didn’t, but that he would load our gear into Tito’s van for us so we wouldn’t need to carry it. Pat & Susan, Bryan & Dorothy and Barb & I set out on foot. We were passed about three quarters of the way to the sanctuary by Tito’s van and joined Bob, Richard & Pam minutes later.
The guided tour costs $10 per person and takes almost two hours. The birds are magnificent! They are donated to Macaw Mountain for a variety of reasons. Some are found injured. Some were pets whose owners cannot or don’t want to care for them any longer. Some have outlived their owners. If they are stressed, they are sheltered from the public until they become accustomed to their new home or recover from their ailments. This can take a year! Diana, a friend in Nana Juana Marina had given up Indy and Mitzi years ago to Macaw Mountain. Mitzi is a star performer. Indy is not doing as well, for the moment and she is not in public view. The photos tell part of the story. Much of the rest is found at:
http://www.macawmountain.com/index.htm
Mitzi is the Blue and Yellow Macaw on Bryan's left hand.
Dorothy has a parrot on her right shoulder and a Jaybird on her left.
Here are two unrelated, but friendly Toucans.
This blossom is on very exotic plant. The multi-cupped structure is about 20 cm in diameter, 30 cm in height on a 60 cm stalk found in a cluster of about six of these structures. Maybe Dr. Christina can tell me what it is called?
Well, Larry, do I appear to be relaxed?
Tito picked us up on time and the trip that took us seven hours to get to Copán took only four to return to Rio Dulce. Crossing the border cost nothing and where we stopped for some lunch, Valle Dorado, cost just over $4 each. We were delivered to our lobby at Nana Juana at 4:30ish and had time to unpack and unwind before dark.
This was a great trip! Great company, good accommodations, good food mostly, and great, memorable destinations. Thank you, brother Larry, for the spot on recommendations. A trip to Tikal will be our next adventure, so look for that next, if all goes according to plan. Until then, be well!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Antigua 2
Tuesday, October 14, 2008 - Thursday, October 16
We have returned from Lago Atitlan and Panahachel via shuttle and checked back into Juma Ocag. Translating the name of the hotel is futile because the hotel is named after Juan, Maria, Omar, Claudia, Ana, and Gabriela - the family who runs it.
We toured around Antigua on foot and enjoyed some time in the central square before eating lunch at Panza Verde. Several people had recommended this restaurant and for good reason. The food is reasonably priced, fabulously prepared and the service is very quietly attentive. The setting is incredible! We sat at the table to the left of center.
This is the view from the top of the stairs looking across the same court yard.
http://www.panzaverde.com/en/
At lunch we learned that Lorenzo and Emilia had returned from Copán early and since we had the opportunity we invited them to eat at La Peña del Sol Latino and to listen to some music on our last night in Antigua.
Maria makes this place run and we enjoyed talking with her at every dining occasion.
We have returned from Lago Atitlan and Panahachel via shuttle and checked back into Juma Ocag. Translating the name of the hotel is futile because the hotel is named after Juan, Maria, Omar, Claudia, Ana, and Gabriela - the family who runs it.
We toured around Antigua on foot and enjoyed some time in the central square before eating lunch at Panza Verde. Several people had recommended this restaurant and for good reason. The food is reasonably priced, fabulously prepared and the service is very quietly attentive. The setting is incredible! We sat at the table to the left of center.
This is the view from the top of the stairs looking across the same court yard.
I took more photos, but you get the idea. The table locations are intimate and beautiful.
I wish this link had a menu posted like La Peña does, but it gives additional info about this great place.http://www.panzaverde.com/en/
So we could sample some other items from their extensive menu and because Ricardo had mentioned that this was his favorite restaurant in town, we decided to plan on meeting Ricardo for lunch the following day as well. One more day in Antigua is not a burden!
At lunch we learned that Lorenzo and Emilia had returned from Copán early and since we had the opportunity we invited them to eat at La Peña del Sol Latino and to listen to some music on our last night in Antigua.
