Day 9 Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala

A very interesting day indeed! We gathered for our journey to Copan in Honduras just before 0600. We left the ship and headed for the airport where we boarded or Cessna puddle jumper…. Just like I thought, it looked like a scene right out of Indiana Jones. We had two pilots who looked like they were 18…. We waited for the weather to clear at our destination and after about 30 minutes we took off. It was a lovely flight. We even passed an active volcano…. Very nice! As we got closer to our destination, our pilot took out his portable Garmin GPS to help us fly along the narrow valleys between the mountains. We finally started our final approach on an uphill dirt strip in Guatemala, near the boarder of Honduras. What a ride! This was a first for me….. WE sat there for about 40 minutes awaiting our transportation to Copan. Once they arrived, we boarded to bus and headed out along an unpaved road filled with ruts, pot holes and large rocks….. Just amazing! We finally arrived to Copan, and were ready to get about exploring the “Paris” of the ancient Mayan world. The artistic display of the carvings was simply amazing. Highlights included the wonderful inscriptions on the stealae, the pyramids, the Ball court and the residential area. It was an amazing experience. We went to the museum which was wonderful and then it was off to lunch. We drove to the town of Copan Ruinas for lunch. The lunch served was fabulous! It was a nice way to top off a wonderful day. Then it was back to the plane…. There is nothing like barreling down the hill with no plan B available. We were off and got back to the airport in San Jose and got back to the ship. Nice day…. Tomorrow is up in the air! The weather tonight is supposed to get pretty dicey, high seas, winds and storms…. We may not make it to Huatulco. If we do go…. I am booked on a catamaran sail to 5 of the bays of Huatulco. Just the thing for stormy seas.