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May 3-4, 2025 Marti Eicholz The Odyssey sails to Guatemala. Guatemala is pluricultural with twenty-five diverse cultures, each with its own language, twenty-two of which are descended from the Mayans. Guatemala is home to 20,000 species or orchids, sixty-five varieties of mangoes, and ten species of corn. We docked early morning in Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala. Puerto Quetzal is named after the country’s beloved Resplendent Quetzal, a spectacularly long-tailed, colorful bird, a source of national pride, a sacred symbol of the Mayans, and an image on Guatemalan currency. Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala, located on the Pacific coast, a bustling port used mainly for cargo a vital point for maritime trade and when cruise ships are in port locals greet with their goods. This port is a gateway to stunning natural wonders and cultural treasures. Puerto Quetzal is situated near diverse surroundings like active volcanoes, forests, lakes, charming villages, and offers a diverse range of experiences with picturesque beaches, lush rainforests, and vibrant Indigenous communities. When we were given the go ahead to disembark, shipmates scattered to explore the nearby UNESCO World Heritage site of Antigua with well-preserved Spanish Baroque-influenced architecture or embarking on a thrilling zip-lining adventure through the dense jungles of the Sierra Madre mountains. For those not going on tour, there is a market on the dock, so you can stretch your legs, nose around, explore the shops for handwoven textiles, jewelry, wood carvings, and leather goods. Fishing boats are nearby if you want to go fishing. My friend, Rick, caught two rooster fish, a popular game fish, but not considered a good eating fish. Antigua is Guatemala’s best preserved colonial city, located on a lovely, scenic site between three volcanoes of Guatemala’s thirty-seven. Fuego, Agua (Water) and Acetenango. Fuego, meaning fire, is the most recent active volcano, erupting violently multiple times in 2018, sending lava and ash miles, destroying everything in its path, killing two hundred people and over two hundred sixty still missing. Devastation all consuming! Fuego still erupts every 4-5 minutes, just to let off steam. It is better to release it than bottle it up! This five-hundred-year-old city is 5,019 feet above sea level. Originally it was laid out on a Renaissance grid system with cobbled streets, colorful buildings, church ruins, and brilliant flowers. Stop by La Merced Church, a beautiful example of ornamented Baroque architecture, a place of worship that survived the 1773 earthquake. This soft yellow building is still in use today. Its bells ring for funerals and weddings. Damaged and partially reconstructed after 1773 is the Antigua Cathedral, an impressive sight. In front of the church is an iconic spot in Antigua, the Santa Catalina Arch, the oldest structure in Guatemala. Visit the Macadamia Nut Farm. The macadamia nut trees produce after three to six years when the flowers start and then five to seven months later the nuts are big enough to be picked or fall from the tree. After picking, the nuts are placed on beds to sun dry and raked to rotate for an even baking, taking five to seven days. Now if you shake them, you will hear them rattle. A homemade machine, called a MacGyver, is used to separate the outer shell from the inner shell. The nuts are stored by size, baked in an oven at a low temperature for seven days and then bagged. After sampling, everyone buys some. A few shipmates received a facial with the nut oil and found it to be very relaxing. The co-op provides trees to poorer communities in Guatemala and Nicaragua. Families are given ten trees a year, taught how to care for them, grow and produce goods for an income. The trees are productive for two hundred years. In Antigua discover Jade Maya, located in a 16th century Spanish home, is jade factory and showroom. Jade Maya, the largest jadeite jade operation in the Americas, mines and works the jade used by ancient Maya. Jade Maya, known for its large operation and museum, not only mines, but cuts, polishes, and sells museum-quality replicas and fashion jewelry. Unemployment in Guatemala is 40%, not including street vendors, so the actual unemployment is said to be around 10-15%. The average salary is around $400 (USD) per month. A two-bedroom apartment runs between $175 and $500 a month, depending on the location. Education is free, but not mandatory. School vacations follow harvest seasons, the longest is from October to January for the coffee harvest. Mayan descendants don’t send their children to school because teachers don’t speak the Mayan dialect, so they prefer to send their children to work. Tonight, during our sail to Puerto Chiapas, Mexico, we will pass through the Haley comet tail. As we look toward the eastern sky, we hope to see up to sixty falling stars an hour. |
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