Maria makes this place run and we enjoyed talking with her at every dining occasion.
On our trip back to the boat I spent much of the time in the van talking with a fellow traveler, Eliza Strode. She is doing good works in Guatemala and has hopes that it will make a difference worldwide. Here is a link to her organization, A Thread of Hope Guatemalan Free Trade.
I include it here because I remember the beach-full of starfish story.
¡Hasta luego! ¡Guarde sano y salvo! ¡Vote!
Fondly, Jay & Barb
Lago Atitlán
Sunday, October 12, 2008 through Monday, October 13
The shuttle picked us up at our hotel for the journey to Panahachel. Ricardo warned against taking the chicken bus because the money saved would never cover the medical bill or funeral should the all too requent accident occur on this drive. The shuttle (90 Q.) is much safer. The driver stopped for us to take photos at this overlook. The chicken bus would not.
Lago Atitlán's largest town is Panahachel (or Panajachel or just "Pana," locally.) Ricardo suggested the village of Santa Cruz as a destination and we took a launcha like the one in the foreground. We were "escorted" to the boat by a greeter as we got off the van so the real cost of the ride - 10 Q. each cost us 50 Q. total (30 Q. tuition fee - now we know better and so do you. Unless one needs assistance and is willing to pay the fee, firmly refuse and the activity you are pursuing will cost about 25 - 50% less) Actually, had we been going to San Pedro, farther on the opposite side of the lake, 50 Q would have been correct for the two of us.
The photo of the boats features the small local wooden plank boat used by the locals. It is very different from the dugout canoe "cayucas" seen in Rio Dulce with much more freeboard and a squared off stern. I noticed none with outboards so I thought the square stern was odd.
Above, this has to be the tallest building on the lake. Seismic activity must not be a concern to its owners. What a setting!
Above and below is our room at the Posada Iguana (100 Q.) It was clean and comfortable and without electricity. We had an oil lamp and candles to use to light our way as we returned from dinner and for use inside the room. For the room, yummy hummus sandwiches and drinks for lunch, a communal dinner that was excellent and several drinks each we spent 300 Q. ($40) total. Unfortunately, in the morning, the electricity was not on so the shower (in a separate building a few feet from the room) would have been cold water. In this climate (cool) the shower was unnecessary. We were treated with the utmost respect since most of the international clientele were in their twenties. It was very entertaining to hear about the world from their perspectives. Several young people were working as volunteers in surrounding villages and seemed to be enjoying a good life. In that vein, I must mention visitors and volunteers Jake, Jimmy and Kelsey. They are volunteering in the country at a medical clinic and doing "good works" projects as well. Jake is an ER resident MD, Jimmy has one more year in med school and Kelsey is a law student. We enjoyed their company at dinner and hope they enjoyed their cruise on S/V Sirena. I am sure that our paths missed crossing again in Rio Dulce by only hours.
Below is the view from the porch outside the Jerry Garcia Suite next to our room.
This woman gave me permission to take her photo. Our hotel is out of sight, beyond her, close to the shore. To her left and downhill family members were gathering vegetables. As we continued walking the path...
The next day we checked out of the hotel and visited the small village of San Marco (10 Q each for this boat ride) and had breakfast (60 Q for two - $8) and then San Pedro (another 15 Q each). The village of San Marco had a certain charm and children were everywhere since their "fall vacation" had just begun. Below is their Catholic Church.
San Pedro was a much larger town and had a decidedly less comfortable feel, I thought. Barb didn't get that feeling, but I somehow felt that we were being sized up a possible prey. Luckily there were a lot more likely candidates among the visitors that day, so nothing bad happened.
The shuttle picked us up at our hotel for the journey to Panahachel. Ricardo warned against taking the chicken bus because the money saved would never cover the medical bill or funeral should the all too requent accident occur on this drive. The shuttle (90 Q.) is much safer. The driver stopped for us to take photos at this overlook. The chicken bus would not.
