Arrival in Puerto Quetzal

This is the morning of monday 28th April (6.45 am) and we are sailing slowly into Puerto Quetzal. I can see a small tanker through the dense mist/fog outside. This usually means that the sea temperature is higher than the air around it....I have a feeling it is going to be a hot day ashore. We dock at 8 am in a commercial berth we're told; all the cruise terminals having been taken. This means we shall be a half mile or so from the port gate but we think there may be a shuttle. George is leading our tour to a coffee plantation this afternoon and buses often come right up to the gangway.

We were told last night to avoid non SAS buses as 69 bus drivers have been killed in hijackings so far this year! Hmmm. The SAS tours have a security officer aboard as we had in our drive to and from Marrakesh in Morrocco.

Guatemala is now testing for swine 'flu but no cases have been reported as yet. As Mexico is right next door I imagine it will just be a matter of time and the WHO has raised the 'alert' towards a pandemic to 4. However outside Mexico the cases seem to have been mild, which is reassuring. There is great anxiety I think amongst our students although some attempts were made to alleviate that by the Dean in last night's pre-port. We have a Diplomatic pre-port this morning which I always find fascinating.....seeing who the US sends out into the world to represent tham.

I can now see 2 man canoes,more tankers and a long stone pier. The sun is trying to struggle through and we have a tug boat called HERCULES gliding along beside us. The excitement always of entering the harbour in a new country! But i in my nightdress have to remain invisible ...peeking around the curtains!

There is one of those obnoxiously large cruise ships anchored at one of the terminals; these ships look like ugly floating apartment blocks. There seems, to my eyes anyway, no grace or anything that speaks of the sea in their design...they are quite simply people movers.

We are now moving into position next to a large, laoded, honest looking freighter, named Seoul Tower and another called the Pacific Hawk....I love ship names! Pacific Hawk is painted tan ad royal blue, quite striking....however as their crew can see right into our cabin I am just going to draw the curtains!

There are busy vans and lorries/tucks beetling back and forth and George, who has hogged the bathroom for the last hour, has finally emerged and will in a minute say 'Ready for breakfast?'
as he bustles round the cabin......it being patently obvious that I am not!

More later.....