Season Ending

Guatemala City, or as it is called locally “Guate”, is located in the south-central region of the country in a valley know as Valle de la Ermitaon (or Hermitage Valley). The location was the site of the ancient Mayan city of Kaminaljuyu. “Guate“ was established by the Spanish in 1773 when they moved the Government from the city of Antigua after the devastating earthquake. With a population of approximately 3 million “Guate” is the largest city and is the national capital of the Republic of Guatemala.

We had just a few days here before we caught our flights home but still managed to get in a few sites. We spent one morning doing a walking tour with our guide Beverly. Once again, we were the only ones to show up, so we had a private 4-hour tour. Our tour included the Avenue of the Americas. A boulevard on which a monument to each of the countries that make up the Americas is situated every couple of blocks. It was interesting to see how some represented generals or founders of the nation while others represented art and literary individuals. There are also some “notable mention” countries that while not technically in the Americas, have provided substance to the building of the country. For example, a large influx of immigrants came from Germany and were instrumental in the development of the coffee industry here. At the end of the boulevard is the Germany plaza that includes parts of the Berlin wall.

We also managed to check out the Catedral Metropolitana de Santiago de Guatemala, Plaza de Constitucion, National Palace, Centro Mercado (central market) the Zoo and Paseo Cayala. Got to keep the step count up and the Uber drivers employed. Interestingly we were told to not use the yellow cabs if we can avoid it and never use the white cabs but getting a car through an online app is perfectly ok. Uber was inexpensive and worked great.

This marks the end of our sixth sailing season. While we have had a great time on the boat and seeing the people and places we have seen its going to be good to get back home and see friends and family again.