Lago Atitlán's largest town is Panahachel (or Panajachel or just "Pana," locally.) Ricardo suggested the village of Santa Cruz as a destination and we took a launcha like the one in the foreground. We were "escorted" to the boat by a greeter as we got off the van so the real cost of the ride - 10 Q. each cost us 50 Q. total (30 Q. tuition fee - now we know better and so do you. Unless one needs assistance and is willing to pay the fee, firmly refuse and the activity you are pursuing will cost about 25 - 50% less) Actually, had we been going to San Pedro, farther on the opposite side of the lake, 50 Q would have been correct for the two of us.
Above, this has to be the tallest building on the lake. Seismic activity must not be a concern to its owners. What a setting!Above and below is our room at the Posada Iguana (100 Q.) It was clean and comfortable and without electricity. We had an oil lamp and candles to use to light our way as we returned from dinner and for use inside the room. For the room, yummy hummus sandwiches and drinks for lunch, a communal dinner that was excellent and several drinks each we spent 300 Q. ($40) total. Unfortunately, in the morning, the electricity was not on so the shower (in a separate building a few feet from the room) would have been cold water. In this climate (cool) the shower was unnecessary. We were treated with the utmost respect since most of the international clientele were in their twenties. It was very entertaining to hear about the world from their perspectives. Several young people were working as volunteers in surrounding villages and seemed to be enjoying a good life. In that vein, I must mention visitors and volunteers Jake, Jimmy and Kelsey. They are volunteering in the country at a medical clinic and doing "good works" projects as well. Jake is an ER resident MD, Jimmy has one more year in med school and Kelsey is a law student. We enjoyed their company at dinner and hope they enjoyed their cruise on S/V Sirena. I am sure that our paths missed crossing again in Rio Dulce by only hours. Below is the view from the porch outside the Jerry Garcia Suite next to our room.This woman gave me permission to take her photo. Our hotel is out of sight, beyond her, close to the shore. To her left and downhill family members were gathering vegetables. As we continued walking the path...
This is still the same path. The lake temperature is about 72 degrees F and the air temperature is about the same so the only swimmers we saw were locals that were foraging for fresh water shellfish along the shore.
The next day we checked out of the hotel and visited the small village of San Marco (10 Q each for this boat ride) and had breakfast (60 Q for two - $8) and then San Pedro (another 15 Q each). The village of San Marco had a certain charm and children were everywhere since their "fall vacation" had just begun. Below is their Catholic Church.
San Pedro was a much larger town and had a decidedly less comfortable feel, I thought. Barb didn't get that feeling, but I somehow felt that we were being sized up a possible prey. Luckily there were a lot more likely candidates among the visitors that day, so nothing bad happened.
The boat ride back across the lake to Panahachel was 25 Q each. We hiked around Pana, got some lunch and enjoyed the town. Just as it began to rain we caught a shuttle back to Antigua at about 4pm. We arrived tired (in a satisfied way), checked into Juma Ocag again and proceded directly to La Peña del Sol Latin for dinner.
Seeing Lago Atitlán is a must! The costs are low and the benefits are priceless. What a beautiful planet we have!
Antigua y Volcan Pacaya
Thursday, October 9, 2008 through Sunday, October 12.
The first capital of Guatemala was founded on the site of a Kakchikel-Maya city, now called Iximche, on July 25, 1524 -the day of Saint James- and therefore named Ciudad de Santiago de los Caballeros de Goathemalan (City of Saint James of the Knights of Guatemala). Naturally, St. James became the patron saint of the city. After several Cakchiquel uprisings, the capital was moved to a more suitable site in the Valley of Almolonga on November 22, 1527, and kept its original name. When this city, now named Ciudad Vieja, was destroyed on September 11, 1541 by a devastating mudflow emanating from the Volcán de Agua, the colonial authorities decided to move once more, this time to the Valley of Panchoy. Cuidad Vieja continues to get more than its share of mud from Volcan de Agua every rainy season. So, on March 10, 1543 the Spanish conquistadors founded present-day Antigua, and again, it was named Santiago de los Caballeros. For more than 200 years it served as the seat of the military governor of the Spanish colony of Guatemala, a large region that included almost all of present-day Central America and the southernmost State of Mexico: Chiapas. In 1566 King Felipe II of Spain gave it the title of"Muy Noble y Muy Leal" ("Very Noble and Very Loyal").
