Wed, Dec 27th – Santo Tomas de Castillo, Guatemala

Today was my fourth time that the Veendam has been to Guatemala, but this is the first time I’ve gotten off the ship there. Unfortunately, if you don’t go out on a tour there’s not much else to do. So I wandered into the little hangar they have set up there in the port. Inside, many many native merchants try to sell you tourist items, mostly things that their families have made by hand, crafted to represent the culture of their country.

There was also a family playing a really long marimba! It was incredible – these seven men all lined up side-by-side playing this gigantic xylophone, which must have been a full eight octaves long. Together with a stand-up bass and drums, they were playing lots of standards, classics, and Sinatra tunes, like “I Love Paris,” “Begin the Beguine,” and “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” It was a treat to hear it done that way - the sound echoed throughout the entire hangar.