scubacruiserx2

Returning to the ship A chapel at the beach Banana Boat A view from the beach

Playa La Bocana Everything was fresh and made to order (except the crackers)

We next went to a church that was between services . There was a bus from the ship there also . An overlook of where we would be having lunch

Beware of anteaters A visit to the family store where everything is handmade by locals . We were allowed to photograph because we were with family . Tomas with a carpet that he made during the Covid downturn in tourism

Congratulations on your trip . We did enjoy it more than we thought that we would . We also use TripAdvisor , Cruise Critic , guide books like Frommers and Eyewitness Guide . Tours by Locals is who who we have used the most . If we know the area and or have some language skills then we're more likely to DIY or try to engage a local at the point of purchase . The longer the trip and less verbal skills we have the more likely that we will try to hire in advance . It's just less to be concerned with and we were pretty happy with our guides .

We would suggest that you look at our photos and review . It was our 3 rd time there and we loved the trip and the counter-clockwise direction . It was probably our favorite trip and scenery while cruising but beware of scams with taxis at the airports in Santiago and Buenos Aries !

On Easter Sunday HAL had scheduled the DIY interdenominational service for dinner time at 1800 . And then they changed it on the night before Easter to 0800 - at the same time as sunrise and while we were pulling into port . Pat ran down to get something at the Lido while I took some photos . We had agreed to meet the guide at 0900 . So we wolfed breakfast down and walked to the front of the ship where we met for church . One again it was standing room only , a shortage of hymnals and a DIY service . After we finished we rushed to the aft and changed clothes and bags for the day . Walking the length of the pier we met Tomas , our guide and driver for the day . Our first stop was at an overlook where we saw our first desert like terrain .

Dinner for us was at the Pinnacle

The dancers at Puerta Chiapas , Mexico from the Pinnacle dining room on the HAL ship Nieuw Amsterdam . Puerta Chiapas , the beach and the lighthouse The Retreat and lunch

We slept very well but awoke to the the smell of smoke and a fire . We were in Puerta Chiapas , Mexico - just across the border from Guatemala Breakfast included Banana Bread French Toast and a Mimosa

We had a late lunch and we just decided to have dinner in the room .

Our next stop was at the Jade Museum And the town square where the procession would come by again The Chicken Bus waiting for local riders A stop at fast food for lunch Goodbye to Fidencio and Aldeso Back to the ship

After the procession we went to see this church but it was closed The park across the street We found an old car like ours from 1984

Immediately after marching over the carpets they were swept up .

Good Friday processional on April 15th , 2022 in Antigua , Guatemala . Followed by the ladies processional It was interesting to see the people swaying to keep in step while marching forward .

Thank you Doug . We did just book the trip from Vancouver to Fort Lauderdale and the last Alaskan cruise on the NA before that trip on September 25th . New ports for us will be Skagway , San Francisco and Avalon . Can you recommend anything for first time visitors there ?

People began to move from the cobbled stone streets as the procession of purple clad penitents would carry the floats on their shoulders .

Antigua is a small city surrounded by volcanoes in southern Guatemala. It’s renowned for its Spanish colonial buildings, many of them restored following a 1773 earthquake that ended Antigua’s 200-year reign as Guatemala’s colonial capital. Notable architectural examples include baroque La Merced church. It’s an integral part of the city’s famous Semana Santa, a holy week with parades and rituals. ― Google Holy Thursday & Good Friday 2022: Thursday, April 14 and Friday, April 15 Though one of the more important processions begin on Good Friday, preparations actually begin up to 24 hours prior, making it imperative to include Holy Thursday in the narrative of Semana Santa. On Thursday, families and businesses start working on their original ‘alfombras’ which can sometimes take months to plan. Following their blueprint, everyone partakes in creating a dazzling ‘alfombra’ worthy of the destruction from a procession, signifying that neither life nor death are permanent. People typically work through the night to ensure the ‘alfombras’ are perfect for the procession early on Friday. Though some people might use stencils for accuracy, others use a free hand technique to construct ‘alfombras’ that are uniquely beautiful and imperfect. It is said that it rains every year in Antigua on Good Friday beginning at 3am, and by 4am when the rain clears, processions from La Merced Church begin. The bearers swap their purple robes for black ones, while the previously colorful decorations strung throughout the city are replaced with black decorations to mourn the crucifixion of Christ. The floats depict scenes of Jesus carrying his cross, while marching bands walk behind the floats playing a solemn number to incite emotion. The ‘alfombras’ disappear as the processionals pass along the route, and participants immediately begin making new ones for processionals yet to come. My wife and I were both raised Roman Catholic and we had both seen small processions in the church but not so large , elaborate or outside as what we saw in Antigua . This young man's job was to keep their carpet moist and colorful

We arrived about 0800 in Puerto Quetzal a somewhat industrial port in Guatemala on Good Friday , April 15 . There were a couple of large piles of coal nearby . We were the first ones off of the ship and to cross like a pontoon bridge . We walked past a couple of shops on the way to meet the guide and driver near the parking lot . It's almost 2 hours to a city in the mountains named Antigua and we only stopped to take a photo as we were coming into the mountains The next stop was at an overview of the city and the Volcán de Agua .

Is anyone else experiencing slow upload times to You tube ? This 3 minute song took over an hour to upload .

The jukebox Rogues performed on last time and it was mostly Motown . After the concert we waited for the crowd to dissipate and took a later elevator . Billy and Jonathan were in the elevator and we had a nice talk about their music and where they would be going to next .

You're welcome and thanks for writing in .

It was ! We had one earlier this year on the NA that wasn't as good but we're glad that we tried them again . 😎

The night of the Last Supper (on Holy Thursday ) , before Good Friday was held at Rudi's in the Pinnacle . Bread accoutrements

After breakfast on Thursday , April 14 th , we went to the Coffee Chat with the Jukebox Rogues where they share their background , influences and future plans . Lunch was a Pizza at the Retreat and a couple of beers . The Pizza was pretty good .