In 1773, a series of earthquakes destroyed much of the town, which led to the third change in location for the city. The Spanish Crown ordered (1776) the removal of the capital to a safer location, the Valley of the Shrine, where Guatemala City, the modern capital of Guatemala, now stands. This new city did not retain its old name and was christened Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción (New Guatemala of the Ascension) and its patron saint is Our Lady of Ascension. The badly damaged city of Santiago de los Caballeros was ordered abandoned, although not everyone left, and was referred to as la Antigua Guatemala, or Old Guatemala.
The next morning, setting out from our Posada Juma Ocag hotel we had a tour arranged (tour companies are everywhere in Antigua) to go to the active volcano Pacaya (100 Q. each + 40 Q. for the park fee.) This is a must do! An experience like this needs to be on your "Life List" (or Bucket List if you prefer.) On this trip, we were warned ahead that we would enjoy the climb to the treeline aboard a horse. Disembarking from the shuttle van, heading straight for the horses and by-passing the children renting hiking sticks was the plan. The first offer for a mount was 75Q. each. That dropped to 60 and then to 50 Q. finally. I heard of a deal closed at 40 Q. soon after, but I hope that our horses got fed a little better after the trip up. The trail is almost a continuous climb for about four km. and we where glad to be on horses being led by a native woman on foot and a boy urging the horses on from behind. These horses worked and arrived at the end of their climb breathing hard and sweating. We still faced a climb above treeline across the ash. Our destination was the shoulder via the trail visible above Barb's head. Beyond that, the park rangers would not allow us to go.
By the time we arrived at the lava flow, we didn't need to go any farther. Walking on the loose ash was difficult and sliding toward the molten lava was a real possibility. I doubt that visitors could approach this closely in a U.S. run park. Several visitors toasted marshmallows over the lava. To be standing next to flowing lava was an amazing experience.
The photo below is in lower light than it appears, at twilight in fact. The glow of the lava flows are much more evident as we began our hike down. From time to time glowing rock would tumble downhill to the right drawing appreciative responses from our group.
It was good to spend a day relaxing and people watching in the central square readying ourselves for our next trip... to Lago Atitlán. That will be our next installment. Until then, be well.
The first capital of Guatemala was founded on the site of a Kakchikel-Maya city, now called Iximche, on July 25, 1524 -the day of Saint James- and therefore named Ciudad de Santiago de los Caballeros de Goathemalan (City of Saint James of the Knights of Guatemala). Naturally, St. James became the patron saint of the city. After several Cakchiquel uprisings, the capital was moved to a more suitable site in the Valley of Almolonga on November 22, 1527, and kept its original name. When this city, now named Ciudad Vieja, was destroyed on September 11, 1541 by a devastating mudflow emanating from the Volcán de Agua, the colonial authorities decided to move once more, this time to the Valley of Panchoy. Cuidad Vieja continues to get more than its share of mud from Volcan de Agua every rainy season. So, on March 10, 1543 the Spanish conquistadors founded present-day Antigua, and again, it was named Santiago de los Caballeros. For more than 200 years it served as the seat of the military governor of the Spanish colony of Guatemala, a large region that included almost all of present-day Central America and the southernmost State of Mexico: Chiapas. In 1566 King Felipe II of Spain gave it the title of"Muy Noble y Muy Leal" ("Very Noble and Very Loyal").
In 1773, a series of earthquakes destroyed much of the town, which led to the third change in location for the city. The Spanish Crown ordered (1776) the removal of the capital to a safer location, the Valley of the Shrine, where Guatemala City, the modern capital of Guatemala, now stands. This new city did not retain its old name and was christened Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción (New Guatemala of the Ascension) and its patron saint is Our Lady of Ascension. The badly damaged city of Santiago de los Caballeros was ordered abandoned, although not everyone left, and was referred to as la Antigua Guatemala, or Old Guatemala.
