Leaving Honduras we went by road to Guatemala City.
We were curious about all these trucks stuck on the Guatemala side of the frontier... they stretched for miles! Apparently the problem is not having the correct paperwork.... and it is a daily problem for these drivers. They are usually held up there for a minimum of 3 days! Given the narcotic trade on the Honduras side one would expect the hold up to be to enter Guatemala.... not the other way around!
The drive to Guatemala City took a while ... windy roads but very little traffic until we neared the city.
After checking into our hotel.... the
Clarion Suites...... we checked out the downtown area.
Most of the buildings had seen better days!
We visited the Art Deco Pasaje Rubio built in the 1930s
..and checked out the El Portal bar opened in 1932...
..visited by Che Guevara in the 1940s!
Then on to the the National Palace.....
where people were going for covid testing!
the Dominoes building nearby was in great shape........
as was the Cathedral.......
Before leaving the city we visited its archaeological park... not quite Copan! But still interesting!
The park is revered by local Mayan families and we were lucky to see one of their ceremonies while there.
Then back on the road again to our next stop...
Lake Atitlan.... where a lot of todays Maya live.
Domino's were everywhere! Gas station ( and Domino's) was well guarded!
We knew we were getting close!
We were happy to be checking into our hotel the
Santa Caterina at the edge of the lake with a close view of two of the three volcanoes around the lake.....
..with a little of theirs mixed in.......
a busy kitchen......
...lots of chickens...we were hoping they weren't to be on the table for lunch!
