After two back-to-back days at sea, it felt nice to have the ship stop moving. Our shore excursion in Guatemala was called “Colonial Antigua” and we took a comfortable bus ride to get there with our tour guide, Winston, giving us the history of the country along the way. I was most fascinated by the active volcanoes and wish we could see them at night when the lava would be visible.

Our journey today was a tour of the central plaza of Antigua, a traditional lunch, and a tour of a jade museum/factory/store. Antigua, the third capital of Guatemala, was founded in 1543. The first two capitals were done in by uprisings against the Spanish and by Volcan de Agua. At this time, Guatemala included most of Central America and Chiapas, Mexico. Modern day Guatemala City is nearby.

We ate rice and beans (and chicken) and a sweet dessert called bunuelos. Vegetarian fare was easy to find.

Coffee is a major crop here. Growing the short trees underneath taller shade trees protects the coffee beans from sunlight and provides alternative seeds to eat so the birds leave the coffee trees alone. I love the crop symbiosis and natural pest management.