When we arrived in Antigua and got settled, we called Ricardo and arranged to meet for breakfast at the farm the next day. Armed with umbrellae we started to explore and were pleased by what we saw. We discovered that one of the destinations we sought, the restaurant La Peña de Sol Latino, was only three blocks away. La Peña is owned by a cruising couple we met while we were both clearing into Guatemala in May. Mary is an engineer and is the logistics arm of the business. Mary's husband, Bill, was away in the states at the time. He is a musician and plays at the restaurant with their Guatemalan partner, Pacho. We had dinner there this first night in Antigua and listened to the Andean music with pleasure. The most expensive dish is only 72 Q. and since it featured Lorenzo's, Emilia's and Ricardo's macadamia nuts we had that...a grouper filet with barbequed vegetables. Yummy! Read more for yourself--Click on the URL below--
http://www.lapenadesollatino.com/en/about/index.htm
As promised, Ricardo picked us up the next morning and brought us through Cuidad Vieja, where he lives and on to the eight acre plantation, Vahalla. It is an "experimental farm" where Lorenzo has developed hundreds of strains of macadamia nut trees. It is a tourist destination as well and the small gift shop is where they sell their various products, give talks about the farm and serve food at the nearby garden-setting tables. 
The breakfast Ricardo had prepared for us was three large macadamia flour pancakes topped with macadamia nut butter, topped with their own blueberry marmelade and honey with fresh fruit 
The farm has donated thousands of these trees to native farmers in the hopes that they can realize a harvest in four to seven years that is relatively easily maintained and provides a nutritious food to add to the basic diet of beans, rice and coffee. He showed us the operation where the nuts are husked and sorted. The equipment they use is home built and pretty basic and it could be copied by the native growers as well so that they could begin processing the nuts too.
Check their website for more info--Click on the URL below--
After a very informative and relaxing breakfast Ricardo took us to visit the village of San Antonio Aguas Calientes where there is a weaving market and museum. A woman rose from her loom to show Barb some of her wares and I took this photo of where she left her work.
We returned to Antigua to resume our sightseeing.
There are active or ruined churches or cathedrals on almost every block. Some of the ruins are open for a fee (30 Q) and have very pretty grounds.
The next morning, setting out from our Posada Juma Ocag hotel we had a tour arranged (tour companies are everywhere in Antigua) to go to the active volcano Pacaya (100 Q. each + 40 Q. for the park fee.) This is a must do! An experience like this needs to be on your "Life List" (or Bucket List if you prefer.) On this trip, we were warned ahead that we would enjoy the climb to the treeline aboard a horse. Disembarking from the shuttle van, heading straight for the horses and by-passing the children renting hiking sticks was the plan. The first offer for a mount was 75Q. each. That dropped to 60 and then to 50 Q. finally. I heard of a deal closed at 40 Q. soon after, but I hope that our horses got fed a little better after the trip up. The trail is almost a continuous climb for about four km. and we where glad to be on horses being led by a native woman on foot and a boy urging the horses on from behind. These horses worked and arrived at the end of their climb breathing hard and sweating. We still faced a climb above treeline across the ash. Our destination was the shoulder via the trail visible above Barb's head. Beyond that, the park rangers would not allow us to go.
By the time we arrived at the lava flow, we didn't need to go any farther. Walking on the loose ash was difficult and sliding toward the molten lava was a real possibility. I doubt that visitors could approach this closely in a U.S. run park. Several visitors toasted marshmallows over the lava. To be standing next to flowing lava was an amazing experience.
The photo below is in lower light than it appears, at twilight in fact. The glow of the lava flows are much more evident as we began our hike down. From time to time glowing rock would tumble downhill to the right drawing appreciative responses from our group.
It was good to spend a day relaxing and people watching in the central square readying ourselves for our next trip... to Lago Atitlán. That will be our next installment. Until then, be well.
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