We docked at the port of “Santo Tomas de Castillo”, where early in the morning I jumped in a bus, and we traveled to the Quirigua Archaeological National Park. This is another example of the bus ride taking more time than the time we had at the site, but I suppose I can’t complain about Silversea not sailing up the highway.

The site is known for their Mayan stelae – think obelisk and you wouldn’t be far wrong. Some of the monuments were over 10 meters tall. The site built wooden structures to protect them (and tourists) from the elements.

I was interested in the glyphs carved on the sides. Our guide said not all have been translated.

We were rained on pretty hard in the afternoon, so I did not take as many pictures as usual. I was astounded with the detailed rock carving.

Driving back, we passed a banana plantation – which is one of the major exports of Guatemala. Our guide explained that bags are placed around the bananas to keep them warm during the 90-day growing season.